Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen
When Di Gong visited Ni Qi, only Hong Canjun and four yamen were with him.The official sedan chair was carried across the white marble bridge, and one end of the nine-story pagoda stood up in the lotus pond on the left, which is truly spectacular.
The group turned west and followed the river to a wasteland in the southwest of the city.Ni's house is on this wasteland, very close to the water gate, and the walls of the mansion are tall and thick, which makes people daunting.Lanfang is only separated by a river from other ethnic groups. To prevent harassment by Hu soldiers, it is a matter of course that the houses are strong.
When Men Ding saw the county magistrate coming, he quickly opened the gate and stepped aside, bowing and asking Mr. Di to be carried into the compound in the official sedan chair.
Mr. Di got off the official sedan chair, and a person outside the living room had already stepped down to greet him.This person is of medium build, with a fat head and a round face, short beard and sparse eyebrows, and a pair of mouse eyes that move up and down, left and right, which is a perfect match for his quick action and quick speech.He walked up to Mr. Di, bowed his head, and introduced himself: "The little man Ni Qi pays his respects to the elder. Today, the labor master moved to visit our house, and he was really uneasy. And please drink tea in the master's hall, and the little man is also good. Listen to the instruction."
Ni Qi led Mr. Di up the steps, entered the living room, and asked Mr. Di to sit on the upper seat. Mr. Di looked around, and saw that all the furnishings in the hall were carved with ebony, which looked antique; It is a rare calligraphy left by the master craftsmen of the past dynasties, and it is very valuable.
The house slave offered tea, and Di publicly said: "Every time I take office in this county, I have to pay a visit to the local gentry, great eunuchs, and celebrities. This has become a custom. But today, there is another reason for visiting the mansion. When your father was alive, he was a hero in the court, a pillar of the country, and the county admired him. He is willing to be a private disciple. I only regret that I didn’t know your face and was taught by him. Now I heard that my foot lives here. So I came here because of the name. It is also a pleasure for Zisi to meet the son of the late ambassador who deposed him."
Ni Qi was flattered when he heard the words, and said: "My lord's grand visit has already made the young people more prosperous, and I have so much respect for my late father. I should remember five times, and I will never forget it in this life. When it comes to my father, the lord is sure to say something." Middle. Thinking back to when he was alive, he was outstanding in the officialdom. Who would not be impressed by the civil and military in the Manchu Dynasty? Even the emperor respected him three points! It is ashamed to say that such a rotten snake as Xiaomin is such a dragon. Offspring, how unworthy! Cough, genius, genius, a gift from God. Genius combined with hard work has produced a generation of masters like my father. Don’t laugh at the master, but Xiaomin is born to be a man. You can’t carve it! But Xiaomin still has a little self-knowledge. Since he is a rotten wood and dung, lacking in talent and ability, he never knows about official career and doesn’t want to work hard. Live peacefully and be satisfied.”
Ni Qi rubbed his fat hands together and smiled slightly.Di Gong just wanted to speak, but Ni Qi spoke again: "I heard that the master is full of knowledge, and the depth is like nothing. We mediocre people are really not worthy of gossiping with the master. What's more, the master Xiaoyi is a fool. Cracking down on crimes, outstanding political achievements, and word-of-mouth, such a county lord condescends to come here today to tell the story. The small people are lucky to receive this honor. The master took Qian Mou with lightning speed. Merit! It’s pitiful to say, which of the previous county magistrates would not bow down to Qian Mou’s feet! I remember that my father often blamed young officials for stealing peace, not wanting to serve the country at the top, and not thinking of peace at the bottom.
This time A Jue flattered, Di Gong was very unhappy when he heard it, and before Ni Qi finished speaking, he interrupted him: "I think your father will definitely leave you a large farm?"
"It's true, but the common people are incompetent. They are too busy to clean up the farm all day long. The tenants are honest and hard-working peasants. Even the rice renters drag their tails. The house servants and maidservants are also very busy. Sticking to one's duty is different from the thugs and shrews in the capital..."
Di Gong interrupted again. "I heard that you have a large farm outside the east gate?"
"Yes, yes, that is indeed a piece of land."
"There is a labyrinth there, which is very famous, and I would like to see it if I have free time in this county."
"It would be a great honor to be here! It's just that the maze has been in ruins and has been repaired and abandoned. It's inconvenient to look at it. Xiaomin has long wanted to renovate it, but my father insists on keeping it as it is. , every plant and every tree. My lord, although Xiaomin is born stupid and stubborn, but as a son of man, he should be filial. This principle is always clear, so he dare not disobey his father's order. My father entrusted the labyrinth to a pair of old slaves to take care of them. It is sincere, but there is nothing you can do to keep it in good condition. Master, this family has been in power for a long time, and the old birthday star sells the mother, and the old sells the old. It is not easy to control, so Xiaomin's feet have never stepped there , the rabbit got that Weng and his wife are playing tricks on each other, telling stories..."
Di Gongdao: "I heard that there are nine twists and eighteen bends in the maze, and there are thousands of changes, so I am very interested in the scene inside the palace. I wonder if you have been to the palace before?"
Ni Qi's mouse eyes shone uneasy.
"But this has never happened. To be honest, only my father knows the secrets in the palace, and he keeps his own son secret."
Duke Di asked, "Does your father's widow know the mystery of the labyrinth?"
"Master's mention of Jiaci is heartbreaking! The master doesn't know something. During the years when the common people were looking forward to it, Jiaci became seriously ill and suffered from unbearable pain. Although he was diagnosed and treated by a good doctor, he finally passed away because of the end of his life. Every time I think about it, I cry!"
"Lingtang passed away and returned to the west. This county has heard about it for a long time. So the lonely widow ordered to respect the second wife, your stepmother Mei."
When Ni Qi heard this remark, he said angrily: "The master is talking about her! It's fine not to mention this vixen, but if she is mentioned, it will make people feel heartbroken! My father is clean and honest, magnanimous, but because of this What a big mistake, what a family misfortune! It is the duty of a father to be kind and filial to his son, but Xiaomin has to accept the fait accompli of this mistake caused by his father. One can imagine the depression in his heart. Master, that Mei family is A fox goblin, coaxed my father into pity with sweet words, and accepted her to fill in the house. Humane said, "a sixty-year-old man marries a young wife, and the money buys a horse for others to ride." No, the household is not right, the two of them are very different in age and have different temperaments, and the Mei family was originally a fox and was born a flirtatious and flirtatious woman, so this marriage is not destined to be happy. The first few days after Mei's marriage , and pretended to be a law-abiding person, but before the full moon was out, he became flirtatious, dressed in red and green all day long, dressed himself up, and did some tricks to attract bees and butterflies. My lord, this crime of fornication and fornication .In a small way, ruining the style of the family will hurt Fenghua; in a big way, it will mess up the discipline and ruin it. Is it tolerable, which one can't be tolerated? My father knows it in his heart, but it's hard to show the ugliness of this family, so he can only cry Tunsheng kept his secrets deep in his heart, even to his own flesh and blood, Xiaomin. It was only at the end of his life that he left his last words to Xiaomin, expressing his hidden worries."
Mr. Di wanted to interrupt, but before he could speak, Ni Qi said, "Xiaomin knows what the master is going to say. The master will ask: 'If that's the case, why don't you sue her to the Yamen for interrogation?" But in that case, my father's privacy and the scandal of the Ni family will be brought to court. As the saying goes, good things don't go out, but bad things spread far and wide. Once this scandalous rumor is spread, it will disappear. It won't take a day and a half. All the fathers and common people in the city, homeless men, a beggar who stole a son, three aunts and six wives will be known to everyone, everyone knows. My father was a powerful and magnificent life, but after his death, his reputation was discredited and ridiculed. How can there be peace under the nine springs? As a son of man , Xiaomin, how can I bear it?"
Speaking of this, Ni Qi covered his face with his hands, in unspeakable pain.
Di Gong said coldly: "I'm afraid this matter must be brought to the public case, what a pity! Your stepmother has already sued you in the county government, claiming that the oral will is not trustworthy, and demanded that half of the family property be divided equally For her mother and son."
Ni Qi was so angry and annoyed that she forgot to praise herself modestly, and shouted: "What an ungrateful bitch who hides needles in the cotton, she really has no shame! Master, I think she is a fox who has become a spirit, isn't she? Just imagine, any ordinary person, How can you degenerate to such a level?" After speaking, he shook his head and sighed.
Di Gong leisurely drank tea, and when Ni Qi calmed down, he said: "This county has never had the chance to hear your father's voice and smile. Known as a giant of calligraphy. This county thought that if I could borrow your father's calligraphy to read, it would be a long-cherished wish and a lifelong comfort. I don't know what you think about it?"
Ni Qi replied: "Master borrows other things. Is there any reason not to dedicate it? But borrowing from my father's hands is really difficult! My father has always kept a low profile, and the master may have heard of it, so he ordered his manuscript to be taken away when he was dying. Putting it into Bingding without leaving a single word, saying that he has nothing worth passing down to future generations. My father is so open-minded, it is really awe-inspiring!"
Di Gong asked again: "My father is famous all over the world, so I think there must be a lot of friends here?"
Ni Qi smiled and said: "For many years behind this Yinshan Mountain, apart from the master, I am afraid that there is no one who is really knowledgeable about books and etiquette. Naturally, my father disdains to gossip with those ordinary people in the village. If he is lucky enough to meet the master, he will definitely regard him as irresistible When my father was alive, he advocated hard work, and was particularly interested in clarifying the government... Ah... no, my father is devoted to literature here, and in his spare time, he also supervises the spring plowing, summer hoeing, autumn harvesting, and winter farming in the farm. Waiting for the matter, one of the reasons why Mrs. Mei was able to curry favor with him was that she had a little understanding of Nongsang... Ah, this is going too far!"
Ni Qi clapped his hands and ordered to add new tea.
Di Gongmo stroked his beautiful beard, thinking in his heart, his master is naturally more cunning, although his eloquence is very sharp, but it is empty.
Ni Qi talked about the weather in Lanfang again, but Di Gong just sipped his tea slowly, half listening.Suddenly he interrupted Ni Qi and asked, "Where did your father always paint when he was alive?"
Ni Qi glanced at the guest, with a look of embarrassment on his face, unable to answer for a moment.He stroked his chin, thought for a while, and said: "There is a small pavilion behind the other courtyard outside the East City Gate. It is located at the back of the garden, very close to the entrance of the labyrinth. It is indeed a quiet place. My father used to sing poems there during his lifetime. Painting. If the old doorman is under strict supervision, the painting table that my father used back then may still be there. The master knows, the old house slave..."
Di Gong stood up, intending to leave, but Ni Qi kept asking him to stay and gossiping, Di Gong finally bid farewell to his master and left.
Hong Canjun was waiting anxiously in Mending's duty room. Seeing that Di Gong finally came out, he hurriedly took a sedan chair to go back to the yamen.
Di Gong sat down behind the Nei Yashu case, sighed, and said to Hong Canjun.
"Ni Qi chatters so much, it's really annoying!"
Hong Canjun asked anxiously: "What do you gain from this trip, Master?"
"As far as the harvest is concerned, it is very small. I wanted to get Ni Shouqian's manuscript and check the handwriting with Tao Gan's remains in the interlayer of the scroll. However, Ni Qi said that his father ordered him to burn all his manuscripts, calligraphy and paintings, so he left empty-handed." Back. I also thought it was unknown if someone among Ni Shouqian’s friends in Lanfang kept one or two volumes. Unexpectedly, Ni Qi said that his father had no close friends here. I saw that Ni Qi was very cunning. Tight, although he speaks eloquently, he always pays attention and fortifies everywhere. But even so, he is not leak-proof, and one or two sentences he accidentally said may be of great help to us in solving the mystery of the painting scroll. This can be called Too much talk is bound to fail! Hong Canjun, what impression do you have of Ni Zhai?"
"While I was waiting in the room, I chatted with Ermen Ding for a long time. They said that his master's behavior was not without weirdness. Although he was as paranoid as his biological father, he was narrow-minded, jealous and jealous, and did not have the open-mindedness of his father. Ni Qi is A dude who has no strength to restrain a chicken, but is very passionate about martial arts such as boxing and stick fighting, fighting and fighting. The servants are also strictly screened, and most of them are strong and strong. Ni Qi likes watching the servants practice martial arts competitions the most , The middle courtyard has been turned into a martial arts school, he often sits on the sidelines for several hours to cheer and cheer for the martial arts masters, and rewards will be given to the winners."
Di Gong nodded slightly, and said: "It is human nature for fat people to expect to be physically strong."
Hong Canjun continued: "The Ermending also said that Ni Qi once lured Qian Mou's best swordsman with a lot of money to change his family and serve him. Although Qian Mou was unhappy about this, he didn't take it seriously. Ni Qi is a coward, but Simu hoped that Hu Bing would come to plunder Lanfang, and he was keen to train his servants all day long. This is the reason. He even hired two Fanhu warriors to come to the house to teach the servants how to use Hu Bing's bow and arrow, and teach Hu Bing how to form an array. .”
Di Gong asked: "What did Ni Shouqian think of Ni Qi before he was alive, did Menzi ever mention it?"
"It is said that Ni Shouqian was very strict with his son, and Ni Qi was very afraid of him. Even after his death, he still had lingering fears. Even when he saw the old slaves and maids, he thought of his strict father, so he simply dismissed them all, leaving none behind. Ni Shouqian Ni Qi also obeyed every word of the last words left before the end, and did what he did. Ni Shouqian instructed that the farm outside the east city must remain the same and not be changed. Ni Qi has never been there since the death of his father. Mending said, Ni Qi It can be said that the eastern suburbs have turned pale!"
Di Gong stroked his beard and said, "I want to go to the maze to see for myself in a few days. Hong Canjun, you can go find out where Mrs. Ni's mother and son live now, and invite them to come to see me. There is a dead husband hiding beside Mrs. Ni." The handwriting is also unknown. Furthermore, Ni Qi said that his father had no good friends in Lanfang. Whether this statement is true or not, you can tell when you see Mrs. Ni. When it comes to the Pan county magistrate case, the name of Qian Mou The traitor is still haunted and at large, and I can't let it go. I have ordered Qiaotai to investigate all the servants of Qianzhai carefully, ordered Fang to arrest another strategist in the prison for detailed trial, and wondered whether to send Ma Rong there Secretly investigate the haunts of the mob. If the dog-headed army division killed the county magistrate Pan, there must be fellow gangsters working with him."
Hong Canjun said: "So, Ma Rong can also take this opportunity to find out Bai Lan's whereabouts. We discussed this with Fang Zheng this morning, and he also thought that Bai Lan had been kidnapped by the gangsters and sold to the Fireworks Court."
Di Gong sighed: "I'm afraid that poor girl will really fall into the eternal fire pit."
Pausing for a moment, Di Gong said again: "The investigation of Ding Huguo's murder case has not made much progress so far. I will order Tao Gan to go to Sanbao Temple again tonight to see if Wu Feng and the woman he painted show up. "
Di Gong picked up the stack of official documents that Tao Gan had put on his desk when he was away. Hong Canjun still had no intention of leaving, and after hesitating for a while, he said, "My lord, after thinking about it, I always feel that we are in General Ding's study. I have overlooked something, the more I think about it, the more I feel that if I want to uncover the mystery of Ding Huguo's murder, the clues can only be found in the study."
Di Gong put down the official document in his hand, glanced at Hong Canjun, opened the small lacquer box, took out the small dagger that Tao Gan copied for him, put it in his palm, and said, "Hong Canjun, I will keep everything from you. Although I have repeatedly considered various possibilities related to the background of General Ding's murder case, to be honest, I still have no idea how the dagger was used, how the murderer entered the study, and then escaped. It is also at a loss as to how to crack the case.”
The two were silent for a long time, and Di Gong finally said: "Hong Canjun, tomorrow we will revisit Ding's house and review the study. Maybe it is just what you said, the answer to the mystery is hidden in the study."
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