Chapter 44 Chapter 21

"Buzzing buzzing buzzing" - dizzy tinnitus, darkness in front of the eyes, candles and lanterns are also extinguished. Tao Gan immediately realized his negligence and scolded himself loudly.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong pounded the bronze bell vigorously with their fists. Hong Canjun said: "My lord, we were plotted against by evil people. If we are not suffocated to death under this copper bell, we will starve to death. Who can hear us beating desperately here? Unless it is Lin Fan, and maybe the stone drum It was Lin Fan who took off the oil. Now there is no time to regret it." After saying that, he couldn't help sighing again and again.

Di Gongdao: "We couldn't lift the bronze bell an inch inside. The only way was for the five of us to push it aside violently. As long as we can move the bronze bell, there will be a way out. Because I see that the platform on which the bell rests is not big, just need to push it to the side." Push the bronze bell out of the edge of the platform, and you can squeeze out and jump down the platform." They took off their robes and hats together, and pushed hard against the wall of the bronze bell with all their strength, all covered in sweat.Sure enough, I felt that the bronze bell moved forward.The air inside the bronze bell was stuffy, and the five of them huddled together, sweating profusely, and gradually felt palpitations and exhaustion.

Hong Canjun finally couldn't hold on anymore and collapsed.The four of them pushed hard again, and finally pushed the bronze bell to the edge of the east platform.A gap of moonlight seeped through the pitch-black copper bell, and a cool night breeze blew in, and everyone felt refreshed.Di Gong helped Hong Canjun to the gap under the edge and let him have a good breath. After resting for a while, the four of them pushed the bronze bell with all their strength.The small gap cracked wide, like a half moon.He yelled again fiercely, and finally a large gap in the air appeared under his feet.Tao Gan stretched his feet to the gap, then curled up and struggled downward, his shoulders were scratched several times by the edge of the bronze bell, and blood flowed out.Suddenly hearing a "boom", Tao Gan fell off the platform more than three feet high. —— He was rescued first.

He picked up the two iron rods from the ground and handed them in.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong held one rod each, and they lifted the pryer vigorously, and the gap was even bigger.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong jumped off the platform, and Di Gong helped Hong Canjun to the gap, while Qiao Tai and Ma Rong stretched out their hands to support Hong Canjun, and put Hong Canjun down.In the end, Mr. Di threw out his hat, lantern, etc., and jumped off the platform. Ma Rong scooped up a bowl of cold water and sprayed Hong Canjun all over his head and face. Seeing him slowly recovering, Duke Di was overjoyed. Tao Gan said with shame on his face: "Master, it's all my fault. I almost missed a big event and ruined many people's lives."

Di Gongdao: "If the bronze bell doesn't move today, wouldn't it be a bone? Tao Gan must not be careless in the future. Of course, I never thought that the thief Lin Fan would have such a sinister move. Its cunning and viciousness can be seen. Let's go! Now go back to the back courtyard to see how the iron gate is doing." The five people were fully dressed, and hurried to the inner courtyard again.Sure enough, the two covers that Tao Gan had pasted on the iron gate were all torn. ——After they left, someone opened the iron gate and chased them out. They chased them all the way to the outside of the Great Bell Hall.

Di Gongdao: "Lin Fan dared to attack us. It was he who opened the iron gate and followed us to the Great Bell Hall secretly. When the five of us got into the bronze bell, he pried it out with an iron bar." That stone drum covered us all up inside. ——He thought we were bound to die, so he walked away triumphantly. I decided to capture Lin Fan with my own hands this time, so that the hatred in my heart will be relieved. Tao Gan, you go out first. Go find Lijia here, and tell him to lead a regiment to come here for emergency first; then go to the state government office to pass on my order to send more than a dozen soldiers to come here. You can stay in the government office to heal the wounds on your body. You There was a lot of blood running down my back and shoulders."

Di Gong turned to Qiao Tai and said, "You and Hong Liang stayed in Guanli. When the Yali came, ask them to try to hang the bronze bell on the girder. You put the bones in a wooden box, and then used a sieve." Sieve the dust under the bones carefully to see if there is anything left." After speaking, he and Ma Rong walked out the ear door along the same path and left the Shengming Temple first. The two walked around several streets and alleys, and came to the front door of Lin Fan's mansion.Ma Rong stepped forward to knock on the door, only to hear someone inside the door ask: "It's midnight, who knocked on the door, come back tomorrow morning if there is something to do."

Ma Rong said: "Just now a thief climbed over the wall and entered the noble house. We are the officials in the yamen. We just want to catch the thief, so we will open the door quickly." The person inside the door agreed in panic, and slowly pulled the latch.Just as the door was ajar, Ma Rong strode forward and opened the door with his foot.With one hand, he clamped the neck of the steward, and with the other hand, he pulled out the rope, tied him up tightly, and threw him on the ground.He turned around and waved to Duke Di outside the door, and the two of them fled into the courtyard of the Lin residence.

Just as the two of them were about to turn into the inner courtyard, a black figure suddenly sprang out from behind the Moon Cave Gate, stabbing at Di Gong with a sharp knife gleaming in his hand.Di Gong's eyes were quick and he dodged in a hurry.Ma Rong quickly stepped forward and grabbed the man's arm and only twisted it forcefully, the sharp knife landed on the ground with a "dang", Ma Rong took advantage of the situation and kicked at the tip of his chin, with a "plop", a heavy flesh and blood body lay on the ground and did not move. .Ma Rong bent down and picked up the sharp knife, and followed Di Gong straight to the room in the inner courtyard where the dim candlelight flickered to arrest Lin Fan.

Di Gongfei kicked open the door, and saw Lin Fan sitting in front of the desk with his back facing the door.He was wearing a thin white silk dress.The screens, curtains, beds and mats in the room are all very simple. Di Gong grabbed Lin Fan's shoulder and turned back. Lin Fan didn't resist. He slowly raised his eyelids to look at the two uninvited guests, with a look of extreme surprise on his face.Di Gong saw that his face was pale, and there was a deep scar on his forehead. —He was applying ointment to the wound when Duke Dee came into the room. "Lin Fan, now that the evidence is all there, what else can I say?"

Lin Fan lowered his head without making a sound, and slowly stood up.Ma Rong shook out a rope from his sleeve again and was about to go forward to bind Lin Fan, when Lin Fan suddenly pulled a hidden button on the desk with his hand.With sharp eyes and quick hands, Di Gong stepped forward and punched Lin Fan on the cheek, and knocked Lin Fan to the ground with a sweep of his legs. With the sound of "ah", Ma Rong suddenly felt his body shake and fell to the ground.It turned out that the place where he was standing was cracked a piece of wood, revealing dark and steep stone steps.It was Di Gong who helped him stabilize Ma Rong before he fell down the stone steps. Di Gong looked back at Lin Fan again, and saw that he had passed out on the ground and was unconscious.Ma Rong cursed fiercely, and couldn't help asking: "My lord, Lin Fan has trauma on his forehead and shoulders. Could it be that he fought with someone during the day?" Di Gongdao: "I will understand when the time comes. There is no need to ask about the origin of those traumas right now. At this moment, you should first tie up Lin Fan and the overthrown manager just now, and then search the inside and outside of Lin's house carefully. If you meet again The servants of the Shanglin family must not be easily let go, they must be captured and brought to justice, and finally they will be escorted to the state government. I will go down the stone steps to see what happened." After finishing speaking, Di Gong held up a candle on the desk, and carefully walked down the dark secret passage.The secret passage twists and turns, gloomy and cold, and after walking about thirty steps, I feel that the inside is tall and spacious.At this time, the road divided into two ends. He held up the candle, and saw the blackened river gurgling from the left side. There were several large bluestones on the bank as the water dock; the right side was a narrow dry road. ——At the end is a big iron door with a big lock as thick as an arm hanging on the big iron door. Duke Di watched carefully and came back up again.Ma Rong has bound Lin Fan and is searching the house.Di Gongdao: "Ma Rong, the iron gate in the backyard of Shijian Shengmingguan is the secret passage. Search Lin Fan's waist to see if there is a big key." Ma Rong went to Lin Fan's belt and found a big copper key, so he took it off and handed it to Duke Di. Di Gong took it, went down the secret passage again, turned the copper key into the big lockhole on the iron door, and the heavy iron door opened. ——Outside the iron gate is indeed the backyard of Shengming Temple