Chapter 7 Section VII

Time: Weishizheng (according to today's timing, it should be 2 o'clock in the afternoon). Location: Wuming Villa, inside the Purple Bamboo Garden. Bao Wen told the third son the story of the killing of the Jin envoy who had been kept secret by the court. "October 22nd last year was the Huiqing Festival, which is also the birthday of the emperor. The envoy of Jin, Wulin, came to congratulate Tianxi on entering the court. This man considered himself the son-in-law of the Jin Kingdom, and was extremely arrogant. He called the emperor by his name directly in the Chuigong Hall He also insisted on asking the emperor to come down to the palace to accept the letter of the Kingdom of Jin. The emperor naturally refused, and the envoy of Jin couldn't afford to kneel, and insisted again and again. The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty looked at each other, but they had no idea. When the stalemate could not be resolved, Master Yu stepped out of the shift, Ask the envoy directly: "Do you have the letter of state?" The envoy was frightened by Master Yu's aura, and said: "The letter of state is on me." Master Yu said: "Empty words are not proof, seeing is believing." Jin envoy Take the letter of state in your hand. Master Yu snatched it away and presented it to the emperor. The golden emissary retreated angrily. Once he returned to the post house, he packed his luggage and intended to return to the country. The attitude is slightly relaxed, and I promise to return to China after the birthday party tomorrow."

"Unexpectedly, the situation changed suddenly. The Jin envoy was assassinated in the post that night, and the whole court was shocked immediately. This matter is no small matter. If it is not handled properly, it is bound to cause the Song and Jin countries to fight again. The emperor immediately canceled the birthday Feast and celebrate, urgently edit a letter to clarify the situation, and send Long Dayuan as an envoy to escort the corpse of the Jin envoy back to the country. At the same time, all other cases of the Ministry of Punishment will be suspended, and all personnel will be mobilized to closely monitor every corner of the capital. The guards also joined the staff of the Ministry of Punishment. Anyone who entered or exited the capital must first go through strict interrogation and verification. At the same time, flying horses sent reports to the prefectures and Taoist officials for close monitoring. Whenever there was any situation, they immediately flew pigeons to send letters and report to the capital. But so far After more than three months, the murderer is still nowhere to be found, Master Yu has black hair, but it is white with worry."

"Furthermore, the Jin envoy Wulin answered Tianxi's wife, and the Jin Kingdom dispatched Princess Yi. He couldn't bear the pain of losing her husband, and cut her face with a knife, trying to force the Jin Huang to raise troops to go south to avenge her husband. The Jin Huang was also furious. The court ultimatum, if the murderer cannot be arrested on February 27th, the birthday of the Golden Emperor, and taken to Tokyo, the capital of Jin, to be beheaded, then our court will have to cede land and pay compensation to apologize for the crime. If not, the kingdom of Jin will have four hundred thousand An elite teacher will surely flatten the south of the Yangtze River and avenge the son-in-law. However, the four prefectures of Tang, Deng, Hai, and Si will be increased to 500,000 taels of old coins and one million pieces of silk. Such harsh conditions, How could the emperor agree to it? If the murderer cannot be caught, it seems that there is only one way to go to war. The frontier, which has finally settled down, will continue to have frequent wars and bloody battles for years."

"According to my many years of experience, if a murder case cannot be solved within two months after the incident, the chances of it being solved in the future are very small. Although thousands of police officers from the Criminal Ministry are scattered all over the country, they are still conducting close investigations. , but Mr. Yu no longer has any chances, unless the murderer suddenly realizes his conscience, surrenders himself to the Ministry of Punishment, and redeems the peace of the country with his own life. Otherwise, there is almost no hope of solving the case before February 27. does not exist."

"On February 27th, the deadline is approaching, and the two factions in the imperial court are arguing endlessly. The main peace faction, headed by Tang Situ, Prime Minister Tang, advocates peace of mind, measuring the material resources of China, and forming a bond with the country. The conditions of the Jinren Although it is harsh, but in order to protect the peace of the country, it is okay to agree. The main combat faction, headed by Mr. Yu, thinks that the Kingdom of Jin is just bluffing and intimidating. The war will start lightly, and the hearts of the people in the Kingdom of Jin are also war-weary and anxious about peace. Even if they ask for peace, they should bargain, and they cannot let the Kingdom of Jin take whatever they want, and look down on our Great Song Dynasty."

"Forty years ago, Jin soldiers entered the city of Hangzhou. It is recorded in the history that "the city was set on fire, and the smoke and flames continued for three days and nights, and they plundered the gold and silk children." The impression of the brutal and ferocious Jin soldiers still remains in the hearts of the common people. Since the Southern Crossing, the Song and Jin wars have won and lost each other, but who dares to guarantee that the next war will not be the one that overthrew the empire. The fuse? For the current plan, we can only pray that the murderer who killed the golden envoy will fall into the trap."

After Bao Wen finished telling the story, Uncle Meng continued, "If you can't find the real culprit, it's always possible to find a scapegoat. Find a death row prisoner from the prison, let him confess the crime of murder, and let his descendants be rich and prosperous. It shouldn't be difficult." Bao Wen said: "You are very old, but you are so ignorant. The people of the Jin Kingdom are so easy to prevaricate. Once the trick is exposed, it will be self-defeating, which will increase the anger of the Jin Kingdom and make it more difficult to recover the situation. "

Uncle Meng was refuted by Bao Wen, so he could only sneer and said, "Compared to the case of the Jin envoy's murder, the murder of the bodyguard is nothing to worry about. Why is Mr. Bao so persistent?" Bao Wen said: "As long as I live on the state's salary for one day, I must fulfill my duties. The country is at a critical juncture, and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs is also troubled. I have no right to comment on major national affairs. Whether it is war or peace, it is beyond my control. But It is absolutely impossible to put other murder cases on the shelf until one case is solved and ignore them. I will do my best to bring those who dare to commit crimes to justice, and will never tolerate them taking human lives. , is still at large." From his figure and words, it seems that he can vaguely glimpse his upright ancestors who will go down in history.