Sure enough, as soon as Guo Jiuniang's words fell to the ground, Gu Changjin pursed his lips.

The old minister's letter once brought him a great sense of violation. Now Gu Changjin finally knew where the violation was.

He looked at Guo Jiuniang and asked seriously: "I wonder if Mother Guo and Miss Lu Yi are willing to work for the court?"

Guo Jiuniang shook her fan, smiled casually and said, "Your Excellency, you want me and Lu Yi to do your work. ? Liao Rao is a lustful person, but he is very capable and alert. Otherwise, he would not have been able to secure the position of governor of Liangjiang in these years. Forgive me and Lu Yi for not being able to help you. "

There are some things that Guo Jiuniang cannot say . .

Liao Rao is a big mountain coiled here, with great power. All the officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang look up to him.

It was only after General Liang arrived that someone could compete with him.

The man in front of her was really too young, so young that Guo Jiuniang didn't believe he could defeat Liao Rao.

It was this distrust that made her dare not take risks easily.

Gu Changjin knew what Guo Jiuniang was worried about and didn't force it. After Rong Shu finished talking to Guo Jiuniang, he left Chunyue Tower with her.

This is the busiest time for Wu's Brick Bridge, with the sound of pipa playing like pearls falling on a plate, accompanied by the ambiguous laughter between men and women slowly coming along with the fragrant breeze. If you listen carefully, you can also hear subtle gasps.

The two of them walked in the corridor in silence. After a few steps, Rong Shu suddenly stopped. Gu Changjin glanced at her face, which was obviously uncomfortable but forced to be calm, and also stopped.

"I'll take you up the wooden ladder in the back alley, which is where I entered and exited Chunyue Tower when I was a child." She tried her best to say in a calm tone: "I haven't been back to Yangzhou for so long that I forgot about it. That's where it is. It's much cleaner from there."

Gu Changjin said, "Okay."

The wooden ladder Rong Shu mentioned was next to the back door of Chunyue Tower. It was a specially used escape route when walking through the water. It was narrow and dark.

Following his memory, Rong Shu quickly found the road.

The ambiguous sweet fragrance just now was missing in the air, and there was more of a sultry smell of rotten wood.

The smell was unpleasant, but Rong Shu felt much more at ease.

"There are no lights here, please be careful where you step," she reminded kindly.

"Yeah." Gu Changjin followed her, staring at the red agate in her temples in the dark, and said, "You walked from here when you were a child, weren't you afraid?"

Of course, he was afraid, only for some things. If you are afraid, you will no longer be afraid.

She was really lonely in Shen Yuan. Shen Zhi was not at home all year round. Mother Zhang had to take care of Yi Lanzhu. She was busy all day long. She was like a baby bird in a cage, unable to go anywhere. .

Fortunately, the old nanny never restrained her.

Probably because she had been trapped in the palace for decades and had been looking forward to leaving the palace, she could best understand Rong Shu's feeling of suffocation trapped in a cage.

At that time, the old nanny would always smile and say: "You are a girl from the Marquis of Cheng'an Mansion. You will not be free when you get married in the future. While you are still young, you might as well go outside and see more." He

talked to her again . She made a verbal agreement that as long as she learned the rules well, she could go out and play for two hours. There was no restriction on where she could go. Even if she wanted to come to Chunyue Tower, she could come, but she could only come during the day when it was closed.

But even in the daytime, this wooden ladder is still dark. She didn't dare to leave unless Guo Jiuniang came down to lead her up.

Later, after she had the courage to walk a few times, she dared to go alone.

So for many things, you just have to get used to them.

Rong Shu thought so and said so.

Gu Changjin was silent.

Just get used to it, so I'm afraid of it.

Rong Shu wanted to mention the Shen family's affairs to Gu Changjin.

After leaving Chunyue Tower, he said: "Master Gu, are you free now? I have something to say to you."

Gu Changjin's dark eyes paused slightly, "This is not a suitable place to talk. The place where I stay is If Miss Rong doesn't dislike it, we can wait until we get there."

Rong Shu had no objection, picked up her skirt and followed Gu Changjin slowly.

When crossing the bridge, I caught a glimpse of the exquisite boats in the waterway. My eyes couldn't help but follow the boats, and my pace slowed down.

Gu Changjin slowed down and looked sideways at her face that was illuminated by the lights.

Pedestrians were coming and going on the bluestone road, and some were shouting and selling snacks.

Rong Shu could smell the sweet fragrance of pine nut candies from a distance, and for a moment he felt a little unable to walk.

"Master Gu."

"Yes."

"I haven't paid you back the money for those bowls of plum blossom soup cakes in Wutong Lane last time. How about I treat you to pine nut candies today?" Rong Shu had already looked past him. , landed at a stall that was frying pine nuts at the bottom of the bridge across the way. "It would be a waste of time to come to Yangzhou if you don't try the pine nut candies here."

A hint of smile flashed through the depths of Gu Changjin's eyes.

He responded: "Okay."

Rong Shu took out a money bag and went to queue to buy pine nut candies. Gu Changjin stood under the willow tree waiting for her.

The evening breeze blew slowly, and the silvery moonlight poured down from the treetops. Waves of lingering and crimson songs came from the boat passing by the bridge.

I don’t know what the old man selling pine nut candy said, but the girl who swept the tail smiled so hard that her eyes almost turned into crescents.

When Rong Shu came over carrying two palm-sized oil paper bags, Gu Changjin knew she was smiling.

"The old man actually recognized me and specially added some pine nuts for us." After saying that, he handed over a paper bag and said, "Here, this is yours, sir."

Gu Changjin took it and saw layers of pine nut candies inside. Wrapped with pine nuts.

He didn't like sweets, but he still ate pine nut candies with her all the way.

The sweet aroma ferments in the summer night.

People's hearts sink inside, and they feel a little more dazed.

After finishing the pine nut candies in the oil paper bag, the two of them arrived at No. 18 Pingnan Street.

Maybe the pine nut candy was too sweet, or maybe the night was too gentle.

Gu Changjin squeezed the empty oil paper bag in his hand, and the questions hidden in his heart came to his throat one by one.

He asked: "Rong Shu, do you like Mu Rong?"

Rong Shu almost choked at his words.

"Brother Mu?" She asked in confusion: "How could I like Brother Mu?"

After she said the words, she felt a little weird. Why did Gu Changjin ask her if she liked Brother Mu? He was not a very curious person. .

Could it be that something happened to the Mu family?

Just as he was about to ask, "Why do you ask that?", suddenly there was a sound of fighting in the courtyard separated by a wall, which could be heard clearly through the courtyard door.

"Shiiyun, I will fight with you!" It was Changji's voice.

Gu Changjin pushed the door open with a dark face. The people inside were struggling together, as if someone had pressed their acupoints. Their movements froze, and they all looked up.

Zhuiyun was the first to let go of his hand, smiled and saluted Rongshu, and said as if nothing had happened: "I have met Miss Rong, and I am under Zhuiyun. I was just competing with Chang Ji to make the girl laugh."

Chang Ji got up in embarrassment, not caring about the dust on his clothes, and called out with a smile: "Young Master, Miss Rong!"

Rong Shu first nodded to Zhuiyun, then looked at Chang Ji with a smile and said, "You Did the journey go well? "Where's Hengping?"

"Thanks to you, the lazy guy Hengping had a smooth journey. We only got here half an hour ago." He

looked at Gu Changjin and said. "Master and Miss Rong have something to discuss, so I won't disturb you."

He said, pulling Zhuiyun with a curious face, and went to the innermost room.

Rong Shu was interrupted by them, and it was difficult to ask what he had just said.

Gu Changjin closed the courtyard door, picked up the overturned rattan chair on the ground, and said slowly: "Zhuiyun, like Changji and Hengping, are my long-term followers since childhood. Zhuiyun has been in Yangzhou before, so You've never seen him in Wutong Lane."

He took the initiative to tell her about Zhui Yun, and Rong Shu was quite surprised. "No wonder they have such a good relationship."

Gu Changjin smiled and went into the room to bring a pot. When the tea came out, he filled a cup for her, and then said: "It's just coarse tea, you can make do with it."

He had just eaten a small bag of pine nut candies, and Rong Shu was thirsty. He took the tea and took a few sips slowly, and the color was red. Her lips were moistened with tea, like petals holding dew in the morning.

Gu Changjin moved his eyes away, and after she swallowed the tea in her mouth, he continued: "What is it that Miss Rong wants to discuss with me?"

Rong Shu pinched the tea cup, looked up at him, and said, "Liao Raoruo is really In collusion with the pirates from Sifang Island, there are probably other people involved in this matter, including the former group of maritime merchants. The Shen family was once the richest man in Yangzhou, and they also bought and sold maritime goods before the maritime ban. If so, if you find any clues related to the Shen family, I hope you can tell me."

She also knew that such a request was a little abrupt, so she added, "In return, if there is any news from Aunt Guo and Uncle Shiyi, I will let you know. I will also come here to inform you. If the Shen family really committed a crime, please rest assured that I will never tolerate those who committed the crime."

Rong Shu remembered what Gu Changjin said to Shen on the day he was sent to Sishiyuan. The evidence that the family and Rong family collaborated with the enemy and treason was conclusive, so she was told not to look for Shen Zhi.

He would say something like that. It seems that there is really such a piece of evidence.

Rong Shu didn't know if there were any collaborators in the Hou Mansion. Now she just wanted to know whether her uncle had colluded with Liao Rao. If so, where is the evidence?

She has not been busy in her ancestral home these past few days in vain.

The Shen family's family rules are very clear. If the adopted eldest son violates the family rules, he can open an ancestral hall to strip the adopted son of his surname and expel him from the Shen family.

If her uncle really did something to harm Dayin, she would personally find some ancestors to open an ancestral hall, remove his surname Shen, and then tie him to the government.

In short, the Shen family's century-old reputation cannot be ruined in his hands, and the Shen family members and grandma cannot be implicated by him.

She had been out for several days under the pretext of seeing some of her ancestors and could no longer stay outside, so she was anxious to talk to Gu Changjin about it.

She is really not a person who can hide her emotions.

Gu Changjin looked at her and said, "Is Miss Rong the subject of suspicion? I checked the Shen family and found nothing wrong."

At this point, the man felt a rare feeling of discomfort.

The initial investigation of the Shen family was actually to investigate her past in Yangzhou and to find out what her relationship was with Xu Fu.

As soon as this thought came to his mind, Gu Changjin's mind suddenly froze, and he felt that he had overlooked something.

Rong Shu didn't know that he had been investigated by Gu Changjin at the beginning. He only thought that he was the Shen family who was investigated after coming to Yangzhou.

So he pursed his lips and said, "If you want to check again, you can check on my uncle."

Rong Shu fell silent after saying this.

In fact, during the nine years she was in Yangzhou, although her uncle was often too busy to see anyone, he would always find time to spend time with her whenever he came back to Shenyuan. Make snow with her in winter and go fishing with her in summer.

All Rong Shu's fantasies about his father came from Shen Zhi.

Gu Changjin was asked to investigate Shen Zhi. In the eyes of others, she was probably just a white-eyed wolf.

When she said those words just now, she felt sad.

But she knew very well that she had become suspicious of her uncle, and only by thoroughly finding out the truth about her past life could this suspicion be dispelled.

Gu Changjin noticed her sadness at that moment. Within a moment, he guessed what she was sad about.

"Miss Rong, do you believe that I won't let innocent people take the blame?" he asked.

Rong Shu was startled and said, "I believe it." She had never doubted Gu Changjin on this point.

With a faint smile on his lips, Gu Changjin said: "Whether Shen Zhi is innocent or not, it depends not on you nor me, but on himself. If he has committed a crime, he will be punished sooner or later. If he is innocent, he will be punished." Even if he goes to jail, I will give him a clear answer."

These words made Rong Shu's guilt disappear immediately.

The slender eyebrows were slightly raised, and she recalled the tragic guard battle in her previous life, and said solemnly: "In previous years, pirates would invade Dayin's coastal counties in the autumn. Yangzhou is Dayin's land of plenty, and it is also in their eyes." The golden pastry inside, this year's Haiphong must not be taken lightly."

Having said all that needs to be said, Rong Shu looked at the sky and stood up to leave.

Gu Changjin sent her out of Pingnan Street, and waited until Luoyan drove her to pick her up before walking back.

Shiiun, Changji, and Hengping, who was obviously very unhappy about being woken up by Changji, were all waiting in the yard.

Gu Changjin glanced at them and said, "You have been on this journey, is there anyone to help you?"

"A group of people chased us all the way, but it was the warrior battalion hiding in the dark who helped us. “

The Warrior Battalion is the soldiers supervised by the Royal Horse.

"That's Liu Yuan's man." Gu Changjin squinted his eyes slightly, and there was no trace of surprise in his voice, as if he had expected it. "He guessed that someone would want to kill me."

"Then why didn't he warn me in advance, or simply let him go ?" Let's go together?" Chang Ji asked doubtfully: "Everyone in the warrior camp is very skilled. If we had known this, we would have gone with them."

Yes, why didn't we warn him in advance to prevent him from suffering such a fate? .

Gu Changjin lowered his head to sip the tea. When the tea in the cup was gone, he raised his eyes and looked at Zhuiyun: "What happened to Liu Yuan and Pan Xueliang?"

Zhuiyun said: "As soon as Liu Yuan arrived in Yangzhou, he went to the garrison capital. He was invited by Liao Rao to the Governor's Mansion and stayed there for a few days. He went back to the Governor's Mansion the day before yesterday.

"Did he go to pay homage to anyone?"

Zhui Yun said with a sarcastic smile. After six years, I don't even know what his adoptive father looks like." Gu

Changjin asked again, "Is Pan Xueliang hiding in the Supervisory Army Mansion?"

"It should be that my subordinates have never seen him leave the Supervisory Army Mansion."

Jin put down the tea cup in his hand, stood up and said, "Mr. Changji and Hengping had a good day's rest. Zhuiyun, you come with me to the Supervisory Army Mansion."

Half an hour later, an inconspicuous carriage stopped at the gate of the Supervisory Army Mansion. .

The person who opened the door was Qixin. When he saw Gu Changjin, he bowed respectfully and said, "Master Gu, Eunuch Liu is waiting for you inside. Do you want to see Pan Gongshi first or Eunuch Liu first?"

Gu Chang Jin asked: "How is Pan Gongshi?"

"Don't worry, sir. Pan Gongshi ate well and slept well, but he was worried about you all the way."

Gu Changjin said without hesitation: "Then Gu will go and see Eunuch Liu first."

Liu Yuan said at this time In the Nuan Pavilion of the Supervisory Army Mansion, I heard from the servant that Gu Changjin was here. He raised his eyebrows, threw down the chess piece in his hand, and said to the tall figure: "We thought Master Gu would see Pan Gongshi first. "

I believe that Eunuch Liu will protect Pan Gongshi," Gu Changjin said, cupping his hands at Liu Yuan and saying, "Chang Ji and Hengping, thank you for taking care of me."

Liu Yuan smiled and said, "Why should we be so polite?" " My family and I are all from the same boat."

"Whose boat is this that Eunuch Liu is talking about?" Gu Changjin sat down opposite Liu Yuan and asked calmly, "Old Minister? Or... " Your Majesty?"

"It's Dayin." Liu Yuan's beautiful face slowly broke out into a smile, and he poured tea slowly and said, "My family and you are all sitting on Dayin's boat. We all hope that Dayin will be well." , I don’t want this ship to sink." He slowly pushed over a cup with an eight-point full of tea and said, "Master Gu has been incognito in Yangzhou Mansion these days. I

guess he has found some clues about the fraud case?"

Chang Jin nodded, took out a letter from his sleeve, and said calmly: "This letter was not written by Liao Rao, but was fabricated by the old minister. The old minister had pointed his sword at Liao Rao from the beginning, and his intention was in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Eunuch Liu , you said yes or no?"