Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 393 Zheng Qingtian was forced to death
After chatting with Xiao Qinyan for a while, seeing that he was determined to kill Zheng Qingtian, the magistrate of Qiantang County, Yuan Xudong handed him the gold and silver deed worth 200,000 strings of cash that he had received from Zheng Qingtian and said:
"Since you are determined to kill Zheng Qingtian, please help me return the gold and silver deeds worth 200,000 strings of cash to him!"
Taking the gold and silver deed worth two hundred thousand strings of cash from Yuan Xudong, Xiao Qinyan glanced at it briefly, then looked at Yuan Xudong and said with a smile:
"Two hundred thousand strings of cash, are you really willing to give it back to him?"
"I took money from others and helped them get rid of their troubles. Since I can't help him get rid of his troubles, I can only give it back to him. This is not a question of how much money is or whether I am willing to give it away. It's a question of if a person has no integrity, he will not be able to stand!"
"Well, a man cannot stand without faith. It is really rare that you can understand this principle and strictly implement it!"
As he spoke, Xiao Qinyan handed the gold and silver deeds in his hand to the Xiao Mansion's housekeeper and said:
"Take 250,000 strings of cash and give them to Fan'er!"
"Yes, sir!"
Butler Xiao respectfully took the gold and silver deed worth 200,000 strings of cash handed over by Xiao Qinyan, and then took out another 250,000 strings of cash and respectfully handed it to Yuan Xudong, saying:
"Sir, this is government money, a total of 250,000 strings of cash. When you return to Tokyo, you can go to the government silver exchange office to exchange it!"
"I know. Thank you Mr. Xiao and thank you housekeeper!"
After receiving the 250,000 strings of cash, Yuan Xudong was filled with joy. The money didn't matter. The key was that he could rely on his father. The happiness of a second-generation official was unimaginable for a poor boy. Looking at the happy Yuan Xudong, Xiao Qinyan stood up and said:
"Okay, I still have official business to attend to. Do you want to continue staying here, or go back with me to the post station to rest for two days?"
"I'll stay here, you go and do your work!"
Just after he finished speaking, Yuan Xudong seemed to remember something, and looked at Xiao Qinyan and said with an apologetic smile:
"Dad, if you want to kill Zheng Qingtian, then he can't help me. I have a small matter, how about you help me solve it?"
"What is it?"
"That Miss Song just now, she is from the Music Bureau and is Pan'er's sister. Pan'er took me in before. I want to help her sister get rid of her nationality and return to the country. Can you help me solve it?"
"Okay, this is easy. I can solve it by talking to the official in charge of the Jiaofangsi. By the way, what's her name, Song what?"
"Song Yinzhang, the best pipa player in Jiangnan!"
"The best pipa player in Jiangnan?"
Glancing at Yuan Xudong, Xiao Qinyan stroked his beard and smiled:
"I went to the capital to be appointed Prime Minister. The government gave me a new house. I left a garden for you. If you like that Miss Song, you can take her home and raise her there. It's better to listen to the pipa than to go out and fool around!"
"Okay, got it. You go and take care of your official duties first. Once Madam Song's affairs are settled, I will take her back to Tokyo immediately!"
"Okay, I'm leaving. I'll leave two guards for you. You go back to Tokyo first. I'll stay in Jiangnan for a few more days!"
"good!"
…
Xiao Qinyan left, leaving two black-clad guards for Yuan Xudong, namely Xiao Yan and Xiao Li. Hearing such domineering names, Yuan Xudong couldn't help but take a few more glances at them, but couldn't see anything special about them, so he asked them to rest outside the teahouse, while he hung out with Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang, and Yinping girl.
During the playfulness, Yuan Xudong held Song Yinzhang in his arms and said with a smile:
"I have never heard of such a thing as flying money, Sister Pan'er, do you know anything about it?"
“I know!”
Taking a look at Song Yinzhang who was held in Yuan Xudong's arms, Zhao Pan'er blushed slightly and said shyly:
"Only officials and businessmen who have obtained permission from the imperial court can use Feiqian. Ordinary people like us naturally cannot use it. However, when we arrive in Tokyo, we have to go to the official silver convenience office to exchange it!"
"I see, that's quite convenient!"
After listening to Zhao Pan'er's words, Song Yinzhang looked up at Yuan Xudong and asked:
"Lord Xiao is a high-ranking official in Tokyo, and the emperor personally granted him a mansion. If he just says a word, my status as a slave should be lifted, right?"
"Almost, don't worry!"
Seeing Song Yinzhang still a little worried, Yuan Xudong hugged her and said lovingly:
"Yin Zhang is such a good kid, I can't bear to leave you alone and go back to Tokyo. When we get to Tokyo, I'll buy a big house and you and Pan Er can live in a garden each, okay?"
"Okay~~"
…
On a dark and windy night where one could not see one's hand in front of one's face, Zheng Qingtian stood in a remote courtyard with a look of panic. He was suddenly summoned here by Xiao Qinyan, but he had not seen him for a long time, so he could not help feeling a little uneasy.
At this moment, seeing Xiao Qinyan's housekeeper coming over, Zheng Qingtian quickly bowed and saluted respectfully:
"Yu Hou, I, Zheng Qingtian, have been waiting here for a long time to be summoned by the envoy. I don't know when I can be summoned, just..."
"Why, are you tired of waiting?"
Looking at the dying Zheng Qingtian, Butler Xiao said :
"You can go now. Anyway, my envoy can't control you, the magistrate of Qiantang County in Hangzhou, right?"
"No, no, it's a blessing to be summoned by the Prime Minister!"
As he spoke, Zheng Qingtian glanced around and saw that no one was around, so he took off the white jade hanging from his waist, closed it in his hand and quietly handed it to Butler Xiao. Butler Xiao not only refused to take it, but instead distanced himself from him and watched coldly. Seeing Butler Xiao like this, Zheng Qingtian put away the white jade with some embarrassment, and said with fear and trepidation:
"Yu Hou, I just don't know what urgent matter it is that has caused the envoy to come to Qiantang and summon me late at night?"
"I am only here to serve as a scout. If you have anything to ask, you can ask it yourself when the envoy arrives."
"good!"
Soon, Xiao Qinyan walked into the courtyard surrounded by a group of black-clad guards. Zheng Qingtian hurriedly followed him. When Xiao Qinyan walked into the main hall without looking away, Zheng Qingtian took a deep breath and followed Butler Xiao into the main hall. He glanced at Xiao Qinyan who was sitting in the main seat drinking tea, and Zheng Qingtian bowed and said,
"Your humble servant Zheng Qingtian, I am here to see the Prime Minister. It has been many years since I last saw you in person at the Ministry of Personnel. I hope you are in good health!"
"You are doing a great job as the Qiantang County Magistrate!"
Xiao Qin's tone was calm, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. Zheng Qingtian hurriedly said modestly:
"I am so ashamed to receive your praise!"
Putting down the teacup, Xiao Qinyan looked coldly at Zheng Qingtian who was standing bent over in the hall, and said in a calm tone:
"Because you did a great job, I personally brought you three gifts!"
After saying that, Xiao Qinyan clapped his hands, and a servant brought up a wooden box. Unexpectedly, Xiao Qinyan not only praised him, but also gave him three gifts. Looking at the sandalwood box in the servant's hand, Zheng Qingtian couldn't help showing his joy. At this moment, Butler Xiao opened the box in front of him, and saw that there were indeed three gifts in the box, namely white silk, a dagger, and a pot of poison wine!
Seeing these three gifts, Zheng Qingtian was horrified and suddenly knelt down and begged for mercy:
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency. I don't know how I have offended you. Please have mercy on me!"
Xiao Qinyan stood up and walked down from the main seat. He looked at Zheng Qingtian who was kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy and said coldly:
"You privately lifted the maritime ban and allowed foreign merchants from Southeast Asia to come to Hangzhou for customs. I can ignore it. You want to kill Yang Zhiyuan to silence him, and I can ignore it. But you colluded with Lei Jing and wanted to kill my son. Then I have no choice but to kill you first!"
"The son of the envoy?"
After listening to Xiao Qinyan, Zheng Qingtian hurriedly explained:
"No, that's not the case. I didn't intend to kill the young master of the envoy. Young Master Xiao Fan and I were drinking and chatting happily, and he even asked me to help..."
Before Zheng Qingtian could finish his words, Xiao Qinyan made a gesture with his eyes, and Butler Xiao threw Gu Qianfan's arrest warrant and the gold and silver deed worth 200,000 strings of cash that Yuan Xudong had given him in front of Zheng Qingtian. Looking at Gu Qianfan drawn on the arrest warrant and the gold and silver deed worth 200,000 strings of cash that he had given to Yuan Xudong before, Zheng Qingtian's face turned pale as paper. He knelt at Xiao Qinyan's feet, kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy:
"I was totally unaware of this matter before, and I have no intention of offending you, sir. Later, Master Xiao Fan instructed me that I have withdrawn the arrest warrant. Please have mercy on me, sir, and spare my life. I, your entire fortune, is worth more than 400,000 strings of cash, and I am willing to give it all to you, sir. Please have mercy on me, sir, please have mercy on me!"
"Your life is cheap, but no amount of money can buy my son's life!"
Seeing Zheng Qingtian like a lost dog, Xiao Qinyan didn't want to talk to him anymore and walked directly out the door. Zheng Qingtian immediately hugged his thighs and cried for mercy:
"Please have mercy on me, Prime Minister. Please spare my life. I am willing to be loyal to the Xiao family. Please have mercy on me, Prime Minister!"
"I don't have time for your nonsense!"
Xiao Qinyan kicked Zheng Qingtian away and continued to walk out the door. After a few steps, he turned back to look at Zheng Qingtian, who was lying on the ground in despair, and threatened:
"Oh, by the way, starting from midnight today, for every hour you delay, your Zheng family will have one more Yi tribe member. The things will be left behind, and you can do as you please!"
After Xiao Qinyan left, two servants stayed and watched Zheng Qingtian by the side without saying a word. There was silence in the room. Zheng Qingtian burst into tears. He glanced at the three gifts in the box, and thought of what Xiao Qinyan said, that starting from midnight today, for every hour he delayed, his Zheng family would kill more barbarians. A trace of hatred, fear After a moment, he asked the servants for pen, ink, paper and inkstone, wrote a confession, took all the blame on himself, and left a suicide note for his family, which roughly meant that all the Zheng family's wealth would be donated to Xiao Shixiang, leaving only the old house and part of the land, enough for his family to live on.
After writing this, Zheng Qingtian hanged himself with tremendous hatred and curse towards the Xiao family. Two servants hurriedly collected his body and put away the confession and suicide note he had written, preparing to give them to Butler Xiao, who would then give them to Xiao Qinyan.
…
In the Xiao Mansion in Suzhou, in the old house of the Xiao family, Xiao Qinyan, who had been running around all night, walked into the courtyard exhausted. Even so, he still had the temperament of a leisurely crane, and did not look like he had just forced Zheng Qingtian to death. In the post station, because Zheng Qingtian hanged himself, Xiao Qinyan felt it was unlucky, so he decided to move back to the old house and visit Gu Qianfan who was recuperating in the old house.
Just as Yuan Xudong said, Xiao Qinyan's favorite son has always been his eldest son Gu Qianfan. In addition to the fact that Gu Qianfan himself is talented and passed the imperial examination at the age of 18, he was also born to Xiao Qinyan and Gu Shuniang when he was young. At that time, Xiao Qinyan and Gu Shuniang truly loved each other, and their feelings for each other were not mixed with things such as family and power.
Walking into the room, Xiao Qinyan saw Gu Qianfan being helped by the doctor to change the dressing, and shouted happily:
"Qianfan!"
Compared with Xiao Qinyan's enthusiasm, Gu Qianfan's face was indifferent. He just sat on the chair without saying a word. Seeing him like this, the housekeeper who had been following Xiao Qinyan couldn't help but frowned. Compared with Gu Qianfan, he liked Yuan Xudong more. It was a pity that the master liked Gu Qianfan, and he couldn't disobey the master's wishes. Xiao Qinyan didn't care about Gu Qianfan's indifference. Instead, he looked at the doctor who changed the dressing for Gu Qianfan and asked:
"Doctor, how is his injury?"
"Your Excellency, the young master is seriously injured!"
"Is the injury serious?"
Hearing the doctor say that Gu Qianfan's injuries were serious, Xiao Qinyan frowned slightly and said:
"When will everyone be able to recover?"
"It will take at least fifteen days!"
"Fifteen days?"
After taking a look at the doctor, Xiao Qinyan looked at the housekeeper who had been following him and waved his hand, saying:
"Go, change a doctor!"
"yes!"
Butler Xiao took the doctor out of the room, leaving only Xiao Qinyan and Gu Qianfan in the room. Looking at Gu Qianfan's expressionless face, Xiao Qinyan sat down beside him and said with concern:
"Then during these days, no matter what, you have to stay here with me and recuperate well. You are not allowed to go anywhere else!"
Seeing that Gu Qianfan still refused to say a word, Xiao Qinyan sighed slightly and continued:
"Qian Fan, seeing you injured so badly, your father is really..."
Before Xiao Qinyan could finish his words, Gu Qianfan stood up and left, unwilling to sit with him. Looking at his eldest son who was still indifferent, Xiao Qinyan took out a copy of Zheng Qingtian's confession from his sleeve as if offering a treasure and said with a smile:
"Do you want to take a look at the copy of Zheng Qingtian's letter of apology?"
"He is dead?"
"If I go there in person, will he dare not die?"
With a smile, Xiao Qinyan handed the copy of Zheng Qingtian's confession to Gu Qianfan and said with a smile:
"Don't worry. I've already sent people to investigate Hangzhou Port. I've also had the county lieutenant's confession recorded. The dirty water on you will be cleared soon!"
"Thank you for your help!"
After listening to Xiao Qinyan, Gu Qianfan directly returned the copy of Zheng Qingtian's confession to him without even looking at it. He originally thought that Gu Qianfan would be happy, but he didn't expect that he still had a sullen face and spoke politely to him. Xiao Qinyan couldn't help but say:
"What's wrong? Do we need to be so distant from each other? I wish I could help you with something like this every day!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the copy of Zheng Qingtian's confession letter and said with a smile:
"Zheng Qingtian was a fool when he was alive, but he was sensible when he died. He took all the blame in the memorial, and no one who had received money from him was implicated !"
"Mr. Xiao's moves are extraordinary!"
"Why, you still don't want to call me dad?"
Seeing that Gu Qianfan didn't say anything, Xiao Qinyan gave up and said:
"Well, I won't force you. You're just as stubborn as your mother. But it would be fine if you could come visit me more often. Just don't come with injuries like you did this time. It hurts me to see you like this!"
As he spoke, Xiao Qinyan changed the subject and said:
"By the way, I went to Beijing to be appointed Prime Minister, and the government gave me a new mansion. I left a garden for you. Would you like to move in?"
"No need. Whether it's the garden or the wealth, let's leave it to you young masters!"
"How can they compare to you?"
After listening to Gu Qianfan, Xiao Qinyan said without even thinking:
"I didn't pass the imperial examination until I was 24, but you passed at 18. This is what they call a young phoenix's voice is clearer than an old one!"
As he spoke, thinking of what Yuan Xudong had said, Xiao Qinyan's eyes flickered slightly and he continued:
"If you hadn't insisted on transferring to the Imperial City Department, you would have at least been a Hanlin scholar or something like that. How could you have ended up in this situation with so many injuries?"
Hearing this, Gu Qianfan remained indifferent and said:
"My uncle was born a military commander, and he has always wanted someone to inherit his legacy!"
"What about my mantle?"
Looking at his eldest son who was still alienated from him, Xiao Qinyan said excitedly:
"You are my eldest son, you are the one I value most!"
"My last name is Gu, not Xiao!"
Looking at the excited Xiao Qinyan, Gu Qianfan expressionlessly drew a line between himself and him. He hated Xiao Qinyan for abandoning him and his mother since childhood, causing his mother to cry all day and die of depression. He was also adopted by his uncle's family. Moreover, Xiao Qinyan was a notorious traitor who brought disaster to the country and the people. He really didn't want to be in cahoots with such a person!
