The Luo River lapped against the banks of the river. Merchant ship after merchant ship constantly came and went, the surging of the river never-ending. As a result, the flat-bottomed sand boat following the waves was like a duck swimming in the water, occasionally rippling with the waves.
Yang Fan saw the young woman and young woman washing clothes by the river yesterday. They were still washing clothes, still on the large rock from yesterday. They were completely focused and did not even glance at the boat. Yang Fan smiled and looked away. Inside the cabin, Xue Huaiyi, Hongyi, and Hongliu sat there silently with wooden expressions, not saying a word.
Yang Fan frowned and said, "It's all in the past. In Master Xue's life, you've been poor, down and out, awe-inspiring, and tyrannical. Even now, you still can't get over it?"
Xue Huaiyi smiled sadly and said in a low voice, "Now, I've lived and died. What's there to not get over? I just … "
His face twisted and he said in a low voice, "I just didn't think … that she really wanted to kill me! Really wanted to kill me! "
Yang Fan shook his head and said nothing.
Hong Six couldn't help but say, "Master, I've said it before. She even ruthlessly killed her own children, so why would she really care about you? You … "
Yang Fan gave him a look and Hong Six shut his mouth.
Yang Fan picked up a bundle from beside him and handed it to Xue Huaiyi. "These are your clothes, as well as the checkpoint I've prepared for you. The route you'll take and the checkpoint are all recorded in detail. From now on, Monk Huaiyi is dead. Your surname is still Feng. If you want, you can also be called Feng Xiaobao. "
Yang Fan smiled and said, "This is the name your father and mother gave you. I think … this name might not be as glorious as the 'Xue Huaiyi' the Emperor gave you, but … you will like it better."
Xue Huaiyi's eyes glistened as he gently stroked the bundle on his knees. After a while, he raised his head and asked, "The three sacks used to replace us, what's in them?"
Yang Fan said, "I bought three pigs from Bei City!"
Xue Huaiyi was silent for a moment before he suddenly burst into laughter. As he laughed, the tears that he had been holding back for a long time finally fell. He no longer needed to be afraid of others seeing him cry, nor did he need to be afraid of others seeing him weak. From now on, he was Feng Xiaobao, he was himself!
Yang Fan came out of the cabin and stood still. The captain immediately came up to him. Yang Fan ordered, "Move them to a large ship heading for Southeast Asia, then escort them all the way out. Be careful on the road, and keep my letter carefully. My master is the ruler of that country. After reading this letter, the people of that country will not make things difficult for you! "
The captain nodded his head heavily and said, "Rest assured, Sect Leader!"
At this moment, the boat had already reached the shore. Yang Fan stepped onto the shore and walked step by step up the willow bank. The boat then swung towards the middle of the river, raised the sails and sailed into the distance.
Yang Fan stood on the embankment and stared at it for a long time. Then, he took the reins from Ren Wei, mounted the horse, and galloped in the opposite direction …
…
In the backyard of the White Horse Temple, the thick smoke coming out from the chimney of the crematorium was gradually thinning.
Princess Taiping sighed and said to Sanshan Monk, "Abbot Huai Yi passed away in his meditation room this morning. From today onwards, Abbot Sanshan is the abbot of the White Horse Temple. "
Sanshan Monk chanted the name of Buddha and took a step forward. He twirled his Buddhist beads and said in a low voice, "Xue Huai Yi's sudden death might cause criticism. I think that we can order our disciples to secretly announce that he drank too much and died suddenly. What does Your Highness think? "
Princess Taiping said indifferently, "Do not let me know about this. Do what you think is appropriate! "
Sanshan Monk put his palms together and chanted the name of Buddha again.
Princess Taiping's carriage still left through the corner door. In a short while, they were far away from the White Horse Temple. At this moment, at the main entrance of the White Horse Temple, Luoyang Commandant Tang Zong had already led a large number of patrol officers and bailiffs. They carried iron chains and shackles and barged in aggressively.
The ruffian monks of the White Horse Temple swindled, fought, and even humiliated officials. The Luoyang Prefecture had long piled up complaints about them. Now, it was finally time to settle the score.
Xue Huai Yi was the same as the old nun from Hanoi. He also had many disciples. However, most of them were recommended by ruffians and became his disciples. The ones who usually followed him were only the dozen or so people who fooled around with him in the streets.
Half of these people listened to Hongyi and Hongliu and did not come to the temple for the past few days to avoid trouble. The remaining people who did not believe in evil were all captured by Tang Zong. The White Horse Temple, which had been in a foul atmosphere for ten years, finally had peace. Sanshan Monk returned to the abbot's meditation room, which had changed owners for ten years. Tears streamed down his old face.
After listening to Hongyi and Hongliu's words, Monk Yizhuo was very vigilant these past few days. Especially when Xue Huai Yi entered the palace today, he immediately hid out and coincidentally avoided the Luoyang Prefecture's search. After the Luoyang Prefecture's officials escorted a group of people away, Yizhuo sneaked back to the White Horse Temple. He went to the stele forest in the backyard and dug out his belongings.
Inside the belongings, there were some things that he recorded, some gold, silver, and silk that he had saved over the years, and the Daoist robe that he had taken off in the past. When he dug out the Daoist robe, it had long been rotten. The former head of the Hongshou Monastery was stroking his tattered Daoist robe, and tears streamed down his face.
Tang Zong escorted those people back to the yamen. He first put those ruffians in prison, then he went to Lai Junchen's detention room to report. When he arrived at the door, he saw four patrolling inspectors armed with swords standing guard. Tang Zong said, "Is the prefectural magistrate here? The group of ruffians from the White Horse Temple has been captured. I have come to report to the prefectural magistrate! "
A squad leader said politely, "The prefectural magistrate is personally investigating a case. County Lieutenant, please go back first. We will report on your behalf."
In the detention room, a white-haired old man stood in front of the desk with his head lowered. Four patrolling inspectors stood with their hands on their swords.
Lai Junchen stood behind the desk with a baby in his arms. He carefully looked at the baby and said with a smile, "Old Man Xiao, is this your eldest grandson? I heard that you have three sons, but now you only have this eldest grandson? Hahaha, this child is very cute! He really looks like you. "
Old Man Xiao begged, "This child is innocent, please show mercy to the prefectural magistrate!"
Lai Junchen curled his lips and said, "Of course the child is innocent. Why would the prefectural magistrate do anything to an ignorant child? However, if you don't open your mouth, your entire family will be imprisoned. I will only let you out after I find out the truth. "
Lai Junchen gently patted the child and said with a smile, "It's not very comfortable in prison, especially after a winter. The weather has just warmed up, and the smell, hehe, the child is so young and delicate. If there's an accident or illness, it's your fault as a grandfather."
Lai Junchen turned his head and asked a scribe next to him, "Yesterday, how many suspects in the prison contracted a serious illness and died?"
Old Man Xiao's forehead was full of sweat. Suddenly, his knees went soft and he knelt on the ground. He said with tears in his eyes, "I confess, I confess. I only ask the prefectural magistrate to let my grandson go!"
Lai Junchen said with a smile, "Don't worry! As long as you confess, the prefectural magistrate will not make things difficult for you! "
As Lai Junchen said this, he slowly walked over and handed the child to him. Old Man Xiao quickly took the child and hugged him tightly in his arms. He said with difficulty, "Master Li … … has received a generous gift from Sun Wanrong!"
Lai Junchen was overjoyed. He hurriedly gave the scribe a look and told him to quickly record the confession. He turned around and sat down behind the desk. His tone became more and more amiable, "Don't rush, speak slowly! When did Sun Wanrong give gifts to Li Zhaode? What gifts did he give? What did he ask Li Zhaode to do? Tell me clearly and you can bring your precious grandson home, hahaha … … "
Old Man Xiao had no choice but to confess in detail.
It turned out that this Old Man Xiao was originally the steward of Li Zhaode's residence. When Li Zhaode was demoted to Lingnan, he dismissed his family and Old Man Xiao returned home. In the end, Li Zhaode did not go far. Because of the impeachment of Li Zhaode for meddling in the selection of officials in the Southern Border, the officials gradually shifted the blame to someone else. They tried to use Wu Sansi as a breakthrough point and implicate the Wu Clan.
Wu Zetian saw through this plot in time. Therefore, she pardoned Li Zhaode's heavy crimes and only demoted him to an Imperial Censor. She allowed him to stay in the capital and thus ended the investigation of the case.
Although Li Zhaode returned to the capital, he was no longer the Prime Minister. There was no need for so many servants at home. Therefore, only a portion of them were recalled. Old Man Xiao was already old and was not among them.
Now that Lai Junchen wanted to deal with Li Zhaode, he looked for Old Man Xiao. As the steward of the Prime Minister's residence, if someone were to send gifts or socialize with him, he would know.
Old Man Xiao was loyal to Li Zhaode, but Lai Junchen used his grandson to threaten him. This little grandson was his flesh and blood, and he had to protect him even if he had to sacrifice his own life. Left with no choice, he could only confess everything.
Speaking of Sun Wanrong, he was a tribal leader of the Khitan Dahe Clan.
His grandfather, Sun Aocao, surrendered to the Sui Dynasty and was appointed as the Imperial Minister. During the Tang Dynasty, Sun Aocao submitted to the Tang Dynasty and was placed by Li Yuan in the vicinity of Yingzhou (Longcheng, now Chaoyang, Liaoning). He was also given the title of General Yunhui and was placed in charge of Liaozhou (Liaodong City, now Liaoyang, Liaoning).
From then on, the Sun Clan settled there.
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, the military governor of Songmo and the Khitan Great Chieftain Ku Ge passed away. The successor, Abgu, led the tribes and the Xi Clan to rebel. However, they were defeated by Li Zhi's troops and Abgu was captured alive. As a result, the Khitan Clan no longer had a great leader. From then on, the leaders of the most powerful tribes jointly governed the Khitan Clan.
Sun Wanrong, who was the leader of the Khitan Dahe Clan, had once stayed in Chang 'an as a hostage for a long time. After he became the tribe leader, he had always worked hard to maintain a close relationship with the imperial court. Gradually, he stood out among the major tribes and grasped the greatest power, becoming the de facto leader.
However, without the recognition of the central government, he had no right to give orders. As a result, Sun Wanrong prepared a generous gift and went to the capital. He looked for Li Zhaode, who at that time was the absolute boss in front of Wu Zetian.
After some business, Li Zhaode spoke on his behalf and asked Wu Zetian to confer him the title of General of the Right Jade Seal Guards, Provincial Governor of Guicheng Prefecture, County Duke of Yongle County, a third-rank official. This way, whether it was in terms of strength or status, he had the qualifications to govern the various Khitan tribes.
But now, Sun Wanrong had rebelled.
Although Sun Wanrong restrained the various tribes, he mainly relied on his own strength. Although Li Zhaode asked the imperial court to bestow him an official position and title, it was based on the strength he already possessed at that time. But no matter what, Sun Wanrong had rebelled. Now that Sun Wanrong had rebelled, Li Zhaode could not escape the responsibility of indulging bandits!
When Lai Junchen received Old Xiao's confession, he couldn't help but laugh loudly. The scribe watched as Old Xiao carried his grandson out in a hurry. He moved in front of Lai Junchen and said in a flattering manner, "As long as the prefectural magistrate delivers this confession to the imperial court, it will be a great merit and will definitely be appreciated by the emperor!"
Lai Junchen's laughter stopped abruptly. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said craftily, "No, no, no! This prefecture and Li Zhaode have always had enmity. It is inappropriate for this prefecture to step forward, very inappropriate. "
He pondered for a moment and said, "Wei Suizhong! He is the imperial censor. It is most appropriate for him to step forward and impeach! "
At this point, Lai Junchen suddenly reacted and asked in confusion, "What has Wei Suizhong been busy with recently? I haven't seen him in a while! "
…
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