Chapter 168 Female Corpse in the Well

Gongsun Zhuoyu was still a baby when he traveled through time.He has learned all the things that scholars in this era need to learn. He can barely do the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. He is not proficient, but he is still enough to support the show at critical moments.

The emphasis in calligraphy and painting is on artistic conception, with landscapes as the top priority, flowers and trees as the second priority, and birds, animals and figures as the second priority.According to Gongsun Zhuoyu, Daye's painting style is still in the exploratory stage of development and has not yet been able to escape from the shackles of complexity.

He lay on the table and thought for a moment. Combining the merits and demerits of famous paintings from past and present, he gradually got a framework in his mind. Then he researched the paint and started sketching.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was very interested in anything that was beneficial to his official career, and he stayed in his study for the next two days.Just when the old housekeeper was hesitating whether to piece together a generous gift to support him, Gongsun Zhuoyu finally pushed the door out of the study.

"Butler, find a brocade box containing calligraphy and painting scrolls."

He held a painting scroll in his arms and ran to the bedroom at a flying pace. He didn't know what he thought of and turned back: "By the way, prepare the carriage and horses in advance. After I take a bath and change clothes, I will go to the prefecture's villa to visit."

The old housekeeper was used to his fiery temperament, so he responded repeatedly and immediately arranged for a maid to help him wash up.

Gongsun Zhuoyu had very high requirements for the quality of life. He was very good at everything in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Even his regular clothes were made of high-quality silk.After bathing, the maid brought a sapphire blue gown. Who would have thought that Gongsun Zhuoyu only took one look at it and asked her to change it: "Get something cheap to change into."

With all the bells and whistles, he looks like a corrupt official.

The maid was puzzled, covering her lips with her sleeves and smiling: "Sir, since you are going to visit the prefect, why don't you dress more decently, instead of picking up cheap clothes?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu wondered if the old man in the prefecture had anything to visit, and his target was the senior official who came to inspect.Before you figure out the other person's temperament, it's naturally better to keep a low profile.But he said: "Girl, why are there so many problems in your family? Go find some clothes quickly. I will deduct your monthly payment if I am wasting time."

Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't do much corporal punishment to his servants, but he did deduct real money from his monthly salary.The maid didn't dare to say anything, so she immediately went to dig out a moon-white long-sleeved robe and came out. It was an old dress from last year, and it looked quite simple and plain.

While she was waiting for Gongsun Zhuoyu to put it on, she said, "Your Excellency, you look really elegant in these clothes."

Gongsun Zhuoyu has an upright and clear appearance. When he closes his eyes and says nothing, he is an upright official who is not stained by the troubled times.But his eyes are so affectionate, his pupils are dark and lively, and his smile has a romantic innocence, which makes people think that this person is slippery.

I don’t know who he followed.

The carriage moved forward, swinging slowly and leisurely, and finally arrived at the Prefecture's Villa before the sun set.Gongsun Zhuoyu originally thought that he was the only one coming, but who would have thought to jump out of the carriage and see that there were three carriages parked next to them, which were obviously the cars of several officials from neighboring counties.

Seeing this, Gongsun Zhuoyu couldn't help but feel excited. Just as he was about to take a closer look, he saw a blue-topped carriage drive over again, and an official in green robe got down from it.He was about twenty years old, with a pale complexion and sloppy steps. He looked like he had been drained by alcohol and sex.It was the magistrate of Qian County, Zhang Jiji.

Zhang Jiji and Gongsun Zhuoyu were students who took the scientific examination together at that time. They were somewhat classmates and had similar odors, so they were quite familiar with each other.When he saw Gongsun Zhuoyu, he immediately came forward with a smile on his face: "Brother Gongsun, long time no see, how are you doing lately?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu was too lazy to deal with those vain people, so he pulled him close and asked in a low voice: "What are you doing in the Magistrate's Villa?"

Zhang Jiji was stunned for a moment: "Officials have come from Beijing and are responsible for investigating the rebellion of the previous dynasty. His Majesty has given orders, and officials from all over the country are at his disposal. That big shot just arrived in Jiangzhou, and the prefect hosted a banquet in honor of him. He ordered me to accompany him.Go, Brother Gongsun didn’t receive the invitation?”

Gongsun Zhuoyu: "..."

Why do I feel like I'm being squeezed out? This officialdom is really damn sinister.

Gongsun Zhuoyu coughed heavily: "Of course...of course I received it."

At this moment, he slowly remembered that the housekeeper did seem to have handed over an invitation a few days ago, but he had not yet woken up at the time, so he threw it in the corner. Now he may not put it somewhere to collect dust.

Zhang Jiji seemed to have discovered something, and suddenly said: "Brother Gongsun, why don't you wear official uniforms on such an important occasion?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu shook his sleeves and robe, and his white shirt and jade belt looked like a gentleman. Hearing this, he glanced at Zhang Jiji: "Don't you think he looks like a green tortoise when he wears the official uniform? Whoever wears it is stupid, and whoever is stupid wears it.".”

After saying this, he looked back and walked into the mansion under the leadership of the maid.

Zhang Jiji cursed loudly from behind and quickly followed after he realized what he was doing.

There are six counties under the jurisdiction of Jiangzhou. However, when Gongsun Zhuoyu came to sit down at the banquet, he found that apart from the magistrate, there was one less person who was not here. He couldn't help but leaned forward and asked Zhang Jiji: "Why is Bai Songhe not here?"

"Him?" Zhang Jiji said in a subtle tone, "It's not like you don't know that the old man has always been self-reliant and has never been present at such flattering banquets, especially the person hosting this banquet..."

Gongsun Zhuoyu had long wanted to ask: "Who are you entertaining?"

Zhang Jiji seemed timid when he mentioned this name. He lowered his voice and said word by word: "Admiral of the Jinglu Department, Du Lingchun."

Jiangzhou is just a small place, thousands of miles away from the imperial palace, and is not as well-informed as the capital.Gongsun Zhuoyu vaguely seemed to have heard of this name. He only knew that the other party was a close minister of the emperor, with great power. In the past, he was a figure like Wang Zhi and Wei Zhongxian: "Is he a powerful minister?"

Zhang Jiji added seriously: "He is also a favorite."

Gongsun Zhuoyu was envious and became Gongsun's big lemon: "Life is like this, what else can I ask for."

Zhang Jiji secretly drank a few glasses of wine, which inevitably made him a little drunk. Hearing this, he laughed out loud and began to speak freely: "What's the use of being so powerful? He's just a rootless eunuch."

He loved beauty the most in his life, followed by gold and silver. He felt that Du Lingchun looked at so many beauties every day and was powerless, so it would be in vain to ask for more gold and silver.

This sentence touched Gongsun Zhuoyu's pain point somewhere, causing him to sit up slightly, wondering what happened to the eunuch, what did the eunuch do to you? "There are many poor people who are poor in food and clothing. If they are not forced to do so,A good man would never enter the palace to purify himself, so why bother..."

He paused for a moment before saying, "Why bother to slander someone like this?"

Zhang Jiji wondered when Gongsun Zhuoyu had become so righteous and awe-inspiring. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a chaotic communication from outside: "Master Du and the prefect are here."

Everyone immediately arranged their clothes and stood up to greet him.A man in scarlet clothes with a jade crown on his hair and a feminine face was seen walking forward with his hands behind his back, and walked into the banquet hall. The prefect nodded and bowed, and with infinite courtesy, he lowered his body by half and followed behind.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was not as bent as others. He took the time to look up, thinking that the man in scarlet clothes was the legendary and powerful Du Si Gong. He slowly looked up from bottom to top, but he was looking atI was stunned for a moment when I saw the other person's face...

It's him?!

Gongsun Zhuoyu's memory is not that bad. After all, there are not many eunuchs in Jiangzhou, especially when he and he were sitting at the same table eating Yangchun noodles a few days ago.Unavoidably, I felt a little confused and immediately lowered my head.

Du Lingchun's slender eyebrows looked a little dim under the dim light. His eyes first turned to Gongsun Zhuoyu with interest, and then moved to the side of Zhang Jiji, whose face was pale. His eyes were dark.Withdrew his gaze.

The magistrate said politely: "Sir, please take a seat."

Du Lingchun shook off his sleeves and robe and sat on the main seat. Everyone saluted below: "I have met Lord Du and Lord Magistrate."

Du Lingchun's voice was lazy: "Get up."

Everyone just sat down again.

Gongsun Zhuoyu sat below, quickly reviewing what happened in the past few days in his mind.There is no doubt that Du Lingchun said his name was Du Ling, which must be a pseudonym. As for the sentence that his master wanted to invite him for a drink, it is even more worth thinking about.

A person like Du Lingchun is feared by courtiers and attracted by princes. What kind of person can he call his master?Could it be the emperor?

hiss……

Gongsun Zhuoyu couldn't help but take a breath, shocked by his discovery, and at the same time his intestines turned green with regret.If he had known it was the emperor, he would have had to fly up to meet him, flatter him and blow rainbow farts, worry about not having an official position, and eat some damn Yangchun noodles!

Just when he was secretly upset, Du Si-gong, who was sitting at the table, suddenly spoke: "Are all Jiangzhou officials here?"

The magistrate quickly stood up and replied: "Your Majesty, the officials from the six counties in Jiangzhou are all here, except for Bai Songhe, the magistrate of Ning County, who has not arrived yet."

Du Lingchun was already fair-skinned, and the red clothes made him look even more beautiful.Hearing this, he sneered, his surprise visible to the naked eye, and his voice sounded a bit strange if you listened closely, and asked: "Why don't you come? Is it because we don't deserve to be seen by him?"

The prefect is not a good person, and he likes to add insult to injury. But on such a good day, if Du Lingchun is displeased, they will be the unlucky ones. They will inevitably have to make up for it: "If... back to your lord, Bai Songhe is old."I am already tall and my body and bones have always been in poor condition, so I am reporting illness in the future. Please forgive me."

Everyone knows that saying you are sick and not coming is obviously an excuse.In fact, Bai Songhe directly returned the invitation from the prefect and stayed behind closed doors.In his words, he also satirized the magistrate Haosheng, saying that he formed a clique for personal gain, followed the trend, and made people jump with anger.

Du Lingchun couldn't tell. He looked at the golden cup in his hand and said: "Since I am old, how do I manage the customs of a county? How do I take care of the people under my jurisdiction? Why not retire and return to my hometown as soon as possible and let the capable people live there."

After saying that, he smiled and looked at the prefect: "What do you think, the prefect?"

The prefect responded repeatedly: "Bai Songhe is old and his eyesight is dim. It is really difficult for him to take on big responsibilities."

One word decided Bai Songhe's future.

Zhang Jiji secretly exclaimed: "This Du Company is tough, as the rumors say."

Gongsun Zhuoyu wondered why Zhang Jiji couldn't keep his mouth shut, and glanced at him: "Walls have ears, so be careful what you say."

Don't be so blatant when you say bad things. Go home and lie under the quilt. What if you are overheard?

The banquet has started, and the prefect has obviously put a lot of thought into it.The sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music could be heard all the time, and the beauties accompanying the dancers were actually the four great oirans from Man Yue Tower who are said to be rare even if they spend a lot of money.Gongsun Zhuoyu let out a wow in his heart, thinking that he had really made a profit.

After three rounds of drinking, the magistrate began to offer gifts: "Your Excellency has come a long way, and I have prepared some small gifts. It is not a sign of respect, but I hope you will accept them."

After speaking, he raised his hand and ordered someone to bring up a pot of something similar to a potted plant covered with silk cloth.Then, in full view of everyone, the covering on it was slowly lifted off, and it turned out to be a golden pine covered with emeralds and jade.

Gongsun Zhuoyu secretly gritted his teeth and turned into a big lemon: "This old guy from the prefect is so greedy, he even used gold to make bonsai!"

Zhang Jiji also sighed to himself: "I thought that Brother Gongsun was already the best among people, but I didn't expect that the prefect was even better. No wonder people are in the prefecture, and you and I are just magistrates. It can be seen that money must be used wisely. Now just nowEpiphany, damn it.”

Gongsun Zhuoyu looked at him sideways: "What gift did you give me?"

Zhang Jiji smiled modestly: "Nothing else, just a palm-sized crane seal carved out of fine white jade."

Gongsun Zhuoyu: "Then you really deserve to die."

Zhang Jiji: "..."

Jiangzhou officials are all smart people, and the gifts they give are more practical than the others.This one gave a golden pine, that one gave a Ganoderma lucidum, and another one gave an emerald Buddha statue.The last one was Zhang Jiji's. A palm-sized crane jade medal appeared every detail, lifelike, and his eyes were embedded with two rare blood jade.

Everyone acted like this, which made Gongsun Zhuoyu look ungrateful.He sat at the bottom, thinking that if he gave the wrong gift and offended someone, it would be better not to give it. A painting would be too shabby. He would think of a way to give another one after the banquet was over.So I drank in silence, trying to reduce my sense of presence.

Corrupt officials have been fond of gold and silver since ancient times, and Du Lingchun was no exception. No one would have too much money, but everyone present gave it away, except for the man in white sitting in the hall who did not move.unexpected.

"Lord Gongsun," Du Lingchun still remembered him. He propped his head and asked in a thin and soft voice, "Do you have any special local products from Jiangzhou for our company?"

Done!

Gongsun Zhuoyu's Adam's apple twitched, and there were only these two bright words in his mind.

Zhang Jiji noticed something was wrong, secretly came closer and asked in a low voice: "What gift did you prepare?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu got angry when he saw him: "Be prepared!"

Zhang Jiji thought that Gongsun Zhuoyu was a smart man, but he did stupid things. After thinking for a moment, he simply took off the fine jade pendant from his waist and handed it to him: "If it doesn't work, use my piece of ancient jade to top it first.You can cash the money back to me later."

The last sentence is the key point.

Gongsun Zhuoyu wanted to sell the jade but he couldn't afford it even if he sold his whole family.He raised his head with a knife and retracted his head with a knife. He simply stood up from his seat gracefully, cupped his hands towards Du Lingchun and said: "This official's family is poor, and the gift is cold. I'm afraid it will make the adults laugh."

Du Lingchun thought he had guessed it. After all, the poor could only eat Yangchun noodles. However, he was rare and not angry at all. His attitude toward Gongsun Zhuoyu was quite kind: "It's okay. I've seen a lot of gold, silver, pearls, and jade, so there's nothing strange about it."Yes, submit it."

The prefect and others received a knowing blow: "..."

Hearing this, Gongsun Zhuoyu had no choice but to comply, walked around the table and signaled Shi Qianqiu, who was acting as a guard behind him, to bring the scroll.

This scroll is extremely long and takes up almost half of the banquet hall.Everyone saw the scroll slowly unfolding, and the vast river came into view first, with the momentum of the water of the Yellow River rising from the sky.Then came the rolling hills, towering into the clouds.There are also green pines in the mist, water pavilions and pavilions.The Jiuqu mountain road leads to the village in a winding way. On the river, a fisherman in a coir raincoat fishes alone in a boat. His few strokes are full of infinite meaning.A little red sun adorned the top of the mountain, rising slowly and lighting up the entire landscape.

"What a momentum!" Someone couldn't help but exclaimed.

This painting is indeed a good product for literati and poets, but not necessarily for corrupt officials.After all, Gongsun Zhuoyu is not a famous person, and he may not be appreciated by anyone. Zhang Jiji, for example, looked at him with his head full of confusion.

Gongsun Zhuoyu stood next to the scroll, elegantly dressed in white: "I have nothing on my lower body, but my painting skills are barely noticeable. I painted this "Mountains, Rivers, Sun and Moon" as a gift to the company to show my Jiangzhou customs."

Du Lingchun was quietly admiring the painting. Before he could speak, the prefect was dissatisfied that Gongsun Zhuoyu had stolen the limelight and asked: "Since it is a picture of mountains and rivers, sun and moon, why can only the sun be seen but not the moon?"

Du Lingchun also looked over.

Gongsun Zhuoyu nodded and smiled: "Of course there is a moon, but it can only be seen at night. Please turn off the lights in the hall."

Everyone here is a member of the officialdom, not to mention a second-grade admiral. It is easy for people to sneak into this kind of banquet. If the lights are turned out and everything is dark, then how can it be done?!

The prefect instinctively wanted to scold: "Gongsun Zhuoyu, you..."

"No problem," Du Lingchun raised his hand and interrupted him, "Do as he said."

Du Lingchun's words were obviously more serious than the magistrate's. Immediately, the guards extinguished the lights everywhere, and the hall fell into a hazy darkness.Everyone whispered,

"What the hell does Gongsun Zhuoyu want to do?"

"It's ridiculous."

"If something goes wrong, he has a few lives left!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu ignored him, turned sideways to give up his position, and revealed the scroll bit by bit.However, at this moment, something magical happened. The long drawing paper suddenly lit up with a subtle blue light. The strips were crisscrossed and converged into the shape of mountains and rivers. The place where the sun should have been was now red.It is a crescent moon, shining with blue light, hanging high above the clouds, shining down on the mountains and rivers, making the peaks shine slightly.

"Wow——"

There was an uproar all around, and then fell into a subtle silence. Everyone held their breath unconsciously and stared at the beautiful picture, unable to take their eyes away for a moment.

Du Lingchun was also surprised. He stood up and walked down from the high seat, looking at the scroll carefully. After a moment, he looked back meaningfully, turned to Gongsun Zhuoyu, and said only two words: "It's wonderful!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu smiled: "The company is so complimentary."

The maid held the lamp again, and the banquet hall became bright again.But everyone was still not satisfied and praised the painting in a low voice for its exquisiteness.

Zhang Jiji also looked surprised: "How did you do it?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu took a seat, glanced at him, and pretended to be profound: "Jianghu Jue cannot be said."

In fact, it was not a martial arts trick. Gongsun Zhuoyu happened to have a few pieces of fluorite collected in his home. He ordered people to grind them into powder and mix them into paint. When the sky darkened, such a strange scene would naturally appear.

Du Lingchun originally thought that Gongsun Zhuoyu was poor and could not give him anything valuable, but who would have thought that the other party presented him with a wonderful picture.He glanced at the signature and saw the four words "Gongsun Zhuoyu" written below, and he praised aloud: "I didn't expect that Lord Gongsun not only solved cases like a god, but was also a master of calligraphy and painting. We are so lucky to have such a talented person in our court."

At the same time, my mind moved slightly, and I started to think about wooing him.

Nowadays, the forces in the DPRK are roughly divided into two factions, one is headed by Prime Minister Yan Fu, and the other is headed by Du Lingchun.It is a pity that all the literati in the world insisted on their own integrity and turned to Yan Fu.Although Du Lingchun has great power and is slightly superior, most of his subordinates are idle men and there are not many who are really useful.

Being liked by your boss = getting promoted!!

Gongsun Zhuoyu didn't expect that he made a mistake, a blind cat met a dead mouse, and he actually gave the right gift: "It's fine if the company likes it."

Now even a fool can see that Du Lingchun has a special regard for Gongsun Zhuoyu. Everyone can't help but feel like they are studying with the prince. They have gone all the way in vain, and their whole body is silently filled with sourness.Only Zhang Jiji winked and asked Gongsun Zhuoyu for more support.

After three rounds of drinking, it’s time to break up the banquet.

The inns in Jiangzhou that were specially designed for officials to stay were inevitably shabby. In order to please Du Lingchun, the prefect specially dedicated this villa as a temporary place for him: "Your Excellency, it will be hard to track down the remnants of the rebellious party. I am afraid that the inn will not provide good hospitality.I kindly ask you to stay here for the night."

Although Du Lingchun was born as a eunuch, he already held a high position, and his food, clothing, housing and transportation were worth tens of thousands of gold.This villa seemed prosperous to outsiders, but was just ordinary in his eyes, but there really was no better place in Jiangzhou, so he could only reluctantly agree: "That's all."

It's not that he didn't see the prefect's flattery, it was just that it was too easy for a humble official to join him just by giving him some gold, silver and jewelry.

When the magistrate saw his answer, he couldn't help but be happy: "The lower official also ordered people to build a Biyun Lake here, with more than a hundred koi in it, and a small pavilion built in the middle of the lake, where they can cook tea and fish. It is really a great thing in life."Pleasure.”

Gongsun Zhuoyu raised his eyebrows calmly and muttered to himself: "This old guy really knows how to enjoy himself."

Zhang Jiji also lamented the magistrate's generosity: "Brother Gongsun, I really feel sorry for myself."

The magistrate usually has a certain amount of extravagance, but when Du Lingchun arrived today, he exposed all his family wealth.Three steps, one view, ten steps and one pavilion. This villa could not be built without tens of thousands of taels of snowflakes and silver.

Anyway, everyone was full of wine and food, and the magistrate led the way and led everyone to enjoy the scenery of the backyard, which was regarded as a walk to eat.

"The bonsai here is a rare green peony. I bought it from a florist at a high price. The flowers and leaves are like emeralds. They are really rare in the world. In comparison, Yao Huang Wei Zi is nothing rare.”

The magistrate showed his loyalty while introducing, and everyone could only echo and praise him, but unfortunately Du Lingchun's response was mediocre.Gongsun Zhuoyu also felt that there was nothing interesting to see, so he looked at a green ball from a distance, which looked like cabbage.

Beautiful scenery on a good day, the moon is high in the sky, because the backyard is full of flowers and plants, there is a faint fragrance floating around.However, when he walked to the Chaoshou Veranda, Gongsun Zhuoyu suddenly smelled a faint smell. He couldn't help but raise his sleeves to cover his nose, frowning, wondering if he had stepped on dog poop.

But the further inside, the stronger the smell became, making me sick to smell it.Now even others noticed something was wrong.Du Lingchun had a mysophobia, and his face immediately turned ugly. He covered his nose with a silk handkerchief and asked in a cold voice: "What is the stinky thing?!"

The prefect was also suffering from the fumes. He smelled left and right, and finally discovered that the smell came from the small courtyard where the servants lived. He said angrily: "Come here! What happened? Why is it so smelly?"

Immediately, four or five maids and servants came out of the side courtyard, shouting and cheering. They all knelt down to plead guilty, with panic-stricken expressions on their faces: "My lord, please forgive me, my lord, please forgive me."

When the magistrate saw this group of servants, he frowned secretly: "Why don't you go to the banquet hall to serve, and you are all gathered here?!"

The leader, a maid in pink clothes, walked a few steps on her knees and cried: "Sir, the well in the servant's room has been smelling bad these past two days and the water is turbid. The housekeeper thought it was blocked by smelly mud, so he sent someone to clear it.Who would have expected...who would have expected..."

The prefect had an inexplicable bad premonition, stamped his feet anxiously, and asked in a deep voice: "What happened, tell me quickly!"

The maid cried bitterly: "Unexpectedly, a female corpse was fished out that was rotten to the point of white bones. She was dressed in a red wedding dress. It was really shocking. We knew that the master was entertaining distinguished guests in the front hall, so we gathered here and didn't dare to pass through.pass."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked, and the one who reacted the most was the prefect. He didn't even care about the stench, and rushed into the courtyard quickly, only to see a rotting corpse wrapped in a fishing net, lying quietly next to the mouth of the well.

It was a moderately decomposed corpse, with white bones exposed, and only thin, fuzzy flesh remaining on the body. Maggots were crawling around, exuding a stench.

The only thing that was well preserved was the corpse's dark and messy ink hair, with a gold hairpin randomly attached to it and caught in the hair.Wearing a dazzling red wedding dress, she was entangled in a fishing net.The skull shone white under the moonlight, and the eye sockets were hollow and dark, staring at everyone darkly, as if smiling.

The courtyard was filled with the soaring smell of corpses, intertwined with the sweet fragrance of flowers, creating a special smell that went straight to the forehead.

"vomit!"

Some people couldn't accept such shocking scenes and ran out to vomit.

Gongsun Zhuoyu forced himself to ignore the stench of corpses that filled the yard, and eagerly pushed his way to Du Lingchun's side. He waited for Du Lingchun to vomit because he couldn't stand it anymore, and then he thoughtfully handed Du Lingchun a handkerchief to show his good feelings.

However, after waiting for a long time, Du Lingchun had no reaction.

He just held the handkerchief with his slender white fingertips and covered his mouth and nose tightly. His thick, ink-like brows wrinkled tighter and tighter, his eyes flashed with a cold light, and then he spoke coldly every word.He asked: "Su Daofu, is this the villa you prepared for me?"

The voice was as hardened as ice.