Chapter 183 Where is the face of the corpse?

Their fingertips touched, and at first glance they looked like they were holding each other.Du Lingchun felt that Gongsun Zhuoyu's palm was a bit hotter than the tea cup. Fortunately, the latter withdrew his hand after a moment, so that the situation would not be too embarrassing.

"..."

Du Lingchun glanced at Gongsun Zhuoyu, tried his best to ignore the strange feeling just now, and put the tea cup on the table: "You will stay in the east courtyard, there will be a banquet in the evening, and I will introduce you to a few people."

Du Lingchun's success in reaching his current position was naturally not all due to a few wine bags and rice bags. He had many advisers under his sect, among whom Song Xitang and Leng Wuyan were the most effective, both of whom were well-known figures full of strategies.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was startled when he heard this. He thought that Du Lingchun was trying to drag him into the core group. He was inevitably surprised.Although they are all members of the sect, they are also divided into three religions and nine streams, and they are distant and distant, especially those in high positions like Du Lingchun.

Puncture that layer of window paper, and who of the officials has not formed a clique for personal gain, who has not collected bribes privately, and who has not done anything shady?And these things need to be left to confidants to handle.If you encounter someone with ulterior motives and are caught by political opponents, you may endanger yourself at every turn, so be cautious.

I have never seen in TV dramas that the protagonist often needs decades of lurking and working hard to gain the trust of the villain.Gongsun Zhuoyu was the first to directly land in the central group.

Gongsun Zhuoyu wondered whether Du Lingchun trusted him too much, so he couldn't help but said: "The company is not afraid..."

Du Lingchun asked: "What are you afraid of?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu swallowed the words that came to his lips inexplicably, shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

A banquet was held at Fenglaishui Pavilion at night.Song Xitang walked all the way to Luoyue Lake and happened to meet Leng Wuyan. He touched his mustache that was less than an inch long, smiled and said, "Mr. Leng, what a coincidence."

Leng Wuyan was a consumptive man with a green and thin complexion. He coughed ten times after speaking two sentences, but he was full of knowledge and could make plans and decisions, so he was accepted by Du Lingchun as his disciple.When he saw Song Xitang, he covered his mouth and coughed twice, his voice hoarse: "Mr. Song."

Song Xitang walked side by side with him, chatting while walking towards Fenglaishui Pavilion: "I don't know what kind of person this Gongsun Zhuoyu is. He can be so valued by the company. I can finally see him today."

He had no other hobbies in his life, he just liked antique calligraphy and painting. He was so amazed by Du Lingchun's "Mountains, Rivers, Wind and Moon" brought from Jiangzhou that he couldn't put it down.It's a pity that I couldn't get it after asking for it several times, so I had a good impression of Gongsun Zhuoyu.

Leng Wuyan coughed twice more and said with unknown meaning: "I heard that this person has repeatedly solved strange cases in Jiangzhou and redressed grievances for the people. He has a good reputation."

The implication is that they are not from the same group, and they fell into Du Lingchun's sect for no reason, fearing that their thoughts were impure.

Song Xitang was a smart man. He understood the meaning of his words immediately and didn't care: "The company has always been cautious, so there must be its own arrangements for doing this."

As he spoke, he had already arrived at the banquet hall.Song Xitang saw Du Lingchun sitting in the upright position, followed by a young master in brocade robes, white shirt and jade belt, with a clean and upright character. He expected it to be Gongsun Zhuoyu.

Song Xitang saluted Du Lingchun: "The boss is surprised, I came down late."

He had already arrived at half tea time, but he did not expect that Du Lingchun would arrive earlier for the first time, so he apologized.

Leng Wuyan also raised his hand, but couldn't hold it back and coughed twice.

Gongsun Zhuoyu looked at these two confidants calmly.I saw that they were all in their early thirties.Song Xitang has a black beard and an elegant look.Leng Wuyan's body is bone-crunched, three-quarters like a ghost, and seven-quarters like a human being. At first glance, it looks like he is seriously ill.

Du Lingchun waved his sleeves: "No problem, sir, please take a seat."

After speaking, he introduced Gongsun Zhuoyu: "This is Mr. Song from Songxi Hall, and that is Mr. Leng Wuyan Leng."

Song Xitang is a smart man. When he sat down, he cupped his hands in front of Du Lingchun and said, "May I ask the boss, is this Lord Gongsun?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu stood up quickly: "If you don't deserve to be called sir, just call me Zhuoyu."

Both of them are thoughtful people and both smile.

Du Lingchun thought to himself that Gongsun Zhuoyu was so close to him. When he met, he still treated him like a subordinate and a company official.He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, and hummed indifferently: "Gongsun Zhuoyu is unparalleled in his investigation of the case. I transferred him to the capital, intending to fill the position of Jing Zhaoyin. What do you think, sir?"

Song Xitang said: "Jingzhao Yin is in charge of the capital, which is an important position. It would be great if he could be arranged. I'm afraid Prime Minister Yan and others will hinder him."

Furthermore, Gongsun Zhuoyu is currently just a county magistrate, and his sudden leap to becoming a Jingzhaoyin is a bit too fast. Unless he can make a great contribution, it will be difficult for everyone to stop talking.

Du Lingchun said: "It's okay. Many officials in the court were killed a few days ago. The emperor has already issued an order to let Gongsun Zhuoyu assist the Ministry of Punishment in handling the case. Once he finds out the truth and has made great achievements, it will be natural for him to be promoted."

Leng Wuyan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said: "Will Lord Gongsun resolve the case?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu looked over and didn't know why he asked: "I know a little bit about some tricks."

Leng Wuyan is a typical person with as many eyes as a sieve of chaff. He has to plan everything. He said thoughtfully: "If you can use your hands and feet to divert the trouble to Yan Fu and break a few of his arms, wouldn't it be possible to do more with one stone?"have to."

Gongsun Zhuoyu thought that Leng Wuyan was indeed worthy of the legendary green ghost face and poisonous snake heart.But it's a pity that it's easy for him to investigate the case. He really doesn't know how to do this, so he didn't say anything.

Leng Wuyan coughed and looked up at Gongsun Zhuoyu, as if he could see through his inner thoughts: "Master Gongsun doesn't want to?"

A few simple words will inevitably make others think too much when they fall into their ears.In particular, Du Lingchun was suspicious by nature, and he could not possibly think that Gongsun Zhuoyu had second thoughts.Leng Wuyan was digging a hole without leaving any trace.

Song Xitang rubbed his hands, feeling a little worried.

Gongsun Zhuoyu said bluntly: "I really don't want to."

Leng Wuyan didn't expect him to be so calm. He subconsciously looked at Du Lingchun, but the latter didn't see any sullenness. He just said calmly: "He is here to investigate the case. He can't do those messy things."

Everyone can hear the obvious favoritism in his words.

For the first time in his life, Leng Wuyan guessed Du Lingchun's reaction wrongly.He originally thought that when the other party heard Gongsun Zhuoyu's answer, he would either become sullen and angry, or secretly suspicious. In short, he would not reveal it as gently as he did now.

"That's what the company said."

Leng Wuyan could only relent, but his doubts remained unabated.Gongsun Zhuoyu was obviously not from the same group as them, so he hurriedly recruited him. What if he was a spy sent by Yan Fu?

Gongsun Zhuoyu actually regretted a little after saying those words. What if he made Du Lingchun unhappy?He took a sip of wine and quietly looked at the seat above him. Unexpectedly, he found that Du Lingchun was also looking at him. He quickly withdrew his gaze and never dared to look up again.

After three rounds of drinking, the banquet broke up.

Song Xitang was surprised to find that he and Gongsun Zhuoyu had the same chemistry... ah no, they had the same goals. For example, they both liked valuable antique calligraphy and paintings, rare treasures, and they had a great time chatting with each other.

When Song Xitang left, he was still a little reluctant: "Master Gongsun, I will ask you for advice on painting skills some other time. I hope you will give me some advice."

Gongsun Zhuoyu: "Wherever, we can't talk about asking for advice, we can learn from each other."

Leng Wuyan passed by him and coughed. He was so polite that no one could see the slightest hint of his intentions: "Master Gongsun, I can't catch the wind, so I went back first."

Gongsun Zhuoyu greeted him with a smile: "Mr. Leng, take care."

When he turned around, he saw that Du Lingchun had turned around and left. The maid was holding a lamp in front of her. She had already walked more than half of the corridor, and she hurriedly followed him at a trot: "Company, company!"

Du Lingchun paused, but did not stop. When Gongsun Zhuoyu caught up with him, he asked in an emotionless tone: "Is something wrong?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu was keenly aware that his mood was not right, so he took the lantern from the maid's hand and smiled: "I will light the lantern for the company."

Next to the chaoshou veranda is the lotus pond, which is shadowy in the night.Gongsun Zhuoyu held a finely crafted glazed lamp in his hand. The warm yellow candlelight dimly illuminated the road ahead, casting a shadow on the ground.

Gongsun Zhuoyu asked: "Is the company angry?"

Du Lingchun thought to himself that Gongsun Zhuoyu was chatting happily with Song Xitang just now. What would his son come to see him for now?Leng Leng flicked his sleeves, frowned his slender brows, and raised his lips and asked, "Why am I angry?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu thought to himself that you were obviously angry, and whispered: "If the company wants to bring down Yan Fu, I have to do the hard work of a dog and a horse. It's just that I'm stupid. I know how to investigate cases, but I don't necessarily know how to do anything. I'm afraid the company will be ruined."It’s a public matter.”

He thought Du Lingchun was angry because of this.

Du Lingchun narrowed his eyes and looked at him sideways: "Then you are indeed stupid."

Gongsun Zhuoyu: "..."

QAQ He is obviously so smart.

Du Lingchun couldn't see his innocent look, waved his sleeves to signal his servants to step back, paused and then said: "Just solve your case and find out the truth about you, don't worry about other things, I will handle it myself."

To walk in the capital, in addition to gold and silver, power and support are essential.Gongsun Zhuoyu was a small county magistrate. If he had not been protected by Du Lingchun, he would have been eaten up by others, and not even the dregs would be left.

Gongsun Zhuoyu also knew this. He couldn't explain how he felt in his heart. He simply felt that it was good to have someone protecting him...

He looked at Du Lingchun's figure in the night, slender and thin, and couldn't help but get closer to him, and whispered: "Thank you, sir."

Gongsun Zhuoyu held a lantern in his hand, and when he suddenly came closer, it was like a hazy light, making it difficult for people in the darkness to adapt.Du Lingchun instinctively avoided it, but he didn't expect that there were three bluestone steps at his feet, and he missed them——

"Company, be careful!"

Gongsun Zhuoyu quickly grabbed his wrist with quick eyes and hands. With his help, Du Lingchun managed to stand still. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and said awkwardly: "It's nothing."

He had walked through this corridor hundreds if not thousands of times, and it was really embarrassing to trip over it.

Gongsun Zhuoyu originally wanted to let go of him, but after hesitating for a moment, he tightened his grip on his wrist again: "It's dark and the road is slippery, I'll hold on to the company."

Du Lingchun didn't know why, but he didn't refuse.Through his clothes, he could faintly feel Gongsun Zhuoyu's strong fingertips and hot palms.As if to ease the awkward atmosphere, he asked casually: "Is your name Takuyu?"

Gongsun Zhuoyu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yeah, yeah, father said, a gentleman is like jade, he carves it first and then makes it into a tool, so he named it Zhuoyu."

Du Lingchun hummed and said nothing. After a moment, he suddenly said: "The painting you gave me..."

Gongsun Zhuoyu subconsciously raised his head: "Painting? What's wrong?"

Du Lingchun pursed his lips: "Why doesn't it light up?"

In that painting, the red sun shines on the mountains and rivers during the day, and the rising moon reflects on the rivers at night. However, as time goes by, the places that originally shined gradually weakened.

Gongsun Zhuoyu suddenly realized: "I will take out the painting and shine it in the sun from time to time, and it will light up again."

That kind of fluorite itself does not emit light, but has phosphorescent properties. It is excited after being exposed to sunlight, so it can only last for a period of time.

When Du Lingchun heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to say something, but when he saw that he had already reached the bedroom, he stopped in his tracks.

Gongsun Zhuoyu was a little uncontrollable, and gently touched Du Lingchun's wrist with his fingertips. He felt that it was extremely slender, as if it would break with just a little force, and whispered: "Sir, take a rest early."

Inexplicably, I was reluctant to let go of this hand.

And Du Lingchun seemed to notice something, his heartbeat skipped a beat for no apparent reason, then accelerated and almost jumped out of his throat.He looked at Gongsun Zhuoyu in the dark night, his throat tightening, and after a while he said in a stiff tone: "I know."

Then he slowly pulled his hand out.

The cool sleeves of the robe slowly drained away from the fingertips, leaving only a little residual warmth.Gongsun Zhuoyu slowly took back his hand and glanced at Du Lingchun: "Then... I will go back to my room first."

Du Lingchun: "Go back, I will take you to the Criminal Department tomorrow."

The moon is high in the sky, as bright as jade.

Because this serial murder case was so involved, the bodies of the injured officials were still kept in the ice chamber and had not yet been buried. Logically speaking, they were not allowed to enter without special permission. However, Du Lingchun wanted to see it, but no one dared to stop him.

The person guarding the ice room was an old man in his fifties. He opened the door with a key, pointed at the three corpses covered with white cloth and said: "They are all in here. Don't stay too long, you may get cold."

Gongsun Zhuoyu was the first to step into the ice room, and his whole body was immediately eroded by the cold air. Fortunately, he had practiced martial arts, so he could withstand it.He lifted up the white cloth on the body and looked at the first deceased.The first thing that caught my eye was the bloody face of Dong Qianli, the governor of Liangzhou. I couldn't help but ask aloud: "Where is his face?"

The author has something to say: Dong Qianli: I don’t want it anymore, okay?