Chapter 141: A City Full of White Frost Under Black Mud
“The Supervisory Authority broke into the garden so much today, for naturally Mr. Zhou.” Ming Qingda glanced at his aged mother and said in a harmonious voice, “Do you …… want it?”
Ming Lao Taijun coldly glanced at him, knowing what meaning he stored, butler Zhou is the Ming family’s head butler and the accountant of the Junshan Society, this person is too important, if the Supervisory Board searched out, many of the Junshan Society’s insider information will be grasped by Fan Xian, and thus indirectly grasped by the Emperor.
Whether it is from the Ming Garden self-preservation, or for the Junshan Association’s safety, Zhou Butler undoubtedly must die, but the problem is …… Ming Lao Taijun gently sighed and said, “You are not unaware that this Mr. Surname Zhou, is the Princess sent to our family, to kill or not to kill, we can not make up our mind. ”
“It’s about to search the back.” Ming Qingda spoke expressionlessly, but a cold smile flashed in his heart.
The Junshan Society? That kind of tier of organization, wouldn’t it be something that a rich merchant family like the Ming family should be involved in? As expected, now it was a situation where one could not get rid of it even if one wanted to. He for the Ming old tyrant and the eldest princess side tied so tight has always had very deep prejudice, for that Junshan will, is to avoid.
Elder Taijun Ming slowly closed her eyes and said, “Don’t worry. Mr. Zhou’s safety should be no problem.” The old woman suddenly frowned and said hesitantly, “There is a pile of things that I have never been able to understand, why is Lord Qinzai so sure that Mr. Zhou is still hiding in the Ming Garden? If he can’t find him, how is he going to explain to the world?”
Ming Qingda’s heart thumped, but the same puzzled look floated on his face.
Elder Taijun Ming thought for a while, a little tired, shaking her head feebly, her flowery white hair looking that old.
“I’m tired.” The old woman spoke in disgust, “Don’t let those dog legs of the Supervisory Court disturb my rest.”
“Don’t worry mother.” Ming Qingda walked to her side, his hands holding her shoulders as if he was preparing to lift her up, and said in a harmonious voice, “In the future, no one will ever come to disturb your rest again.”
Elder Taijun Ming looked back in shock, then saw the fleeting flash of guilt, fear, and hideousness in her own son’s eyes.
Then her mouth was covered, and a leather noose was tied dead center around her throat.
Elder Taijun Ming wanted to scream, but she couldn’t, her hands were held in a death grip by her own son, and she could only kick hard, those not-so-large feet bouncing about and snapping.
The old woman’s eyes flashed with endless horror and indignation, staring dead at the eldest maid not far from her.
She didn’t know how many close friends she had in the mansion, but at this moment, none of them were by her side, not knowing where they had died.
The eldest maiden looked at Elder Taijun Ming and slowly turned around.
The leather cord at her throat got tighter and tighter, Elder Taijun Ming couldn’t breathe, her chest was on fire, her eyes started to get disoriented, knowing that all of them had betrayed her, but compared to the betrayal, the strong and thick remorse and hatred was even more difficult to suppress, accompanied by her old tears and saliva flowing out of her lips.
“You have to be ruthless.”
“To achieve great things, of course you need sacrifices.”
All the words then resounded in this instant, accompanied by the tinnitus of the dying, striking the old woman’s heart.
Her eyes bulged out, staring dead at …… her own son in front of her.
Ming Qingda lowered his head in death, grasped her hands, and did not utter a word.
Maybe after a long time, maybe just a very short moment, the old woman sitting in the tai shi chair, this secretly influence and manipulate the Jiangnan for more than ten years of Ming Lao Taijun chest issued a muffled sound, the body suddenly soft, the feet drooped helplessly under the chair, and then did not have any movement.
When you are old, you should rest.
Supervisory Yuan’s search of Ming Garden is not going well, although no one dares to stop themselves, but Deng Ziyue has already felt the anger in the eyes of the people in the Ming Garden is getting more and more prevalent, and those who are in the dark staring at their own and so on the guards and fighters, momentarily likely to draw their weapons and rush up.
Searching for the family naturally has no gentle means, all the way through the box, all the way harshly scolded, all the way into the boudoir, this appearance is indeed very much a few points of the air of the vicious wolf, the same also inspired the hostile mood of all the Ming Garden.
But Deng Zi Yue is not worried, Fan Tisi let himself into the garden, there must be sure.
As expected, the people in the Ming Garden, although disgusted and hateful look at themselves, but no one dares to stop themselves. Just …… Ming Garden is too big, searched half a day, but also searched half of the area, and simply can not find the slightest trace of the whereabouts of that steward Zhou.
“I want to search the back garden.” Teng Ziyue said to the young master of the Ming family house, Ming Lan Shi, who had been accompanying him.
“No way!” Ming Lan Shi stared him dead in the eyes and rebuked bitterly, “What exactly do you want to do? Do you think that our Ming family is really this easy to insult?”
The back garden living with women relatives, how good to search, Ming Lan Shi to play on the subject, angry to the extreme will be the Supervisory Yuan officials scolded. Deng Zi Yue is sinking that face, a step also refused to back down, he was holding Fan Xian’s handwriting issued by the official document, stamped with the seal of the imperial police, there are enough reasons to search.
Of course, not in the name of the Supervisory Yuan, but only in the name of the Qinzhi who traveled the Jiangnan Road.
To know that the Supervisory Yuan can not interfere in local government, especially shall not trespass judgment of civil affairs, today this out, play is a trick hanging sheep head selling dog meat, is Fan Xian borrowed soldiers.
The two sides will be in the door into the back of the garden confrontation, Ming garden in the family guards have endured a long time, this time finally can not help it, profanity out of a row, more than angry curses, under the emotional excitement, should have been hidden in the hair of those who hit the side and the private soldiers are also present in the form of the Supervisory Yuan nearly forty officials surrounded the field.
Deng Zi Yue will face a black, coldly said: “Ming young master, this is actually continue to search, or you are ready to resist the decree?”
The imperial envoy was traveling, representing the will of the Son of Heaven, who would dare to disobey?
Ming Lan Shi’s face was green for a while and white for a while, clenching his teeth tightly, pretending to be humiliated and embarrassed, and after a long time, he shouted angrily, “Search! The heavens have eyes! I don’t believe that you, the Supervisory Yuan, will not be retributed for bullying others in the future!”
Deng Ziyue didn’t care so much, holding the handle of his sword in his hand, he took a step and broke into the back garden.
I did not expect to line not ten steps, will meet the head broke out of a person, only to see that person although wearing a maiden dress, but look at wearing clothes and dress, is also an important person in the Ming Garden. This girl ring full of white face, eyes godless, as if seeing a ghost general crazy madness towards the crowd rushed over, while rushing also while vaguely shouting: “dead! Dead! …… dead!”
The first time I saw you, I was so happy to see you, I was so happy to see you.
Teng Zi Yue heart startled, feel some kind of ominous omen, frowning will that girl ring stopped, snapped: “What happened?”
That face of the maiden exuded the usual nurturing of everyone’s temperament, only at this time it seemed to have been frightened too much, all in a state of dismay and trepidation. Shivering for half a day, half a long time can not say a complete sentence, just in front of Teng Zi Yue’s body constantly shaking, if not Teng Zi Yue does not avoid the suspicion of grasping her arm, I’m afraid that she has long been soft to the ground.
The people of the Supervisory Yuan searching the garden don’t know this girl ring, but the people of the Ming family know the identity of this girl ring, know that she is Ming Lao Taijun’s personal big girl ring, one of the heart, at this time the people of the six houses are all gathered in this room, see her this appearance, can’t help but be shocked, thinking what exactly has happened?
Ming Lan Shi anxiously snatched the eldest maid from Deng Zi Yue’s hands, carrying her collar and said, “What happened? Who died?”
Teng Ziyue watched coldly from the sidelines, a hint of color flashing in his eyes.
That big maid was flung twice by the young master, finally woke up, a grin, but it was too late to say anything, first cried miserably, “Wow …… well …… young master, old Taijun …… Old Taijun she ……”
“What happened to the old Taijun?”
“Old Taijun …… she went!” The big maid struggled to finish this sentence, her head tilted, and she fainted in Ming Lan Shi’s arms.
Ming Lan Shi was like being struck by lightning, frozen on the spot, and for a moment did not believe his own ears at all.
The surrounding sons and daughters of the Ming family’s six houses even looked at each other with wide eyes and open mouths, frozen like countless toads, seemingly not knowing what shocking expressions to use to express their inner feelings at this time!
Old Taijun has gone?
Old Taijun went!
Dead silence in the garden, I do not know how long, suddenly burst out the first cry, followed by the cries, like a magnificent chorus, cries and cries of misery and curses one after another, there are a lot of people shocked to fall to the ground, how to stand can not stand up.
The entire Ming Garden, completely shrouded in shock and grief and anger.
In addition to the fourth master Ming in the Suzhou dungeon, the old master Ming with the old Taijun’s side, at this time in the field there are the four houses of the main masters, these four men cried and howled in pain, a hand set aside Ming Lan Shi stupid body, lifted up the front of the long shirt and rushed towards the back garden.
At this time, no one cares about what the back garden can not trespass rules, no one need to send a shout, accompanied by the sound of weeping like a cloud of movement, the Ming garden is now the shape of the hundreds of people are crying and mourning to the back of the garden rushed over.
At this time, the center of the field of the Supervisory Yuan officials look at each other, become the most embarrassed part of the people. Deng Ziyue’s pupils shrunk slightly, feeling the crisis, today led the order to come to search the garden, how did not expect, finally turned into such a situation!
Although at this time it is not clear how the old lady Ming died, but Teng Zi Yue clear, the other side of the death is really too wonderful too coincidental, clever to the Supervisory Yuan want not to take responsibility can not.
And in that moment earlier, he saw Ming Lan Shi’s expression in his afterglow, which further caused some kind of doubt to arise in his heart.
The news of Elder Taijun Ming’s death shocked all up and down within the Ming Garden, those guards rushed out and rushed to the side of the people of the Supervisory Academy, surrounding them, weapons and crossbows in their hands, their eyes flashing with hatred.
Deng Ziyue frowned slightly, knowing that at this time a measure is not appropriate, that is the end of the two sides of the fire, but just before coming before the former Secretary of the Lord confided in a clear, things …… should not be so developed.
He made a decision on the spot, directing his subordinates to these officials of the Supervisory Yuan also entered the back garden. Anyway, at this time the Ming Garden this array of chaos, who can not care about them these people, and those with weapons to monitor their own private soldiers of the Ming Garden, it is impossible to Ming Lao Taijun dying place, immediately on the hands.
Walked into the back garden for a long time, followed the sound of crying foraging, in a small secluded courtyard outside, Deng Ziyue looked at the people kneeling on the ground, can not help but a chill in the heart, a sweep of the eyes, they saw that the tall hall in the middle of the room, under the thick beams, long white scarf below the tie a person.
An old woman.
The old woman’s hands hanging around, toes to the ground, with the spring wind, floating in the mid-air, the scene looked to be more bizarre and more bizarre.
Especially those eyes that have been refusing to close protruding outward, the pupils of the eyes are flooded with blood when dying, full of resentment and unwillingness to look outside.
The officials of the Supervisory Yuan who happened to be looking outside the courtyard.
Deng Ziyue was shocked by these two dead eyes, hastily twisted his neck, sent the order to go, let the subordinates on guard, ready to break out.
The courtyard is full of cries, a floor of descendants kneeling and sobbing blood, kowtowing more than.
Ming Lao Taijun died through, this account Ming Yuan will certainly be remembered in the body of the Supervisory Yuan, in such a crowded moment, who does not know what will happen.
Just the rear of the way out, has long been the Ming garden private soldiers eyeing, full of hate to block, if you want to kill will go out, how difficult.
After a short while, Ming Qingda, whose forehead had already knocked out blood, and the brothers of the fourth house untied the old Taijun’s body from the beam. The current master of the Ming family suppressed his grief and arranged for the relevant aftermath, before leading the four brothers out of the courtyard.
No one dared to speak, but all of them stared with that gaze at the crowd of inspectors outside the courtyard.
In his life, Deng Ziyue had never realized that there were so many people who wanted to eat their own flesh, and the gazes of the Ming family members had already nakedly shown this kind of resentment.
He knew that he couldn’t back down at this time, once he did, word would spread and would bring great risk to the Supervisory Yuan. As soon as Elder Taijun Ming died, the people of the Supervisory Yuan withdrew in fear, what is it if not a thief’s heart?
So he will face a sinking, will eyes a narrowing, said, “Ming old Taijun collusion East barbarians, afraid of crime to commit suicide …… aftermath processing temporarily suspended, to be checked the cause of death, and then dealt with.”
From the perspective of the Supervisory Yuan, he must behave extraordinarily hard at this time, but for the Ming family, the old ancestor has just died, to be planted by the Supervisory Yuan on the charge of committing suicide to fear of crime, no one can bear it.
Ming Sixth Master favorite wrestling play, born is five big and thick, is also a person of strong temperament, coupled with Ming’s youngest son, has always been the most favorite of the old Taijun, his feelings for the old Taijun is also the deepest, today’s mother’s sudden death, is sad when the grief and anger, heard Deng Ziyue this, turned back to grab a chair, then smashed the past!
Deng Ziyue lifted his sword and blocked the chair with a thud.
Ming Sixth Master’s eyes were red, facial muscles twisted, shrill howling, “Come on people, kill all these godless dog legs for me!”
Ming’s guards and family members are waiting for this sentence, this half a year by the Supervisory Yuan oppression is about to gasp for air, how to fold the body to seek all can not protect their bodies, today is even the old Taijun are forced to live, looking at the field of these Supervisory Yuan officials, as if looking at the intrusion of their own door within the evil dog, the hands of the fear of ruthless, the crowd issued a shout, holding a weapon rushed up, chopping and slicing a messy fight!
From the moment he learned of the death of Ming Lao Taijun, Deng Ziyue knew that things were going to be big, so that his subordinates were ready to fight, so the war started suddenly, but was not taken by surprise, around the manpower surrounded a small defense circle, pulling out the waist side of the plain sword to fight.
For a time, only hear the whistling wind, only see the sword, occasionally there is a fresh voice miserable cry, accompanied by those who are afraid of the screams of the Ming family girls, Ming Garden today, not lively.
Ming garden crowded, private soldiers in fact there are a few experts in the head, just a photo, the Supervisory Yuan will have more than one person injured, blood seems to be like no money to splash.
But four although not the strong force of the Procuratorate Yamen, but after all, is also a professionally trained personnel, although some people are injured, but immediately there is an inner circle of people to pick up, very reluctantly maintained the defense circle, successfully repelled the first wave of the Ming family’s private soldiers attack.
But how long can …… it last? Ming Sixth Master was on the verge of going crazy at this point, desperately shouting.
There was a soft snap.
Master Ming Six’s face received a slap. He looked back in shock, but saw his elder brother’s face that was still sad, but more angry.
Ming Qingda lowered his voice and said through clenched teeth, “You want the entire clan to accompany you to death?”
Not waiting for the dumbfounded Master Ming Six to reply, Ming Qingda sank that face and shouted, “Stop it all!”
The voice wasn’t very loud, so many people didn’t hear it, Ming Qingda’s pale face showed a hint of exuberant redness as he raised his voice and shouted, “Want to rebel?”
After all, he was the nominal contemporary master of the Ming family, especially after the death of Elder Taijun Ming, the word nominal could also be removed, so at Ming Qingda’s command, all of the beaters in the Ming Garden stopped and retreated.
The crowd made way, and Ming Qingda coldly walked forward along this passage until he reached the front of the crowd of the Supervisory Court.
The master of the Ming family looked at Deng Ziyue coldly as if he were a vicious dog waiting to die.
Deng Ziyue did not show any weakness and said with a cold smile, “Master Ming, you ask a good …… question Are you really ready to rebel?”
Ming Qingda’s gaze carried a few threads of desolation, a few threads of disdain, but never said anything. How exactly could the Ming family respond at this time? Kill the forty officials of the Supervisory Yuan in front of them? Then there is no need to wait for the decree to come from Kyoto, the little Lord Fan sitting in Suzhou City, and that Governor Xue, at any time, can deploy troops to destroy the Ming Garden.
But …… the other party forced his mother to die!
All of this misgivings and agonizing mental struggles surfaced on Ming Qingda’s face, and it all fell in the eyes of the Ming family’s crowd and the officials of the Supervisory Yuan.
“Big brother!” Ming Sixth Master cried and rushed to Ming Qingda’s side, saying, “Mother was forced to die, we can’t let these dog legs get out alive.”
In fact, after the people in the Ming Garden gradually calmed down, they all seemed to be able to sympathize with the sadness and struggle in Master Ming’s heart, and Master Ming Sixth was no exception, except that the mother and son had a deep love for each other, so how could he be told to endure this?
“The humiliation and hurt that you have inflicted on my Ming family …… ” Ming Qingda’s lips trembled slightly, his face pale, staring at Deng Ziyue’s eyes, said: “My Ming family will tenfold return… …As for today, if you kneel down and kowtow to Old Taijun, I will let you out of the garden.”
Ming Sixth Master somewhat didn’t believe his ears and said in fear, “Big brother, you can’t just let it go!”
Instead, Deng Ziyue on the opposite side narrowed his eyes and said after a long moment of thought, “Master Ming, you should know that we in the Supervisory Court, kneel to heaven and earth and to the king, and we won’t kneel to any of the rest.”
Ming Qingda’s brow wrinkled, seems to be by today’s successive shocks to make the spirit of a great loss, some unsteady to stand, barely holding the shoulders of the sixth master of Ming, but also stopped the sixth master of Ming’s impulse. He hissed, “Then …… let jade and stone burn together.”
As he spoke, Deng Ziyue always felt that Ming Qingda looked into his eyes, as if he wanted to express some kind of hidden meaning in the depths, but he had not been able to figure it out.
Ming Qingda’s heart sighed, he also did not expect that the Supervisory Court would be so hardened, facing such a dangerous situation, but even refused to make some superficial concessions.
The confrontation still continued, the situation was touch and go.
Ming family six houses in the masters there are always so two smart characters, a look at the momentum is not right, and then listen to the big brother jade stone that four words, will feel a trace of panic, this when the businessman, how to qualify and the court jade stone? Eggs smash stone, put on this look, and it is impossible to make the stone loss of something.
What’s more, they are not born of Elder Taijun Ming, why should they lose their own lives? So Ming second master Ming third master are surrounded, face do impassioned sad color, but attached to Ming Qingda’s ear whispering words, persuade the master to be tens of thousands of lives in the clan, temporarily tolerate, for the old Taijun vengeance matter, to be slowly plan.
Ming Qingda himself killed the old lady, the heart was a ghost, the face of that piece of pale is not deliberately pretending, so when this situation, he must be put up with the Supervisory Yuan hate not to share the sky, the potential can not be two sides of the style, at this time there is a Ming old two Ming old three persuasion, his heart a little bit more at ease, put up a struggling expression of pain.
I do not know how long the confrontation, suddenly heard a clamor outside the garden, followed by hoof beats, I do not know how many men and horses will break in.
Ming Qingda heart trembled, secretly thought the black cavalry of the Supervisory Yuan is still in the north of the Yangtze River, it is impossible to kill into the garden at this time, who are the people who came?
Thousands of officers and soldiers galloped into the horse, long spears, military might, will be the Ming garden of private soldiers and the Supervisory Yuan officials isolated, a time of dust gradually rise, the momentum is compelling.
The people who came is the Jiangnan Governor transferred over all the way to the state soldiers, with the urgent order, rushed to rush, finally rushed before the disaster, stopped in the middle of the two teams of people in the crossbow.
The leader of the team is a senator general, he has already known what happened here, face gravely with Ming Qingda said a few words what, would like to go in to pay homage to Ming Lao Taijun, but know that the Ming Garden is simply not yet set up, and the Ming Lao Taijun death is too …… that, had to give up.
Along with the state army into the garden, there is also a member of the Inspection Yuan Qi Nian team, he came to Deng Ziyue’s side, confided in the two words said by the Lord of the Tisch.
Deng Ziyue was shocked for no reason, thinking that this retreat is not a problem, there are thousands of state troops here, even if the Ming family wants to do it, they do not have the ability. The problem was, if this happened, would it not confirm the fact that the Supervisory Committee had forced Elder Taijun Ming to die? He didn’t understand what Fan Xian was thinking, but the best way to deal with the situation was to mobilize the Black Riders and use this as an excuse to destroy the Ming family.
However, the state army has saved the lives of the officials of the Supervisory Yuan, and also prevented the possibility of the Black Riders massacring the garden.
As for Deng Ziyue has always suspected that the cause of death of Ming Lao Taijun …… is also only Suzhou House is qualified to check, the Supervisory Yuan does not have this qualification. And the political officials of the Jiangnan area are all people of the Ming family, so it is definitely impossible to find out what is wrong. So he was more and more puzzled, what exactly is the arrangement of the Lord of the Tisch? Is that steward Zhou still to be arrested? Just let this thing go on like this?
In the thick of spring, Suzhou city is a piece of silver.
It’s not snow, but it’s colder than snow.
Almost all of Suzhou’s citizens wore mourning, and those snow-white cloths were like a cold edict paper, stating the kindness and merits of the Ming family’s old Taijun to the people of Jiangnan.
The news of Elder Taijun Ming’s death spread throughout Jiangnan almost overnight, and the specifics of her death became more and more bizarre as they were passed around in different people’s mouths.
But no matter which version of the news, the spearhead naturally pointed to the Supervisory Yuan, the people’s anger began to accumulate, but for a moment can not find a channel to vent, the Supervisory Yuan’s government offices have always been secret, so for the time being, there is no ten thousand people to seal the door to seek justice for the magnificent scene, for the imperial magistrate is located in the Huayuan, there are heavy military guards, the people for the time being, also do not have the courage to go to the demonstration.
So everyone had to wear mourning, with the sadness and anger on their faces, the spiteful curses among the marketplace, to express their silent protest, which is to the Supervisory Yuan, but also to the little Lord Fan.
Elder Taijun Ming’s funeral hall had not yet been opened, so the officials and dignitaries from all over the world who had come to offer their condolences were temporarily residing in Suzhou.
The entire city of Suzhou was shrouded in that cold atmosphere, so different from the surrounding spring scenery.
However, Fan Xian did not care about these, his skin is thick enough, his heart is black enough, his spirit is so strong that he can treat the scene of mourning as a movie from his previous life, as for the voice of those who scolded him in the dark and in the light, it is completely out of earshot.
He sat on the top floor of the New Wind Pavilion Suzhou Branch, his heart was just worried about Haitang, that day Haitang went to catch Mr. Zhou of Junshan Club for himself, but never came back, he didn’t know whether there would be any danger.
Thinking of this section, he could not help but laugh to himself, the people in this world who can harm Duo Duo are those few great masters. He picked up his bowl and huffed and puffed a few mouthfuls of noodles, sighing with satisfaction before he spoke, “Elder Ming, this time I’ve been shaded by you.”
Ming Qingda knelt beside him, kowtowed repeatedly, and said curtly, “Your Excellency’s thoughts are as spiritual as a long river, and his aura is as lofty as a great mountain, so how could you care about these small breezes around your body.”