Chapter 73

The rain had not stopped yet, and the pond in the yard was full. It was raining heavily, but the Jiang family was busy preparing for their birthday.

As Lin Nanjie opened the door and was about to go out, an umbrella appeared over his head.

Lin Nanqi turned his head to look and saw that it was the girl who played the piano in the pavilion yesterday.

Lin Nanqi put his hands behind his back, his eyes rolled, and a bold idea emerged in his mind.

"...Konichiwa?"

Qinnu's hands trembled, her eyes widened, and she spoke a string of bird language at random and excitedly.

Lin Nanqi was filled with regret and shook his head in pain.

I really won’t do it any more.

There was disappointment in Qinnu's eyes.

Lin Nanqi guessed correctly, this girl playing the piano was indeed from Japan.

Although it was raining, the birthday banquet was still held in the flower hall in the garden, and many people came. It was so crowded that the garden was so crowded that no one could get through. When Lin Nanjie arrived, someone immediately came up to greet him.

Lin Nanjie didn't really come empty-handed. After all, it was a bit awkward to attend a birthday banquet without bringing anything. So Lin Nanjie dug out a longevity stone from the Xu mansion treasury that Fang Wenjue had paid for.

It’s okay. We have to go back to the treasury anyway.

Lin Nanjie didn't feel sorry at all for sending it off.

However, other people noticed that Lin Nanjie and Fang Wenjue had a good relationship, and automatically regarded Lin Nanjie as the emperor's favorite eunuch. They even spoke to him very politely, which made Lin Nanjie have to put on a pretentious tone and pretend to be a favorite eunuch with some unrestrained and uninhibited manner.

Lin Nanji was sitting by the lake, listening to the compliments of others, while holding a piece of snack and about to throw it into the lake.

But he was held down by Qinnu.

Lin Nanjie's action was unintentional, but he saw the zither girl shook her head slightly, and Jiang Mingde, who was sitting in the main seat, looked nervous.

Lin Nanjie's curiosity was instantly aroused.

When wealthy families build gardens and ponds, they usually raise some koi for good luck. But the water in Chiang's pond was dead silent, without a single fish. Didn't that make it less fun?

At this moment, a commotion spread. Lin Nanjie looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jiang Mingde standing up to greet him.

"It is a great honor for Jiang that the commander is willing to come on such a rainy day."

The commander waved his hand and the servants immediately presented a birthday gift, which turned out to be a huge piece of coral.

"Today is Brother Jiang's birthday. How can I be impolite? This piece of coral is presented to Brother Jiang."

Lin Nanqi narrowed his eyes.

The commander-in-chief of Zhejiang Province actually called Jiang Mingde "Brother Jiang". He must be very angry.

The birthday banquet officially began, and the people below toasted Jiang Mingde one after another. Jiang Mingde drank so much that his face turned red and he was very happy.

Half of the important people in Hangzhou came to show their support. Who wouldn’t be happy?

Lin Nanjie also raised his glass in greeting.

Who knew that at this moment, someone suddenly attacked.

It was the commander-in-chief.

The commander said: "Eunuch Lin is so proud of himself. I heard that the emperor can't live without you. I'm sorry that you came to Hangzhou this time."

Lin Nanjie held his glass still, and indeed heard the man say to the others: "You may not know, but this Eunuch Lin is the inspector of this year's spring examination, and he has sent away many students."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the others changed.

They had also heard about it, especially the matter of Jiang Hanwen.

Someone said in a sinister tone, "I heard that Eunuch Lin has a good eye and can tell if someone is cheating at a glance. I heard that Eunuch Lin cleared many people out of the examination room."

Lin Nanjie smiled and said, "That's right. Among them was a candidate named Sun. He studied hard and finally got into Gongyuan to take the exam. But who would have thought that he was so depressed that he wrote notes at his feet and was caught red-handed."

"Not only that, when the Jinyiwei took off his boots, the whole Gongyuan was almost suffocated by the fumes. Everyone vomited. The Gongyuan was filled with the sound of vomiting."

"Even if you are not caught during the inspection and are lucky enough to enter the Gongyuan, you will be exposed as soon as the boots are pulled on."

Lin Nanqi shook his head: "I heard that this person has a good family background. With the help of his uncle, he has escaped many times. But he doesn't know what the Gongyuan is under the feet of the emperor. How can he act rashly?"

The man who had just caused trouble suddenly turned pale.

His surname is Sun, and the nephew that Lin Nanjie was talking about was his family's nephew.

Lin Nanjie described it vividly. The others looked at the table full of food, unable to swallow it, and quietly moved away from the man surnamed Sun. Who knew if his feet smelled or not?

The man surnamed Sun became so angry that he put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.

Someone else jumped out and said, "Jiang Hanwen is also well-known for his talent in Jiangnan. He could have won the first prize this time. If someone hadn't obstructed and framed him, how could he have been punished?"

The Jiang family members' eyes became tense, and their hostility was directed towards Lin Nanjie.

Lin Nanxisi was not panicked at all. She wiped her mouth and suddenly sighed.

"In fact, Jiang Hanwen is the most unfortunate."

The person who asked the question was stunned.

Lin Nanjie put down his chopsticks: "He would have definitely made it into the top ten, but it's true that he cheated. What a pity..."

Lin Nanjie shook his head: "If I hadn't shouldered so many expectations, I wouldn't have taken the risk under such heavy pressure."

The people around were silent, especially Jiang Mingde, who was stunned for a long time.

After the birthday banquet, Lin Nanjie was about to return to the yard, but was gently stopped by Qinnu, who pointed towards the garden.

Lin Nanqi looked around, avoided people, and followed the girl to a secluded place in the garden.

Qinnv pointed at the water and spoke in Japanese. Although Lin Nanjie didn't understand, he guessed a little bit, using gestures and drawings. Lin Nanjie took out half a cake from his sleeve and threw it in.

Soon, scarlet eyes appeared on the water surface and disappeared in a flash.

Lin Nanjie couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

What kind of monster did the Jiang family raise?

Back in the yard, it was dark. Lin Nanqi sat beside the bed with a serious face, waiting for Li Chenghuan to arrive.

There was a slight sound from the rear window. Lin Nanjie turned around and saw Li Chenghuan climbing in through the window.

【Finally here! 】

As soon as Li Chenghuan landed, he couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

Then Lin Nanqi couldn't wait to say, "I have something to tell you."

Li Chengqian seemed to have expected it: "But it's about the water."

Lin Nan was surprised: "You know?"

Li Chenghuan sat down, all wet. "Fang Wenjue found a record of a servant of the Jiang family being bitten. Based on the wound and the servant's description, he concluded that it was a crocodile in the water."

Lin Nanqi nodded: "Yes, the girl you met that day was also from Japan. She was the one who reminded me of this."

"Today is my birthday, and I also met the commander of Zhejiang University, Shi."

Li Chengqian couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his head: "I have already made arrangements. It's not appropriate for us to stay here for long. Come with me first."

Jiuli River Bay Dam.

It was pitch black all around, with only the lights in the distant villages flickering in the darkness, creating a gloomy atmosphere. The heavy rain was like a waterfall, and the green reeds were half bent. The rain in the pond was up to his knees. Wei Tong, the commander of the Zhejiang Command, bent over, his right hand on the black knife, hiding in the dark reeds, his eyes fixed on the river bank a few meters ahead.

At the mouth of the Jiuli River, the river water surged, locked in the river channel by the levee that stretched for hundreds of miles. Apart from the sound of the rain, which seemed to be far away, the only sound I could hear was the surging river water, roaring and crashing against the levee, with a force of a thousand jin, like a thunderous tsunami.

There were only about twenty people hiding in the reeds, each of them waiting quietly, hiding in the reeds, waiting for Wei Tong's orders.

Wei Tong's face was covered with rain. The heavy rain was endless and hit the land without stopping. Wei Tong did not raise his hand to wipe the rain off his face. He was waiting.

The sound of the river and the sound of heavy rain in my ears seem to never stop.

At this moment, Wei Tong's ears moved slightly, and his calm eyes suddenly locked onto a certain place in the dark night like a sharp eagle.

He heard a slight strange sound, like an ant crawling to the ground in the vast universe, so tiny that it was almost undetectable.

"Come with me."

The deep voice sounded like some ancient command. Wei Tong drew his sword and rushed into the endless rain first.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of close combat was heard in the dark night, but after a few breaths, the sound faded away. Wei Tong threw one of the Japanese pirates down, and a strong fishy smell emanated from the blade. The blood mixed with the rain water and soon dissipated.

In Hangzhou city.

The night was cold and the rain was heavy. Lin Nanjie unconsciously hugged Li Chenghuan's neck tightly, his body soaked with rain. He moved his hat to cover Li Chenghuan's head.

Li Chenghuan carried Lin Nanjie on his back and hurried through the heavy rain. Finally, they stopped at a roof. Lin Nanjie leaned his head and looked down. It was Yuhua Pavilion again.

The pavilion was completely dark, without a single light or fire, completely different from the peaceful and prosperous scene of that day. It was as if no one had left the building, and there was a gloomy and eerie atmosphere everywhere. The backyard with exotic flowers and plants was completely dark, with only the splashing sound of rain falling on the lake and a slight reflection of light. It was like an abyss that swallowed everything.

The two of them moved to a hidden place and stared at the water quietly.

I don't know how long it had been, but suddenly there was a strange noise coming from the water surface, and a man emerged from the dark water surface. The man was wearing a black shorts and looked around vigilantly. Seeing that there was no one around, he suddenly bent his thumb and index finger, put them between his lips, and was about to blow to send a signal.

"Swoosh——" a clear whistle sounded.

Li Chenghuan's eyes sharpened, and in the blink of an eye, he threw the dagger in his hand and stabbed it directly into the man's heart.

The incident happened so fast that the man fell into the water before he could figure out who killed him. Blood spilt everywhere, staining the pool red.

After a few moments, there was another movement in the pool. Figures rushed out of the water one after another, with ferocious faces. There were dozens of them. When they found the body on the water, their faces changed suddenly and they talked fiercely in Japanese. Lin Nanjie heard from a distance that they seemed to have a disagreement. Because of this sudden change, they were afraid of an ambush and suggested returning the same way. But another group of people disagreed. Since they were already here, there was no reason to go back.

"I don't know whether to advance or retreat." Lin Nanjie muttered softly.

Li Chengqian's eyes were grim: "There's no going back."

Just as the group of people were arguing, a dozen cold and cruel black beast eyes suddenly rose from the water. The black scales made a metallic sound, exuding a chilling murderous intent. Several black backs swam quickly in the water, approaching the Japanese pirates like ghosts.

The group seemed extremely hungry and had no rules at all. As soon as they smelled the blood in the pool, they became possessed and went crazy.

"It's a crocodile."

Lin Nanjie whispered.

"This place is connected to the waterway of the Jiang family mansion. It was originally blocked by iron fences, but I sent people to remove them. These beasts have been hungry for a long time, so they came here just because they smelled the smell."

Lin Nan understood: "No wonder there was not a single fish in the pond at Jiang's house during the day."

I never thought that the Jiang family would be so crazy that they would keep such a cruel beast in their mansion.

Some of the pirates fell down, and with a miserable sound, they were swallowed by the beasts, and their bones and flesh fell apart in an instant. The others finally realized that something was wrong and shouted in Japanese to get ashore. However, it was too late. There were too many beasts, and their speed was beyond human ability. In a blink of an eye, most of them were dragged under the water, and only five people climbed ashore.

One of them had his arm torn off and another had his leg bitten off.

The scene was extremely tragic.

Lin Nanjie looked at the blurry scene, and a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Don't look."

Lin Nanjie grabbed Li Chenghuan's hand and took it away, whispering softly: "If we don't stop them, the fate of the people will be a hundred times more tragic than this."

With these beasts guarding the waterway pass, no one can break in.

Liao Baifan and his men stood guard outside the door, and caught turtles in the jar effortlessly.

The next day, the rain subsided and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The dikes are intact, holding back the water from the Weiyong River, and everyone is praying that the rainy season will pass quickly.

I don't know what happened last night.

In the Hangzhou government, most of the Japanese pirates were detained in the prison, including the one who escaped from Yuhua Pavilion last night. When the Jiang Mansion was raided, Jiang Mingde and Jiang Yan were still crying out for injustice, but when Fang Wenjue produced a mountain of iron evidence, they all stopped. To contact the Japanese pirates privately, or even to let them into the city, was a crime of treason. The commander of Zhejiang was also replaced, and Hangzhou had actually changed completely.

The Jiang family had colluded with the Japanese pirates and obtained a huge amount of wealth, which was all confiscated. Heavy rains destroyed crops in the fields, and the harvest next year was not guaranteed, so the taxes for the people of Hangzhou were also exempted this year.

The weather cleared up and the temperature rose. On the official road, a group of people sped towards Qianzhou.

***

After a bumpy ride, we arrived at Qianzhou, where the weather became increasingly hot.

In the carriage, Lin Nanjie fanned himself and wiped his sweat. Perhaps because of the excessive rain, summer came unusually early this year. Lin Nanjie looked at Li Chengqian in confusion. He was wrapped up tightly, but there was not a single drop of sweat on his face. He could even read the memorials calmly.

Lin Nanjie glanced at the memorial in Li Chenghuan's hand and saw that it was a military report about Qianzhou.

Lin Nanqi's mind wandered away.

[Qianzhou... there were many rebellions. The abbot of the Luming Temple in Jingren Mountain was from Qianzhou.]

[Ah, in the fifth year of the dog emperor's reign, which is next year or two, there will be a rebellion in Qianzhou. Calculating the time, we should be in the intensive preparation stage now.]

[They also colluded with local officials and, with the government's cover, forged weapons and forged □□ in the deep mountains and old forests. ]

[Not only that, while plundering the people's wealth, they also brainwashed the local people through the Lotus Sect, making them respect the leader as the local god. The desperate people all turned to the Lotus Sect.]

Li Chenghuan remained calm on the surface, but his fingers holding the letter were gradually clenching.

Rebellion?

In Qianzhou, located in the southwest, there is actually a group of rebels hiding, and they are growing stronger in secret.

Privately forging weapons and counterfeiting coins?

And inciting the people?

Although it is said that every emperor in every dynasty has to go through the process of suppressing a rebellion, which can be dealt with by sending troops at the least or by sacrificing one's head to change the dynasty at the worst, when it really happens, one can't help but wonder: How dare they do that?

Li Chenghuan's eyes gradually turned cold.

This group of thieves is quite cunning and knows how to oppress the people while giving them hope.

Li Chenghuan listened quietly, hoping that Lin Nanjie could give him some more key clues, such as where the den of privately forged weapons and coins was, who the leader of the Lotus Sect was, and who the officials who colluded with him were.

But Lin Nanqi's thoughts shifted, and he fanned vigorously, wondering:

【Why isn't the dog emperor hot at all? 】

Li Chengqian raised his eyes and looked at Lin Nanjie: "It's very hot? I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, so I am warm in winter and cool in summer."

Lin Nanjie made a sound of admiration and envy.

Seeing that he was very hot, Li Chengqian picked up a fan to fan Lin Nanjie and casually said, "Qianzhou is located in a remote area, so it is inevitable that there are corrupt officials who abuse their power for personal gain. I need to conduct a thorough inspection this time."

After saying this, Li Chenghuan looked at Lin Nanjie, hoping that he could give him some more hints.

Lin Nanjie was enjoying the cool breeze and was indeed attracted by Li Chenghuan's words, but what he said was: "Your Majesty is right. The people of Qianzhou live in poverty, and it is all thanks to Your Majesty's visit that they have been rectified. Official business is more important, so Your Majesty does not have to send me home in person."

[The dog emperor hides his identity. What if someone in the family bumps into him?]

【Not right, not right.】

[And the jade pendant always feels strange, so I have to explore it in secret. ]

Li Chenghuan quickly rejected the proposal and decided to hand over the investigation to Fang Wenjue and Liao Baifan. As for himself, "I have decided to stay for a while, go deep into the people's lives, and see for myself how the people are doing."

Lin Nanqi was stunned for a moment.

[What? You want to live in my house?]

"Your Majesty... This is inconvenient. Qianzhou is humid, full of snakes, rats, insects and ants. My house is run-down, and Your Majesty will definitely not be used to living here."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I am not picky about places."

Lin Nanjie had no choice but to take Li Chenghuan with him.

The two of them were walking on a country road. The houses on both sides of the road were low and simple. The villagers were squatting in the dark doorways in groups of two or three, talking in low voices. When they saw the two of them coming, they all cast their glances at them.

Until an old man stopped the two of them and said, "I am the head of this village. Who are you two?"

Lin Nanjie clasped his fists and said, "It turns out to be Lord Li Zheng. My surname is Lin, my given name is Nanjie. My father is seriously ill, so I came home to visit him."

The villagers around realized who it was and looked at him more closely. Some even looked at Lin Nanjie's lower body with ill intentions and laughed softly.

Li Chengqian frowned slightly.

The old man suddenly realized: "So it's you. You left home when you were three years old, and now you're this big. Come on, I'll take you there. It's been so many years, you probably don't remember your home anymore."

Lin Nanjie thanked him quickly.

Thanks to Li Zheng, Lin Nanjie arrived at the Lin family very quickly. The Lin family was at the back of the village, and there was no one in the yard. Li Zheng shouted inside: "Lin Da and Lin Er, your third brother is back!"

Soon, two men came out. When they saw Lin Nanjie, they immediately ran over and said, "Third brother!"

"Third brother, you are finally back!"

Lin Nanqi's hand was held tightly, and his eyes swept across the faces of the original elder and second brothers. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart: "We are all from the same family, how come we look like two different families?"

It can be said that the original body and these two people have nothing in common.

Lin Nanjie suppressed the surprise in his heart: "Big brother, second brother, how is father's condition?"

Speaking of Father Lin's condition, the two glanced at each other quickly, then wiped their eyes: "He has been bedridden, the doctor comes to see him every few days, he is relying on medicine to keep him alive, and he is holding on until you come back."

Lin Nanjie was silent for a moment: "It's all my fault. I encountered a rainstorm on the way and was delayed."

The second elder brother of the Lin family looked at Li Chenghuan and said, "Third brother, who is this?"

Lin Nanjie glanced at Li Chengqian and said, "I met a bandit on the road and he saved me. I hired him to take me all the way to Qianzhou."

The two brothers said: "So that's how it is. Thank you very much, strong man."

The strong man Li Chengqian: "...You're welcome."