Gu Xuanju was shocked and took a step back involuntarily, with an unconcealable look of fear in his eyes. However, Junchen liked this expression the most. He liked to see the officials' fear of him, which gave him a sense of satisfaction of being more than a scattered person.

"What, Sima Gu doesn't welcome me to visit?"

Gu Xuanju had recovered from the initial horror. He suddenly realized that the person who came to Junchen was not good. He restrained his fear and clasped his fists and said, "There is something happening at home. It's not that I don't welcome to Zhongcheng, please."

Lai Junchen raised his head gently and walked into Gu Xuanju's home with his hands behind his back. Several of his guards followed him closely and stopped until the guest hall. Only one civil servant followed him into the inner hall.

Without being polite to Gu Xuanju, Lai Junchen walked into the guest hall and sat down in the master's seat with a big thorn. The follower stood behind him. Although Lai Junchen's actions were extremely rude, Gu Xuanju was flustered at this time and had no intention of calculating Lai Junchen's slight rude behavior.

He sat down in the guest seat uneasy, and a maid came in to serve them tea. Lai Junchen just lowered his head to drink tea without saying a word. In the end, Gu Xuanju couldn't calm down. He remembered that his son's whereabouts were still unknown, and there was another cruel official in the family who was scared by everyone. He could not calm down no matter what.

"May I ask..." Gu Xuanju carefully considered the words, "How can I help me? Come to Zhongcheng?"

"I do need Gu Sima's help."

Lai Junchen put down the teacup with a smile, as if saying something very common, "I am investigating the major case last summer. Gu Sima is the direct investigator, so he should know what I am talking about."

Gu Xuanju's face suddenly changed and he said anxiously: "That case has never been successful, so we have submitted it to the Ministry of Justice."

"I know, so I came to Fangzhou this time to review the case."

Lai Junchen took the file from his entourage, threw it on the table with a slight bang, the smirk on his face disappeared, and he said coldly: "I don't know where to start this case, so I came to ask Gu Sima for advice."

"I really don't know this, I have no clue at all."

"Is that true? I don't think so. If Gu Sima thinks about it again, maybe he will remember something?" As she said, Lai Junchen put a jade pendant on the table.

Gu Xuanjiu stared at the jade pendant tightly, and his breathing began to get rapid. He finally couldn't help it and suddenly stood up and yelled, "Where have you brought my son to?"

He recognized this jade pendant, which was the evil-proof jade pendant he gave to his son. His son always wore it on his neck with flesh. Gu Xuanju suddenly understood that his son was captured by Lai Junchen. He stared at Lai Junchen. If he could kill people, he had already cut Lai Junchen into eighteen sections.

Lai Junchen put away the jade pendant and sneered, "I don't understand what you are talking about. Since Sima Gu has something tonight, I won't disturb you."

After saying that, he got up and was about to leave. Gu Xuanju finally collapsed. He fell to the ground and cried, saying, "I will cooperate with Zhongcheng, please let my son go back."

"You should have cooperated with me with all your strength, aren't you?"

Lai Junchen was extremely proud. He liked the feeling of playing with people on his palms, like a cat teasing a caught mouse. He slowly sat down again, his voice as cold as ice. "I said ugly things in front of me. I will only give you one chance. If you don't satisfy me, the one on the table is your son's hand, then two feet, and the third time is his head."

Gu Xuanju knew that he had no choice, so he lowered his head deeply and said, "About that case, come to Zhongcheng. What do you want to know?"

"I wonder, why did several coroners die and disappear, what did they find?"

Gu Xuanju sighed, "To be honest, although I signed this case, the actual person in charge was Governor Yang. At that time, he was guarding the yard where the body was found and no one was allowed to go in. Later, I asked a coroner, and he said that a deceased found a bronze medal and handed it to Governor Yang."

"What is it written on the bronze medal?" Lai Junchen asked.

Gu Xuanju shook his head, "I also asked the coroners at that time, but they were illiterate and said they were like a waist-branded card. Later, I asked the governor Yang again, but he denied the bronze medal and said he had found nothing. Later, two coroners died of poisoning, and I dared not ask about this matter."

Lai Junchen showed disappointment on his face, but he knew that Gu Xuanju was telling the truth. He interrogated the magistrate Zhang in the afternoon. The magistrate Zhang said the same as Gu Xuanju. There was only governor Yang in the house, and all officials were not allowed to go in, but Gu Xuanju also knew that there was a bronze medal.

"And what? What else is going on?"

"Also, the dead have martial arts skills. This is also what I secretly asked the coroner later. These people had calluses on their mouths and were all strong, but they died of poison and even their bones turned black. In addition, two swords were found at the scene, but there were no signs on the sword."

"What else?"

"And that is, Sun Li, the chief of Dali Temple, found me this afternoon and left the file that the prefecture yamen was in trouble."

"no"

Lai Junchen said impatiently: "I am not satisfied. You must tell me what is useful, otherwise don't blame my subordinates for showing mercy."

"But the humble vocation is really..."

Gu Xuanju saw Lai Junchen wink at the entourage, and the entourage quickly walked out. He was so scared that he shouted, "Wait a minute, I have another clue."

"You said" Lai Junchen stared at him fiercely.

Gu Xuanju tried hard to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. He was about to collapse completely. He said in a pleading tone: "I just heard that it is not sure whether it is true or false. There is also a coroner who was hidden by the Wei County Magistrate. The Wei County Magistrate has been secretly investigating, and he should know."

"But he has been killed." Lai Junchen grabbed his collar and roared.

Gu Xuanju could no longer hold on, and his eyes turned dark and he fainted.

Lai Junchen was really upset. He thought he could find a breakthrough from Gu Xuanju, but he didn't expect that the harvest was still pitifully small. The only harvest was that there was a bronze medal, but what was written on the bronze medal? Is it Xingtanghui?

He pondered for a moment, and it seemed that he still had to go to the governor Yang Pei, who was the real insider.

He was too lazy to pay attention to Gu Xuanju who fainted on the ground, turned around and walked out, and the follower asked in a low voice: "What should he do with his son?"

Lai Junchen said coldly: "Be detained first, his father will naturally cooperate with us in handling the case."

Lai Junchen led his men back to his residence in the south of the city, but one mile away from the residence. A subordinate rushed over to report: "Zhongcheng, something is not good."

"What happened?" Lai Junchen asked anxiously, and he became nervous. The ambush last night made him a little sensitive.

"There are troops surrounding our house, and all the brothers were arrested."

Lai Junchen was shocked, "Where is the army?"

"It was the governor Yang who brought it--"

Lai Junchen roared so much that he urged his horse to run to the mansion. He was preparing to come to the door to find the governor Yang Pei, but he didn't expect that he would take action first. Lai Junchen thought of Gu Xuanju's son, which must be for this matter. Lai Junchen was angry and hated, but he was a little worried. There was a warrior of Wu Sansi in his mansion. If he was caught, it would be difficult for him to explain to the emperor.

In front of the mansion that Lai Junchen temporarily rented, hundreds of soldiers gathered at the door with torches, shining the front door as daylight. They were local soldiers in Fangzhou, commanded by the governor Yang Pei, who was mainly responsible for maintaining local public security, guarding the city gates, and cracking down on bandits and thieves. The number of people was not too large. There were only one thousand people in Fangzhou, and they were stationed in various counties, while there were five hundred people in Fangling County.

Tonight, Yang Pei personally led 300 people to ask for help. The governor Yang Pei's house was next to Gu Xuanju's family. Gu Xuanju's son disappeared, and Yang Pei also received news. Just when Lai Junchen used Gu Xuanju's son to threaten Gu Xuanju's orders, Mrs. Gu quietly ran to Yang Pei's house for help.

Yang Pei immediately made a decision and led the state soldiers to surround Lai Junchen's garrison, arrested all 20 people in the mansion, and found Gu Xuanju's son from the cellar.

At this time, more than 20 people knelt in front of the gate, with their hands tied up. The governor Yang Pei rode on his horse, waiting coldly for Lai Junchen's return.

Yang Pei is nearly 60 years old and is very thin, with a foot-long beard under his jaw and a bright look. He is a loyal supporter of Li Sect and firmly supports Luling King Li Xian. He is very upright. However, on the other hand, he has been an official for more than 30 years and is well aware of all kinds of open and secret rules in the officialdom. He knows how to protect Li Xian and how to deal with people who are not kind to those who come.

Whether it was the censor Lai Junchen, the inner guard Li Zhen, the people from Dali Temple, even Wu Sansi and Wu Furong, Yang Pei remained silent, watched coldly, and did not take any action from them. Until tonight, Lai Junchen kidnapped Gu Xuanju's son and used his children to threaten Gu Xuanju. Yang Pei knew that he could no longer remain silent.

After a moment, Lai Junchen led several subordinates to the mansion. When he saw people kneeling all over the ground, even Wan Guojun was caught and tied up, he was furious and rushed forward and shouted loudly at Yang Pei: "Yang Pei, you bully people too much."

Yang Pei bowed and said in discomfort: "I sent troops to help me for the safety of Zhongcheng. Why did I get angry?"

"What are you talking about?" Lai Junchen asked viciously, staring at him.

Yang Pei turned around and pointed to the kneeling person on the ground and said calmly: "I received a report that people of unknown origin have been sneaked into the mansion of Zhongcheng. I am afraid that someone will be unfavorable to Zhongcheng, so I led the army to arrest them and indeed caught these people.

They claimed to be under the King of Liang, so I wondered why Lai Zhongcheng was with the King of Liang? I think they must be lying, and their purpose was to assassinate Lai Zhongcheng."

Lai Junchen stared at Yang Pei, his eyes were so hatred that it almost spit out the fire, but he was speechless for a moment.

After a while, Lai Junchen said viciously: "They are indeed from King Liang. I asked them for help because I lacked manpower. You let them go immediately."

"I don't understand this. If the Zhongcheng is short of staff, you can find me. As a local official, I will cooperate with Zhongcheng to handle the case, but Zhongcheng did not come to me, but to find the servants of King Liang. Can Zhongcheng tell me what the servants of King Liang are doing in Fangzhou?"

"What the people of Liang come to Fangzhou to do has nothing to do with me. Go and ask His Highness Liang, but I was ambushed by Lingdong Town last night, and there were heavy casualties. You local officials must take responsibility. Yang Pei, you better think about it, how to explain to the emperor?"

Yang Pei said coldly: "I sympathize with Zhongcheng who came to see misfortune in Lingdong Town, but if it is said that I have nothing to do with me, first of all, Zhongcheng took the county magistrate away without saying hello to me. Moreover, without my knowledge, I searched the houses in Lingdong Town and insulted women. If the emperor asked, I could only report the truth."

Although Lai Junchen was fierce and cunning, he did not gain any advantage in front of Yang Pei, who was proficient in official rules. In fact, he first investigated the matter in violation of regulations. According to convention, the censor came to the local government to investigate the case and had to inform the local government. Of course, the censor could also investigate the case secretly without disturbing the local government. However, if something happened, they would not be able to shift the responsibility to the government.

More importantly, he took the Fangling County Captain away privately, resulting in the death of the county captain, and did not report to the governor of the state. Yang Pei was actually implicitly pointing out Lai Junchen's violation. Lai Junchen knew that he was inappropriate, so he had to hold back this tone and clasp his fists at Yang Pei and said, "Thank you, Governor Yang, for caring for my personal safety. These people are indeed not assassins, but just servants of King Liang. They were sent by King Liang to Fangzhou to buy mountain goods and asked Governor Yang to let them go."

"So that's it. It seems that I've misunderstood. Since I have come to Zhongcheng to guarantee it, I will spare them."

Yang Pei waved his hand and said, "Let them go"

The soldiers untied everyone's ropes, and Wan Guojun and others stood behind Lai Junchen one after another, especially Wan Guojun, who was also an official in the court and did not dare to reveal his identity at all. He hid in Lai Junchen and said nothing.

Yang Pei didn't mention Gu Xuanju's son's kidnapped and smiled and said, "If you come to Zhongcheng, you need our help, just speak up and I will do my best to help."

He turned his horse's head and ordered, "Go back."

Yang Pei took a group of soldiers to his house. Yang Pei was not stupid. He knew that Lai Junchen would never let him go after this great loss. He needed soldiers to protect his and his family's safety.

It was not until Yang Pei walked away that Wan Guojun whispered: "Gu Xuanju's son was taken away by him."
Chapter completed!