Unexpectedly, during the investigation, Xu Ting's son received unjust profits because of his incompetence in education and poor discipline. Thinking that he was young and was the first offender, Xu Ting begged and returned the stolen silver, so he did not continue to pursue the investigation. Of course, the money was not returned to the treasury, but was divided into four parts and given to three imperial envoys, as well as Zhao Quan.

After all, the three yamen brought so many people, and they were all responsible for food, drinking, defecation and urination. When I came to Jiangnan once and did things for His Majesty, I couldn’t return empty-handed, right?

Soon, the imperial envoy announced the results in a high-profile manner.

Niu Gong, Feng Qun and others, as public officials of the court, knew that the law was violated and forged currency, causing bad influence, and sentenced him to death. Since Niu Gong had committed suicide due to fear of crime, Feng Qun admitted his guilt and was punished. Although he kept calling for injustice, the evidence of the crime was conclusive and could not change the facts.

More than 100 people in the Jiangnan Mint Bureau were also implicated. Thirteen people including the manager, accountants, and commanders of the guard were also sentenced to death, and the rest were lighter or more serious, and were punished as they deserved. As Zhao Quan said, it is important to stop at the right time. The more they pursue the matter, the more they will be involved in the royal scandal. If Xie Zhihua bit them all out, it would be very ugly.

Xie Zhihua, as a Jiangnan Transportation Commissioner and also in charge of the Jiangnan Mint Bureau, committed the crime of misunderstanding and was sentenced to a warning, fined him for half a year, disqualified from the qualification of the Qing Dynasty and was not promoted within two years. This punishment is not painful, so after the verdict was announced, Xie Zhihua shouted: "The Qing Dynasty will be clear, and all the imperial envoys have a sharp eye, and they will also give their subordinates a clean innocence. As for those who are willing to take advantage of the situation and suppress dissidents, they should be severely punished!"

The imperial envoys were unable to express their opinions on this matter, while Xu Ting said that he had wronged Xie Zhihua and would write a letter to His Majesty to apologize.

Xie Zhihua was generous, "The Transport Department and the Governor's Office don't have much contact with each other on weekdays, which has caused some misunderstandings. It seems that they will get closer in the future. Dear imperial envoys, I have been busy for a long time, and I have to avoid suspicion before going to the place, and I have not been able to fulfill my friendship with the landlords. Today is the day when the officials die in the disaster, so I dare to invite you all to hold a banquet at Bishui Building tonight, and I would like to give you my face!"

Everyone agreed.

Xu Ting pushed the matter over on the grounds that there was something happening at home.

Xie Zhihua did not force her. Before leaving the door, she came to Fan Xiaodao and Zhao Xing. "The two captains worked hard for a while and returned Xie's innocence. However, they did not work in vain. You have made great contributions in this case, and you are just around the corner. Two brothers, we are not doing it for a good deal. We have not succeeded this time. We will continue to work hard next time. If you have time, it is better to go to Bishuilou tonight."

Zhao Xing said coldly: "Go and eat your leftovers?"

Xie Zhihua laughed, "I didn't expect you to come even if I invite you!"

Zhao Xing was about to argue with each other again, but Fan Xiaodao stopped him and said with a smile: "Sir Xie, we must go and support us!"

Xie Zhihua laughed and left, with an extremely arrogant expression.

Zhao Xing said dissatisfied: "What are you going to do if you fail?"

Fan Xiaodao said: "Go and be a messenger."

He glanced at Xu Ting and walked slowly towards the backyard. He saw that he was staggering and became much older in an instant. No wonder this was the case. He thought he could take the opportunity to defeat the other party, but he didn't do it, but in the end he fell on his son. Fan Xiaodao had to smile bitterly and shook his head, and said to Zhao Xing: "This matter is not over yet!"

It's night.

In front of the clear water building, there are crowds of doors and traffic.

It is in sharp contrast to the time when Fan Xiaodao came last time.

Xie Zhihua was acquitted and invited guests. Almost all officials in Jinling City came to congratulate him. Of course, the gifts he sent were also valuable.

Fan Xiaodao couldn't help but sigh that the world was in a cold state. When he lost power, the trees fell and the money scattered. Everyone avoided it, for fear of being involved with it. Now that he has returned to the peak of Jinling's power, he is like seeing rotten vultures gathering.

The two of them naturally came empty-handed.

Without the gifts being prepared, if the manager of Bishuilou had known the two, the concierge would not let them in.

Today's Bishui Tower is brightly lit.

The former glory has been restored.

In the black-sailed boat, there is also a singer playing the piano. The sound of the piano is melodious and the lights are decorated in the courtyard, just like the New Year.

As soon as I entered the yard, I heard someone calling them from behind, "Captain Fan, Captain Zhao, two brothers!"

When the two turned around, it was the fat Censor Peng. He hadn't seen each other for many days. The gentleman was fatter than before, "Censor Peng? Why are you here?"

Logically speaking, Censor Peng and Xie Zhihua are still enemies. When they kidnapped Xu Miaozi, if Fan Xiaodao hadn't taken action in time, Censor Peng would have taken his life in. Xie Zhihua was acquitted, Censor Peng should have felt uncomfortable and would have come to congratulate him?

Censor Peng waved his hand, "Damn it, this time he actually let him escape!"

"Then you still come?"

Censor Peng sighed, "If something happens to him and is arrested, I will definitely set up a three-day pedestal in Jinling City. But now I am acquitted and I have to send 10,000 taels of silver obediently, and pretend that I don't know anything about that night."

This incident is a hurdle that Censor Peng cannot overcome.

No matter how he gritted his teeth, he was helpless in the end, so he had to accept this reality.

Moreover, the censor He Jin was also on the banquet list, and he still had something to say to this former colleague.

The three of them joined together and entered the Bishui Building.

Xie Zhihua changed into a big red robe and stood at the door to greet him. When Censor Peng saw him, he deliberately took two steps back and distanced himself from the two.

Xie Zhihua smiled and greeted him, "Captain Fan, Captain Zhao, you really dare to come!"

Fan Xiaodao said: "It's a pity if you don't come here for such a big happy event and delicious food. I don't want to worry. I know you are honest and don't bring any gifts. I think you shouldn't mind it, right? By the way, I heard that you have also hired a opera troupe. Which one are you going to sing today? Is it a white-haired girl or a Weihu Mountain?"

"I haven't heard of these two dramas, but today I'm preparing for Dou E's injustice!"

Fan Xiaodao said: "It's really appropriate. The sky has no eyes and didn't take you away. It's really more unfair than Dou E."

Listening to Fan Xiaodao's sarcasm in his words, Xie Zhihua was not concerned at all. After all, in this contest, he was the king who laughed to the end. Only the failed side would show off his verbal pleasure. He smiled faintly, "No this time, I guess there will be no chance next time." Xie Zhihua's eyes directly skipped the two of them and took two steps, "Censor Peng!"

Censor Peng bowed and said, "Congratulations, sir, you have suffered an unjust injustice these days and have been revealed today. It is a blessing for Jinling!"

Xie Zhihua had long noticed that he and Fan and Zhao were walking with each other, but he was not dissatisfied at all. "I would like to ask you to be auspicious. In the future, I will rely on the help of my colleagues in Jinling City!"

Censor Peng handed over the gift list, and Xie Zhihua smiled and said, "I am very happy to be here, what else can I bring!"

Censor Peng said: "What sir is saying? Some people are ignorant, but we must be ignorant."

Xie Zhihua took his hand and let him in, "I still have many guests to welcome you, so I will sit there at will!" After that, he went to welcome the next one.

After passing by, Yushi Peng immediately changed his face to face with a smile.

The lights are on, and it is already time to change.

The entire Bishui Building and the hall were filled with guests.

There were chief officials from various prefectures, local gentry and merchants, and famous students from Jiangnan. The guests who came were either rich or noble, and there were more than a dozen tables. There were exposed wine girls holding wine pots and taking turns to pour wine and tea for the guests at each seat. There were singers playing the piano and squeak in the yard. Although there were many people, they did not seem noisy. Even if someone talked, try to keep their voices down.

The guests sat down.

Everyone stared at the back hall, Xie Zhihua changed into a crimson robe and slowly walked out.

Everyone stood up together.

One of them took the lead and said, "Congratulations to the Lord for quelling the injustice!"

Everyone followed in unison: "Congratulations to Lord for quelling the injustice!"

The voice was neat and loud, as if it had been rehearsed in advance. No wonder Xu Ting and other people with higher official positions refused to come. Just in this scene, Fan Xiaodao felt a little scared and would not shout.

Xie Zhihua laughed, "It's all your credit for Xie to be able to do today!"

"It was Lord Xie who loved the people as much as his son, who moved Shangcang. It was God's blessing!"

"I should thank the imperial envoy!"

A Confucian scholar dressed in a famous Jiangnan scholar said lightly: "It's useless to thank anyone. If you want to thank him, you have to thank Brother Kong Fang!"

"Brother Kong Fang?"

The Confucian scholar said: "The outside is round and the inside is square, and the world is crazy about it. If there is no writing, the white bones will fly. Thank you for your good fortune, of course you have to thank the money!"

Xie Zhihua saw that the visitor was Song Kuangsheng, a famous scholar in Jiangnan. This person was famous for his bad temper and offends others. However, the more he was, the more tolerated people were, and instead they seemed to be very polite. Therefore, he was very generous in the Jiangnan literary circle. I don’t know who was cheap, so he invited him.

"It turns out it's Mr. Song. Xie is flattered!"

Song Kuangsheng laughed, "No, I'm here uninvited. Lord Xie is happy today, so I specially come to have a glass of wine." After that, he came to Xie Zhihua, took out a penny from his arms, and put it in Xie Zhihua's hand. Among everyone, someone teased, "I have never heard that Song Kuangsheng is shitty. It's a surprise that Lord Xie can receive this penny today!"

Song Kuangsheng said: "I always heard that the delicious food of Bishuilou is famous for Jiangnan, especially the pufferfish, which is a world-class. Today, I don't need to have too many, just give me ten bowls!"

The man said, "Oh, I've ordered a penny."

Xie Zhihua laughed, "That's no problem. If you don't come to Bishui Tower, wouldn't it be a waste of time if you don't come to the pufferfish?"

Everyone applauded.

You should know that it is not difficult to eat puffer fish in Jiangnan. After all, they are all officials and merchants, so they still have this financial resources. However, it is not that easy to eat puffer fish in Bishuilou. It is said that the puffer fish in Bishuilou was separated from Xuanwu Lake and raised separately. It was also invited to cook the famous chefs in Jiangnan, supplemented with more than a dozen medicinal herbs and cooked for three hours. The taste is delicious, tender but not greasy. Everyone who has eaten it praises this. Today's fortune has made the adults feel kind. How can everyone be unhappy?

Someone said: "Please send the fortune to speak!"

Xie Zhihua came to the center of the hall, picked up a glass of wine, and said aloud: "More than ten years ago, when I was still in the capital, I was in a difficult life, so I ignored my gentleness and set up a stall at the gate of the Temple of Heaven. At that time, a fortune teller said that my life was too smooth, but at the age of 42, there would be a disaster. If I could escape it, my career would be smooth and I would have risen to the top. At first, I thought he was a liar in the world, but as he said, he went to the Censorate and became the Jiangnan Transportation Envoy, and he had his current status. And this time he was wronged and almost lost his life. In this way, he was just 42 years old this year. Sometimes, I have to sigh that everything is fate!"

Everyone said, "Sir, you will be successful from now on. Don't forget us brothers who share hardships!"

Xie Zhihua sneered in his heart. If this sentence was half a month ago, you said, maybe I would still think you were a brother. Now seeing that I have nothing to do, I stood up and asked a hindsight. However, he said, "It depends on the praises of all brothers! Tonight, I will host guests in the officialdom of the south of the Yangtze River and the fame and fortune. Some people have come, and some have not come. Some have brought generous gifts, and some have come empty-handed. I will remember them all in my heart. Xie is not a person who is unchanging and knows how to repay kindness. I will take it in Jiangnan for a few years. Next, there are many opportunities for us to deal with!"

This sentence is very explicit.

Xie Zhihua is the only one who is in public, entertaining guests, and openly asking for bribes!

But there is nothing he can do. He was originally rich in assets, but when something happened, he spent nearly one million taels of silver in the capital, and Fan Xiaodao vacated more than 600,000 taels in the middle. Now he doesn't have much money. Not only that, he still owed a large amount of debts in the capital. He can drag other creditors, but the debts in the capital cannot be dragged.

That's the one who decides his fate.

Therefore, the first thing to do after being acquitted is to make money.

Everyone wants to try the puffer fish from Bishuilou, but this meal is not cheap!

Xie Zhihua said, "I wish you a cup!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank a glass of wine together.

Next, everyone took turns to toasting Xie Zhihua. As the master, he sat in the main seat. Every time he went in front of him, the manager would read the gift list next to him. "Zheng Qingfeng, the head of the Zheng family of the Jiangnan prominent clan, has ten silver taels and ten gold bars. I will come to congratulate Lord Xie!"

When Xie Zhihua heard this, he smiled and said, "Brother Zheng, I wish you a cup!"

Raise a glass of wine and drink it all in one go.
To be continued...