Entering the Immortal Mansion
During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, there was an official named Qin Long who was responsible for the history of Zhenjiang Salt Road. On this day, he went to Gaoyou for official business. He passed by a small temple and went inside to rest. There is a statue of Nuwa in the middle of the temple, and there are several statues of maids standing next to it. One of the statues of a lady in red clothes was carved with a swaying posture like a western object. Qin Long felt relaxed and happy when he saw it, and he sighed: "If I get this immortal as my wife in this life, I will die without regrets." As soon as the words came out, someone next to him laughed. Said: "What's so difficult about this?"
The speaker's name was Xuan Yuan, a wandering Taoist priest. He met Qin Long on the road. The two chatted happily, so they walked together.
Under Qin Long's pleading, Xuan Yuan decided to cast a spell to propose to him. He took a piece of yellow paper, drew a talisman on it, and ordered Qin Long to cut off a lock of forehead hair, place the talisman and the paper in front of the red statue, and burn it with fire. Then Xuanyuan sat down and closed his eyes, sometimes murmuring words, sometimes listening attentively. After a while, he said with a happy face: "Congratulations to the layman, the fairy has agreed, but the fairy is a person in the fairy mansion and is not used to ordinary life. I wonder if the layman is willing to let go of the prosperity. Entering the Immortal Palace?" Qin Long said resolutely: "What does the prosperity of the world mean if you can stay with the fairy?"
After Qin Long returned home, he resigned from his official position, dismissed his aunts and wives, and waited for good news. Half a moon passed quickly, and when the moon was about to reach its peak, suddenly outside the house there was a loud roar of gongs and drums, and the sound of sheng and pipes. Qin Long went out and saw several carriages parked at the door, led by a horse with a golden roof. Through the curtain, a figure could be seen vaguely inside, with a graceful and beautiful appearance. On both sides stood Chinese servants, holding colorful banners in their hands. Such a momentum has already attracted the neighbors in the alley to look at it and talk about it.
Seeing Qin Long coming out, an old man in green official robes who looked like a leader stepped forward, bowed deeply and said respectfully: "This must be my uncle, please get in the car."
Qin Long was overjoyed and ordered his servants to put the betrothal gifts in the back of the carriage, and happily got on the golden-domed carriage. As the neighbors watched in admiration, the motorcade gradually moved away and disappeared into the night.
The news of Qin Long entering the Immortal Immortal Mansion quickly spread throughout the city. At noon that day, a man came to the Zhenjiang government office, calling himself He Liang. He Liangnai was the censor of Zuodu and was an upright man. Bi Mao, the prefect of Zhenjiang, was shocked when he heard that this person had arrived suddenly, and he quickly dressed to greet him.
After sitting down, He Liang asked about Qin Long's affairs, and Bi Mao then told him everything. He Liang sneered again and again: "Where did the fairy come from? It's just a small trick to fool the village girl." He Liang revealed that the court had received a report of Qin Long's corruption, so he was sent to investigate. Unexpectedly, Qin Long resigned in a hurry Officer, such a strange thing happened. "I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter."
He Liang is a resolute person and immediately launched an investigation in the afternoon. He called several witnesses to inquire in detail about what happened that day, especially the whereabouts of the wedding team's departure. According to eyewitnesses, the fog was very thick that night, and the wedding carriage and horses could only be vaguely seen approaching the riverside, and then disappeared. Hearing that this fairy was the daughter of the River God, she entered the cave in the middle of the river.
He Liang said angrily: "I think he escaped by crossing the river in the mist. Where is Qin Long's ancestral home?"
Bi Mao replied: "People from Huguang live in Changsha."
He Liang immediately sent people to Changsha to investigate. Ten days later, the spies returned and reported that as soon as they arrived in Changsha, before they could enter Qin's house to search, a fire broke out in Qin's house and no one escaped. "According to the people nearby, Qin Hu, Qin Long's younger brother, lived in the house. He was addicted to gambling and owed tens of thousands of taels of silver to the gambling house. The gambling house failed to collect the debt and set fire to it in anger."
"Has anyone seen Qin Long?"
"That's not true."
Bi Mao cautiously added: "Master He, as far as I know, the Qin Long compatriots are very affectionate. If he really returns home, he will not see his younger brother die due to gambling debts! Furthermore, the immortals and gods The matter is by no means empty. I gave the medicine to Taizu’s mother, Chen Shi Meng Shen, and after swallowing it, she gave birth to Taizu. On the day of delivery, the room was filled with red light and there were colorful auspicious clouds in the sky. This is also a sign from the immortal god. "
He Liang pondered for a moment and ordered Bi Mao to send someone to find the Taoist Xuanyuan who helped Qin Long cast spells. Bi Mao was a little embarrassed: "Xuan Yuan's whereabouts are erratic, and it is very difficult to find him." He Liang was very determined: "This person is the key to this case and must be found. Furthermore, if Qin Longguo enters the Immortal Palace, then Xuan Yuan will If you are far away, you have the ability to reach heaven and reach the gods, so you should be recommended to serve in the imperial court."
Bi Mao sent half of his officers to investigate Zhenjiang Mansion and surrounding areas day and night. After several days, there was still no news.
Mysterious female corpse
That night, He Liang was about to take off his clothes and rest. The oil lamp flashed and a knife was nailed to the wall through the window. He was shocked when he saw a note nailed to the knife . The note said: If you want to find Xuanyuan, please go to Yehuangpo Yizhuang alone and do not disturb others!
Who leaked that Ye Fei Dao left a book? He Liang has always been bold and decided to go to Yizhuang to find out. Yehuangpo Yizhuang is in the east of the city, about twenty miles away from the Zhenjiang government office where he settled. He rode on a fast horse and arrived at the location in half the time it took to burn the incense. He Liang tied the horse next to the tree, lit the lantern, and walked into the dark gate of Yizhuang.
In the darkness, coffins are hidden one after another, like wild beasts that choose people to devour. He Liang raised the lantern and shouted, "I'm here, why don't you show up?" There was silence and no one answered. He Liang shouted again: "If you don't want to show up, then I have to leave." After saying that, he made a gesture to leave.
With a "creak", there was a slight movement from a coffin in the southeast corner. He Liang turned around and saw the coffin shaking, the lid of the coffin slowly moved away, and a person stood out from inside. Looking through the dim light, it turned out to be a woman with long hair and red clothes, her face was pale and her eyes were empty. He Liang couldn't help but shuddered and shouted sharply: "Hey, who are you?"
The woman said nothing, approaching step by step, and suddenly stretched out her sharp red nails and scratched at He Liang's neck. He Liang was taken aback and was about to dodge, but his body was unable to move. Suddenly, a bone-chilling stinging pain spread from his neck to his whole body. He Liang tried his best to push back, and with a "bang" sound, he woke up and realized that it was a nightmare. The window paper turned white, it was already dawn.
He Liang wiped away the sweat from his forehead and called the maid to help him change clothes. The maid came in, took a look at He Liang, and said in surprise: "Sir, what's wrong with your neck?"
When He Liang touched his neck, his tentacles were wet and greasy, and there were blood stains on them. How does it match last night's dream? He Liang was full of suspicions, so he summoned several officers from the government and rushed to Yizhuang to check. Sure enough, a female corpse in red clothes was found in the coffin in the southeast corner. Looking at her face, it was as if she had seen it in a dream.
Among the guards was Qin Long's neighbor, who suddenly said in a trembling voice: "She…she is the fairy Qin Long married!"
Everyone was in an uproar.
An autopsy revealed that the woman was strangled and suffocated to death. Thinking of last night's dream, He Liang couldn't help but feel a little scared. Could it be that there are really ghosts in the world?
In the following days, there were heavy rains in Zhenjiang Prefecture, and He Liang was trapped in the room, feeling irritable. On the fifth day of the lunar month, the sky finally cleared up. Bi Mao came to report that two corpses were found in the mountain three miles outside the city.
Shengkeng is a tomb built by a person while he was still alive, mostly the work of wealthy people. This tomb is very secretive. If it hadn’t been for days of heavy rains that destroyed the tomb entrance, no one would have found it. Everyone jumped into the tomb and saw two corpses lying in the empty tomb. The officer turned the first corpse over, and everyone was shocked. It was Qin Long!
When the second body was turned over, the officers, who were accustomed to seeing dead people, couldn't help but have their legs shaking like a sieve. Why? I saw that the deceased had a short beard, a round face, and slanted eyebrows. He was clearly the censor of Zuodu, He Liang. A guard shouted "Ghost" and ran towards the entrance of the tomb. As soon as he started, several other officers were also scrambling to escape like crazy. Suddenly, only He Liang, Bi Mao and two corpses on the ground were left in Shengkeng.
Undercover servant
After silence, Bi Mao couldn't help but take two steps back and said hesitantly: "Master He, look at this…" He didn't know what to say, but fortunately he didn't need to say anything more, because He Liang ignored him and just stared. Looking towards the entrance of the tomb, he seemed to find something even more horrifying. Bi Mao followed his gaze and saw three people appearing at the entrance of the tomb. The two men on the side were dressed in black, wearing square hats and holding swords and halberds. They were solemn and solemn. The man in the middle had disheveled hair and heavy chains on his hands and feet. He was clearly Qin Long.
Two He Liang, two Qin Long!
I only heard Qin Long sneer: "Master He, I haven't seen you for a few days, I want to upset my subordinates." He Liang's face changed greatly . Will the ghost appear ? He said in a trembling voice: "You… aren't you already dead?"
Qin Long smiled strangely: "I was indeed killed by you, but you seemed to have forgotten one thing!"
"What's up?"
"You have been dead for five days, why haven't you come to the underworld to report?"
He Liang hissed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Qin Long said with hatred: "He Liang, five days ago, right here, your knife pierced my chest, and before I died, I also drew my knife and threw it into your back. This great unknown man "Well, it seems to be prepared for both of us."
Just as he was talking, the man in black on the left took out a pair of chains and threw them in front of He Liang, saying coldly: "He Liang, I am a servant of the Yin Division. I have been ordered to take you back. If you don't restrain your hands, I will tie you up."
He Liang took a step back suddenly as if he had been stung by a scorpion.
Qin Long sighed: "He Liang, He Liang, you are a treacherous and hypocritical person. Under the banner of loyalty, you do all kinds of things to make money and kill people. Not only do you want to embezzle my property, but you also kill people and silence me. A cold-blooded person like you, during his lifetime, Even if he escapes by chance, he will be punished after his death." Qin Long turned to the Yin Division officer and asked, "Sir, what kind of punishment should he receive for such a crime?"
The Yinsi officer said word by word: "A mountain of swords and a sea of fire, and a cauldron of boiling oil."
He Liang's body was shaken, his face was ashen, he suddenly knelt down on the ground, kowtowed like pounding garlic, and begged: "Master, I know that I have sinned, please spare my life."
Yinsi Guichao said: "Do you know the crime? What crime do you know?"
He Liang said: "It is absolutely wrong for a villain to murder Qin Long and his woman for money…"
The Yin Division officer on the right dropped a piece of confession and said: "Since you are guilty, please quickly escort me to justice."
He Liang was confused at this moment and hurriedly marked the confession. The Yinsi officer accepted the confession and waved his hand. He saw a person walking in at the door surrounded by people. Several lanterns illuminated the tomb. Bi Mao and Qin Long immediately knelt down and prostrated, and "Qin Long" and "He Liang" who were lying on the ground also stood up.
Seeing that man, He Liang suddenly realized, collapsed on the ground, and said bitterly: "So it's you who is causing trouble?"
The person who came was called Ma Chengzu, who was the censor of Youdu and He Liang's number one political enemy in the court.
The truth comes out
Things start with Qin Long. Taking advantage of the convenience of his appointment, Qin Long devoured state property and accepted bribes from the salt gang. This matter was reported to the court by the official. Taizu had decreed that officials who embezzled 60 taels of silver would be sentenced to death. However, Qin Long's embezzlement amount may not be enough even if he died a hundred times. Therefore, he was very frightened when he learned that he was impeached.
Coincidentally, Qin Long met Xuan Yuan when he went to Gaoyou to handle official business. This Xuan Yuan was originally an evil Taoist priest and the military advisor of a group of green forest bandits near Gaoyou. He had coveted Qin Long's wealth for a long time. When he heard that Qin Long was going to Gaoyou, he pretended to meet him on the road and used his sweet words to win Qin Long's favor and allowed him to go with him. Xuan Yuan saw that Qin Long was reluctant to part with the red maid statue in the Nuwa Temple, so he had an idea and made up a lie about entering the Immortal Palace, hoping to defraud Qin Long of his property.
Although Qin Long is lustful, he is a smart man and knows that things about ghosts and gods cannot be trusted. However, he believes that this is a good opportunity for him to escape from his golden cicada shell, so he uses his tricks to cooperate with Xuan Yuan to stage a ridiculous incident of entering the Immortal Mansion.
The wedding party that night was all Xuan Yuan's accomplices. The old man in blue robes was the bandit Zhang Daqiu, and the "fairy" sitting in the golden-domed carriage was the brothel girl Xuan Yuan bought from a brothel in a neighboring county. Her name is Xiang Hong, which is somewhat similar to the red maid in Nuwa Temple. Qin Long took his family property and followed Zhang Daqiu to the riverside, abandoned his car and boarded the ship. When the boat arrived at the center of the river, Zhang Daqiu and his gang wanted to murder Qin Long. Qin Long was already on guard and looked for an opportunity to jump into the river. Zhang Daqiu didn't take it seriously when he saw Qin Long leaving. Anyway, he already had the money. They gathered in the inner cabin to celebrate with wine and meat. Unexpectedly, Qin Long had already poisoned the wine, and all the gangsters died in their drunken dreams.
Qin Long grew up on the shores of Dongting Lake and was very good at water. After jumping into the river, he quietly hitched himself behind the boat and followed him all the way. When he saw the bandit was poisoned, he quietly climbed onto the boat. When he saw Xiang Hong's beauty, he was moved by lust, so he rescued her with an antidote, and then quietly escaped back to his ancestral home in Changsha. After that, he stayed behind closed doors and drank and drank with Xianghonghua all day long. That day, the two of them were playing under the covers and were caught by He Liang's men. According to He Liang's secret order, the policeman set a fire and burned Qin's house to the ground.
It turned out that He Liang appeared to be loyal, but in fact he was vicious and greedy. He thought that Qin Long had a lot to exploit, so he ordered Qin Long's secret to be brought back to Zhenjiang. When he learned that only 50,000 taels of stolen silver were found in Qin's house, he concluded that Qin Long had hidden property elsewhere, so he wanted to squeeze out all Qin Long's money and property before silencing him. In the end, he only had to report to the court "The incident of marrying into the Immortal Mansion is true" is enough.
After struggling for a few days, Qin Long finally admitted that another 300,000 taels worth of money was hidden in a secret building outside Zhenjiang City. He Liang ordered him to lead the search. Qin Long expected that He Liang might kill someone and silence him, so he requested that He Liang and he go alone. In this way, even if there was a scuffle, he would have half a chance of winning.
The two came to Shengjie in the dark and found 300,000 taels of valuables. He Liang had murderous intent and stabbed Qin Long in the chest. After Qin Long fell to the ground, he desperately drew his knife and threw it at He Liang, causing severe injuries to his waist. He Liang endured the pain and returned to his residence. At the same time, he ordered a follower named Shen Tuhong to take Xianghong to the wild and eliminate her. There were heavy rains in the following days, so He Liang took an excuse to rest in his room to recuperate from his injuries. He planned to take the belongings temporarily stored in Shengqiang away from Zhenjiang after he recovered from his injuries.
Unexpectedly, Bi Mao saw the mantis stalking the cicada and the oriole behind He Liang. Bi Mao was actually a distant relative of Ma Chengzu. As soon as He Liang came to Zhenjiang Mansion, he informed Ma Chengzu. Then, he followed He Liang and Qin Long to Shengjian. After He Liang left, he sent people to Shengjian to remove their belongings.
Qin Long saved his life because he hid a piece of thick leather armor on his chest. After hearing the news, Ma Chengzu rushed to Zhenjiang at night to interrogate Qin Long secretly. After hearing Qin Long's confession, Ma Chengzu was overjoyed, but he also knew that Qin Long's confession alone was not enough to bring down He Liang. Therefore, Ma Cheng's ancestors sent someone to lure He Liang to Yizhuang with a flying knife and a letter, and staged a good show of "the female ghost appears". He Liang couldn't move when he met the female ghost. In fact, it was because someone was blowing smoke. After He Liang fainted, Bi Mao immediately ordered someone to take him back to the guest room. When He Liang woke up and saw a wound on his neck and a female body in Yizhuang, he was already muttering in his heart. He called Shen Tuhong to inquire. Shen Tuhong was also puzzled. He had obviously killed Xiang Hong near Jinshan Temple in the west of the city and then buried his corpse in the lake next to the temple. How could this corpse appear in Yizhuang in the east of the city? He Liang thought of the scene in the dream and thought it might be Xianghong's ghost, and he couldn't help but feel horrified.
When He Liang saw a corpse exactly like his own lying on the ground while he was still alive, his thoughts were confused, and when Qin Long and the Yin Division officer who were obviously dead appeared in front of him, his heart was completely broken. Fell into Ma Chengzu's trap.
A month later, the emperor issued an order to behead Qin Long and He Liang in public display.