On the fifteenth day of the winter lunar month, the cold is getting thicker. A layer of hoarfrost has formed on the leaves. The sky is pale. Birds and beasts are jumping in the mountains, making it difficult to catch traces. The hunting palace is enveloped by the smell of winter everywhere, and there is only a little warmth.
The meaning swirled out from the palace lanterns on the high steps of the other palace, and was snuffed out in mid-air by the cold wind.
Winter in Rong State comes late, starting after the winter hunting every year and ending in February of the next year. Emperor Rong set out to return to Beijing here.
On the way back, a carriage in the group was suddenly scrapped, and it was Zuo Qing's carriage. It could have been transferred to Murphy's carriage, which was traveling with him, but the carriage at the other end was so full that only the female family and Su were left.
There was still room in Yan's car. Zuo Qing stood in front of the broken wheel, closed his eyes and sighed, and ordered Yansheng to stop the car.
Su Yan raised her eyes and glanced at Zuo Qing, who had a cold face, and coughed dryly. Seeing this, Ah Yu blushed and asked Yan Sheng, who was sitting with her, "Brother Yan Sheng, do you feel uncomfortable all over?"
Yan Sheng, however, looked like he was watching a good show and whispered: "Your husband betrayed my family, so naturally he feels uncomfortable all over."
Ah Yu roared angrily: "You are the one who failed!" She realized that she had made a mistake in her words and deeds, hurriedly lowered her head and got out of the carriage. Yan Sheng also hurriedly followed.
Suddenly they were the only two people left in the car, and the air was inexplicably awkward, but Zuo Qing remained upright, with his eyes slightly closed, half asleep and half awake, as if he was practicing.
Su Yan finally couldn't help but ask: "I've always been curious, what kind of person are you?"
He did not open his eyes or react in any way.
Su Yan asked: "You and I lived under the same roof, went to Chucheng to sell medicine together, and faced the siege of killers together. Do you still remember?" Her voice trembled slightly, "Maybe to you, it is just a pole.
An unimportant person, right?”
He still didn't respond, and remained motionless. Only the dark-colored Buddhist beads hanging on both sides of his hair crown swayed slightly, making his face look pale.
Su Yan gave a faint smile, "If I meet my beloved, will you be happy for me?"
She looked at him, hoping that she would care. But his throat was dry, and he swallowed hard. He finally spoke, but pretended not to care, "If that's true, I'll be happy for you."
Su Yan smiled painfully: "Really?"
Zuo Qing slowly opened his eyes, and as soon as his eyes touched hers, he looked away coldly.
"Don't you have anything else to say?" Su Yan wanted to vent all the emotions he had suppressed for a long time. However, facing the sarcastic Zuo Qing, he didn't know how to speak and couldn't help but irritate him, "I am young, beautiful and talented.
Absolutely, you can naturally find a lover! You are not young anymore, so why are you not anxious at all? Or do you think that you are Mr. Mo’s adopted son and you are embarrassed to harm other girls? Then don’t give up on yourself, there is no world in the world
There are many girls out there, and you can always find one that matches you. By the way, I think the one from the eldest grandson’s family is pretty good, she is the future heir, and we are both of the same mind as you."
Zuo Qing didn't seem angry, but instead advised in a low voice: "You should care about your own feelings. Didn't Xilou express his feelings to you? Why don't you take this opportunity to go to him to promote your feelings."
Su Yan was trembling with anger, and his lower lip was bitten with a row of marks, but he could no longer say any harsh words.
When Xilou saw the angry Su Yan, he quickly gave up his seat so that she could sit more comfortably. He couldn't help but ask, "Amin made you angry?"
"no!"
"Then...is it Yan Zhen or King Yao?"
Su Yan adjusted his mentality and said to him: "Actually, it's okay. It's just that there is a shameless person who insists on riding in my carriage. I don't want to go back to Beijing with him, so I came to you."
Xilou nodded, understanding in his heart, and said to her: "After returning to Beijing, you have a good rest, and then you can teach again when you have recovered your senses. By the way, have you prepared the gifts you promised to bring to the students?"
After he reminded her, Su Yan remembered what she had promised her students before the hunt, but she had been so obsessed with hunting these days that she had completely forgotten these top priorities! She was so anxious that she kept mumbling, "Oh no, no, no!
I forgot all about it! That girl Jin Guan will definitely cling to me, how could I just forget about it?! Can you think of a way for me quickly, or can I buy some on the way and go back to try to deal with it?"
Xilou couldn't help but laugh, and handed her a few brocade bags: "I had expected that you would get carried away, so I prepared them for you early in the morning!" Looking at her silly look, he couldn't help but reach out and pinch her lips.
Face, and said: "You have to treat me to a nice meal when you get back. I spent a lot of time on these things!"
Su Yan opened all the brocade bags. They were all polished antlers, some in the shape of villains and some in the shape of weapons. They were all favorites of the little brats in Shuyoutang.
"I wonder if you are a roundworm in their stomachs. How do you know they like these gadgets?" Su Yan asked curiously.
Xilou folded his hands behind his head, leaned in the corner, and said with a smile: "Of course I don't know, I asked an expert for advice!"
"Master? Among the people traveling with you, is there anyone who knows the students of Shuyoutang so well?"
"Do you still remember the guy in the Xuanzi team who was dancing spoons?"
Su Yan frowned: "If you fart, hurry up!"
Xilou crossed his legs and said proudly: "But first of all, I have to thank King Yao. One day I met the prince and chatted about this difficult matter of yours. Unexpectedly, he was very willing to help me and found him immediately.
I asked the little princess, she is a famous craftsman and can carve out a lifelike wood carving in a few hours, so I asked her to make these for you and go back as a business."
Su Yan felt a little dizzy and asked him: "What does that have to do with Team Xuanzi?"
"Because that boy is the little princess!"
"You said the young man who shot the arrow into the tree was... His Majesty's little princess?!"
"Yeah!"
Su Yan shook his head in surprise. This royal family is really full of interesting things. There is a prince who likes to go to the academy to pry corners, a king of Yao likes to recognize people as his sisters, and here is a little princess who likes to dress up as a man and compete with bad men!
What an interesting royal family!
When I returned to Beijing from hunting, I thought that the family members of the officials would spread the anecdotes about the hunting ground in the streets and alleys. Unexpectedly, the common people were not surprised by this. Instead, they were interested in Su Yan, the master of Shu Youtang from Qishan Academy, and the host of Yan Guo Xilou.
Marriage is very important!
Some said: This is a good match and can become a good story. Some people said: Xilou is nothing more than a proton, and Su Yan has no background. The two of them are together, which is not a good story, but a joke!
Others say: Although Yan Guozi has no power, he has managed Wanchao Fang well over the years. He is highly recognized by Master Mo, the general director of the academy, and is the favorite of many women who have not left the cabinet. Su Yan said this
Climbing up really opened my eyes and I saw the right person.
In short, everyone has their own opinions on this marriage, but the storytellers in the teahouse have a deeper opinion. They say that Su Yan originally liked Zuo Qing, but halfway through he fell in love with the promising Second Young Master of Xilou. From this we can see that,
Su Yan's vision is very far-sighted, and it is beyond the comparison of ordinary people.
This seemingly sure guess did not arouse much reaction from the people in Ruoshui, because the people knew that Zuo Qing was weak, and anyone who took a fancy to him was simply asking for trouble. Since Su Yan had a vision for Xilou, it would be impossible for him to do so.
I will hit Zuo Qing’s southern wall!
From this point of view, the storyteller's view is not profound, but biased. But... who spread the news in the corner? There was no one around at the time, and who listened to it in the dark?
To this day, Su Yan is still puzzled!
On this day, Su Yan was lying on the back of the beauty, feeding the fish, and asked Ah Yu how the incident had spread, and why the people were not curious about the grudge between Prince Zheng's son and Zuo Qing, but they were as loving as the widow next door.
Do you care about the grudges between men and women?
Ah Yu seemed to have a lot of experience in this. He sat down next to her and said with relish: "If the water has been peaceful for too long, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country is rich, naturally they don't like to deal with the annoying things in the temple. When they are full and have nothing to do, they
I like to listen to books and watch plays, and those books and plays are all coming from the palace, which is very interesting! Unfortunately, it was strictly prohibited later, and the people no longer dared to talk about the royal backyard, so they started talking about the academy."
Su Yan was surprised. The people of Ruoshui were so bold. They could not talk about the harem, but took a step back to talk about the academy!
Ah Yu added: "There are so many men and women in the academy, so many interesting stories will naturally arise. Which young master spent a lot of money to buy a house in the east of the city just to make Mr. Bo Jin smile; and which young master visited the academy at night and would rather be caught?
I also want to meet Mr. Jin..."
"Why are they all Mr. Jin?"
Amin shrugged: "You must be good-looking!"
"Yes, she is really good-looking, as good as Yan Zhen!" Su Yan suddenly became infatuated, holding his chin, his eyes not knowing where to land.
Mo Mansion, study room.
It was drizzling, the candlelight was dim, and there was no one waiting in the room. Only Butler Wang was standing by. From time to time, he glanced at the person kneeling outside the bamboo curtain. He had been kneeling for half an hour.
Ge Yiyan seemed to be tired from talking. He sat on the ground to take a breath and continued to talk sincerely: "Uncle, I am your nephew. No matter how loyal Zuo Qing is, he is still an outsider. What's more, this person has something evil in his heart. If he is used again, he will suffer great consequences.
Woe!" He looked at the person on the couch. His uncle was taking a nap with squinted eyes, seemingly unmoved. He was anxious, but suffered from the lack of evidence, thinking that maybe he could let his uncle know that Zuo Qing was just a picked-up outsider, and he should be able to reason.
Treat. However, this uncle who is strategizing in the court does not distinguish between right and wrong with Zuo Qing!
Murphy finally spoke and wrote lightly: "Is there any evidence?"
He swallowed hard: "No, no."
Mo Fei held his forehead and couldn't help but sigh, "I've reminded you time and time again not to act rashly, but you didn't listen. If all those archers hadn't died, I would have been implicated by you today! My son, think about it carefully.
If he was really rebellious, why didn't he use the topic to accuse you of treason? Once you are convicted, you will be a lonely soul today! But instead of putting you to death, he defended you in front of His Majesty. My son, with you
How can such a big heart lead to great things?!"
Ge Yiyan said anxiously: "Uncle! I would rather kill a hundred people by mistake than let one person go! I have followed you since I was a child. You still don't know what kind of person I am? Even if I have selfish motives, I will never talk nonsense.
guess!"
Mo Fei lowered his eyes and suddenly raised a pair of gloomy eyes to stare at him, "You say Zuo Qing is evil, then you have to provide evidence. If there is no evidence, just do your duty, and don't avenge yourself publicly.
It affects me!”
Ge Yiyan's teeth clenched, "Why does uncle trust him so much? He has only been with you for three years!"
Three years? It turns out it has been three years.
Mo Fei's thoughts couldn't help but go back to three years ago. At the tea stall in the city, the young man was dressed in ordinary clothes, but he still couldn't hide his temperament. He analyzed the current situation with clear logic and hit the nail on the head! It puts many Confucian scholars present to shame. To this day
, people still praise Zuo Qing for his potential to become a prime minister. Although it is just a joke, if Zuo Qing really goes deep into the officialdom, he will definitely change the situation of his dynasty. This is why he took a fancy to him at first sight and took him under his sect.
Mo Fei's thoughts gradually retracted, he shook his head and said: "Zuo Qing is an extraordinary strategist, beyond your reach. If he has other ideas... he will betray my trust in him!"
"Uncle..." Ge Yiyan seemed to smell the smell of hope.
"If you want to check, check in secret."
"yes!"
Mo Fei was in a low mood and was a little distracted. At this time, the housekeeper hurriedly came to report that Master Liang was here.
Mo Fei collected his emotions and stood up to straighten his robes. The bamboo curtains were lifted up, and a man in a blue double-breasted brocade suit appeared. He looked middle-aged, but still had a dashing and heroic appearance, and walked with wind. This man was none other than Zhongshu.
Provincial Minister: Liang Luan.
He glanced at Ge Yiyan who was kneeling on the ground and said coldly: "This person has no regard for the overall situation and is selfishly seeking revenge. He can no longer be entrusted with important responsibilities."
Ge Yiyan hurriedly defended himself: "I was being used by others, so..."
"This is not the first time you have made a mistake. How important are the palace guards? How could they be entrusted to a person like you who only cares about personal grudges?!"
Mo Fei looked at his friend who was scolding Ge Yiyan and couldn't help but feel relieved. In Kyoto, everyone was afraid of him, only Liang Luan had the same interests as him. He said calmly: "Brother Liang, calm down, Yan'er has been punished."
, I asked him to stay at home and think about his mistakes, and he should be able to change his behavior."
Liang Luan glared at Ge Yiyan with disgust and said to Mo Fei: "General Zuo's seat has been vacant for only a short time, but it has already been occupied. We will have to clear it out by then."
"General Fuyan?"
Liang Luan was a little surprised: "Brother Mo's news is very fast!"
Mo Fei invited him to take a seat and said: "In the early years of Wei Sheng, Rong Guo greatly promoted the army, recruited soldiers and horses, and held banquets to join the army. In the fifth year of Wei Sheng, he killed 200 people from the neighboring army in the northwest, and was promoted to the left forward. In the winter month of the same year
, made meritorious service in battle, and was promoted again. In the tenth year of Wei Sheng's reign, Fu Yan was already the general of the left. Five years later, he returned to Beijing with glory. I specially recommended him to Prince Zheng, and he was incorporated into the "Patrol Army" that month.
Since then, he has been loyal to me."
Liang Luan suddenly realized: "It turns out that Brother Mo has already made arrangements!"
"Don't worry, no one will threaten us."
The two chatted for another half an hour before saying goodbye. Mo Fei looked at the approaching light outside the study and said with a smile: "It's better to choose the day than to hit it. Since you are here, you should give it a try."
Then walked into the back room.
Ge Yiyan, who was about to pass out on his knees, suddenly cheered up and looked back at the door, feeling a little unsure. If Zuo Qing was wrong, Zuo Qing would be more loyal to his uncle. How could he get rid of this thorn in his side?
He took a deep breath, roughly thought of a countermeasure, and then invited the people outside to come in, but saw that he was holding something unknown in his hand.
Ge Yiyan picked up the tea cup on the table, took a sip of hot tea with a smile on his face, and then asked: "You are a rare visitor. Why, are you here to see my joke?"
Zuo Qing looked at his smiling face and was disapproving. Instead, he asked with concern: "You are still injured, why are you here?"
Ge Yiyan sneered, "Of course I came here to greet you, what are you afraid of?"
"I know that you have always regarded me as your enemy and want to get rid of me quickly. Now I can tell you clearly that I have no contradiction with you. I will go my way and you will cross your bridge."
"Zuo Qing, it's just you and me now, what are you pretending to be?" He threw the tea cup away, completely angered by his words: "Aren't you very powerful? Say those words again, that box, right?
! It’s that box. If you and Xilou have anything to do with it, say it again if you have the guts!"
"Are you still concerned about that matter? I don't have a close relationship with Xilou. He said something about you to me that day, but I didn't take it to heart at all. As for that box, it is very detrimental to you. I have already
Let me burn it for you."
Ge Yiyan's face twitched fiercely, "You are still quibbling! Since it is not good for me, why not just hand it over to me? Who knows whether you really burned it or faked it!"
"If I had known I shouldn't have burned it in the first place, look, now you are doubting me."
"You!" Ge Yiyan was so angry that his face turned red, and he couldn't say a word after that.
Zuo Qing shook his head helplessly: "Forget it, since you don't believe it, I have nothing to say. Anyway, we won't work together in the future." As he spoke, he withdrew his attention under the door curtain. After a while, he just
Seeing the Ziyun roller door curtain lift a corner, Mo Fei came out with a smile on his face and said to him: "Why didn't you let someone send a message when you came? I'd better prepare dinner in advance. Sit down quickly. There is a stove in the house. Let's warm up first.
Body!"
Zuo Qing and Ge Yishan looked at each other coldly and then entered.
Mo Fei sat down as smoothly as he could, and glared at Ge Yiyan along the way, with extreme dissatisfaction hidden in his eyes.
He picked up the tea cup to moisten his throat and asked with a smile: "The academy is busy with trivial matters and I usually don't have time. Why do you have time to see me today?"
Zuo Qing smiled and said: "This is the secret ointment of the Summer Resort. It has miraculous effects on healing scars and reshaping muscles and bones. I specially used it to heal the general's wounds." As he said this, he showed the two jars of things in his hand.
Ge Yiyan snorted coldly, not wanting to be ungrateful at all, but immediately gave in under Mo Fei's almost devouring eyes, and stood up reluctantly to pick him up.
"My lord, you really care about me. I wonder if this ointment has miraculous aphrodisiac effects. I hope you use it more." Ge Yiyan never misses any opportunity to embarrass him. He almost regards this as the greatest pleasure in life.
.
Zuo Qing didn't care at all and just handed him the spiritual ointment jar. When their hands touched the jar, Ge Yiyan secretly tried his best to crush it. Zuo Qing let go of his hand without changing his expression.
, said with a smile, "Although the spiritual ointment has miraculous effects, it cannot withstand the use of skills. If you insist on using it, you may become disabled. You'd better go back early, apply the medicine and recuperate for a few days, and you'll be fine."
I have something important to discuss with my adoptive father, so I won’t send it away."
Ge Yiyan pushed the jar hard into his arms and said in a strange tone: "What big thing can happen to you, Zuo Qing? Even if I hear it, are you still afraid?"
"I'm worried that you'll be tired, and I'm even more worried that you'll miss the best time to heal."
Ge Yiyan still wanted to take action, but Mo Fei sternly stopped him, "If you don't go back, you will succeed more than you will lose. Go back and think about your mistakes, and reflect on what you have done."
Ge Yiyan was angry and resentful, but because he was afraid of Mo Fei's majesty, he did not dare to speak out, so he had no choice but to give up.
As soon as Ge Yi left, Mo Fei regained his smile and said, "Tell me what's going on."
Zuo Qing said with a serious face: "My adoptive father must have heard that Princess Xihuan has reached the marriageable age. Five days later, all the countries will come to Beijing to pay tribute. Your Majesty has decided to choose a husband for the princess on that day."
"It seems you already have a plan."
"It's not a plot, I just think that this contest is a great opportunity. With His Majesty's love for the princess, if we can marry the princess, it will be even more powerful for us, and the most important thing is... in the future."
Mo Fei nodded in agreement with his idea, but immediately rejected it: "The opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but those who participate in the martial arts competition to recruit a bride must be people with strong martial arts skills. How to win?"
"I have seen the list of participants. In addition to the kings and nobles, there are some famous people in the world. As long as we send a few people with high martial arts skills to mix in, no one will find out. If we can win the competition, it will be a sure bet for our adoptive father.
A strong backing.”
"Your Majesty has read the roster, how can you do anything?"
"In order to avoid trouble, naturally you cannot provoke the royal families and nobles of various countries. Those people in the world are a good choice. With a lot of money, there must be brave men."
"What if we lose?"
Zuo Qing looked troubled: "If we lose..." He thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized, "If we really lose, it might be a good deal to recruit a few experts."
Mo Fei slowly smiled, and his deep eye sockets were pulled by the surrounding skin, making him look even more sinister. "I always believe you in whatever you say. Your ability will eventually be superior to mine."
Mo Fei's trust and respect for Zuo Qing has always been unwavering, which is also the direct reason for Ge Yishan's hatred and jealousy. But for Zuo Qing, this is nothing more than praise. The more he values Zuo Qing, the more Mo Fei feels in his heart.
Hope, once disappointed once, his credibility will naturally be reduced, and it will definitely be difficult for future plans.
However, Zuo Qing has always been very good at handling such difficult matters, and he can always say that he will survive even if he dies.
Under Mo Fei's warm gaze, Zuo Qing rolled up his sleeves and knelt on the ground, "My foster father is an indispensable humerus to Rong Guo. How dare I compare with you."
For Mo Fei, Zuo Qing is his right and left arm, the strategist who advises him. He holds the weaknesses of many ministers in his hands. With these weaknesses, Mo Fei is at ease in the court, and no one can stumble him.
Disgusting. He must take good care of such a genius from heaven. He may need Zuo Qing to inherit his grand career.
The sleepy cabinet was surrounded by sandalwood and filled with Buddhist incense. The people in front of the bookshelf were tapping their tea cups, feeling uneasy. Yansheng knocked on the door and came in. Zuo Qing stared at the secret document in his hand with a solemn expression.
"But Yunlai Pavilion?"
Yansheng handed over the secret document and replied: "No signature."
Zuo Qing didn't think too much and took the letter and read it.
"What did you say?" Yansheng couldn't help but ask as he watched him unfold the confidential documents.
"The swan is trapped in the deep courtyard, and it is difficult to get clear when it spreads its wings." Zuo Qing looked at the word swan suspiciously, which obviously meant something...
"It's Yan Ling!" He was a little shocked.
Yansheng asked him anxiously: "Chief Xuanting? Why did he suddenly find you, sir?" When he thought of you being targeted by a dead warrior leader, he turned pale with fright.
Zuo Qing burned the secret document and replied: "Xuan Ting only obeys your Majesty's orders and never cares about the disputes in the court. This sudden letter is really unexpected."
"Then...what are you going to do with him?"
"To overthrow Mo Fei and force Emperor Rong to abdicate, it is not enough to clean up three provinces and six ministries. I need soldiers. Ke Yanzhen has removed his armor. He has no right to mobilize the imperial guards. Now, in addition to Prince Zheng's Kyoto guards, there is only the prince.
The Imperial Guards of the East Palace are available, but now that there is Xuanting, it can be said to be even more powerful!"
Xuanting only worked for the emperor. They tracked down and killed people, all in secret. They had their own troops, who directly obeyed the emperor's orders. Those people were called "Tingwei", a total of thirty-six people, all of whom were elite and brave and good at fighting. It is said that
, they are all orphans selected from the military camp, and they are dead soldiers! It was once rumored that Mo Fei recruited him, but he remained unmoved and devoted himself to protecting His Majesty and the Crown Prince.
"Xuan Ting only obeys orders from His Majesty. Yan Ling is a stubborn person and is notoriously stubborn. How could he join forces with us to deal with Mo Fei? In dealing with Mo Fei, do we need to remove stumbling blocks for His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"He is your majesty's personal guard, not the prince's personal guard. Why should he take risks for the prince? Come to think of it, he is working with me alone. As for why..." Zuo Qing sighed softly, thinking of Xuanting's life and death for Emperor Rong, all the way.
The protection of blood has kept Emperor Rong safe and sound until now. However, such a fatuous and ignorant emperor who listens to slanders is really not worth fighting for him. "Perhaps, he is not protecting the emperor or the prince, but Rong Guo. As for the emperor,
It doesn’t matter who he is, who the prince is.”
Yansheng suddenly seemed to be frightened by something, and said in a panic: "How did he conclude that you would definitely cooperate with him? He... he couldn't have discovered what we were doing, right?"
Zuo Qing was very calm and said calmly: "What does Xuanting do? Investigating, tracking, arresting people, killing people, any one of them is beyond the capabilities of the Criminal Department. Do you think such a department is so deep-rooted?"
How could they not know the prince's whereabouts in the palace? With their experience, how could they not know the prince's purpose?"
Yansheng suddenly understood, but as he said this, he was afraid that Yan Ling was acting as bait, and the person holding the fishing rod behind him might be His Majesty!
Zuo Qing was a little surprised by his guess. Emperor Rong had been ignorant for many years and allowed Mo Fei to do whatever he wanted. How could he suddenly wake up now? It was impossible to think about it.