A lonely house in the middle of the forest, at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain.
Lying high on the bed, looking back at the Liuhe Room.
Wherever the floating clouds disappear, when will the birds return?
Asking for righteousness, heaven and man will take care of you, and the world will be free if you don’t care.
Who knows that the great hermit will be chased by his brothers?
——"Visiting Qinglong Temple with Wang Changling and Pei Di to gather together with brother Wei in Tanbi Shangren's Brother's Courtyard" Wang Jin (Tang Dynasty)
…
Cui Xunhe of the Cui family of Qinghe, Wangjiang of the Wang family of Taiyuan, Zheng Lu of the Zheng family of Xingyang, and Lu Zi of the Lu family of Fanyang had a prominent family background and were rich in wealth at a young age.
These four people prided themselves on being suave, often courting friends, wearing bright clothes and angry horses, swaggering through the streets, and spending a lot of money on fun. They were jokingly called the Four Young Masters of Chang'an by the people in the capital.
There is a nursery rhyme in Chang'an that talks about these four young masters:
There is a view in front of me, but I can't figure it out. Cui's yellow crane is above.
But the king of Taiyuan is here and he will not teach Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountain.
On Wulaofeng in the southeast of Mount Lu, Zheng Tian cut out a golden hibiscus.
Lu Kuai, who was proud of the spring breeze, saw all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.
Not long ago, Cui Xunhe and Lu Zi were both children of a romantic family who "rided their horses and leaned on the leaning bridge, wearing red sleeves all over the house", and they were the dreams of countless Chang'an girls.
Unexpectedly, when they met Bai Fu, Huang He, or Lu, they all returned home in vain and fell from the sky to the mortal world.
Cui Xunhe came out of the prison. Although he was bruised and bruised, he somehow managed to save his life. Lu Zi was guilty of an unpardonable crime and was ordered to be executed.
On the day of the execution, General Wang of the Taiyuan family and Zheng Lu of the Zheng family in Xingyang met at the execution ground, hoping that a miracle would happen at the last moment - the special envoy from the palace came flying over holding a token in his hand, shouting "Save one under the knife!"
.
Half an hour before the execution, Lu Zi, Cui Jingwan and other Cui clan members were tied up with five flowers and taken to the execution ground.
Lu Zi is no longer as cool and elegant as he used to be when he "saw all the flowers in Chang'an". His hair is disheveled, his face is ashen, his prison clothes are stained with blood, and he is as withered as a beggar on the roadside.
When the prison car passed the corner, Lu Zi suddenly saw Wang Jiang and Zheng Lu in bright clothes and angry horses in the crowd.
Lu Zi grasped the railings of the prison car tightly with both hands and cried hysterically towards General Wang and Zheng Lu: "Brothers, save me, save me! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
The jailer whipped Lu Zi and shouted, "What are you yelling at? If you yell again, you will suffer more torture before you die!"
When General Wang saw that the little jailer dared to be so rude, he couldn't help but rush up on his horse and whip the jailer.
Zheng Lu grabbed the reins of the king's horse and said: "Brother Wang, you can't do it, you can't do it. If we stop the prison car at this time and are robbed by the censors, we will have to shed our skin even if we don't die."
The king was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat and thought to himself: "If I can't protect you, this is also Bai Fu's trap. I almost fell into it." The hand holding the reins trembled involuntarily, and he let Lu Zi cry and howl without daring to come forward to help.
After the prisoner was taken to the execution ground, dozens of executioners, tall and powerful, swarmed up, tied the prisoner to the execution stake, and sprayed strong liquor on the gleaming sword.
The supervisors and beheaders verified each person's identity one by one, and then returned to the high platform.
The three-way cannon fired, and the supervisor threw the red lacquer arrow from the commander's case and shouted: "The time has come, kill!"
The executioners, whose heads were tied with red cloth and whose chest hair was exposed, were so excited that they swung their swords, aimed at the joints of the prisoner's back spine, and chopped off with all their strength.
"Crack!"
A cold light flashed, and dozens of streaks of blood were ejected from the neck of the owl leader, splashing on the execution pile. Dozens of human heads fell in response and rolled onto the execution platform. The heads looked either terrified, or their eyes were cracked.
All are miserable.
The women who were watching quickly covered the children's eyes to prevent them from seeing this horrifying scene. Even so, the children were still frightened by the screams on the execution ground and cried loudly.
I don’t know whether the number one executioner tortured Lu Zi on purpose or something else. With the first blow, Lu Zi’s back spine was not severed, and his head was still attached to his neck. Lu Zi was not completely dead either, and he let out shrill screams.
Call.
The number one executioner spat into the palm of his hand, swung his sword, and struck twice more.
General Wang and Zheng Lu clearly heard the sound of the knife chopping meat on the chopping board.
Zheng Lu felt his throat sore and nausea welled up. He couldn't help but lean down from the side of the horse and vomited. Not only did he vomit out all the food he had eaten, he also vomited up all the sour green stomach water.
It is strange to say that after Lu Zi's head was cut off, it did not fall directly to the ground. Instead, it flew high and drew an arc in the air, like a hydrangea thrown high, and fell straight into the arms of the king.
Wang Jiang instinctively caught Lu Zi's head, and saw Lu Zi's eyes wide open, looking at him ferociously.
"oops!"
The king was so frightened that he screamed and threw Lu Zi's head to Zheng Lu like a hot potato.
Zheng Lu had just finished vomiting and before he was fully awake, he was suddenly hit by this shock. The stimulation was too great. He let out a roar, his vision went dark, and with a plop, he fell off his horse.
…
Although Lu Zi and Cui Jingwan committed serious crimes, they were descendants of aristocratic families after all, and no one expected that they would be sentenced to death.
Bai Fu killed the children of the aristocratic family in the street, and Bai Fu shocked the capital again.
The aristocratic families that usually showed off their power closed their doors to thank guests, and issued repeated orders to restrain the younger members of the family, especially the Yamen who were usually domineering and frivolous.
What is even more talked about is that Lu Zi is the direct grandson of the Lu family. The Lu family suffered such a big loss and yet they remained silent. No one in the family dared to go to the Duke Wei's palace to make a fuss.
The people in the capital were the most gossipy and spread the whole story like crazy after dinner.
…
Cui Xunhe came out of the prison with bruises all over his body. Although he had been nursed back to health for several days, his energy and blood were still weak. All this made his sister Cui Xunyan very angry.
After Wang Jiang was frightened at the execution ground, he fell ill and had to order his sister Wang Xingshen to visit on his behalf.
Cui Xunhe was tall, handsome, and talented in literature. Wang Xingshen had a good impression of him. After receiving the commission from his brother, he dressed up carefully and went to Cui Mansion to visit.
Seeing that Cui Xunhe was sick and decadent, and no longer as handsome as before, Wang Xingchen was heartbroken.
Cui Xunyan and Wang Xingchen are close friends and talk about everything.
Speaking of Cui Xunhe's tragic situation, Cui Xunyan became angrier as he talked and said to Wang Xingshen: "Sister Shen, my brother's fate is all thanks to Bai Fu.
The most irritating thing is that although my uncles are among the top three officials in the family, no one stands up for my brother. I really can't swallow this breath.
Shen'er, do you dare to follow me and break into Duke Wei's palace and reprimand Bai Fu?"
Wang Xingshen has always been gentle and calm, and has never done anything so outrageous, so he quickly dissuaded him.
Cui Xunyan said angrily: "We usually say that we are good sisters, but when things happen, we are scared.
Just like Zheng Lu of the Zheng family in Xingyang, he is usually bold and generous, claiming to be my brother's best brother. Today I proposed to pay a visit to the Duke Wei's mansion, but he was so frightened that his face turned pale, he didn't dare to answer the words, and ran away in despair.
…”
After that, Cui Xunyan pointed to the clothes rack in the hall and said, "Have you seen that broken hat? Zheng Lu was so frightened by the sight that he didn't even bother to put on the hat and ran away with his head in his hands."
Wang Xing pondered for a moment and said: "Sister Yan, please don't provoke me with your words.
Lu Zi has always been lawless, and it is only a matter of time before he is punished by the Holy One.
Although your brother is also arrogant in his treatment of others, he is just a noble scholar and does not have a bad character. He is very different from Lu Zi.
Your brother only introduced Lu Zi and Cui Jingwan to each other and did not participate in the arms trade. I can't stand the fact that he was deliberately bullied by Bai Fu and imprisoned.
I can accompany you to the Duke Wei's Mansion to argue, but I must agree in advance that you will act according to my eyes and not get angry.
We are here to seek justice, not to make a fuss. Although Li'er is on our side, if you mess around, you will make us passive and give people an excuse.
As long as Bai Fu is willing to admit his mistake to your brother face to face, this matter will be over.
After all, Bai Fu is sister Luan's consort and an important official of the imperial court, so you are not allowed to use stories to cause trouble and make things worse."
Cui Xunyan knew that Wang Xingshen was wise and resourceful, and when he saw that Wang Xingshen was willing to help him, he couldn't help but he asked for it and hurriedly agreed.
The two of them are worthy of being the direct daughters of a wealthy family, and they are quite courageous. Once they make up their mind, they will leave as soon as they say it.
Half an hour later, the two men and a group of servants went straight to Duke Wei's mansion and called the door without sending greetings or greetings.
Coincidentally, the central door of Duke Wei's mansion was wide open, and Bai Fuli was waiting in front of the door, seemingly ready to welcome someone.
Wang Xingchen took a deep breath, lifted the sedan curtain, and got out of the carriage while holding Cui Xunyan's hand.
Bai Fu saw a luxurious carriage approaching, and was about to step forward to greet him. Suddenly he saw two gorgeous and noble cardamom girls getting out of the carriage, and he was also stunned.
Wang Xing bowed lightly and said, "I am the granddaughter of the Wang family in Taiyuan. I am here today to ask Master Bai for advice on something."
When Cui Xunyan saw Bai Fu, he was furious. If Wang Xingchen hadn't tightly held his hand, he would have pointed at Bai Fu's nose and scolded him angrily.
Bai Fu looked at Wang Xingchen, who was pretending to be calm, and Cui Xunyan, who was angry, and seemed to have guessed something.
Bai Fu bowed slightly and returned the greeting: "Miss Wang, are you here with Mr. Wang Ge?"
Wang Xingchen asked in astonishment: "Grandpa, he's coming too?"
Bai Fu said: "Well, I am here to wait for Mr. Ge."
"ah?"
When Wang Xingchen heard that his grandfather was coming, he felt a little panicked. He quickly took out his silk handkerchief and covered the corners of his mouth to hide his uneasiness.
Before he finished speaking, several carriages came slowly from the alley, and they were the carriages and horses of the Wang family.
Wang Jin, the head of the Wang clan, took his legitimate son Wang Jing and other clan members out of the carriage.
Seeing Wang Xingshen, Wang Jing was quite surprised. His face darkened and he asked: "Shen'er, what are you doing here?"
Wang Xingshen had an idea, and he kept his composure despite the panic, and saluted: "Father, my daughter passed by the Duke Wei's mansion. I heard that you and grandpa are coming soon, so I am waiting here."
Wang Jing waved her hand and said: "When the adults are talking about business, there is no reason for your daughter's family to interfere. You should go back home quickly and don't let your mother worry."
"My daughter will obey her father's teachings." Wang Xing saluted deeply and slowly retreated.
Wang Jin, the head of the Wang family, loved his granddaughter very much. He smiled and comforted Wang Xingchen.
Surrounded by everyone, Wang Jin, the head of the Wang clan, followed Bai Fu into the mansion.
The moment he crossed the gate of the mansion, Wang Jin turned his head inadvertently. Wang Xingshen, tall and straight, stood on the spot to send off his uncles.
Seeing his granddaughter Wang Xing sinking into the moonlight and shying away the flowers, and then looking at the majestic and elegant Bai Fu, Wang Jin suddenly had an idea that he couldn't get rid of...