The palace walls are ringed with towering walls, the gates are majestic, and the guards are all ready to stand ready.
The originally awe-inspiring imperial city was suddenly shaken by Li Changyuan's warm and spring-like greetings, and the air became a little lighter.
Ye Sanqiu wiped the cold sweat from the back of his neck and secretly thought that it was very dangerous. If Li Changyuan ignored the Taoist priest "Jia Yan"'s visit, or directly revealed his fake identity, he was afraid that he would have committed a big sin today! He just wanted to rely on Qinggong.
, force your way out, this place is heavily guarded, and you may not be able to get out of this imperial city.
Fortunately, Ye Sanqiu reacted quickly. When he saw Li Changyuan saluting from a distance, he quickly went up to greet him and made a salute: "My temple master has been overjoyed every time he has made progress since he changed the way of cultivating inner alchemy."
"Recently, my cultivation has been stagnant and difficult to make any progress. I would like to invite Master Changyuan to come and explain. I would be very grateful if you can enlighten me and clear up my confusion!"
Li Changyuan looked at Ye Sanqiu's serious look and knew that he must have something urgent to ask for, so he dressed up like this and came to the imperial city to look for him. He followed suit and said, "You are so polite, Taoist Master Jia! Although the Tao is simple, the Dharma has endless implications. When I am limited in my life, if
I only know that using "finite" to attack "infinite" is like a mantis using its arm as a chariot, or a cricket shaking a tree, which only makes people laugh! I think the master of the temple must have felt that the Tao is infinite, so he felt confused and his Taoist heart was shaken, so he
stop moving forward."
Ye Sanqiu saw that his nonsense actually had some truth to it, so he pretended to be surprised and said: "Master Changyuan hit the mark! Recently, the master of the temple has indeed been saying to Master Nanhua all the time that 'life has limits, and knowledge has no limits.'
So much so that I didn’t even think about food and tea, and I couldn’t sit or lie down. Even when the acquaintances of meritorious deities and great lay people came to visit, I didn’t see them at all, and we all received them.”
Li Changyuan raised his sword eyebrows slightly: "Is what fellow Taoist said true? This seems to be a sign of 'three corpses are causing trouble and six gods have no master'. Without further ado, I will go with my fellow Taoist to talk about it!"
After that, Bendang left first. Ye Sanqiu understood and hurriedly followed.
Seeing that the two were serious about their business, the guards made a fuss and felt that the matter was serious, so they did not dare to question or stop them. The two of them had a smooth journey, left the imperial city, boarded a two-horse oil-walled chariot, and "rolled over" to the east.
Go.
When the two of them arrived at Bei City, there were only a few merchants. They finally found an open restaurant and sat down in the elegant pavilion. Then Li Changyuan smiled and said, "Junior brother Ye is dressed up like this and is looking for me in such a hurry. Why?"
Ye Sanqiu then cupped his fists and saluted and said: "Master Changyuan, please don't make fun of me. I am not a member of the Taoist sect. I just did this as a temporary measure. You should call me Sanqiu!"
Li Changyuan saw that the worry was lingering on his brows, thinking that the matter must be difficult, so he went straight to the point: "Brother Sanqiu, what kind of trouble have you encountered? Now that you have found me, Li Changyuan, I will definitely give you an answer."
Ye Sanqiu thought of the "Essence of Lihuo" in his dantian, gritted his molars, and said bluntly: "I was asked by the Holy Aunt to come here to find Master Changyuan to help mediate a difficult matter..."
While talking, he briefly talked about the incident yesterday when Saint Liu Xiaomu and his entourage entered the city at night and abandoned the ship to land. He emphasized that the corpses of several believers parked in the bilge must be sent to the north of the city according to Zoroastrian rituals.
The saint's funeral was held in Dongqiu. The saint's intention was to ask Li Changyuan to help transport the corpses out of the city.
After hearing this, Li Changyuan couldn't laugh or cry: "No wonder she asked you to come look for me. Your Zoroastrian saint aunt and I are also old friends. You want to ask me for help, but you don't want to lose this favor. You are really a woman who has nothing to lose! It doesn't matter! This can be done.
Don’t say, I’ll take it. In two days’ time, around Unit Time, you can ask someone to meet you outside Anximen.”
Ye Sanqiu didn't expect that he agreed so readily. After a brief pause, he made a flame with his hands and respectfully performed the Holy Fire Ceremony. Then he ran out of Bei City and sneaked straight into the Lidefang Zoroastrian Temple to look for his men to explore the horse.
Chongzhengfangzhong, Henan government office.
Xiao Zhan, Marquis of Wu of Daohuafang, led a group of undeserving guards with colorful decorations on their bodies, and all knelt under the ceremonial gate. He held the Henan Yin Fish Talisman in his hand, his head lowered, and he said nothing.
Although Henan Yin Xiaojing had already known about the complete defeat of the heroes, he was still very angry when he saw the defeated soldiers who had returned alive today. He directly ordered the Yamen to hand over the weapons of Xiao Zhan and others, and asked them to kneel down
Waiting at the gate of ceremony.
The main hall of the government office is usually the place where cases are heard. Today, the officials of the Henan government gathered together to discuss the crime of Wu Hou Zhang Songyue secretly entering Zoroastrianism and committing reckless murders, as well as Xiao Zhan's improper command, loss of troops and generals, and great harm to the public.
The crime of majesty.
Henan Yin Xiaojing, with an ashen complexion, was sitting in the middle. On the left and right were two Shaoyin people, two secretaries and military officers, four recorders, twelve Cao and military officials, and other officials. They were all whispering to each other and sighing.
.When Xiao Jing glanced over, they all stopped talking and remained as silent as cicadas.
Xiao Jing looked around and said in a deep voice: "I have summoned you all to come here. I believe that Chen Shaoyin has already met with you about the matters discussed. Zhang Songyue was duplicitous and surrendered to Zoroastrianism. Even though he has repeatedly solved major cases, it can't compare to what he did yesterday.
Behavior! Xiao Zhan’s responsibility as commander is based on his recommendation, and I will leave it to you to decide what his merits and demerits are!”
Everyone was at a loss for a moment and couldn't help but look at each other.
Chen Wanglu had been following Xiao Jing last night, sitting with Wang Jin in Taiwei Palace and waiting for news from various departments. It was not until the ugly time that they returned to the government office to rest together. Therefore, regarding what was done openly and secretly in Luoyang City, as well as the news of successive reversals,
They were all very clear. They had pretty much guessed what Xiao Jing was thinking.
Seeing that all the officials did not say a word at this time, for fear of offending Xiao Jing, he raised his hands and said: "Master Xiao! I think that since the rumors of Zoroastrian rebellion are actually false, and Zhang Songyue has been
The palace envoys arrested him and sent him to prison. How to convict him must have been determined by the palace envoys in accordance with the laws of the prosperous dynasty.
As for Wu Hou Xiao Zhan, although he has an upright temperament and does not know how to adapt, he has fulfilled his duty as a public servant in what happened yesterday. If only because of Zoroastrianism's cunning and ruthless methods, all the blame for the defeat of the heroes will be placed on him.
But it is also unfair to him alone."
Another Shao Yin secretly exchanged glances with the officials, and they couldn't help but praise Chen Wanglu's words: "You are indeed appreciated by Mr. Xiao. No matter what you do or serve as an official, you are really outstanding!"
Seeing that Chen Wanglu had laid the groundwork, Xiao Jing said sadly: "But the palace envoys made so many arrangements for my official gate to intercept the Zoroastrian saint. They wanted to accomplish their work in one battle, but they were all destroyed outside the city yesterday.
A tragic defeat. If Xiao Zhan is not severely punished, Taiwei Palace may not be able to give an explanation!"
After hearing this, Chen Wanglu stood up, cupped his hands and persuaded: "It is said that the Yingwu Army and Shence Army recruited by Mr. Yuan yesterday were unable to defeat the Zoroastrian monster. It was the 'Huo Immortal' invited by Taiwei Palace.
, and also ended up dead! It can be seen that the matter of blocking the Zoroastrian saint is either not done or impossible! Since Xiao Zhan and others have tried their best to do it, why should they be too harsh?
If Taiwei Palace wants to give an account, the lower official thinks that it is enough to remove him from the post of Wuhou Puwuhou of Daohuafang, and he will still act as a bad guard to see the consequences. If the punishment is too harsh, I am afraid that all the people in Luoyang City will be affected in the future.
Fang Wuhou, dozens of unscrupulous commanders, and more than a thousand unscrupulous guards, can only hide in silence, avoid the easy and avoid the heavy, not seeking merit, but seeking no faults! No one is willing to work diligently."
Xiao Jing was silent after hearing this.
Everyone reacted immediately and agreed with what Chen Wanglu said. What's more, they reviewed the past, cited scriptures, and exaggerated every detail of Xiao Zhan's achievements. They requested that the merits and demerits be balanced, and that he should not be convicted, and he was still worried. The position of Marquis Wu.
Xiao Jing saw that although everyone had different opinions, their thoughts were quite unified, and they were all willing to protect Xiao Zhan and keep him safe. After thinking about it, he could only sigh: "What you all said does make some sense. I also have a moment. He was so angry that he refused to fight! According to Chen Shaoyin's advice, he dismissed Xiao Zhan from the post of Wuhou Pu in Daohuafang, accepted his talisman letter, and made him a bad guard. Then Chen Shaoyin was responsible for the announcement and ordered all the Wuhou in Luoyang to "Pu Wuhou, and all the city guards are aware of this matter." Having said that, the first matter to be discussed today has been settled. Only then did the officials of the government begin to report the matters involved in their duties to Xiao Jing one by one. Ming, let him decide.
Chen Wanglu divided the Wuhoupu in the city and posted guards at the city gates. He first reported the gains and losses of the eight gates garrisoned last night, and then left the main hall.
Xiao Zhan and others were still kneeling under the Yimen. When they saw Chen Wanglu walking towards him, they raised their heads and asked, "Master Shaoyin has never been able to see you in the official position. Why are you helping me today?"
Chen Wanglu snorted and said with a hint of a smile: "You knew it pretty quickly! I'm not helping you. I just saw that Mr. Xiao wanted to protect you, but because of his identity, I protected you for him. Fortunately for you If you are a decent person and don’t add insult to injury, then you can go smoothly and deal with everything in a big way.”
Xiao Zhan took a deep look at Chen Wanglu: "Anyway, I would like to thank Mr. Shaoyin for his kind words."
Chen Wanglu chuckled: "I can't afford to be an official! I'm here to take back your Wuhou talisman and uniform. From today on, you are just a bad guard. You can go back to Daohuafang and wait for the new Wuhou. Send someone! Receive the talisman letter and take off your messenger clothes!"
The bad guards on Chen Wanglu's left and right were about to take action, but they saw Xiao Zhan stood up calmly and said: "Brothers, I won't bother to take action, I will do it myself!"
Having said that, he first presented the Henan Yinyu Talisman to Chen Wanglu. Then he neatly took off the belt around his waist, took off his outer robe, and then took out an iron-made talisman from his arms, and handed it back to Chen Wanglu's left and right guards. .
Immediately, he patted his waist and said with a smile: "Haha! Today I know that 'without an official, you are light', and you no longer have to suffer from the arrogance of the superior officials. It's just that the sword was thrown outside, so I can't return it to Mr. Xiao! Excuse me. Lord Shaoyin, tell me, I, Xiao Zhan, am not a good guard even if I am a bad guard, so I will take my leave!"
The bad guards who were still kneeling under the Yimen were dumbfounded when they heard that Xiao Zhan actually said goodbye directly, and they all tried to persuade him to stay. Some of the people who had been favored by him in daily life couldn't help sobbing.
Chen Wanglu didn't expect Xiao Zhan to be so straightforward. He immediately opened his eyes angrily and said: "Xiao Zhan! Do you think that once you leave, you will be a free ranger? As long as you are still hanging around in Luoyang City, you will be punished. Door control!"
Xiao Zhan, however, cupped his fists and said to the kneeling guards: "Xiao is not going to be punished, so why are you crying? The temple is towering and out of reach! The rivers and lakes are vast and there is room for them! If you brothers are not happy with your life, , you can come and have a drink with me at any time." After that, he said to Chen Wanglu, "Master Shaoyin, I would like to give you a word of farewell, you are an official who is good at everything, but your official power is too great and your opinions are too little. Haha! That’s all.”
When Chen Wanglu saw him turning around and walking away, he rushed up a few steps: "Stop!"
When Xiao Zhan saw him blocking him, his whole body trembled a little, and he couldn't help but fold his arms in front of his chest: "Master Shaoyin, do you have any other advice?"
The corners of Chen Wanglu's mouth twitched slightly, and his face was uncertain. He suddenly came closer and whispered: "There is another reason why I am helping you today. Although you and the other heroes returned in defeat, you took care of the food for me, Huo Xianren."
'That monster avenged Lian'er's blood! I, Chen Wanglu, have a clear grudge. Although we have always been at odds, after today, we are now clean."
Xiao Zhan was also quite surprised that Chen Wanglu got the news so quickly, which showed that his control over the bad guards in Luoyang was deeper than he expected. So he smiled calmly: "If it's for this, Master Shaoyin has thanked the wrong person!
That 'Huo Xianren' was beheaded by Mangshan warrior Yang Zhaoxi, but the tiger's head was cut off by Zheng Fang Qidou from the camp. Mr. Xiao has neither the strength nor the preference! Haha!"
After saying that, he strode out of the Henan government office without looking back and had nothing to do with the government from now on.
The sky is filled with clouds, and the trees in the garden are still covered. A few extremely bored birds gather on the eaves and sing.
Chen Wanglu was left standing blankly in the courtyard, chanting repeatedly: Mangshan warrior, Yang Zhaoxi...