Chapter 3 (Autumnal Equinox)

Chapter 3

autumnal equinox

(1)

The bright moon shines on the sparse sycamore trees, and the sycamore trees cover the glazed tiles. The autumn wind blows, and occasionally a tung tree leaf falls. With a slight "click", it brushes the white jade steps and falls lightly to the ground. Holding the food box in her hands, Jinniang carefully climbed up the stairs. Although Xiao Shi was the first concubine of the Crown Prince, after the death of the Crown Prince, she moved from the East Palace to this Yunguang Palace. This was originally the residence of the concubine, although Sun Jing held the real power of regent, he did not claim the title of emperor, only the title of governor, and her status was embarrassing, so everyone in the palace vaguely called her "Mistress Xiao".

Jinniang entered the hall with the food box in her hands, walked through the back hall, and walked to the west side hall, a small palace called the "Shu Yi Room". She saw that Xiao Shi hadn't taken off her makeup yet, sitting in front of the mirror, holding a The gold-encrusted jade comb is in a trance. Jinniang went forward to salute, offered a food box, and said, "Madam, this is lotus seed soup." Seeing Xiao Shi nodding, she immediately opened the food box, took out a bowl, and offered it to Xiao Shi.

Mrs. Xiao was eating the lotus seed soup. Seeing that there was no one around, Niang Jin whispered, "I want to teach the lady to know that the maidservant has seen Mrs. Jiang."

Xiao Shi fiddled with the lotus seed soup with a spoon, as if he had never heard of it. Jin Niang said: "Everything is fine with Mrs. Jiang, but she wraps her belly in plain silk every day, lest people will notice it. But the maidservant saw that her complexion is fine, and she didn't want to vomit any more."

Only then did Xiao sigh softly, and said: "This is the late prince's posthumous son. No matter what, I have to find a way to send her out of the palace."

Jinniang said: "The palace is strictly forbidden, and the governor is suspicious by nature, I'm afraid..."

Shaking her head, Xiao said: "Even if it is more difficult than ascending to the sky, I will try it." She had been married to the former crown prince for more than ten years and had no children. The eldest son of the former crown prince, Li Xuanze, was born of Fu Liangdi. At the time of the palace change, General Yunxuan Han Chang led a team of troops to protect Li Xuanze and escape from the palace. Sun Jing sent people to investigate and vowed to kill the grass and roots. She had no choice but to remain calm, serve the enemy with her body, and deal with Sun Jing through old feelings.

Fortunately, after the palace change, it was discovered that the prince's concubine, Jiang Shi, was pregnant, so Xiao Shi hid Jiang Shi in the harem, but Jiang Shi's belly was getting bigger every day, so she had to try to send Jiang Shi out of the palace. Production. If you can give birth to a child, no matter male or female, you will be the orphan of the former prince.

She is naturally clever, and after a few days, she really came up with a countermeasure. It turned out that Sun Jing's original partner, Mrs. Wei Yuan, was jealous of her. One day they met in the palace, and Xiao deliberately provoked them. The two disputes broke out. Xiao ordered the female officer next to Mrs. Wei to slap the maidservant next to Mrs. Wei. Madam lost face greatly, became dizzy with anger, and cried in front of Sun Jing. Sun Jing had no choice but to come to the Yunguang Hall in person and asked her to hand over the female officials around her and let Mrs. Wei dispose of her.

She sneered immediately, and said to Sun Jing: "I have been in the palace for a long time, and I have seen such things a lot. The palace is full of snobbish eyes, who spare no effort to promote the high and trample the low. You can trample on it at will. Today, Mrs. Wei ordered the governor to take my female officer, and tomorrow she can order me to be poisoned. If I die, will the governor make things difficult for her, a dignified wife, for me?"

Sun Jing was impatient to mediate such trivial and jealous matters, so he just frowned and said, "Why is this so?"

She sneered and said: "The Yuan family of Chenjun is the family of the governor's wife, and has always been relied on by the governor. I have offended Mrs. Wei Guo, so I asked myself to become a monk, so I won't be an eyesore here."

For a moment, Sun Jing couldn't help laughing: "You're going to provoke me."

"Where does this concubine dare to provoke the general governor? I am afraid that if I continue to live in this palace, I will lose my life for no reason. It is better to go out of the palace to practice Taoism, so as to save the noise." As she spoke, she flicked her sleeves and Sun Jing hung on the spot and went straight to the inner room on his own. Sun Jing couldn't help going to the inner room, but seeing that she had already taken off the hairpin and slept on the soft couch, she turned her back to him in anger. He sat down on the side of the couch, stretched out his hand to rub her shoulder, and jokingly said, "If you want to practice Taoism, I'd like to see, which Taoist temple in the world can hold you?" She suddenly smiled sweetly, turned over and sat up, but Hold his arm, put your head on his shoulder, and blow like orchid in his ear: "Why don't you build me a Taoist temple, choose a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, not far from Xichangjing, so that you can go out of the palace It's also cheap to come to see me, but..." He was itchy by her ears, but she suddenly glanced at him with joy and anger, and her eyes were eager to stream: "I'm afraid that once I leave the palace, after three or five days, your Ah, I just forgot who I am." As he spoke, he poked his chest with his sharp nails, and Sun Jing immediately grabbed her hand, and kissed her finger lightly. Casually asked: "Are you really going to practice Taoism?"

She fell into his arms again and said, "I don't want to stay in the palace anymore. Mrs. Wei Guo is not an open-minded person, so she can't help making things difficult for me. Besides, everyone in this palace has a sharp mouth. Let them make irresponsible remarks."

Sun Jing reached out and stroked her waterfall-like long hair, and said, "Don't think about cultivating the Tao. However, that Shen Niang next to you looks like a blessed person, why don't you ask her to become a monk for you?" .”

Hearing this, she pushed him away, sat on the couch with one knee bent, and said with a sneer: "As expected, the governor couldn't help but tell the truth, and for the sake of Mrs. Wei's face, she called my female officer." Going out of the palace to practice Taoism, the governor might as well give you a pot of poisonous wine, and I will drink it with Shen Niang."

Sun Jing said: "Ms. Shen is your female official. She offended Mrs. Wei. There must be an explanation."

She said angrily: "What about Mrs. Wei's maid? Did the governor let her become a nun and practice Taoism after she bumped into me?"

Seeing her losing her temper, he smiled and said, "Look at you, you have to pinch everything." He only heard her say: "If the governor treats the maid equally and treats the maidservant equally, I will promise Shen Niang to become a monk, otherwise Don't talk about it." After finishing speaking, he went straight to the bed, stretched his arms, pushed him out of the inner room, closed the door himself, and shut him out. No matter how much he knocked on the door, he refused to pay any attention. He went back to bed and fell asleep on his own.

She had just slept for a while, when suddenly she heard a creaking sound from the window, she closed her eyes and pretended not to know, suddenly her body lightened up, it turned out that it was Sun Jing who picked her up from the couch. She put her hands on his chest, refusing to be hugged by him, and said bitterly: "Just teach me to die, why bother me again?" But he laughed and said: "Okay, okay, it's all forcing me I can only enter through the window, give me three points."

Only then did she put her hand around his neck, and said angrily: "Then you have to say, I am the only one in the world who can force the governor to do this."

Sun Jing had no choice but to nod: "Only you, if there is another one, no, if there is half another, I really can't take it anymore." She chuckled lightly and buried her face in his arms.

The two lingered in the middle of the night, and Sun Jing finally agreed, and sent some of the maidservants beside Mrs. Wei out of the palace to practice Taoism, in order to save her face. When she woke up the next morning, she was afraid that he would renege on his promise, so she tugged on his sleeve and asked him to give an order immediately. Sun Jing had no choice but to order Ye Ting Ling in front of her to send the female official Shen Niang and others beside her, as well as the maidservant who was with Mrs. Wei that day, a total of eight people, all of them were sent out of the palace to practice Taoism. Satisfied, she let go of his sleeve.

After Sun Jing escaped from the Yunguang Palace, Ye Ting Ling stepped forward, crossed his hands and saluted, and asked respectfully: "Great Governor, where should these female officials and maidservants be sent to practice Taoism?"

Sun Jing casually smoothed out the folds on his sleeves that Xiao had pulled just now, and said: "If you want to cultivate any Taoism, you will have to kill them all when you send them out of the palace."

On that day, Mrs. Xiao made a painstaking plan to mix Mrs. Jiang into it. She thought she could leave the palace safely to practice the Tao, but she didn't want to follow Sun Jing's secret order to kill eight people as soon as the ox cart waiting to be delivered came out of the palace gate. .

Mrs. Xiao dispatched Mrs. Jiang by herself, worried and uneasy, tried every means, and sent the only able person to meet him, but got a secret report that all the daughters had been killed. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, and sat in front of the mirror, unable to recover for a long time Come. This time, not only did Jiang's family not be saved, but also one of his confidant female officials, Shen Niang, was lost. Only Jinniang hurriedly supported her knees, and called softly: "Your Majesty!" After calling several times, she came back to her senses.

"I'm so useless." Xiao Shi murmured, "I thought I had a plan, but I didn't expect that I would actually harm Jiang Shi and her unborn child. What face do I have to go underground to meet the first prince!"

"Your Majesty!" Jin Niang said urgently, "Your Majesty, don't think that way, Your Majesty has already done her best."

Shaking her head sadly, Xiao said: "A few days ago, my uncle wrote to me and asked me why I didn't die. Our Xiao family has been favored by the emperor, and I refused to die because I was disloyal. To be willing to die is because of injustice. To insult my father and brother, I refuse to die because I am not filial. In order to live, my hands are covered with innocent blood, it is because of inhumanity... People, why are you still alive..."

Jin Niang supported her arm and said: "My Lady, if you feel uncomfortable, you can cry a little, maybe it will be better if you cry a little bit, My Lady, you have been wronged too much..."

Xiao Shi shook her head, and wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingers, only to see that her fingertips were dry, she said: "I can't cry, I still want to live, at least until Xuanze can be safe." She opened the door again. Putting on the dowry, she said to Jinniang: "Do my makeup for me. After a while, I'm afraid the governor will come, so I can't let him see anything."

Jinniang asked in shock: "Could the governor have known..."

Xiao smiled, and said in a rambling voice: "So what if he knows, so what if he doesn't know. Since he is still willing to do this, then I will stay with him for the rest of my life." After speaking, he picked up Luo Zidai, carefully Draw in the eyebrows. She had long eyebrows that reached into the temples, and her eyes were like horizontal waves. After putting on makeup, she looked even more beautiful. She smiled sweetly at herself in the mirror, and she was still an excellent demeanor that turned all living beings upside down.

It is said that the shadows of swords, lights and swords in the palace walls are turbulent, but the outside world is not aware of it. Even Mrs. Wei thought that her maidservants were forced by Xiao to send them out of the palace to practice Taoism. . This turmoil is like a pool of spring water, wrinkled by the wind, and there will be no traces after the incident.

Chapter 3

(3)

After the two clapped their hands together as an oath, they immediately led Chen Xing and the others to set off for Bingzhou.

Since Li Yi agreed to pretend to be Young Master Cui, everyone from He Xiaowei to Chen Xing called him "Young Master" and respected him without revealing any flaws. They really treated him as Young Master Cui. Mr. Cui is very particular about his daily necessities, food, housing and transportation. Chen Xing carried countless silver coins with him, and squandered them all the way. After walking for several days, there were people from the Dingsheng army, who brought chariots and horses, servants, clothing and other things, and even a few cooks and servants. They never tire of fine food and fine food every day. When they sit or lie down, they must bring clean and self-contained mattresses, which are carriages and horses. The two horses in that set of carts ran extremely steadily, and I don't know how they did it. No matter how rough the road was, the tea in the teacups in the cart never spilled even a drop. Rao is Li Yi, as the emperor's grandson, who has seen the wealth of the heavenly family, but has never seen such ostentation, so he has to sigh that the son of the Jiedu envoy is really extravagant and lustful.

And Xiaowei He is really like a maid, serving him every day, and every time he goes to a place to stay, she must personally check his sitting and sleeping places, very careful and considerate. He was depressed, but he couldn't ask her, is this how he usually served Young Master Cui? Every time I think of this, I can't help but feel an indescribable feeling in my heart, I can't explain it clearly, it's very uncomfortable anyway. This day has arrived in Huli Town, not far from Nabingzhou, but seeing her personally burning the iron and ironing his clothes for himself—oh no, Young Master Cui, he finally couldn’t help asking: "A maid like you, How many are there with your young master?"

Without raising her head, she said, "Dozens."

He became more and more unhappy, and asked: "There are dozens of people like you?"

She is clearly a unique person, but she didn't care about it, and said: "Young master has been served by people since he was a child, and there are dozens of maidservants, which is not unusual. Could it be that the emperor's grandson is in the palace, isn't he so rich and beautiful?" eat?"

He heard this, but didn't say anything. She finally raised her head, but instead of looking at him, she picked up the clothes to look at him, then compared him, and then said with satisfaction: "Master, this clothes makes you wear it, so you can be considered a good-looking person."

Before he could answer, she suddenly felt annoyed: "Although they brought you clothes, they didn't bring you crowns." He sent people back to the Dingsheng barracks to get the jade crown, but it was too late.

He couldn't bear it anymore, and sneered: "If you don't get the jade crown, you won't be like your son?"

She thought about it for a while, but she was a little frustrated, and said: "If my hairpin is here, it's still worth it. Although it's not as good as the young master's jade crown, that hairpin is still mutton fat jade, and it can be used."

That day by the well, he snatched her hairpin, and originally wanted her to exchange it for his own beads. Hearing what she said at this moment, she pulled out something from her sleeve and threw it in front of her. She reached out to catch it, and seeing that it was her own jade hairpin, she immediately beamed with joy: "Oh, so you carried it with you. alright."

So she asked Li Yi to sit down, combed his hair again, and inserted the jade hairpin for him. She took a photo in front of the mirror, and she was very satisfied: "Yes, this is our young master's style." Zhang Luo replied. Asking Li Yi to try on that shirt, he was very impatient and walked away.

Li Yi was so depressed that he didn't fall asleep until midnight. Thinking about how he could get back after suffering such an indescribable loss, he always waited for a chance to meet Mr. Cui and make him suffer a lot. It's just that she has always been cunning, if she wants to make Mr. Cui suffer, she must be deceived first. As for the hairpin on his head, he took it off and weighed it in his hand, thinking that after all this, he would ask her to get his beads back, and then return the hairpin to her immediately, without leaving it for a moment, so as not to pollute himself s hair. As he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard night birds chirping several times outside, which was the secret signal of the Zhenxi Army.

He remained calm and did not turn on the lamp. He got up quietly, poured a little lamp oil into the window shaft, and gently opened the window without making a sound. After a while, I saw Xie Chang'er turning in lightly. Seeing Li Yi, I couldn't help being overjoyed, and clinging to his hand, he said: "Seventeen Lang, it's easy for me to find."

It turned out that Li Yi followed He Xiaowei from Guo Zhiying, but Pei Yuan and others in Wangzhou City were very anxious and sent people everywhere, finally found the secret note left by him, and chased him all the way, but the people of the Dingsheng Army Very alert and difficult to approach. Tonight Xie Chang'er finally found a way, taking advantage of the slackening of the sentry, sneaked into the place where they stayed. At that moment, Li Yi said a few words, and said the agreement between himself and He Xiaowei. Xie Chang'er was stunned and said, "Seventeen Lang, you want to pretend to be Mr. Cui and go see Han Li?"

Li Yi said: "It's okay, I have my own way to get out." Then he instructed Xie Chang'er, so and so, Xie Chang'er nodded again and again, and then left lightly.

But Han Li, as the governor of Bingzhou, heard that Mr. Cui came to see him, he was surprised and doubtful, but Dingsheng's army was as powerful as a broken bamboo, and the army was overwhelming, but he couldn't afford to offend him. Banquet, good entertainment.

At present, Li Yi is invited to be in the upper position, He's to stand on the side, Han Li to be in the main position, and Han Li's confidant Lu Chengzhi to sit on the side. As for Chen Xing and other young master Cui's attendants and servants, they also went to the mansion and were entertained by Han Li's subordinates.

Then Han Li smiled and toasted several rounds of wine before asking: "Young Master Cui, how is the song and dance?"

Li Yi said: "Since I left my hometown, I have been fighting all the way, and I haven't seen singing and dancing for a long time. At this moment, this scene really deserves the word 'peace and wealth'." Han Li couldn't help laughing, and said: "Mr. Hand in hand, Han was very touched." Li Yi said: "Where, although I have never met Mr. Han, I have always admired Mr. Han's demeanor." Han Li couldn't help but said "Oh", and said: "Mr. Han is in Bingzhou, a secluded place. I really don't want you to be so fond of me." Li Yi said: "I have a few words, the so-called loyal words are harsh, I don't know if Han Gong wants to hear them or not."

Then Han Li glanced at Lu Chengzhi, Lu Chengzhi clapped his hands, the dancer band stopped, and they all withdrew.

Only then did Han Li say: "My lord, it's okay to say."

Li Yi said: "People in the world look at Duke Han, guarding Bingzhou and Jianzhou, both of which are important places. The governor is far away in the west of Changjing, and there are many places that need to rely on Duke Han. If the army from the west of the town advances eastward, Duke Han can start from Bingzhou and Jianzhou. Send troops from the two prefectures to outflank and encircle. If the Zhenxi army is strong, Han Gong can retreat and take advantage of the natural dangers of the southern pass.

Han Li stroked his beard and said: "Our Han family town merged and built two prefectures. I am the governor appointed by the imperial court. To be honest with you, I am also very embarrassed. One side is the governor, with great power, and the other side is Zhenxi. The various prefectures were originally my colleagues." He couldn't help sighing, and said: "If we go to war with the Zhenxi army, it will hurt the friendship of the past. But if we avoid it and don't fight, we will lose our faith in front of the governor. "After speaking, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

At this moment, Xiaowei He suddenly said: "I have something to say, I want to ask Mr. Han for advice."

Han Li had heard from Lu Chengzhi a long time ago that Young Master Cui had a lady named He who was very trusted. So she interrupted suddenly, and he didn't show much displeasure, instead he said with a smile: "Miss He, it's okay to say."

She then asked: "What kind of person does Han Gong think the Grand Governor Sun Jing who is far away in the West Changjing is?" Hero at first glance."

She nodded and said: "A resolute person is arbitrary, a smart person is always conceited, and a thoughtful person is naturally suspicious and will not trust others. Mr. Han knows a lot about the governor."

Han Li couldn't help laughing, and said, "You said that, not me."

Immediately after drinking the wine, Han Li said again: "I haven't finished talking, Mrs. He, but it doesn't matter." He Xiaowei smiled slightly and said: "Han Gong thinks that in the heart of Sun Jing, Han Gong, you are a What kind of person?" Han Li twitched his beard and smiled again: "Oh? It's inconvenient for this Han to speculate."

She said: "I'm afraid that in the eyes of the governor, Han Gong, you are more of a confidant's trouble than the Zhenxi Army, or even Li Yi, Li Huangsun, the commander of the King Qin's division."

Han Li's heart moved, but his face remained calm, and he only said: "I would like to hear the details."

"The governor of the great governor was decisive in killing and attacking. The late emperor, the first prince, the kings and grandsons, more than a hundred people have been punished. Naturally, they have formed a mortal enmity with Li Huangsun. And the governor of the governor has lofty ambitions. Now that he has done this One step, of course, is to learn from the sages, help the young emperor ascend the throne, and regent with real power." She spoke indifferently from her cherry lips, talking about the general trend of the world, but she spoke eloquently, which was very pleasant.

Han Li couldn't help but nodded: "Not bad."

"Since the Great Governor has aspirations for the world and has been planning for a long time, even if the Zhenxi Army is powerful at this time, the Great Governor is the first to fall, so there may not be no chance of winning. And Mr. Han, you have been occupying and building two prefectures for a long time. Wait for the Great Governor to pacify the towns in the west. Afterwards, what does Han Gong think will happen to you?"

Hearing her question, Han Li couldn't help but sighed: "Is there any need to say that? The cunning rabbit dies, the lackey cooks, it's always been like this."

"Then if Han Gong, you are the governor, and the Zhenxi army is advancing rapidly at this moment, and my Dingsheng army takes the opportunity to go south, and Bing and Jianzhou are not under control, what will the governor do?"

Han Li couldn't help laughing and said, "Naturally, I'm going to find a way to let me send troops to fight fiercely with the towns of Zhenxi. Whether it's the defeat of the Zhenxi army or my defeat, it's the best of both worlds for the commander-in-chief."

She smiled sweetly and said, "Mr. Han is indeed a smart man, and he knows the governor very well."

Han Li laughed loudly, and said: "The girl in the bag really lives up to her reputation." He turned his face and raised his glass to toast Li Yi, and sighed, "Young Master Cui is so lucky."

Hearing her eloquent tongue, Li Yi, even the old fox Han Li, understood the subtle meaning of her words, and immediately raised his glass with a smile.

Everyone laughed and drank. Li Yi used to watch all directions with his eyes and listen to all directions. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a servant rushing in from the outside, walked up to Lu Chengzhi, and whispered a few words in his ear. Lu Chengzhi frowned, and gently tugged at the corner of Han Li's clothes.

Han Li understood, and said: "Young Master Cui, please sit down, there are some trivial matters in the back hall, and Han will come whenever he goes."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Mr. Han, please do what you want."

Han Li bowed his hands to Li Yi and hurried away with Lu Chengzhi.

Chapter 3

(4)

It turned out that the envoys sent by Sun Jing in Beijing, carrying a large amount of gold and silver treasures, jewels, jade, and silk that Sun Jing had bestowed on Han Li, finally rushed to the governor's residence of Bingzhou. The envoy sent by Sun Jing was none other than Han Li's fellow countryman, Gu Jiulang and Gu Zhen from the well-known Gu family in Bingzhou. The Gu family is flourishing, and many of their children are officials in the court. Among them, the most successful official is Gu Zhen's cousin, Gu Zhen. the prime minister. After the palace change, Sun Jing was very polite to the head of civil servants, because at the beginning Sun Jing led the army to conquer Yiluo, and Gu Yuzheng was the Minister of the Ministry of War. . Due to his irritable and suspicious temperament, the first emperor ordered the Ministry of War to coerce Sun Jing several times, but Gu Yu, for the sake of the war situation and the peace of mind for the generals who were fighting abroad, spoke frankly in front of the emperor, and fought for justice for Sun Jing several times. Later, Sun Jing defeated Yiluo, and the late emperor rewarded him, and promoted Gu Jing to Zhongshu Ling. But Gu Yu and Sun Jing have no personal friendship, only out of public interest. Because as soon as Yiluo was destroyed, he immediately advised the late emperor to weaken the military power of the military governors; Also because of these antecedents, after the palace change, Sun Jing not only did not kill Gu Yu, but instead treated him politely, treating him like a guest of honour, and wanted to appoint him as the chief assistant. Gu Yu was quite virtuous, resigned from office and did not work, and read behind closed doors in common clothes every day. Whenever someone persuaded him to surrender, he said: "I am a subject of Dayu's Li family. I should have died for the country. I am living now. I hope that the grandson will return to the court." All of a sudden, many aristocratic families, with Gu Yu at the head, neither surrendered nor courted, and were in a stalemate with Sun Jing. Although Sun Jing killed people like hemp, it was not easy to implicate all these powerful families in the nine clans and lose the hearts of the people, so he thought of many ways. However, the Gu clan is flourishing and has many children, and there is one person who is moved by wealth and honor, and this person is Gu Jiulang, Gu Zhen, Gu Zhen's distant cousin. He was originally a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, but at this time he voted for Sun Jing, and he fell into Sun Jing's arms. He was promoted to three ranks in a row to show an example, and he was appointed as an envoy, and he was specially sent to lobby Han Li. Because Gu's family is a prominent family in Bingzhou, Han Li has to give Gu's children three points no matter what.

At this moment, Gu Zhen stood proudly in the hall, watching the servants put boxes of treasures on the hall and show them to Han Li.

Gu Zhen arched his hands upright, and said just now: "The governor said that it was very hard for Han Gong to guard the two states and face the rebels in the west of the town. He specially ordered me to send these from the capital. They were all sent by the governor himself. The rare and rare treasures carefully selected by the inner library are used to honor the merits of Duke Han."

Han Li had met Gu Zhen before, but the Gu family had many outstanding children. At that time, Han Li only felt that he was mediocre and mediocre. Coming here today is another scene, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as smug and arrogant. Immediately, he kept his composure and said with a smile: "I also ask Jiulang to thank the governor for me a lot. Han received the reward for nothing, and I am so grateful."

Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Mr. Han is too modest."

At that moment, Han Li respectfully invited Gu Zhen to sit down, but Gu Zhen was not humble, and said with a smile: "I came here on the order of the governor, so I will take the seat on behalf of the governor." Yan Bishi sat down calmly. Han Li's governor's mansion, he has been here in previous years, and he always came to visit with the elders of the clan. At that time, I was very envious. It's just because Han Li's Governor's Mansion was built in a very grand style, because Bingzhou and Jianzhou are both water and land hubs traveling from south to north, and caravans have passed through here, densely populated, merchants gather, and taxes are quite high. . At that time, I was only envious in my heart, thinking how happy it would be to have a meal in this Governor's Mansion, but I didn't expect that I would also have a day to be a high-ranking official in this magnificent Governor's Mansion. He was full of emotions when he suddenly heard Han Li ask: "I don't know if Jiulang can bring the governor's handwritten letter or his order?"

That Gu Zhen was displeased. Although his heart was an old acquaintance, this Han Li was too trusting. He kept calling himself Jiulang twice. Couldn't he call himself the current official title, Gu Shilang? He is not from a city mansion, he was unhappy in his heart, immediately brought it to his face, and said in a deep voice: "Of course there is. In fact, the governor sent me here. When he came to know that Han Gong and I were old acquaintances, he just let me run away This trip was to catch up with Han Gong; secondly, the governor was also worried about the ruthless arrows on the battlefield and worried about Han Gong’s safety, so he specially ordered me to bring twelve guards in gold armor, and asked me to order the guards to stay with Han Gong day and night Left and right, you must protect Duke Han Zhouquan." As they clapped their hands, they saw twelve golden-armored guards holding spears, all of them handsome and majestic. Gu Zhen said triumphantly: "The governor personally ordered me to pick this out for Han Gong. The governor said, Gu Shilang, go and pick twelve golden armored guards for Gu to guard Han Li. A certain one was selected from the Habayashi guards." It took a long time to select these twelve guards who are almost exactly the same height and look majestic."

Han Li made a look of sincerity and fear, and said: "The governor is so thoughtful, and his kindness is as heavy as a mountain. Han is really grateful, and there is nothing in return. Please also ask Gu Shilang to report to the governor, and say that Han can only lead the guard personally." Army, and the Zhenxi Army and other rebels will be smashed to pieces in order to repay the great governor's kindness."

After hearing what he said, Gu Zhen was finally satisfied, nodded and said, "It's easy to say! Easy to say!"

At that moment, Han Li personally ordered to prepare a good guest room for Gu Zhen to rest. He personally sent Gu Zhen all the way out of the guest room, and then turned back to the back hall.

When he returned to the back hall, he asked his confidant Lu Chengzhi, "Chengzhi, what do you think?"

Lu Chengzhi said: "The chief governor's move is to force Duke Han to fight. Otherwise, why send twelve guards in golden armor? It is said to protect Duke Han, but it is actually coercion."

Han Li snorted, but said nothing. Lu Chengzhi said: "The people from Cui's family are still in the banquet hall. Gu Jiu must not know about this."

Han Li agreed deeply, and nodded: "The people of the Cui family... I think they can be put to good use. Cui Yi only has such a son, hehe, so don't blame me for being rude."

It was said that Han Li had been gone for a long time, and the red candles were burning high. Above the splendid hall, dancers were dancing in the banquet hall, and the music club was playing the newest pieces. The servant served the dishes attentively and served the wine. Li Yi drank one cup after another, but actually covered it with his sleeve and did not drink it. Instead, he skillfully poured the wine on his clothes.

After drinking a few more glasses, he loosened his hand and turned over the wine glass, and said with an inarticulate smile: "Oh, why did it overturn."

He Xiaowei hurriedly got up and stepped forward, supported Li Yi, and said, "My lord, you are drunk."

Li Yi seemed to have drunk too much, leaning against her body limply, but said in a low voice: "Something is wrong."

She thought it was true, she held the fireworks in her sleeves, and wanted to summon Chen Xing and the others, but at this time, everyone was in Han Li's mansion, and it would be extremely difficult to escape. The two looked at each other, and were thinking about how to deal with it, when they suddenly saw Lu Chengzhi walking in the lead, followed by countless menacing soldiers holding weapons, rushing into the banquet hall.

Lu Chengzhi said coldly: "Young Master Cui is drunk, send Young Master Cui to the guest room to rest."

Captain He frowned, popped out the fireworks from his sleeves, and almost simultaneously raised his arms to fire the arrows. Under her cover, Li Ni rushed towards the window. Many soldiers rushed forward to surround He Xiaowei and attack.

Li Yi kicked open the window, only to see a dense crowd of archers ambushing outside the window, all pointing their arrows at him. Li Yi kicked an archer away, took a knife in his hand, cut down two people, and was about to kill them. Suddenly he heard Lu Chengzhi's cool voice behind him, saying: "Young Master Cui, wait a minute."

He looked back, and it turned out that the Han family had already captured Xiaowei He and put a knife on her neck, relying on their numbers.

Lu Chengzhi smiled all over his face and said, "Young Master Cui, since you have come, you will be safe. Why do you have to leave in such a hurry?"

Li Yi stretched out his fingers, and slowly wiped the blood from the blade in his hand. With sharp eyes, he stared at the blade on He Xiaowei's neck, and said coldly: "Your hospitality is a bit too grand!"

Lu Chengzhi said: "If I can't keep the young master today, I can't pay the job, so I have to kill this He's daughter and explain to the master."

Li Yi didn't even think about it, and said: "If I arrest her without a fight today, you have to let her go!" But she raised her voice: "Young master, go away! Don't pay attention to such dishonest villains!"

Lu Chengzhi said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Cui. If a distinguished guest like Mr. Cui stays in our Bingzhou, I'm afraid that the Dingsheng army will not be at ease. Of course, we must arrange to send this Mrs. He back, and share it with General Cui, the Jiedu envoy. Let’s talk about it, so as not to misunderstand.”

He Xiaowei saw that he had set off fireworks as news, but Chen Xing and the others did not appear. They were probably controlled by the people of the Han family. Knowing that it would be difficult to escape today, he raised his voice and said, "I won't leave! Young master, kill me!" I want to die with you too!" But I thought in my heart, with Li Yi's skills, I can probably get out, as long as he escapes, I'm sure I won't be ashamed to save myself. Besides, as long as the so-called "Mr. Cui" gets away, and Han Li only takes her as a girl, it will not be of much use.

Suddenly there was a "dang clang", it was Li Yi who threw the knife on the ground and caught him without a fight.

She couldn't help being taken aback, but Lu Chengzhi couldn't help laughing out loud, and said: "Young Master Cui really has deep affection and loves beautiful women." After saying that, he tilted his head and motioned to the left and right to come forward, and the soldiers rushed up and tied up Li Yi .

At that moment, Lu Chengzhi personally led the people to send Li Yi and He Xiaowei into a guest room.

Lu Chengzhi smiled and said, "My lord, please rest assured that the doors, windows and roofs here are all inlaid with fine steel, so they are safe. You are our honored guest in Bingzhou. You must not let assassins offend you."

He Xiaowei sneered and said: "The cell is the cell, it sounds so nice!"

Lu Chengzhi laughed, and said: "This place is full of beautiful scenery, why is it not Qiluo Township?" After speaking, he advised the two to take a good rest, turned around and prepared to leave. Suddenly I heard the He family say: "Wait a minute! My young master loves cleanliness by nature. Please prepare more hot water. I want to serve your young master to take a bath."

Lu Chengzhi said, "Okay, I'll ask them to bring the fragrant soup right away."

Then Mrs. He said again: "Bring more thick blankets, so as not to catch the wind and cold when bathing." She said harshly: "If my son is even half unwell in your Bingzhou, my Cui family's army will definitely crush your Bingzhou city."

Seeing her stern look, Lu Chengzhi smiled and said, "Okay, thick blanket, I'll get it for you."

Immediately ordered to go down. After a while, I saw a few maidservants coming in with thick blankets and other things, and Captain He was not polite, and directed all the maidservants in the Han family to hang thick blankets on the doors and windows, covering everything tightly. For the doors and windows, I asked for several bolts of colorful silk and fine cloth, and ordered the maidservants to wash the bathtub behind the screen in the house in front of her, fill it with fragrant soup, sprinkle various flower petals, and put several pieces of water in front of the bathtub. A wooden bucket, filled with hot water for refilling, as if planning to serve Mr. Cui to take a good bath. After all the maids left the guest room, the guards outside locked the door.

She heard the sound of locks being locked, and waited for a while before carefully inspecting the thick blanket one by one, making sure that the doors, windows and all the gaps were covered, and then winking at Li Yi. The two of them inspected the room together, tapped the lamp under the table, the floor under the bed, etc., and found that there were indeed several copper pipes and other sound leaks in the room that could be monitored. Li Yi quickly pressed the colored silk on the floor to leak sound At the place, the plain cloth was torn apart to block all suspicious gaps.

Not to mention that the two of them were busy in the room, but Han Li couldn't help being overjoyed when he heard Lu Chengzhi's resignation and said that he had successfully detained Young Master Cui. Lu Chengzhi said: "There are various rumors outside that Cui Lin is Cui Yi's only son. He was weak and sick since he was a child, but he is good at military affairs. Unexpectedly, he is quite good at martial arts. If it wasn't for the master's order, he laid down a heavy army and captured him. Shi, almost told him to escape."

Han Li said: "Since you dare to come to my residence, you must have the courage and ability, so you should not take it lightly. Although you have detained him, you must pay close attention to his every move."

Lu Chengzhi nodded, and said: "It has been arranged long ago. His room was locked up, all kinds of bugging devices were installed, and another person was sent to keep an eye on him."

At this moment in the room, Li Yi and He Xiaowei inspected carefully, and confirmed that all the eavesdropping mechanisms in the room were blocked, and she just said softly: "My lord, you can take a bath."

Chapter 3

(6)

Early in the morning of the second day, the two got up to wash and wash. They were bored in every possible way. Seeing Go in the room, they sat down to play the score. After a while, I suddenly saw Lu Chengzhi walking in with his maid, who was holding a plate of freshly picked flowers.

Lu Chengzhi smiled and said: "These are newly picked flowers today. The lord said that the young master is an elegant person. He should not be wronged by the young master when it comes to daily necessities. He specially ordered me to send these flowers for the young master to enjoy."

Li Yi didn't even look at those flowers, and said coldly: "Your master, you didn't keep your word, you promised me at that time that if I would arrest you without a fight, you would let Mrs. He go. Why didn't you keep your promise?"

"My master's words can't help blaming my master." Lu Chengzhi explained with a smile, "The master said that the master is delicate and expensive, and our servants here are all rough people, clumsy, and I am afraid that I will not serve you well. This Mrs. He is a caring and caring person, so she can take good care of you."

Li Yi suddenly asked, "Who is the envoy sent from Beijing?"

Lu Chengzhi was taken aback. He never expected that he would ask such a sentence, and he was dumbfounded for a moment.

I just heard Li Yi say: "Your lord had intended to make friends with our Dingsheng army, but suddenly he detained me here, so it must be someone from Jingzhong, so he had to change. idea."

Lu Chengzhi settled down, thinking that no wonder his lord said that Mr. Cui is a top character, Cui Yi has this one son, he can be worth ten sons, he is really powerful, just trying to explain a few words, suddenly he heard Mr. Cui say again : "I have a way to make your master no longer be in a dilemma."

Speaking of which, Gu Zhen stayed for one night in such a luxurious and rich governor's mansion, and the Han mansion sent two beauties to serve him like a celestial being. The next day, I went up three poles every day before getting up. He was hugging the two beauties and making fun of them, and was eating food when he suddenly saw Lu Chengzhi coming in with a smile, cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations to Shilang Gu, congratulations to Shilang Gu."

Gu Zhen asked puzzledly: "Where does joy come from?"

Then Lu Chengzhi said: "Gu Shilang is really a lucky star. As soon as you came to the mansion, it happened that Cui Lin, Cui Yi's son, came to Bingzhou to visit my lord in person."

Gu Zhen was dumbfounded when he heard this, and asked: "Cui Yi's son Cui Lin? Is it Lu Long Jiedu envoy, Shuobei governor, general Cui Yi? His son Cui Lin?"

Lu Chengzhi nodded, took another step forward, and complimented him thoughtfully: "Why don't you say that the servant is really a lucky star? Everyone in the world knows that Cui Yi is the only son who loves more than his life, but this Mr. Cui is so bold that he dares to come to Bingzhou to visit us. My lord." He said impassionedly: "The governor, with his assistant as his envoy, bestowed countless rare treasures and twelve guards with golden armor. Our lord is very grateful for such kindness, so we have given those Cui Yi's son is detained, and he is going to be escorted back to the capital by your servant. Once the governor takes Cui Zi as a hostage, are you afraid that the old man Cui Yi will not obey the orders of the governor? Gu Shilang, you will escort Cui Zi back to Beijing. It is also a credit to hand over the capital to the governor, and it is our lord who is grateful to the servant, and repays the kindness of the old man."

After hearing such a remark, Gu Zhen had long been elated. He never thought that such a great achievement would fall on his head for no reason. Sure enough, he made the right move by taking refuge in the Chief Superintendent Sun. He also thought of the fact that the elders in the clan all despised him for taking refuge in Sun Jing, and praised Gu Yu as a man of character. Isn't it because Gu Yu is a big official, and Sun Jing still wants him to be the chief assistant? This time I have made such a great contribution, Sun Jing will definitely value him more and more. I am afraid that he will be promoted to three levels in a row. Right now, he is a third-rank servant, and if he is promoted to a third level, he will not be a first-rank Zhongshu orders? When he became the prime minister, everyone in the family would naturally be as respectful as they were to Gu Zhen, and would never dare to make irresponsible remarks again.

When he thought of this, he was overjoyed for a long time, and said repeatedly: "Okay! Okay! I will definitely remember Han Gong's favor! When the time comes, I will definitely repay it." He thought that once he made the Zhongshuling, he would repay Han Li, couldn't it be easier? But when he became the Zhongshuling and Han Li became his subordinate, he would have to be more respectful than today. At that time, he could pat him on the shoulder and call "Han Shishilang" with a smile to encourage him. He is good at doing things. Thinking of that situation, he almost laughed out loud, feeling flattered in his heart.

Lu Chengzhi said again: "Now that Mr. Cui has been detained, our lord said that Gu Shilang is a special envoy sent by the governor, and he dare not deal with it without authorization. How to interrogate this Mr. Cui, how to escort him and other details, I have to think about it." Just follow Gu Shilang's orders."

Then Gu Zhen is just a wine bag and a rice bag. He used to be a sixth-rank official by relying on the power of the clan to dawdle. The children of the aristocratic family, especially the Gu family, took a look at it and took advantage of Sun Jing's benefits. As for the others, they didn't expect the slightest bit. And Gu Zhen didn't have practical talents, so when he heard Lu Chengzhi said that he had to deal with him according to his orders, he was at a loss and didn't know how to answer.

Knowing his details, Lu Chengzhi hurriedly suggested: "It seems that the minister was in the Ministry of Rites before and had never handled such matters. Since Cui Zi is detained, if the governor has not issued an order, it seems inappropriate for me to interrogate him without authorization. "He took a step forward and whispered in his ear: "Gu Shilang, someone thought that Cui Zi was arrogant, so it's better to frustrate his sharpness first, so that you can be escorted on the road."

Gu Zhen hurriedly asked: "How to dampen his spirit?"

At that moment, Lu Chengzhi was like this, and he explained in detail that Gu Zhen was originally a frivolous villain, and when he heard that he could show off his prestige in front of Cui Yi's son, he was so happy from ear to ear, thinking that Cui Yi was not the same as Sun Yi. One of the "Three Heroes of the Kingdom" by Jing, a famous general in the world, can stop the child from crying at night in Shuobei and humiliate his son. Is there anything more joyful in the world than this? Immediately nodded again and again, and asked Lu Chengzhi to handle it.

At present, there was another grand banquet in the governor's mansion, and Han Li asked the twelve golden-armored guards, gifted by Sun Jing and personally selected by Gu Zhen, to stand in the hall holding spears. Han Li specially invited Gu Zhen to sit in the middle, and ordered the dancers to perform dances, presenting delicacies from mountains and seas like flowing water, and filling golden cups with all kinds of fine wines, and offering them to Gu Zhen again and again. He coaxed him to smile, and then ordered someone to bring Mr. Cui up.

Gu Zhen took a closer look, and saw that Mr. Cui was really handsome, walking slowly into the hall with a beautiful girl. Although he has become a prisoner, but when he walked in, he was still calm and unhurried. I thought that the old man Cui Yi gave birth to a good son, but it's a pity, now he has to coil up even if it's a dragon, or lie down even if it's a tiger, it's up to him to decide. He also looked at the beautiful girl behind Mr. Cui, and saw that she was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Although she was dressed like a young man, she had bright eyes and bright teeth, and she was obviously a stunning beauty. He made up his mind right away, and later asked Han Li for this beauty. Since Mr. Cui has already become a prisoner, this beauty should belong to him.

He thought about it again happily, and only heard Han Li say: "How lucky Han is to have a feast today, Mr. Cui, this is Gu Shilang, the personal envoy sent by the governor."

Gu Zhen pretended to be calm, and said: "I have heard for a long time that Mr. Cui is very handsome, but seeing him today, his reputation is well-deserved."

I saw that Mr. Cui, who seemed to have never glanced at him, took that beautiful girl and sat on the table arrogantly and indifferently. Gu Zhen couldn't help being furious, and thought to himself: When you are deported to Beijing, I will order someone to whip you a few times to see if you can still be so arrogant?

Han Lidao: "Young Master Cui, Gu Shilang is a personal envoy sent by the Metropolitan Governor. He is here, just like the Metropolitan Governor is here in person. Don't take Master Cui lightly."

This sentence almost reached Gu Zhen's heart, he couldn't help but straighten his back, and snorted coldly. Mr. Cui didn't care, he leaned on the table, and said indifferently: "I came to pay a visit to Mr. Han, but Mr. Han detained me. Mr. Han's intention is to be with my Cui family's one hundred thousand Dingsheng army." enemy?"

Han Li smiled and said, "Where is that, Young Master is serious. It's just that Young Master is a distinguished guest, and coincidentally, the personal envoy of the governor is here again, so Han asked the personal envoy for instructions, and wants the personal envoy to escort young master to Beijing."

When Gu Zhen heard him say the word "ask for instructions", he couldn't help laughing out of his heart, and said, "Yes, I will escort you to the capital, Xichangjing is such a prosperous place, I think you will be very happy . " He used the phrase "Happy to miss Shu" as a pun, using Liu Chan as a metaphor for Mr. Cui in front of him, and he was quite proud of himself for saying this cleverly.

I don't want Mr. Cui to even look at him, and said coldly: "The jumping clown dares to make noise in front of me." Gu Zhen was furious when he heard the words: "Zhuzi is so conceited, but he looks down on the governor?" Han Li hurriedly persuaded Said: "Sir, calm down, calm down, young master is just a young man, and I don't know your identity." Then he said to Mr. Cui: "Young master, Gu Shilang comes from the Gu family in Bingzhou. younger brother."

But seeing that Mr. Cui finally glanced at him: "Think about how handsome Gu Yu is, how could there be such a miserable clan brother." The tone was very contemptuous, as if to say that he was not worthy to carry Gu Zhen's shoes.

Hearing this, Gu Zhen almost twisted his nose in anger. He hated to compare him with Gu Yu the most in his life. Gu Yu became famous as a young man. His articles made a sensation in the world when he was less than twenty years old. He was also good at poetry and prose. A capable minister with outstanding talents is recognized as a practical talent who has won the emperor's heart. This Gu Zhen was often ridiculed by his wife when he was at home: "Gu Lang is also a sixth-rank official. He has been a prime minister for more than ten years. You are also Gu Lang and a sixth-rank official. You have been a sixth-rank official for more than ten years." , if you really are Gu Lang, how can you be like Gu Lang." The irony was both bitter and mean, and he could only bear it.

Tolerate at that time, do you still have to endure at this time? ! At that moment, Gu Zhen pointed to Mei Ji who was beside Mr. Cui and asked, "Who is this girl?"

Han Li hurriedly said: "This is the He family. I think the envoy has heard of it. This woman is called the 'Best Girl' in the Dingsheng Army, and she is the one that Young Master Cui loves and uses."

Where did Gu Zhen hear that there are no tips or tricks? He just wanted to humiliate the ignorant Mr. Cui in front of him, so he nodded immediately: "In that case, then invite He's daughter to come to Beijing to perform dances for the governor. life!"

Thank you so much iam really greatful for your efforts...and iam looking forward to the next chapters. Please don't forget that we are here to read your posts always ready