A knife in love

Chapter 500

Li Qiufeng's heart trembled, and he hurriedly touched his waist with his right hand, but found nothing.He had lost his Xiuchun sword, and now he was holding the Buddha's Tears Sword in his left hand, but it was not as good as the long sword.

Li Qiufeng turned his head to look, but saw Yang Zhenzhong, who was in charge of Jinyiwei, standing ten steps away.

Yang Zhenzhong was followed by more than ten Jinyiwei, but the faces of these people were all unfamiliar.However, from the perspective of clothing, all of them are of high grade.

Li Qiufeng knew that if Yang Zhen was alone, his martial arts were superior to his own, not to mention that there were so many masters of Jin Yiwei.If you want to make a move at this time, it is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg.He cupped his hands towards Yang Zhenzhong, and said in his mouth: "Master Yang, I am already a traitor of Jin Yiwei, and I am ashamed of being a hundred households."

Yang Zhenzhong smiled slightly, waved his right hand lightly, and the dozen or so Jinyi guards behind him bowed their heads and took a few steps back, then turned around and scattered away.Yang Zhenzhong walked up to Li Qiufeng with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile: "It was my idea that you flew out of the prison with Yan Dufei that day. If I don't speak, who dares to expel you from Jinyiwei? You are still Jinyiwei Nan Lord Baihu of the Zhenfu Division, this is a matter of course."

Li Qiufeng said: "My lord's kindness is appreciated. But I have decided to leave the capital, I hope my lord will not blame me."

Yang Zhenzhong looked at Li Qiufeng, nodded, and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions, so don't force it. But this drama is coming to an end. You came here today, it is God's will."

Li Qiufeng remained silent.Yang Zhenzhong continued: "The master has arrived, let's go."

Yang Zhenzhong walked towards Baocheng first, and Li Qiufeng followed behind him.Since entering the second entrance courtyard, there are no officers and soldiers guarding it.It's just that there is an eunuch standing every not far away.When these eunuchs saw Yang Zhenzhong, they didn't salute, they just bowed their bodies and looked at the ground.

Before reaching Baocheng, even the shadow of the eunuch was gone.A large tent appeared in front of the two of them, and dozens of Jinyi guards stood outside the tent.These brocade guards wear black soft hats and brocade clothes, with embroidered spring knives in their hands.All of them raised their chests and folded their stomachs, with awe-inspiring expressions.Seeing that the epicentre of Yang had arrived, he didn't look sideways.

Yang Zhenzhong stopped in his tracks, turned to Li Qiufeng and said, "Li Baihu, you might as well guess who is in this big tent?"

Li Qiufeng said: "One of them must be the current emperor. The other one, I guess his surname is Shou."

Yang Zhenzhong nodded, with a bit of melancholy on his face, he said: "If we could know the identity of this old man a few days earlier, many people would not have to lose their lives."

Li Qiufeng shook his head, and said in a deep voice: "Lord Yang, if you had known that this old man was a craftsman in the imperial mausoleum, thousands of heroes would have been sealed in the underground palace of Kangling long ago." , was buried with Emperor Zhengde."

Yang Zhenzhong shook his head and said: "You guessed wrong this time. The son said on the river, the dead are like a husband. The general trend of the world is like torrential water. Although there are twists and turns, it will eventually flow into the sea. This is not human power." Shou Lao is a smart man, how can he not know this truth? It’s just that everyone is innocent, but he is guilty of his crime. Although Shou Lao’s heart is like ancient well water, why would someone use him to turn the world upside down and plot great things .So we have to guard against it. This is good for the longevity of the old people, and it is also a good thing for the future."

Li Qiufeng looked at Yang Zhenzhong, and said word by word: "So Master Lu and Master Yang have already set up a chess game, and put the chess pieces on the board one by one. The south of the Yangtze River measures the land, and the southwest changes the land to return it to the stream. A good move by the imperial court is to wipe out all the former officials of the Zhengde Dynasty who slipped through the ceremony..."

Yang Zhenzhong shook his head, and said: "If these old ministers want to be rich, who would make things difficult for them? But they are not willing to lose power, they want to oppose the imperial court, and they don't hesitate to collude with Tartars and Japanese pirates. Waiting for the scum, how can we not get rid of it? It’s just an exaggeration to say that they will be wiped out all at once. Aren’t the seven ex-court elders who have retired to official positions are all taking care of themselves at home?”

Li Qiufeng remained silent, and after a while, he said in a deep voice: "In the three games of Huangling, Yong'an City, and Hutouyan, Lord Lu and Lord Yang have won a complete victory, and the winning ticket is already guaranteed. The next step is to It’s going to be cut down.”

Yang Zhenzhong smiled and said: "Li Baihu, you are wrong again. These three games are at most a draw, and the opponent even has a slight upper hand, don't you see that?"

Li Qiufeng was taken aback, and said, "I would like to hear the details."

Yang Zhenzhong looked at the big tent, and said slowly: "The current emperor, with the dignity of the Son of Heaven, possesses the power of all directions, but he has no choice but to condescend to make peace with this catastrophe. Isn't this a failure? Downwind?"

When he said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued: "Although there are only two people sitting in the big tent in front of us, outside the imperial tomb, I don't know how many pairs of eyes are staring at you. Here. And the governors from all over the country, and even the important border towns, have countless eyeliners all around the Eight Treasures Lotus Mountain. This chess game has reached the most critical juncture. Whether it is a poor show or a calm sea, after tonight, everything will be It can be seen that it is clear."

Li Qiufeng said: "It's just that no matter what the result of this game is, Master Yang is already invincible, and he just sits and watches the outcome of others."

Yang Zhenzhong smiled slightly, and said: "I think you have seen Liu Sheng Zongyan?"

Li Qiufeng nodded, and said: "More than ten years ago, Liu Shengzongyan expended all his efforts to eliminate dozens of sects in one fell swoop in the battle of Xingxian King's Tomb, and killed many masters of Dongchang and Jinyiwei, making the late emperor's confidants Because of this, the late emperor was plotted in Nanjing and almost died on the spot. Liu Sheng Zongyan thought he had the trick, but he didn't expect that he was just the murderous knife of the court chief and the Xingxian Palace. Now, this knife is useless. Liu Sheng Zongyan steals chickens and loses a lot of rice. Instead, he becomes a bereaved dog. It’s just that the Japanese are vicious and still want to make a comeback. After the current emperor inherits the Datong, his status is unstable and there are disputes between the court and the middle. Unceasingly. The knife of Liu Shengzongyan has a place to use it again. Lord Lu, Lord Yang, Lord Zhang, Lord Yuan, Lord Liu, Lord Yang, you are fighting for life and death in the court, but it is Liu Shengzongyan who contributes. There are also those little officials who don't know how to live or die. In the past ten years, there have been more than two hundred officials in the imperial court who have been beheaded and ransacked their homes. I don't know how many heroes have died tragically in the Jianghu. But my lords are sitting still Diaoyutai did not hurt at all. Mencius said that those who work hard will rule others, and those who work hard will rule others. This sentence really hits the nail on the head.”

Yang Zhenzhong said: "It is always better for those who work hard to govern people than those who work hard. To govern people with hard work is just to keep the world safe at the least cost. At that time, the world was in chaos, people were dying, more than two hundred officials died, and more than a million heroes died tragically?"

Speaking of this, Yang Zhenzhong sighed, and continued: "In the past five or six years, the struggle between the parties in the court has become more and more fierce, and the governors from all over the country have both sides. Some old officials who helped the current emperor inherit the great power in the past have lost power, and they are inevitably disappointed. When the first emperor was in power, Jinyiwei and Dongchang were controlled by Liu Jin, Qian Ning, Jiang Bin, etc., and their power was overwhelming. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he abolished the frontier army at the border to suppress the desire of the arrogant soldiers to provoke quarrels and fight for merit. Taking back the power of Jinyiwei and Dongchang in the court, so that Chang and Wei no longer participate in the court party struggle. Jiangnan is the source of money and food for the country, and re-measurement of fields to suppress mergers. These are all good strategies for governing the country. Those dissatisfied veterans took this opportunity , in collusion with the gentry, contacted some border warriors, and tried to repeat the past more than ten years ago. If their plot succeeds, there will be chaos in the world, blood will flow into rivers, and millions of corpses will be buried."

Li Qiufeng said: "These important affairs of the court are not something that I and other small people can participate in. It's just that I don't know something, so I ask Lord Yang to let me know. Li is working in the Jinyiwei, and I think Master Yang has already checked Li's origins. It's clear. In Jinyiwei, there are hundreds or thousands of people who have better martial arts experience than Li. For such an important event today, why would Mr. Yang lower his status and talk about these world events with this insignificant minister? ?”

Yang Zhenzhong smiled slightly, and said: "Li Baihu, to be honest, your martial arts are good, but you are not outstanding among the Jinyiwei. However, there are still many unresolved things about your origin. Therefore, I sent you to do things, on the one hand Of course it is because you act calmly, and your martial arts are weird, Yu Qiang Yu Qiang. On the other hand, you also want to observe secretly, to see who is the most sacred person who put you in Jinyiwei."

Li Qiufeng said: "In Yong'an City, Mr. Yang has already discovered my relationship with Mr. Liu Ge."

Yang Zhenzhong shook his head and said, "Ever since you entered Jinyiwei, I knew that Lord Liu had a very close relationship with you. But what I was worried about was not Lord Liu, but the man behind you. It was him who I couldn't see clearly. You can’t help worrying.”

When Yang Zhenzhong said this, he looked at Li Qiufeng and said, "Now that the overall situation is settled, can Li Baihu tell me, who is that person?"

Li Qiufeng said: "Lord Yang, you can rest assured. He has never had any intention of party disputes in the imperial court, and never participated in the grievances and grievances in the Jianghu. He is just a hermit who piously repays his ancestors. No matter for Master Lu, Yang Sir, he has no intention of embarrassing Lord Liu or Lord Yang, let alone helping either party."

Yang Zhenzhong nodded and said: "This is the best. I can see everyone in this chess game pretty well, only the person behind you, I still can't see clearly. Since Li Baihu said so, I feel relieved. "

At this moment, someone in the big tent suddenly heard laughter.Yang Zhenzhong's expression changed, he stopped talking, but stared at the big tent with a solemn expression.After a while, the big curtain door was lifted, and a person came out staggeringly.This man had wrinkles on his face and his clothes were worn out. He was obviously the old man who worked as a craftsman in the imperial mausoleum.Li Qiufeng met this person several times and knew his name was Shou Nanshan.

The Jin Yiwei outside the big tent saw this person walking out, but no one dared to step forward to stop him.That old Shou held a big silver ingot in his right hand, tossing and tossing it in his hand, his face was full of complacency.He took a few steps forward, and happened to be in front of Yang Zhenzhong and Li Qiufeng.

Yang Zhenzhong said respectfully, "Shou Lao."

"Shou shit!" Lao Shou said grinningly, "Why did you come? If you didn't come, he would be a little worried. He made several wrong moves, and he lost to me with such a big silver coin. "

Yang Zhenzhong said with a smile: "I was afraid that someone would disturb the two of you playing chess, so I checked around."

Lao Shou fiddled with the ingot of silver in front of his eyes, and said without raising his head, "Did you find anything?"

Yang Zhenzhong said: "Yes. There are quite a few people who want to watch this game of chess. In addition to some court officials, wealthy businessmen and gentry, there are also Japanese and Tartars."

Lao Shou raised his head, glanced at Yang Zhenzhong, and said with a smile: "You can put your heart in your stomach. Ten years ago, I figured it out. No shit in the world, there is no such thing as freedom. You go back He said to Lu that I've already done it all, and I won't mix with any Tartars and Japanese pirates. Don't let him make some messy bastards hang around in front of me. If I annoy me, maybe I'm so quiet that I want to move , I have to make things difficult for him.”

Yang Zhenzhong nodded and said: "Shou Lao's words, I will definitely bring them to Master Lu."

Lao Shou said: "The surname Lu was sent by Lao Tzu to work in Xingxian Wangfu. He held his breath in his heart, thinking that Lao Tzu looked down on him, so he wanted to do something big to show Lao Tzu. But he didn't know that Lao Tzu The most despised thing is that he is narrow-minded. If this continues, his master will turn against him one day. As for you, you can stick to your duty. I have said that the way of heaven is to be kind without fighting Victory. The surname Lu has been out of the limelight for more than ten years, I'm afraid it will be unlucky. You are good at martial arts, although your talent is not as good as that of Lu, but your knowledge is worse than him. In the future, you will be in power. Don't push too hard."

Yang Zhenzhong just smiled, but didn't speak.

Lao Shou glanced at Li Qiufeng, and said: "I heard that you paid off my gambling debt that day. Now that I have money, I originally wanted to pay you back. It's just that the debt has to be paid off in lump sum. Among Lao Tzu's creditors, I rank eighth, and I remember clearly that this debt will always be settled, so you can rest assured."

After Lao Shou finished speaking, he laughed and walked away with a pair of tattered cloth shoes on his feet.

Seeing that Lao Shou had gone far away, Li Qiufeng said to Yang Zhenzhong: "Master Yang, the matter here is over, I will take my leave." After he finished speaking, he took out the badge of Jin Yiwei from his pocket, handed it to Yang Zhenzhong and said: "Please pass this belt card to Mr. Gao of Fusi in Nanzhen."

Yang Zhenzhong shook his head, and said: "You should keep this badge, maybe you can use it in the future."

Li Qiufeng was startled, Yang Zhenzhong patted him on the shoulder, and said in his mouth: "Everyone says that Jinyiwei does a lot of evil, and we should avoid it. Only we who have worked in Jinyiwei before know the hardships. Li Baihu has since died. In Jianghu, I only look forward to the friendship of the old comrades, if there is a brother in Jin Yiwei who is in danger when he is doing business, please give him a helping hand."

Li Qiufeng thought for a moment, then nodded, put the waist badge in his arms, cupped his hands towards Yang Zhenzhong, then turned and left.

It was already midnight, and the pine waves around the imperial mausoleum were bursting with chills.Seeing Li Qiufeng's figure fading away, Yang Zhenzhong couldn't help but sighed slightly.

　(So ​​far the first volume of "Ghost" is over, please read the second volume of "Headless")

　　

　

(End of this chapter)