The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

Chapter 277
In the end, some marginalized officials came up with an idea to let all the ministers move into the palace, and then put the whole city under martial law, and then sent a large number of soldiers to search inch by inch.

But in this way, the life of the people in the city will be difficult.

Being in a troubled world, everyone's life is not very peaceful, and it is even more difficult now. After all, the two industries that have been most affected by this incident are the two industries of commerce and agriculture.

Especially merchants, among which rice merchants are the most representative.

Speaking of which, this rice business is a newly opened industry. While exchanging appropriate prices for surplus grain from farmers, they sell it in the store at a new price by measuring the market price.

In this way, farmers have the opportunity to exchange their surplus for money, and other ordinary people can also use money to buy food. This kind of business, in the words of later generations, should be regarded as a conscientious enterprise.

This is also a good way to benefit the people at the moment, but it is destroyed at once.

The worst one among them is a man named Yin Hao. It is rumored that he was born in a family of merchants, and he is from the Yin family of Jiuqu. Since he arrived in Chang'an City, he has intersected with many noble families and gained a lot when doing business. convenient.

In fact, when he was in Xuchang, he had dealt with many people from the gentry, because he had followed the footsteps of the Cao family during those three years, and even handed over a lot of business to the Cao family. , very close friendship.

But right now...

Looking at the large amount of grains in the rice warehouse that had been eaten by moths, and even moldy and rotted, he was in a bad mood. It was unbelievable, but he had to believe it.

After all, several tuns of grain that had been destroyed were right in front of him. For a businessman like him, it was like a natural disaster!

Heartbroken, he ran to the government office in desperation and wept silently. At the same time, he told many friends of the gentry about his current situation. After receiving a sum of money, he resolutely hired many nursing homes, just to survive this winter.

As for the rice and money lost, we can only earn them later.

For this matter, Cao Pi has no way to do anything. He feels that the only thing he can do is to continue to vigorously search for the assassin. When the assassin is caught, the hearts of the people in Chang'an City will be stabilized.

"My lord, all the people in the city have checked, and all the people recorded in the books, those who have lived here for less than three years, and the foreigners who came here recently, there is no one we are looking for!"

Speaking of this, Hua Xin was very melancholy. In order to investigate this matter, he spent a lot of energy. He read several volumes of files without sleep and didn't say anything. House servants, etc.

It can be said that in the entire city of Chang'an, he basically checked everything that should be investigated and should not be investigated.

So at this moment in front of Cao Pi, he was very scared.

He was afraid that Cao Pi would accuse him of being incompetent and be promoted to an official position, and he was also afraid that the other party would order him to continue investigating the matter.

Of course, if it's just a few simple reproaches, it's fine if you don't lose your official position. The key is that if you let yourself investigate the matter again, the rumors and rumors in the entire Chang'an city may really be out of control.

At this moment, Cao Pi obviously realized this too, and he roared angrily above the hall: "A group of bastards, who is talking nonsense? Go, check for me, find the person who spread the rumors, and count them all Grab it!"

"No way, my lord!"

Hua Xin and Chen Qun were taken aback when they heard the words, and hurriedly persuaded, "The rumors have spread all over the streets and alleys, if we really want to arrest people, I'm afraid no one in the city will be spared!"

"Yes, my lord, we acted like this when we first came to Chang'an. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to convince the public in the future. Besides, since ancient times, there has been no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. If we continue to guard it like this, I'm afraid the first We were the ones who collapsed."

Cao Pi suppressed the anger in his heart, his face darkened, but he couldn't stop crying for himself.

Damn, he has only been in Chang'an City for a few days?How many days!

Where did this rumor come from?The speed of the spread is too fast, someone must be jealous of himself, and do it on purpose, you bastard!
"This matter is as complicated as you say? I have a plan..."

The drunk Xi Zhicai leaned on the pillar in the hall, and uttered a burst of alcohol-smelling words.

This person has been like a day for decades, he likes to indulge in mountains and rivers the most, and loves to linger in the place of fireworks, because when he was summoned, he happened to be drinking in a restaurant, and he drank a lot, so he was already drunk at the moment.

Speaking of it, among the Confucian "gentlemen", there are really few people with the character of Xi Zhicai, who is very casual but strong...

As far as he is concerned, it doesn't matter whether he is assassinated or not, but he must drink wine and have fun, but if you really want to assassinate him or offend the people around him, this guy will dare to follow you without saying a word fist.

He doesn't look like a Confucian scholar at all, but I have to say that he, who is familiar with Confucian classics, really has certain insights and understandings in Confucianism. This can be felt when he gives Cao Pi ideas on weekdays, which is very magic.

"What's your opinion?"

Although he didn't like the character of the other party very much, Cao Pi still asked. After all, before his relative Cao Cao passed away, he was one of the important ministers appointed by the emperor.

"Check again! Those who have lived here for less than three years have been checked, but those who have lived here for more than three years have not been checked. Within seven days, these people will be checked again!"

"You still want to investigate? This...my lord, this is absolutely impossible!"

"Yes, my lord, you must not listen to such nonsense. How could the assassin be someone who has lived in the city for more than three years?"

"..."

When all the courtiers objected, Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes became brighter.

Then, he walked out of the team and said seriously: "My lord, I think what Xi Zhicai said is reasonable!"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Cao Pi frowned slightly, very puzzled, he couldn't figure out what was going on right now.

Needless to say, Hua Xin, Chen Qun and others are all honest people in the clan. Although their research on Confucianism is not bad, and there is nothing outstanding in internal affairs, they can't make mistakes, but they are a bit inferior in strategy .

On the contrary, Xi Zhicai, an old alcoholic, although he looks a bit rough on weekdays, his strategy is indeed a bit better than others.

However, this does not mean that his drunken words will also be adopted by himself.

But hearing Sima Yi's words, Xi Zhicai's drunken words, could there be a hidden secret?

Xi Zhicai, who had attracted everyone's attention, smiled and said nothing. Instead, he glanced at Sima Yi lightly and asked, "Why? Could it be that Zhong Da and I are connected?"

The corner of Sima Yi's mouth twitched, what kind of nonsense words were used?
Although he was a little speechless, he was still calm, bowed his hands towards the other party with a smile on his face, and said: "Although I can't communicate with you, I know that you have opened your mouth at this moment and said that you will investigate strictly. Consider."

"Zhong Damo is joking, you must already know what I think."

Xi Zhicai leaned on the pillar, completely ignoring the others, only staring at Sima Yi, and said with a half-smile: "It seems that I made Da Zhong unhappy, if not, why would I hide my secrets from my lord? "

"Hey, you already have a countermeasure, but you only speak up when you have to. Zhong Da, aren't you afraid that you will be chilling in the long run?"

When Sima Yi heard this, his calm expression almost failed.

What the hell is going on with Xi Zhicai?Aren't you speaking for him?It's fine for him to be ungrateful, why should he take the knife on himself?

Can these words be said in front of the lord?
He complained crazily in his heart, but Xi Zhicai didn't care about it.

He himself is from a poor family, he is not welcomed by the clan's children, and he also doesn't like the clan's people, so even now, he is alone, no matter at home or in the government office.

It is also because of this that he has never had family thoughts. Anyway, he has been alone for so many years. Even if he has conflicts with others in the future, it will not affect the whole family, let alone rise to the level of the family.

Based on this kind of thinking, there is naturally no one in this huge palace that he dare not offend.

Sima Yi, who was placed on the stage, was thinking wildly in his heart. After a while, he looked at Xi Zhicai, bent down, and said with a smile, "What are you talking about, Your Excellency? I'm not very knowledgeable, I just have some ideas, and I don't have any ideas." A relatively mature strategy."

"How dare you open your mouth and show off in front of the lord?"

Xi Zhicai squinted at him, the corners of his mouth curled unconsciously, thinking, I believe you a ghost, you have so many goofy intestines in your stomach.

In fact, the two of them have been working together for a long time. Although there is no serious hypocrisy, there is a certain amount of fate.

Therefore, there have been some views on each other, but there have never been disputes and confrontations. This is not because the two sides have a sense of sympathy for each other.

This is what Xi Zhicai has only recently realized, but he is too lazy to ask the other party, and he doesn't want to talk to others.

He has always claimed to be a dissolute man, so how can he, who is a dissolute man, want to get caught up in fighting with others or even intrigue?
At this time, Cao Pi took a deep breath, resisted the impatience in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "If you have any good plans, please tell them as soon as possible!"

Don't allow yourself to see the rivalry between you trustees!
Although he didn't say the second half of the sentence, as long as he is smart, he can basically hear the impatience in his words.

But by chance, Xi Zhi is smart, but not sensible!

"Wei Gong, if you really want to solve the current predicament as soon as possible, then listen to me!"

Nonsense, if I don't want to hear your plan, why would I say that?

Looking at the drunken Xi Zhicai, Cao Pi couldn't help but burst into anger.

This bastard, could it be that he thinks he is young, so he is here to sell his old age?

To be honest, what are you showing off here?

Although Xi Zhicai only said a simple sentence, Cao Pi was very annoyed by his attitude.

Because the other party gave him the feeling as if he was a scorpion, and the scorpion was not enough to conspire with him!
Cao Pi, who became more and more annoyed as he thought about it, made a serious note of Xi Zhicai in his heart, and then said with a smile: "In this case, it's all up to Lingjun!"

When Xi Zhicai heard this, he lazily left the pillar, stood crookedly and gave an unruly salute to the other party, then hummed something, turned around and walked out of the hall.

When he reached the outside of the hall, he was slightly sobered by the cold wind, but he also felt dizzy. At this time, his feet were already on the steps.

His figure was shaking violently, and just when he almost lost control of his body and was about to fall, a pair of hands appeared beside him and held him firmly.

Taking a closer look, it turned out to be Zhong Yao.

"Hehe, Mr. Zhong? Why are you here in the middle of the night if you're not hiding at home?"

Zhong Yao smiled cheerfully and didn't answer, instead he asked with a smile: "Zhicai, since you have the confidence to solve this kind of trouble, you must know who the assassin came from, right?"

"Hey! Who else is there besides Xi Yu? Although I don't know when those assassins sneaked into Chang'an, but if I'm not wrong, the 'assassins' he sent must be those black knights back then!"

"Because in the whole world, only black cavalry have such unpredictable and hard-to-defend methods and schemes. They kill people even more silently. If those guys... Treat them as ordinary cavalry, I'm afraid you will suffer a lot..."

"Actually, I have had several discussions with my former lord on the matter of black knights. The main purpose is to study the talents of these people. In addition to killing people, they have also learned strategies!"

Together with Zhong Yao, he walked down the steps slowly towards the outer hall, intending to find the commander in the imperial city and order him to pass the news to Cao Zhang.

Then let Cao Zhang arrange manpower to block and block the gate of the city, and finally, together with himself, conduct an in-depth search of the people in the city.

In this dark environment with light and light moonlight, the two of them never stopped talking until they walked all the way to the university grounds.

At this time, Xi Zhicai talked about what Xi Yu taught the black knight to learn and practice.

"I still remember that Xi Yu ordered the black knights to study thirteen subjects, assassination and stealth were only the second, and besides these black knights, they also had to learn strategy theory, business, agriculture, arithmetic..."

"More than that, he also set up an inspection system at the end of each month. Anyone who fails one of the thirteen subjects will be expelled from the black knight team."

"Under such fierce competition, it took several years before the rudiment of the black knight came into being!"

"The first batch of black knights entered the world at that time, but there were only a hundred people, so the name of black knights resounded all over the world!"

"I feel that the white cavalry who is disturbing everyone's life today is probably not very different from what the black cavalry has learned."

"It's a pity that only Xi Yu knows about the subjects they learn, and I can't teach them at all..."

"I see!"

Hearing so much from the other party along the way, Zhong Yao sighed.

He nodded slowly, then looked at the other party with burning eyes, and said indifferently: "In this way, since we know that this matter is caused by the black cavalry, why don't we kill or expel him on the spot, but search around? "

"Because no matter how powerful they are, what they are doing now is nothing more than assassination and other low-level things. As long as I wait for the whole city to be under martial law and search, I think they will be impatient."

"After seven days, regardless of whether these people have been searched out by us or not, the city gate will be opened. At that time, with their flustered temperament, they will definitely try their best to escape from Chang'an."

"Wouldn't it be better if we dispatched soldiers to arrest all of them and torture them severely to ask about the specific content of those thirteen disciplines?"

"So that's the case, this plan is very clever! If I can also learn those knowledge, I'm afraid I can bring peace to all generations!"

Zhong Yao stroked his beard and smiled happily.

"Looking at the current situation in the world, in a chaotic world, prosperity is late, and it is still difficult for Confucian scholars in the world to protect themselves. Naturally, it is difficult to develop and grow. If Confucianism and Taoism are lonely, it is really chilling."

"If Chang'an at this time can show some methods and skills to restore it, it can be regarded as a harbinger before the coming of the prosperous age."

"I never thought about this, I just hope to keep Chang'an."

Xi Zhicai shook his head, sighed deeply, and continued: "Before the lord passed away, he asked me to help the lord repeatedly, so I can ignore other things, except the lord's worries."

"My only wish right now is that Xi Yu will not harm the lord and Wei again!"

"I see!"

Zhong Yao nodded, he didn't know how many times he had said along the way.

Xi Zhicai also discovered that Zhong Yao only listened to himself from the beginning to the end, but never expressed his feelings, opinions or even strategies. I don't know...what did he think?

For this old man who is older than himself and has been with him for several years, he still values ​​it very much!
"Mr. Zhong, Zhicai has the courage to ask, I don't know... what's your opinion on the world today..."

"Hahaha, high opinion has nothing to do with me!"

Zhong Yao looked up to the sky and laughed, then looked at the other party and said speciously: "Although I eat the king's salary and worry about the king's worries, I am just a person who is about to die. The only thing I can do is to be loyal to my duty."

"I'm in my position to seek his own government, and whatever position my lord asks me to hold, I will do my job with peace of mind. As for the other things, it has nothing to do with me, whether it is the world or the great cause, it has nothing to do with me!"

After saying this, the two also came outside the gate of the palace, and it was time to part ways.

The two said goodbye, and Zhong Yao took his servants in a carriage and walked slowly towards Jiqing Street.

At the end of this street, there are the mansions of various ministers and ministers. The road is flat along the way, but the trails are endless, just like a tree with luxuriant branches.

It's okay to walk this road during the day, but at night, if others have evil intentions, it becomes a perfect place to kill people and hide everywhere!
"Walking this way in the dead of night, he is not afraid of anything!"

Xi Zhicai looked at the gradually leaving carriage, muttering to himself.

All of a sudden, he thought about a problem that had troubled him for a long time—road!

What troubles me is not the road in front of me, but the road of life!

"Mr. Zhong... is really enviable..."

It wasn't until this moment that Xi Zhi truly sobered up.

After living half my life, the only one I have seen who is sober and transparent is probably the one in front of me.

(End of this chapter)