The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 481 The Dark Brothers
Just after the beginning of winter, a light snowfall fell in Kaifeng City, and the temperature dropped precipitously, making the people in the city feel the strong winter atmosphere overnight.

In an old and dilapidated small house outside Xihua Gate, Zhao Kuangyin, wearing a sheepskin coat and winter hat, folded his sleeves and walked back and forth in the courtyard, looking at the two dilapidated courtyard doors from time to time.

The small courtyard is full of potholes and there is a lot of water. If you step on it, it will make a squeaking sound.

After a while, a figure wrapped tightly in a coat and cloak appeared at the entrance of the courtyard and looked inside.

After seeing clearly that the person waiting in the courtyard was Zhao Kuangyin, the man hurriedly entered.

Zhao Kuangyin hurried forward, stood at the gate of the courtyard and looked around cautiously, making sure that there was no suspicious person following him, and then carefully closed the gate.

"Superintendent Li, thank you for your hard work! Please come in quickly!" Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hands and spoke in a very low voice.

"Hey, Dalang Zhao, it's so cold today that I can't move my legs. The Za family is just looking at your face, so they went out of their way to leave the palace."

The person who came had a shrill voice and held orchid fingers while speaking. He turned out to be a eunuch.

Zhao Kuangyin took out a wallet like a magic trick and stuffed it into the visitor's hand.

"Oh~ How embarrassing is this!" Superintendent Li pushed, but the purse disappeared from his body without leaving a trace. His cloak was lifted up, revealing an old powdered face with a very scary smile.

"Internal Supervisor Li, let's talk inside!" Zhao Kuangyin invited enthusiastically.

The old eunuch smiled politely and entered the main room first.

The furnishings in the room were simple, and the two of them sat facing each other. Zhao Kuangyin said, "I'm sorry, Inspector Li, but I came in a hurry and didn't bother to prepare refreshments."

Supervisor Li smiled and said: "No need to bother. The less traces left in such a hidden place, the better."

"Inquisitor Li is really a cautious person!" Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hand.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Old Eunuch Li said: "Zhao Dalang, the Zajia family thought about what you told the Zajia family last time for a long time, and still found it a bit difficult."

As Old Eunuch Li spoke, he observed Zhao Kuangyin's face as if he was testing him.

Zhao Kuangyin was also a human spirit, so he noticed it immediately and pretended to be eager: "Inquisitor Li, I hope you can help me this time! If this matter comes to the officials one day, my Zhao family will be in danger!
You are my father's old acquaintance, and you are my elder. For the sake of the Zhao family's long-standing friendship with you, I would like to ask Internal Inspector Li to help me this time!
I, Zhao Kuangyin and the Zhao family will definitely remember the kindness of Prisoner Li and will be repaid! "

As expected, Old Eunuch Li showed a bit of pride and sighed awkwardly: "But what you are planning, to put it harshly, is no different from rebellion!
Murdering the Queen Mother was a serious crime against the Nine Tribes! "

Zhao Kuangyin gritted his teeth, knelt down on one knee and cupped his fists: "The younger generation was ignorant and reckless back then, and touched the emperor's seal privately, and was known by the Queen Mother Li and Zhang Gui. Only by letting these two disappear in the world can my Zhao family be preserved!

Internal Inspector Li is an old acquaintance of the Zhao family. The younger generation believes that Internal Inspector Li will never bear to see the Zhao family destroyed!

Please Li Neijian save my Zhao family! "

"Oh, my dear nephew, please get up quickly!" Old eunuch Li helped Zhao Kuangyin up.

Old eunuch Li was full of hesitation, and Zhao Kuangyin encouraged him: "Back then, eunuch Li was originally a close confidant of Emperor Yin of the former dynasty. Later, he was killed by Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Gui, so he lost his status in the inner palace and lived alone in Yongxiang. It’s been six years, doesn’t Superintendent Li hate them and don’t want revenge?”

Old eunuch Li sighed: "What happened in the past, why are you still talking about him. Now that the miscellaneous family is at an old age, it is not bad to be able to live in peace."

Zhao Kuangyin noticed that the old eunuch had loosened his tone, and said again: "If eunuch Li needs anything from my Zhao family, it doesn't matter, I will do my best!"

What Old Eunuch Li was waiting for was his words, and he pretended to be sad: "Alas, something really happened recently, and the Za family couldn't sleep because of the worry!
The miscellaneous family is from Luzhou, there is no one in the family, only one nephew is left. A few years ago, the miscellaneous family entrusted people to take care of it everywhere, and at least let him be the county magistrate of Shexian County.

A few months ago, the nephew of the Za family was at odds with the new county magistrate. He was upset, drank two more sips of wine, had a conflict with someone in the street, and accidentally beat someone to death.

The new county magistrate took the opportunity to report to the state capital, insisting that the nephew of the Za family should be punished with death!
That poor nephew of the Za family, he has been working hard all these years, so it’s just that he can’t get promoted, because he even lost his life when he made a mistake, it’s really unfair!

The Za family has now lived in Yongxiang for a long time, and is already a useless cripple. There is no way to help him, and he can only watch the last bit of blood in the family die like this. Alas~wuwuwu~~"

Before he finished speaking, the old eunuch sobbed sadly and wiped the corners of his eyes, but he took the opportunity to observe Zhao Kuangyin's reaction.

Zhao Kuangyin pretended to think, but he was sneering in his heart. He knew that Old Eunuch Li suddenly agreed to leave the palace to see him, and there must be some purpose.

Zhao Kuangyin comforted him and said: "Li, please don't worry. The new Luzhou Jiedushi Li Yun was recommended by the prince-in-law Zhang Yongde. He also has a good relationship with my father. When I edit a letter and send it to Luzhou, please ask Li Jieshuai to think of a solution." , be accommodating and will definitely handle this matter properly!"

The old eunuch Li was overjoyed, and held Zhao Kuangyin's hand tightly, crying: "Thank you, nephew, for your righteousness! If you can save the last bit of flesh and blood of my family, the miscellaneous family will die in peace!"

After a pause, Old Eunuch Li gritted his teeth and said with determination: "If my nephew helps the Za family fulfill this last wish, the Za family will help you get rid of those two people in the Taiping Palace!

However, we have to wait until the Zajia's nephew comes to Kaifeng and the Zajia meet him before we can take action! "

Zhao Kuangyin scolded the old fox secretly, and said with a smile on his face: "In three months, I will definitely let Neijian Li see my nephew!"

Old eunuch Li was very happy and took Zhao Kuangyin's hand to express his gratitude.

"Sigh~ Speaking of which, the Zajia and Li Sanniang are also considered to be in the same family, and the Zajia was also with Emperor Gaozu back then, she shouldn't have relegated the Zajia to Yongxiang to pour Gongtong without showing any affection!
Emperor Yin is fatuous and absurd, with a vicious and cruel heart, and surrounded by jackals like Li Ye, if the miscellaneous family doesn't bother to please, how can they survive?
But Li Sanniang blamed the Za family for her son's sins. The Za family was really wronged!
This hateful woman deserves to die! "

The old eunuch Li suddenly had a ferocious face, his eyes showed a fierce look, and strong resentment and anger filled his face.

Zhao Kuangyin saw this and couldn't help but laugh. Just now he kept saying that the grudges were resolved, but in fact the hatred was just hidden deeper.

"Does the wise nephew have a plan to get rid of these two people?" Old Eunuch Li asked.

"I have some ideas, but we have to plan carefully. Once we get Superintendent Li's nephew to Kaifeng, we can sit down and discuss it in detail."

"Alright."

After a brief discussion, Zhao Kuangyin sent the old eunuch out.

Returning to the deserted vegetable garden behind the hall, a young man wearing a black fur coat stood under the eaves, looking at the thin layer of snowflakes covering the soil in the garden in a daze, as if he was thinking about something.

This person is none other than Zhao Kuangyi.

"Old Eunuch Li has agreed to help, but he has to wait until his nephew comes to Kaifeng and meets him before taking action."

Zhao Kuangyin told Zhao Kuangyi what the old eunuch had just requested.

Zhao Kuangyi smiled lightly and said: "That's fine. This old servant values ​​his nephew so much that I won't be afraid of him going back on his word when he is brought to Kaifeng."

Zhao Kuangyin sneered twice, and the two brothers wanted to go together. They had Old Eunuch Li's nephew in their hands, which could be used as a handle to blackmail him.

Zhao Kuangyin frowned again and said, "But deep inside the palace, how should we take action?"

Zhao Kuangyi pointed to the gloomy and gray sky: "When the weather gets colder, the opportunity will come."

Zhao Kuangyin asked suspiciously, "Do you have a solution?"

Zhao Kuangyi smiled and was noncommittal.It was obviously a handsome and childish face, but now it looked sinister and terrifying.

Zhao Kuangyin sighed again: "I have no grievances with Empress Dowager Li, and I shouldn't be so rebellious, but I feel like I have a light on my back when she survives. If one day she informs the officials about the matter and investigates it, I, Zhao Kuangyin, I'm afraid it's hard to protect my home! Alas~"

Zhao Kuangyi comforted him and said: "Brother, there is no need to worry about it. If you want to blame me, you can only blame Queen Mother Li for this difficulty in her life.

After all, she was the empress dowager of the previous dynasty, and it might not be a bad thing for the official family and the Great Zhou Dynasty to die early.

If the officials knew about it, they should be grateful to my Zhao family. "

Zhao Kuangyin smiled bitterly, shook his head and said nothing.

"By the way, Zhu Xiu is still in prison? Have the officials said when he will be released?" Zhao Kuangyi asked casually, pretending to be casual.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "The official didn't say it clearly, but Chai Junhou got the hint and should let him out before getting married next month."

Zhao Kuangyi murmured to himself: "Why didn't Wang Jun kill him in Xinlingfang? He was so lucky~"

Zhao Kuangyin frowned and said, "Do you still hate him? Just because of Cuifengzhai's kick? Or because of Lady Zhou?"

Zhao Kuangyi smiled self-deprecatingly and said with an extremely serious expression: "I have a hunch that this person may be the biggest enemy of my Zhao family in this life!"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at him with a frown and said in a deep voice: "Don't talk nonsense! There is no conflict between my Zhao family and Zhu Xiu, it's just a misunderstanding. Thanks to his recommendation, I was able to go to Cangzhou, join the Tianxiong Army, and serve under Chai Junhou .

Over the years, Zhu Xiu and I have not had as close a friendship as we have with Chai Junhou, Li Chongjin, Zhang Yongde and others, but we still have quite a friendship. I have learned a lot from him. From now on, our two families should live in harmony. "

Zhao Kuangyi shrugged and said with a smile: "I don't know why I feel this way, but from my analysis of this person's behavior, I always feel that he has a big agenda."

Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said: "Even the officials praised him for his natural sensitivity to the overall situation. Every time when the situation was turbulent and life and death was at stake, Zhu Xiu would show extraordinary foresight, as if he could see into the future!
This is what I admire most about him. "

Zhao Kuangyi pondered for a while and suddenly said: "Do you think Zhu Xiu really knows how to deduce heavenly secrets? I heard that he was in Cangzhou back then and could infer from the heavenly phenomena that Khitan Lord Yelu Deguang would die of illness!"

Zhao Kuangyin shook his head: "Master Zhu Xiu learned from the hermit in Tanzhou. No one knows what he learned. But the secret of heaven is mysterious. I don't believe that anyone can really predict the number of days."

Zhao Kuangyi suddenly whispered: "I heard that the dragon body of the official family is getting worse. Is the situation not getting better as claimed by the Imperial Medical Office?"

Zhao Kuangyin's expression changed, "Shut up! You must not talk nonsense about this kind of thing! Where did you hear it?"

"That fat guy Han Lingjun quietly told me. I heard the news came from the Imperial Medical Office." Zhao Kuangyi said nonchalantly.

Zhao Kuangyin said in a deep voice: "Don't ask about this kind of thing. Even if you hear it, pretend not to hear it."

Zhao Kuangyi smiled and said: "Looking at my brother's reaction, Fatty Han's news should be true?"

Zhao Kuangyin glared at him, then nodded imperceptibly.

Zhao Kuangyi became interested, "But the candidate for successor has not been decided yet. How did the officials consider it?
If the officials are confused and pass the throne to Li Chongjin, I think the Zhou Dynasty is not far away from falling apart. I, the Zhao family, had better make preparations in advance! "

Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly looked around, and said in a low voice, "Shut up! You dare to say anything, are you going to die?"

Zhao Kuangyi chuckled and said casually: "It's a pity that our Zhao family is not strong enough and has insufficient prestige. Otherwise, once the world is in chaos, there is no telling who will be the emperor!"
An Chongrong said it well, 'The emperor, he who has strong soldiers and horses will do it'! "

Zhao Kuangyin was angry and anxious. He clamped his ears with lightning speed and lifted them up: "What an arrogant kid! You are really not afraid of death. You dare to say anything!"

Zhao Kuangyi stood on tiptoes in pain and said angrily: "Zhao Da! Let go! Mother said you are not allowed to hit me again! I want to go back and tell mother that you are punching me again!"

Zhao Kuangyin suppressed his laughter and cursed: "You talk nonsense, and you will bring trouble to the Zhao family sooner or later! If you tell your mother, she will beat you!"

"Ouch~ It hurts!"

Zhao Kuangyin twirled his ears, and the two brothers left through the back door.

~~~
Prison of Dali Temple.

Zhu Xiu wrapped her coat tightly and lay comfortably on the couch reading a book. The stove was baking beside her. Shi Xiangwen squatted aside and used the stove to bake a few pancakes to eat.

After a while, the cell was filled with a burning aroma. Each of the two guys took a piece of crispy and brown bread and tore into it.

The aroma of sesame seeds attracted several jailers to poke their heads outside the cell, and the sound of swallowing could be heard from a distance.

There was a sound of rustling footsteps, and accompanied by the sound of the iron lock being unlocked, Feng Qingchan entered the cell with a respectful salute from the jailer.

Zhu Xiu glanced at it, and saw that this girl was wearing a black mink fur cloak today, which highlighted the whiteness of her face.

Zhu Xiu stood up and walked forward, taking the cloak from her hand naturally and patting the fine snowflakes that fell.

The cloak carried body temperature and exuded an intoxicating fragrance. Zhu Xiu couldn't help but get closer and smell it.

Feng Qingchan was not surprised by his similar obscene behavior and put down the medicine box and food box on her own.

"Next time, I'll bring ten or eight pounds of mutton. The stove is burning brightly. It would be a pity not to bake some meat~" Zhu Xiu muttered.

Feng Qingchan said calmly: "There will be no next time. This is the last time I will come to give you acupuncture."

Zhu Xiu was stunned: "Why?"

Feng Qingchan paused and said calmly: "You are getting married next month. Mr. Weng said that the official family will let you out of prison before the wedding. The Fu family and the Hou family are already planning the wedding. Your injuries have basically healed. From tomorrow on , the Fu family will send someone to take over my care of your food, clothing and daily life."

Zhu Xiu said with an unhappy face: "Just tell the old master, my injury is not healed yet, and I need you to come here every now and then for treatment."

Feng Qingchan said calmly: "This is also Mrs. Fu's intention."

"Uh" Zhu Xiu was speechless.

Feng Qingchan smiled faintly: "That's fine. After all, Fu is your in-law, so who am I?"

"Chan'er." Zhu Xiu looked at her helplessly.

Feng Qingchan turned her head, not wanting him to see the sadness in her eyes.

In the dull atmosphere, Zhu Xiu finished his last medical treatment in prison. Feng Qingchan put on his cloak and prepared to leave.

"Can you please send someone to deliver this letter to Li Chongjin?" Zhu Xiu said.

Feng Qingchan took it and put it away, gently nodded to him, opened the cell door and left.

The jailer tied the chain again, and Zhu Xiu lay melancholy by the fence, watching the pretty figure go away.
(End of this chapter)