Lanting prelude

Chapter 10 Missing
Xiao Junmo went through a series of thrilling twists and turns, and finally brought Biancai back to Chang'an.

After discovering that Biancai was injured in the oak forest that day, Xiao Junmo immediately sent him to the Shanzhou Public House to seek treatment from a doctor.The doctor found that only the tibia of Biancai's right leg was broken, and the rest was fine, so he straightened the bone, applied medicine, and clamped the broken bone with wooden planks.When the governor of Shanzhou learned about Gantangyi, he was afraid of taking responsibility and was full of panic.Xiao Junmo said that this matter has nothing to do with him, as long as he dispatches some soldiers to help escort Biancai to Chang'an.The governor turned his worries into joy, and immediately dispatched 100 soldiers under Xiao Junmo's command.

Xiao Junmo let Biancai rest for an extra day, and the next day he led a large team to escort Biancai on the road again.After that, he passed through Guozhou, entered Tongguan, and passed through Huazhou. The journey was uneventful, and he returned to Chang'an five days later.

During the past few days on the road, Xiao Junmo carefully reviewed the robbery and murder at Gantang Station from beginning to end, and sorted out some major clues and doubts:
[-]. Yang Bingjun, the governor of Luozhou, is not only a corrupt official who broke the law, but also a mysterious force that cannot be underestimated. The leader is the masked man called "Mr. Ming Zang".

[-]. The reason why Yang Bingjun was able to become the governor of Luozhou from the third rank was because there was a high-ranking official in the court who operated for him. This person was code-named "Xuanquan".If Yang Bingjun's North Korea-China relationship can be investigated, it is possible to find out this mysterious spring and learn more about this mysterious force.

[-]. Ming Zang and his subordinates' joint code is "Ming Zang, the first teacher, An Yong Ji Shi Luo", this should be an ancient poem, and it sounds very familiar, I must have seen this poem somewhere.

[-]. Another mysterious force in the oak grove is likely to be people from the court, but how did these people get the news of the debate?

[-]. Since the king of Wei knew that the news of Biancai had been leaked, why did he neither report it to the emperor nor send someone to respond, but just sent an anonymous message to himself?What is he worried about?
[-]. Is there any connection between the above two points?That is to say, could the information on debates detected by the mysterious forces in the court be leaked from Wei Wangfu?If so, does this have anything to do with my father?

[-]. The two mysterious forces want to rob and kill debaters. The motives are obviously related to the secret of "Lanting Preface", but what kind of secret will make the emperor, the king of Wei, the hidden forces in the court, and the local governor And the forces of the rivers and lakes, all involved and not hesitate to go to war?

Although the above-mentioned clues and doubts have been clarified, the secrets of "Lanting Preface" are becoming more and more confusing.The more Xiao Junmo thought about it, the more confused he became. For the first time in his life, he felt that his mind had become a mess.

After returning to the court, Xiao Junmo entered the palace at the first time, handed over the eloquence to Zhao Dequan, an internal servant in the forbidden center, and then immediately returned to the Xuanjiawei Office in the north of the imperial city, and asked his immediate superior, General Xuanjiawei and Minister of the Ministry of War Li Shiji Return to life.

Li Shiji is about fifty years old, with a broad face and slender eyebrows.When he was in a serious mood and concentrating on thinking, his brows would involuntarily twist into the word "Chuan".At this time, after Xiao Junmo reported all the clues and doubts about the Gantangyi incident, he saw the familiar expression on Li Shiji's face again.

After a while, Li Shiji raised his eyes and looked at him with admiration: "Jun Mo, you have worked hard this trip, not only finding the debate is a great achievement, but also finding so many clues, I will definitely ask the Holy One for your credit! "

Li Shiji and Xiao Henian are old friends. They taught Xiao Junmo martial arts since childhood, and later personally recommended him to join the Xuanjiawei, so the two are not only superior and subordinate, but also have a deep mentor-student relationship.Usually when there is no one around, Xiao Junmo doesn't call Li Shiji "General" but "Master".In fact, in Xiao Junmo's mind, Li Shiji is more like a foster father than his boss and master.

"Master, there is no need to ask for credit for me." Xiao Junmo said, "You should ask for credit for brothers like Luo Biao. He has been in the Xuanjia Guard for six or seven years, and he has solved many cases, but he is still a team. Exactly; there are other brothers, many of whom have more senior qualifications than him, and they haven’t been involved in anything for so many years, it’s not fair to them.”

"Luo Biao has always been your subordinate, nothing more than following you as the leader," Li Shiji wrote lightly, "Where can I get so much credit?"

"You're right, but Luo Biao and the others have been working with me with their heads up." Xiao Junmo looked directly at Li Shiji, "I don't know if the master still remembers that the Turkic rebellion two years ago, if Luo Biao hadn't pretended to be Chenghu merchants broke into the Turkic people, how could it be possible to wipe out dozens of Turkic generals who wanted to rebel? The situation was extremely dangerous at that time, and the Turkic people became suspicious of him and tortured him to induce a confession, but he would rather die than leak the secret. I remember On the day of the operation, when the brothers rescued him, he only had half his life left. How can a person like this who risk his life to work for the court say that he has no merit?"

Li Shiji was slightly moved, and then smiled lightly: "Luo Biao still has the ability to handle cases, and he is also loyal to the court, but unfortunately, based on his background, it may be impossible for him to rise further."

The master finally spoke the truth!And this truth is the official rule that Xiao Junmo has always hated the most - family background is more important than talent and ability.Although the Zhenguan Dynasty was generally regarded as a clean and bright bureaucracy, the bad rules that have been practiced since ancient times are still unbreakable and popular.In the past three years since Xiao Junmo entered the court, he has witnessed many powerful children with mediocre aptitude and bad conduct ascend to important positions, but people like Luo Biao who come from a poor family and a commoner family often work half-dead but have nowhere to be promoted.Even Xiao Junmo himself, if it weren't for his father and Li Shiji's background, he wouldn't have been promoted to general in just three years, and maybe he wouldn't even be able to be a leader by now.

Thinking of these, Xiao Junmo felt unspeakably depressed. "Master, this time at Gantang Station, the situation is even more dangerous than the Turkic case back then. Can you ask the Holy Majesty to give Luo Biao and the others a promotion based on merit and contribution, regardless of their family background?"

"Jun Mo, is this your first day as an official?" Li Shiji smiled wryly, "You also know that the Holy Majesty only cares about the appointment and removal of officials above the fifth rank, and those below the fifth rank have to go to the Ministry of Officials to discuss seniority and go through the process. It's as simple as you said?"

Of course Xiao Junmo knew this.The so-called "following the process" is actually still following the relationship, depending on the background, in short, the fight is still about the background.To put it bluntly, if you want to be an official in this world, it doesn't matter whether you can do things, but whether you can reincarnate.Thinking about this, Xiao Junmo could only smile wryly, and immediately gave up, and got back to business: "Master, the case of Gantangyi will implicate the court and the public.

"Of course, I shall report this matter myself." Li Shiji said, "I just heard from Luo Biao that you injured your right arm in Yique, how is the injury now?"

"It's just a small injury, and it's no longer a hindrance." Xiao Junmo felt that Li Shiji seemed to be avoiding this topic on purpose, "Master, the Holy One is eager to find Biancai and "Lanting Preface", presumably also to find out the secret behind "Lanting Preface". These clues are the key to finding out the matter..."

"It's been more than a month since you left Beijing this time?" Li Shiji interrupted him suddenly.

Xiao Junmo was taken aback, and could only nod his head: "Yes, it's two months away in three days."

"Time flies!" Li Shiji sighed irrelevantly, "Go home quickly, your father must miss you too."

Xiao Junmo frowned slightly: "Master, I think I'd better not go back for now."

"Why?"

"The case of Gantang Station has many details. I want to stay here. Once the emperor calls for an inquiry, I can enter the palace in time."

Li Shiji smiled: "Why, are you afraid that the master will be so confused that you can't even explain something to the Holy Master?"

"I don't mean that, I mean that I have personally experienced the incident, and many details will be remembered more clearly..."

"Okay, okay." Li Shiji waved his hand, "I understand that you are concerned about the case, but I'm not in a hurry right now, besides, as you said, this matter involves a lot, so how can it be cleared up in a short while?" ? Go back quickly, don't dawdle here."

Xiao Junmo became more and more suspicious, and said, "Even so, I can't leave for the time being."

"What's the matter?" Li Shiji was a little impatient.

"Twelve brothers were killed this time, I have to go to Yousi to ask for compensation..."

"It's your turn to worry about this?" Li Shiji was obviously impatient, "According to what you mean, do I need less than a little pension for a great general?"

Xiao Junmo was speechless.

Li Shiji looked at him and calmed down his tone: "I know, you have always been sympathetic to your subordinates, but don't I? Don't worry, the twelve brothers who died in the line of duty will pay me as much as they deserve. Go directly to ask for it from the Holy One! You should be satisfied with this, right?"

Xiao Junmo had nothing to say, so he had to bow and leave.

Li Shiji watched Xiao Junmo leave, and his brows instantly twisted into the word "Chuan".

Xiao Junmo came out of the guard room, and as soon as he turned a corner, a figure suddenly appeared from behind, with a fist directly hitting the back of his head.Xiao Jun remained silent until the fist was close, then suddenly flashed, turned around and grabbed the opponent's wrist.The opponent immediately changed his move, bent his arm, and hit his face with his elbow.Xiao Junmo blocked with his left palm, but the opponent changed his move again...

In the blink of an eye, the two sides played five or six rounds.Xiao Junmo saw a flaw, quickly shot, grabbed the opponent's wrist again, grabbed the opponent's shoulder blade with the other hand and pressed down, and the opponent's whole body was pushed down to one knee by him.

"Oh, it hurts me to death, let me go!" A slender figure in the uniform of Xuanjiawei knelt on the ground and exaggeratedly yelled, the voice was actually a woman.

"You say 'convinced', and I will let you go." Xiao Junmo said with a smile.

"Dissatisfied!"

"If you don't accept it, kneel down until you submit."

The woman twisted vigorously, trying to get rid of it all the time, but was always firmly restrained by Xiao Junmo.

"Be careful, I'll tell uncle that you bullied me!" the woman shouted again.

"Do you think Master will believe you?" Xiao Junmo still smiled.

"He is my own uncle, of course you believe me!"

"He's your uncle, and I'm his apprentice! It's hard to say who the master trusts." Xiao Junmo raised the bar in his mouth, but let go of the woman from his hand, "But having said that, I haven't seen you for two months. Your kung fu is really good." Grow up."

The woman's name is Huan Dieyi, Li Shiji's niece, one year younger than Xiao Junmo, her parents died when she was young, and she was brought up by Li Shiji.She grew up with Xiao Junmo since she was a child, and she also followed Li Shiji to practice martial arts together. She is a childhood sweetheart and loves brothers and sisters.After Xiao Junmo joined Xuanjiawei three years ago, Huan Dieyi also clamored to join, but Li Shiji disagreed, saying that Xuanjiawei are all old men, why are you a girl here to join in the fun?Huan Dieyi was very dissatisfied, saying what happened to the girl's house?Back then, Princess Pingyang was still helping the late emperor and the sage to conquer the world, why couldn't I enter the Xuanjiawei?Haven't you heard of "Women don't give way to men?"
Princess Pingyang is the third daughter of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan and the elder sister of Taizong Li Shimin. During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, she organized a rebel army of tens of thousands of people to conquer the city in Guanzhong and was invincible. The women's army stationed at the Great Wall pass made great contributions to the founding of the Tang Empire, and they can be called a generation of heroines.When Princess Pingyang passed away in the sixth year of Wude, Li Yuan did not hesitate to go beyond the etiquette system, and held a grand funeral for her with the military salute of "Yu Bao preaches, and Hu Ben Jia dies", which was passed down as a good story.Huan Dieyi talked about her, although Li Shiji couldn't refute it, he still didn't agree.Not long after Li Shimin learned of this, he burst out laughing, and personally made an order to recruit her into Xuanjiawei.

At this time, Huan Dieyi was overjoyed when Xiao Junmo praised her, and he waved his fist to fight him again. Xiao Junmo hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, let's come here today, I don't have time to accompany you, master drove me home Woolen cloth."

"That's just right, I haven't been to your house for a long time, so I'll stop by to see Uncle, let's go together!" Huan Dieyi said, took Xiao Junmo's hand and left.

Xiao Junmo was embarrassed: "Hey, this is the imperial city, can you restrain yourself?"

"Why restraint?" Huan Dieyi disapproved, "We are good brothers, what's wrong with holding hands?"

"Because they are good brothers, they are not suitable for holding hands."

"why?"

"When did you ever see two big men walking hand in hand?"

Huan Dieyi thought for a while, said "That's right", then pulled out his hand, and then rolled his eyes, suddenly put his hand on Xiao Junmo's shoulder, and then forcibly pulled his hand over to put it on his shoulder, With a proud face, he said: "A good brother has to walk like this, walking with shoulders and backs!"

Due to the large difference in height between the two, they insisted on hooking their shoulders and backs, and they walked unavoidably staggeringly, which was very awkward.Xiao Junmo smiled wryly: "Hey, good brothers are not like this, it's a drunk who walks like this."

Huan Dieyi immediately giggled when he heard this.

Xiao Junmo secretly wanted to take his hand off, but was forced back by Huan Dieyi, so he had to roll his eyes and let her go.

The two returned to Xiao's house in Lanlingfang. As soon as they walked into the front yard, the butler He Chongjiu quickly greeted him: "Erlang, you are back!" Has an anxious look.

Xiao Junmo had an older brother who died at birth, so although he was the only child in the family, he was the second eldest in terms of ranking, so the servants in the family called him "Erlang".

Xiao Junmo noticed that He Chongjiu's expression was different, and quickly asked, "Is my father there?"

He Chongjiu's face darkened: "My lord, he hasn't been home for... five days."

Xiao Junmo and Huan Dieyi were startled at the same time, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

"Did King Wei send him somewhere for business?" Huan Dieyi asked.

"Impossible." Xiao Junmo frowned, "If my father goes far away, he will definitely tell Uncle Jiu and won't leave without saying goodbye."

"Erlang is right." He Chongjiu said, "And I went to the Wei Palace to inquire about it the day before yesterday, and Du Changshi also said that I haven't seen the Lord for several days, and I didn't hear him say that he was going to ask for leave beforehand."

"That's strange." Huan Dieyi looked confused, "Then where will he go?"

Xiao Junmo was thinking, and an ominous premonition suddenly surged in his heart: "Uncle Jiu, the last time you saw my father, is there anything unusual about him?"

He Chongjiu recalled, shaking his head: "It's the same as usual, just mentioned a few times about your childhood... What's more, oh yes, I almost forgot." He took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, "The lord said that it was given to Erlang by an old friend when Erlang was young. At that time, he was afraid that you would spoil it when you were young, so he kept it for you. Before the lord left home that day, he suddenly took out this jade pendant and said that you have grown up now." Grown up, it's time to return the jade pendant to you..."

Xiao Junmo took the jade pendant and looked at it carefully.

This jade pendant is carved from rare and precious suet white jade. Seal characters: a lot of news.Xiao Junmo looked at it, and suddenly a blurry picture from a long time ago appeared in front of his eyes.Xiao Junmo in the picture was only three or four years old, and then a slender young man with luxurious clothes came over and hung this jade pendant on his chest...

"This matter is also a bit strange!" Huan Dieyi said, "Even if Uncle Xiao wanted to return this jade pendant to Senior Brother, he could return it himself, why should he give it to Uncle Jiu?"

"That's right!" He Chongjiu said anxiously, "That's what I said to the lord that day, but he couldn't explain why, so he said let me go first, and then left in a hurry."

This is obviously an important clue.Xiao Jun thought to himself, his father suddenly took out the old things he had collected for more than ten years, this is definitely an unusual move.By doing this, did he have a premonition that something unexpected would happen to him?
Xiao Junmo put the jade pendant into his arms, and asked again: "Uncle Jiu, think about it again, is there anything else?"

He Chongjiu thought about it carefully again, and said, "I don't know if this counts, my lord wrote a few copybooks in the study in the past few days..."

Xiao Junmo's eyes brightened: "Whose copybook?"

"Wang Xizhi."

Xiao Henian's study room is simple and elegant, with many books in scrolls piled up on the bookshelves and desks.

Sitting in front of the case, Xiao Junmo looked at the few running script posters left by his father, but did not see anything unusual.And the Wang Xizhi Dharma Poster that my father came to me is not the authentic one, but only a relatively successful copy recognized by later generations, so nothing can be seen.

Xiao Junmo stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and casually flipped through the sandalwood labels hanging on the scrolls, on which were written the title and volume number of each volume.Flipping through the pages, his gaze was suddenly attracted by a bookmark, on which were written three words in vermilion ink: Lanting Collection.

Huan Dieyi and He Chongjiu stood aside, watching his every move.Seeing him suddenly lost in thought, Huan Dieyi hurriedly said: "Brother, what did you find?"

Xiao Junmo turned a deaf ear to it, and suddenly pulled out the book, put it on the case, unfolded it immediately, and read it hastily.Huan Dieyi and He Chongjiu looked at each other, both a little confused.

"Lanting Collection" is a collection of poems written by Wang Xizhi and his friends at the Lanting Party in Shanyin, Kuaiji, in the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Wang Xizhi's famous prose "Lanting Preface" is the preface of this collection of poems.Xiao Henian's collection is a handwritten copy copied by himself.Xiao Junmo knew that his father not only copied this collection of poems by himself, but also read it frequently, and seemed to have an extraordinary love for it.Influenced by his father, he also read it once or twice, but he didn't feel anything special.At this time, Xiao Junmo hastily opened the book, wanting to confirm a guess in his heart.

Soon, a line of words in the book suddenly jumped into Xiao Junmo's eyes:

The first teacher had Ming Zang, and An Yongji Shiluo.If you don't want to protect the truth, Qiqi Jishan.

This is a poem written by Wang Huizhi, the fifth son of Wang Xizhi, at the Orchid Pavilion, and the first two lines are exactly the secret code for Ming Zang and his subordinates that Xiao Junmo heard in the pine forest of Gantang Station!
Xiao Junmo felt very familiar with this code word when he heard it at that time, but he just couldn’t remember where he saw it; he kept searching in his memory all the way back, but he still found nothing, but at this moment he accidentally discovered that this code word came from This volume of "Lanting Collection" is my father's favorite.

"Brother, you are talking!" Seeing him in a daze, Huan Dieyi became more and more curious, "What did you find?"

Xiao Junmo shook his head: "Not yet." Then he turned to He Chongjiu: "Uncle Jiu, think about it, in the few days before my father disappeared, was there any day when he was on duty at the Wei Palace?"

He Chongjiu didn't know why he asked this, but he remembered immediately and said, "February 26."

Xiao Junmo groaned for a moment, suddenly startled in his heart.

On February 26, it was almost the day when his secret concerto was rushed to Chang'an Wei Wangfu by [-] miles, and my father happened to be on duty on this day. Is it just a coincidence?
"Dieyi, can you do me a favor?" Xiao Junmo said suddenly.

Huan Dieyi was overjoyed: "Say it."

"Help me to express condolences to the families of the twelve brothers who died in the line of duty."

Huan Dieyi was taken aback for a moment, and immediately understood: "You just want to drive me away."

"I don't know how to separate myself." Xiao Junmo said calmly, "If you don't help, forget it."

"I didn't say I wouldn't help!" Huan Dieyi said anxiously, "Besides, they are also my brothers, and I should go to condolences to their family members, but what I want to help you most now is to find out the whereabouts of uncle!"

"I promise you, I will tell you any progress at any time, and I will tell you when I need your help, okay?"

Huan Dieyi was speechless, so he nodded.

When Xiao Junmo came to Wei Wangfu, although Du Chuke felt guilty, he still received him with a smile on his face.

After the two exchanged some pleasantries, the topic naturally turned to Xiao Henian.Du Chuke still used the same rhetoric, claiming that he hadn't seen Xiao Henian for many days.Xiao Junmo listened to him quietly while paying attention to his expression.Soon, Xiao Junmo came to a conclusion: Du Chuke was lying.

His eyes flickered when he spoke, and he would touch his nose with his hand from time to time.

Xiao Junmo has investigated many major cases and read countless people. It is very clear that this is the subconscious expression and action of a person when he is lying—forgive you for being an official for many years, no matter how deep the city is, how tight the surface is, this kind of subconscious expression is often a lie. Inhuman.

The purpose of this trip has been achieved, Xiao Junmo immediately got up and said goodbye.

Du Chuke enthusiastically sent him out, and said as he walked: "Nephew, don't worry, I and your father are not only colleagues, but we have known each other for many years. I will try my best to help you find your father's whereabouts. Besides, His Highness King Wei has always appreciated your father, and he will not Don't care about it."

"Then I would like to thank Du Changshi and Your Highness." Xiao Junmo smiled perfunctorily.

"Nephew escorting Biancai back to the imperial court all the way, it's hard work!" Du Chuke suddenly changed the subject, "However, I heard that you encountered some trouble in Shanzhou and sacrificed many subordinates. Is there such a thing?"

Although the king of Wei was responsible for finding the debaters, once the debaters were found, Xiao Junmo didn't need to report anything to the king of Wei, he just had to report directly to Li Shiji and the emperor.In other words, since King Wei received Xiao Junmo's secret performance on February 26, he has no right to interrogate the Biancai case, so at this moment, Du Chuke had no choice but to inquire.

"Du Changshi's news is really well-informed." Xiao Junmo smiled lightly, "Xiao has just returned to court today, and you have already heard about it."

"It's just gossip, I don't know if it's true or not." Du Chuke said, "I just remembered this after seeing my nephew. I couldn't help being curious for a while, so I just asked."

"If Chang Shi and His Royal Highness want to know more about this matter, they can directly ask the Holy Majesty for instructions. Xiao has a duty, so it is inconvenient to speak clearly, and I hope Chang Shi will forgive me."

"Of course." Du Chuke laughed, "I still understand Xuanjiawei's rules, so I just asked casually just now, nephew, don't take it to heart."

As soon as he came out of the Wei Palace, Xiao Junmo immediately activated Xuanjiawei's intelligence network, investigated many clerks in the Wei Palace, and then locked the scribe who was on duty with his father on the night of February 26.

His surname is Guo, in his thirties, he is a miscellaneous official who has not entered the ninth rank. His salary is not high, but he has a wife and two concubines in his family, and he often hangs around in Liuxiang, Huajie.Such a person, where does the money come from?
The answer is self-evident: corruption and bribery.

Xuanjiawei usually has a lot of ink corruption crimes of such small officials, but they often do not reveal them, and only break through these people when they are investigating high-ranking officials.Xiao Junmo found a few colleagues, and obtained more than a dozen copies of Guo Shuli's criminal evidence.

In the afternoon of that day, Xiao Junmo found Guo Shuli in a brothel in Pingkangfang.Seeing him, Guo Shuli's face turned pale.

"Don't be nervous," Xiao Junmo said with a smile on his face, "I'm not looking for you today for business, I just want to chat with you."

In the elegant room of a tea house, Guo Shuli shook his hands straight after hearing Xiao Junmo's explanation of his visit, and kept saying that he didn't know anything.Xiao Junmo knew very well that King Wei or Du Chuke must have greeted him, which further proved that King Wei and Du Chuke had ghosts in their hearts.

"Look for yourself!" Xiao Junmo took out a few hard-covered folders from his sleeve and threw them on the case. "This is what you have done in the past six months by taking advantage of your position. You are quite powerful. If the Ministry of Punishment wants to convict a prisoner, you can use money to commute the prisoner's sentence; You can use money to do work for others. Also, you can even sell some of the confidential documents of Prince Wei’s residence, as long as the price is good. Let me ask you, just picking any one here is not enough to convict you of a felony of?"

Guo Shuli picked up the few files and flipped through them, and immediately trembled and sweated profusely.

"On the evening of February 26, did my father leave Wei Wangfu?" Xiao Junmo didn't want to talk nonsense with him anymore, so he went straight to the point.

Guo Shuli nodded absently.

"Is there anything unusual when he left?"

"He...he's in a hurry."

"How to say?"

"At that time, it was still under night ban, so he was in a hurry to go out. I wanted to write an official letter to him so that he could pass, but he said he didn't need it and left in a hurry."

"Do you remember when he went out?"

Guo Shuli thought for a while: "Probably... probably it is the end of the Yin hour."

"Why can you remember this time?"

"Because he went out for a while, and the morning drum sounded."

"Does King Wei know about this?"

Guo Shuli nodded: "Just as your father left, the King of Wei came."

"What is he going to do?"

"He also came to find your father."

"Knowing that my father left in a hurry, how did he react?"

"He had a dark face and left without saying anything."

It's all clear!Xiao Jun thought to himself, on the evening of February 26, his father must have taken the risk of stealing the secret note on debates, and then impatiently sent the information out. King Wei had already discovered it at that time, but he did not publish it until a few days later. He laid hands on his father.From this point of view, my father may have encountered an accident...

Xiao Junmo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.

His mother had died of illness when he was a child, and his father was afraid that he would be wronged, so he never got married again. For so many years, father and son depended on each other for life.Xiao Junmo never expected that his departure from Beijing this time would become a permanent farewell to his father!

Despite all the pain in his heart, Xiao Junmo didn't show the slightest bit on his face.Seeing him in a daze, Guo Shuli asked in a trembling voice, "General Xiao, my majesty... can I go?"

Xiao Jun remained silent.

Guo Shuli got up tremblingly and tiptoed outside.

"Guo Shuli, please take care of yourself!" Xiao Junmo suddenly said, "The next time the Xuanjia Guards come to look for you, you won't be able to leave so easily."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely correct my mistakes, I will definitely correct my mistakes!" Guo Shuli nodded and bowed again and again, and then ran out as if fleeing.

Xiao Junmo sneered.He knew that this kind of person would never repent, and sooner or later he would go to jail and spend the rest of his life in prison.

Thinking of this, he suddenly realized something, and he jumped up in fright.

Since the information about the eloquence was leaked from the father, the source of the information about the men in black in the oak forest is probably the father!If the master Li Shiji has reported the whole story of the Gantangyi case to the emperor, then once he starts to track down the man in black in the oak forest, he will definitely find his father in the end, and his father will definitely not escape the charge of treason!

Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo immediately rushed out of the tea house like crazy, and galloped towards the imperial city.

He must stop Li Shiji before he enters the palace to report, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!

Li Shiji is still sitting in the office of Xuanjiawei.

After Xiao Junmo left in the morning, he has been weighing whether he should report all the situation Xiao Junmo said to the emperor, because he does not know how many court ministers, let alone who is involved in this matter, so he has to be cautious.

Although he was the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty and now holds the two important positions of Shangshu of the Ministry of War and General Xuanjiawei, Li Shiji is absolutely loyal to the emperor, but he knows that sometimes, loyalty does not mean saying everything. Say to the emperor.Especially sitting in the position of Xuanjiawei these years, every case passed through his hands, every clue reported by him to the emperor, may kill one or more high officials in the dynasty, and cause disaster. Since Li Shiji was full of families, Li Shiji acted as if he was on the verge of walking, and was very cautious, for fear that he would make a wrong case and hurt innocent people.

At this moment, when Xiao Junmo rushed in sweating profusely like crazy, Li Shiji realized intuitively that his prudence today was right again.

Listening to Xiao Junmo's out of breath finish of today's investigation, Li Shiji's brows instantly twisted into the word "Chuan".

What shocked him the most was of course Xiao Henian's disappearance.

And Xiao Henian's disappearance is obviously closely related to the Bian Cai case.

Li Shiji thought, if Xiao Junmo's investigation today did not go in the wrong direction, then it is conceivable that Xiao Henian probably stole the information on the debate, and then leaked it to a mysterious force in the court; The group of black-clothed men in the oak grove who blocked the eloquence.Therefore, if this matter is reported to the emperor, Xiao Henian will immediately become a guilty person, and Xiao Junmo will definitely be implicated!

"Master," Xiao Junmo said after panting for a long time, "I judge that King Wei may have discovered my father's theft of information, so my father may... I am afraid that something unexpected will happen."

"It's still too early to draw this conclusion. Hurry up and ask your brothers to help you investigate, maybe you can find your father." Li Shiji's judgment in his heart is actually the same as Xiao Junmo's, but of course he can't tell the truth.

"Then, how should I report the case of Gantang Station to the Holy One?"

"I have my own sense of proportion, so you don't have to worry about it. Go and investigate your father's affairs."

After Xiao Junmo left, Li Shiji sorted out everything before and after, and then calmly entered the palace and reported to Li Shimin.Of course, he hid everything related to Xiao Henian, including the fact that King Wei sent anonymous news to Xiao Junmo.

Even if a part is hidden, just the general history of the robbery and murder at Gantang Station and the criminal facts of Luozhou governor Yang Bingjun and others are enough to shock Li Shimin.

At this moment, in the Hall of Liangyi, Li Shiji had finished speaking for quite a while before Li Shimin slowly came back to his senses and said, "It seems that my judgment was correct back then, and the clues left by Lu Shiheng really pointed to a terrible secret! "

Li Shiji didn't answer, he knew that he could only listen to the emperor at this time.

"According to what you just played, at least one conclusion can be drawn." Li Shimin said slowly, "In today's Tang Dynasty, there is a mysterious and huge force lurking. Stretched into the government and the court. God knows how many of their people have ambushed by my side! God knows what these people want to do!"

Hearing this, Li Shiji's heart trembled, and he didn't dare to answer.

"You just said, what's the name of that masked man?"

Li Shiji quickly replied: "Your Majesty, all his subordinates call him 'Mr. Mingzang'."

"You read that connection code again."

"The first teacher has Ming Zang, and An Yongji Shiluo."

Li Shimin closed his eyes and repeated silently in his mouth.Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said loudly: "Dequan, fetch the "Lanting Collection"!"

Zhao Dequan was startled, and ran out of the hall quickly, and took a volume of "Lanting Collection" after a while.Li Shimin quickly unfolded it, and soon, he had exactly the same discovery as Xiao Junmo.

Li Shimin smiled wryly, closed the scroll and threw it on the case, motioned Zhao Dequan to show it to Li Shiji, and sighed at the same time: "First it was "Lanting Preface", and now it is "Lanting Collection". This Wang Xizhi has been dead for more than 200 years. And set up such a big puzzle for me!"

Li Shiji was quite surprised when he saw what was written on the scroll, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, whether it is "Lanting Preface" or "Lanting Collection", and no matter how many secrets are hidden behind it, the debater must know it. Take it back to the palace, and it should be interrogated immediately!"

"I have just summoned him. He is neither humble nor overbearing. He is a very determined monk. To this kind of person, we can only attack the heart, not force it."

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

"Biancai, I will deal with it myself. You have something to do over there, you have to deal with it immediately!"

Li Shiji immediately knelt down.

"How did Yang Bingjun become the governor of Luozhou? Let me thoroughly investigate and find out this 'Xuanquan' lurking in the court, and completely wipe out his accomplices! Then follow the vine to find out 'Mingzang' and its forces, at all costs Destroy it!"

"I obey the order!" Li Shiji said loudly.

"Dequan."

"The old slave is here."

"It was passed on to me that Xuanjia Weilang has done great service to Xiao Junmo in handling the case. I am very relieved. I will give you five hundred pieces of satin and three thousand coins as encouragement!"

"The old slave leads the order."

"In addition, the Ministry of Finance ordered to immediately draw up an order to deprive Yang Bingjun and Yao Xing of all their official titles, punish their three clans, and confiscate their family property. At the same time, they issued a sea arrest document to arrest these two people throughout the territory! Also, Fanluo Prefecture has jurisdiction over all The county officials involved in the case will be removed from their posts and dealt with strictly, and will not be tolerated!"

"The old slave leads the order."

After Li Shimin finished speaking in one breath, a majestic and cold light shot out from his eyes.

To track down my father's whereabouts, we must start with his whereabouts in the middle of the night of February 26.

Before the sound of the evening drum, Xiao Junmo walked around the government office of Wuhouwei, visited some friends, and finally found out the general whereabouts of his father that night.

That night, three teams of Wuhouwei's patrols encountered Xiao Henian one after another: the first team was in the northeast corner of the West Market. At this time, after Xiao Henian came out of Wei Wang's Mansion in Yankang Square, he walked roughly two squares. District, then turn right here and head east; the second team is in front of the Suzaku Gate of the Imperial City, at this time Xiao Henian is walking from west to east on Suzaku Heng Street; the third team is in the east of the Imperial City Between Jingfengmen and the west gate of Yongxingfang, Xiao Henian disappeared here, and no other Marquis of Wu saw him since then.

After the twilight fell on this day and the night ban began, Xiao Junmo rode his horse and retraced the path his father walked that night.

Xiao Junmo rode very fast, imitating his father's eagerness to send information that night.Then along the way, he also encountered several teams of Wuhou guards who were watching the night. Xiao Junmo showed his Xuanjia guard badge, and then continued on his way.After about two quarters, Xiao Junmo arrived at the west gate of Yongxingfang.

It was basically certain that the person my father wanted to submit the information to lived in Yongxingfang.

Xiao Junmo knocked on the door of the square, found the local square, and asked if anyone had entered the square from the west gate between late night on February 26 and before the morning drum of the next day.Fangzheng recalled it for a while, and said with certainty that there was no.

Xiao Junmo was very surprised: "It was already seven or eight days ago, why are you so sure?"

Fangzheng smiled: "Because almost no one would knock on the door in the middle of the night. I have been Fangzheng for more than 20 years, and there are only two times in total, so let alone seven or eight days ago, even if it was seven or eight years ago, I can do it." Answer the general."

Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing when he heard the words.

In fact, this principle is very simple, but I was confused for a while.It seems that restlessness is enough to blind one's mind!I was so eager to find out the whereabouts of my father and what he had done that I was so impetuous that I lost even the most common sense of judgment.Thinking about this, Xiao Junmo couldn't help reminding himself repeatedly, the more calm and calm it is at such a time.

After saying goodbye to Fangzheng, Xiao Junmo came out from the west gate again, and slowly rode his horse towards the north.

The father's whereabouts disappeared here, but he did not enter Yongxingfang from Ximen, so where did he go?Could it be that he entered the imperial city through Jingfengmen?
Because he adjusted his mood just now, Xiao Junmo's mind was clear at this moment, and he immediately overturned this conclusion.Because the Imperial City is the Office of Hundred Officials, there are many officials on duty at night, and what my father did that night was extremely secretive, so it is very unlikely that he would rush into the Imperial City to deliver information at the risk of being witnessed by many officials. Stupid.

After walking for a while, Xiao Junmo suddenly thought of something: In fact, you can enter the square area without going through the gate, because officials above the third rank can open the gate on the wall of the square!

Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo couldn't help being a little excited, and at the same time secretly scolded himself - such a simple and clear fact, it took such a long circle to remember it!

Then, the next question is: Which high-ranking officials above the third grade live in the west of Yongxingfang?
Many people's names flashed through Xiao Junmo's mind, and he excluded them one by one due to various circumstances: Some people's residences are not here, because his memory is wrong; The grade is enough, and I also live in this workshop, but the mansion is not in the west, but in other directions.

When all the impossible names were eliminated one by one, a name that met all the conditions jumped out and suddenly stood out in his mind.

It's him? !
At the moment when Xiao Junmo's inspiration came to him, he inadvertently raised his head, and saw a house gate appearing on the wall not far away, and there were two words written on the door plaque of the house gate: Wei Mansion.

In an instant, Xiao Junmo was stunned by the answer he finally found.

"I've made all the arrangements, just wait and see the good show!"

In the Li main hall of the East Palace, Han Wang Li Yuanchang said to Li Chengqian with a proud face.

"Don't you think it's naive to play this kind of trick?" Li Chengqian disagreed.

Since the emperor officially issued an edict a few days ago, ordering Wei Wang to live in Wude Hall, Li Chengqian suddenly felt that his status had plummeted.These days, not only are the various rewards in the Eastern Palace lower than that of the King of Wei, but the number of times his father summoned him has become less and less, as if he has forgotten the existence of him as a prince, and even the civil and military officials look at him very differently. In the past, it seemed that he, the crown prince, had existed in name only.On the contrary, more and more children of the rich and powerful leaned towards King Wei one after another, and behind these people were obviously high-ranking officials in the court.It was inconvenient for them to show their favor to King Wei, so they asked their children to make friends with him, and they seemed to believe that King Wei would be in the East Palace sooner or later.

Only then did Li Chengqian realize that what Wei Zheng said was right, Li Tai was indeed a vicious wolf!It is indeed a very dangerous thing for him to climb up the hill of Wude Hall, invite friends and howl at the moon!

However, when Li Chengqian asked Wei Zheng for countermeasures, Wei Zheng always had only two words: forbearance.

Wei Zheng said, the more it is like this, the more you have to be patient, even though it is better to let King Wei go to the spring breeze, because when people are proud, they tend to forget themselves.

After hearing this, Li Chengqian had no choice but to follow what Wei Zheng said, forbear and not move, and respond to all changes with the same.

However, Li Yuanchang strongly opposed it.He said that to do so can only be slaughtered.Li Chengqian was displeased, and said that what do you think should be done, if you have the ability, you can find a way!Li Yuanchang was so excited by him, and then disappeared for a few days without seeing anyone. It was not until this night that he came to the East Palace in a spirited manner, and whispered his method in Li Chengqian's ear.

Li Chengqian sneered when he heard it at first.Li Yuanchang vowed that this method would definitely work.At this moment, when Li Chengqian expressed contempt again, Li Yuanchang was not happy: "I can't go left or right, so what do you think, you can't just rein in the palace right now?"

Li Yuanchang thought that saying something harsh would frighten Li Chengqian, but he gave him a cold look: "Don't think I'm afraid! It's driving me into a hurry, I can do anything!"

Now Li Yuanchang was scared, he trembled and said: "Don't be impulsive, we don't have that strength yet."

"Not now, but soon!"

"What do you mean?" Li Yuanchang was puzzled.

"Yesterday, Hou Junji sent someone a message that he wanted to join forces with me."

"Hou Junji, Minister of the Ministry of Officials?" Li Yuanchang lowered his head and thought, "This person was born in the army and was also a hero who founded the country. He has a lot of power in the court. He has people from civil servants and military generals. However, how could he find him at this time? on you?"

When Li Chengqian heard this, he looked at him sideways: "What do you mean by 'this kind of time'? Why can't he find me? Listen to what you said, I deserve to be unlucky now, and no one should talk to me right?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Li Yuanchang shook his hands straight, "I mean people's hearts are in the belly. Now that the political situation is so complicated, who knows if he has malicious intentions? We have to figure out his motives."

"His motive is simple, he hates King Wei."

"Why?"

"Two years ago, he led his troops to pacify Gaochang, embezzled King Gaochang's treasures, was reported when he came back, and was imprisoned for several months. Guess who reported him at that time?"

"Could it be... the king of Wei?"

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Why did King Wei do this?"

Li Chengqian sneered coldly: "I want to please my father and act like a good boy in front of all the officials! This shows how upright and strict a prince he is, and what a good son he is who knows how to maintain the court order and help the father relieve his worries!"

Li Yuanchang was stunned, and immediately smiled: "For this reason, I don't hesitate to make enemies, I don't know what the king of Wei thinks."

"Everything has a price. For every advantage, there must be a disadvantage. You can't let him take all the benefits."

"That's true." Li Yuanchang nodded, thinking of something, "This topic is far away. What I just said, you can tell me, do you want to do it or not?"

"It's up to you." Li Chengqian flicked his sleeves, "If you want to do it, you can do it, at least make him feel angry! But the person who told you, be careful, don't let anyone get caught."

Li Yuanchang chuckled: "You don't have to worry about that."

Xiao Junmo led Luo Biao and other seven or eight brothers, divided the five hundred pieces of silk and satin and three thousand copper coins rewarded by the emperor into twelve shares, and gave them to the families of the twelve brothers who died in the line of duty one by one, and paid homage to them by the way. .Afterwards, he brought everyone to the famous Hama Linglang Guanqing Restaurant in Chang'an, firstly to reward the brothers, and secondly to apologize for his inability to win official positions for them.

"Boss, if you say that, you will bury the brothers." Luo Biao, who was already slightly drunk after drinking for three rounds, said in a rough voice, "Everyone is willing to follow you, is it because of the fame? It's because you, the boss, are righteous. Besides, those of us are all farmers, blacksmiths, and pig butchers in our families, and we are born with humble lives, and we are content with being like this in this life, and we have long since given up on fame and fortune!"

Other brothers also echoed, saying that their lives are worthless, as long as they can follow Xiao Junmo, they will lose their heads without complaint or regret.

Xiao Junmo was quite moved. He held up the wine cup to respect the crowd, then drank it all in one gulp, and said loudly: "Brothers, there is no need to belittle yourself, so what if you are not born well? Princes and generals, would you rather have kindness?! A man stands up, relying on the truth Ability. If you want me to say, you are all real men, much better than those despicable and incompetent rich and powerful children with empty stomachs and high hearts!"

"That's what you say, but in this world, people only recognize their origins, and those who are capable are better off reincarnated!" Luo Biao burped, "From ancient times to the present, which dynasty is not like this? What did the ancients say? Come on, what's 'like mud like chicken'?"

"Han Suqing is as white and turbid as mud, and General Gao Diliang is as timid as a chicken." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly and took over the conversation.

"Yes, that's all!"

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but shook their heads and smiled wryly.

This sentence comes from a folk song at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. There is another sentence before the original sentence: "If you are a scholar, you don't know the book; if you are a filial piety, your father lives away." The local people conduct inspections, select talents based on the standards of character and behavior, and based on the evaluation of the township, and recommend them to the central government. "Xiu Cai" and "Xiaolian" refer to the elected talents with knowledge and good conduct.The probation system was implemented from Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and continued to be used until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its original intention was to eliminate privileges and hereditary inheritance. Unexpectedly, it later created a new privileged class and hereditary inheritance in disguise.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the procuratorial system was full of abuses and unbearable, and those elected were often without virtue and talent. Therefore, the above-mentioned ballads were created to satirize the social phenomenon at that time-the so-called scholars who were elected were not. The so-called filial piety is not filial to their parents; children from poor families can only live at the bottom of society, filthy like mud, even if they have both ability and political integrity, while children from noble families often occupy high positions but are incompetent and cowardly.

"My dynasty claims that the government is clean and bright, and I use the imperial examination to win the world's scholars," sighed one of the oldest subordinates among the crowd, "but in the end it's just a good look. So what if a poor family is admitted to the Jinshi? One test can kill you alive! I have a fellow from the same township, who is from a poor family and has a straightforward nature. He doesn’t want to be attached to the rich and powerful. In the second year of Zhenguan, he was awarded a Jinshi. As a result, he went to the Ministry of Officials to take the exam every year but failed every year. Now He is in his late forties, still in white clothes, with clean sleeves, so poor that he is almost begging for food, and it is only thanks to the help of our fellow villagers that he does not starve to death."

When everyone heard it, they all touched the grievances in their hearts, so they complained loudly with the help of alcohol.Xiao Junmo listened quietly at the side, although he knew that these complaints were suspected of criticizing the government, but he did not speak out to stop them, because one of the purposes of his banquet today was to let them vent their grievances.As the saying goes, if there is injustice, there will be noise. Although their complaints cannot change any status quo, it is better to vent than to hold them in their hearts.

"Boss," Luo Biao drank several more cups, and said to Xiao Junmo with his red eyes open, "You read a lot, tell your brothers why the ancestors couldn't come up with a good idea for thousands of years, Make this world a little fairer?"

"The old ancestor didn't think about it," Xiao Junmo said with a faint smile, "It's a pity that no matter how good the method is, it won't be long before it gets out of shape."

"Why is it out of shape?" Luo Biao looked puzzled, and the others also looked at Xiao Junmo.

"Let's not talk about it far away, let's talk about the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty implemented the chaju system. The original intention was to break the aristocratic hereditary system since the pre-Qin period. , has the right to inspect and recommend, then the people who have been inspected and promoted by him become his disciples and former officials. Once these people gain power in the future, they will reciprocate and turn around to inspect the descendants of the "mentor". In the family, as long as the ancestors have scolded others, the descendants can often be scouted. Over time, there will be one or two families in each county, which almost occupy all the places of "Xiucai" and "Xiaolian". Gradually, the so-called 'Junwang' came into existence, forming a high-ranking and privileged 'gentry family'."

Luo Biao suddenly realized: "It turns out that 'cold element is like mud, high degree is like chicken' came here! Then, can't it be changed again?"

"Changed, Cao Cao came up with the method of 'respecting only talents', and then Cao Pi established the 'Nine-rank Zhongzheng System' based on his idea." Xiao Junmo said, "The imperial court set up 'Zhongzheng Officials' in local areas, with third-class Nine grades are the standard, to evaluate people and select talents. This method, in principle, only considers the merits of talents, regardless of whether the family is high or low, and the purpose is to break the clan and let truly talented people enter the officialdom."

"That's right!" Luo Biao slapped his thigh, "Cao Ah is worthy of being a hero for a lifetime, this method is so real!"

"That's right, Cao Aman is a pragmatic person. His original intention of 'only talent promotion' and the subsequent Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System are also for fairness, but..." Xiao Junmo smiled helplessly, "The good times don't last long, and it's only a short period of time. For decades, the abuse of this system is even more serious than the procuratorial system of the Han Dynasty."

"And why?" Luo Biao was disappointed and confused.

"The biggest problem with the nine-rank Zhongzheng system is that the Zhongzheng official's own likes and dislikes and personal likes and dislikes determine everything. As the saying goes, "the superior and the inferior follow the strong and the weak, and right and wrong are based on love and hatred", although on the surface the imperial court also has a set of standards for selecting talents , but it is difficult to be truly objective in actual operation. In the end, it still depends on the personal will of the Zhongzheng official, so abuses such as entrustment, bribery, and exchange of interests arise from this. So, in the 400 years since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the power has been controlled by aristocratic families, the real talents have been obscured, the officialdom is full of corruption, and the officials are in darkness. Where can we find the word "fairness"? ?”

When Luo Biao heard this, his face was full of frustration, and the others were also full of sighs.

"The father and son of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty in the previous dynasty may have seen the disadvantages of the nine-rank system, so they abolished it and introduced the imperial examination system?" asked the older subordinate just now.

Xiao Junmo nodded: "Exactly, compared with the previous dynasties, the imperial examination system inherited from Sui and Yang in our dynasty should be said to be the most reasonable and fair. But we all know that the imperial examination is only for the selection of officials in our dynasty. One of the ways, so far, there are still more people who have entered the officialdom by virtue of their family background than those who have been admitted by the imperial examination. Besides, as you just said, the imperial examination is only to obtain the qualifications to be an official, and finally you have to go to the Ministry of Officials Another round of fighting, and this round of fighting is probably not only talent and learning, but also official connections and family background, so if your fellow countryman refuses to cling to the powerful, he may not be able to become an official until he grows old or dies."

The subordinate shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It seems that it has been the same from ancient times to the present. There is no day in this world that is truly fair."

"Fuck him, drink and drink!" Luo Biao simply changed to a large bowl and took a few gulps, "Those of us who come from hard backgrounds, we can't expect to have a bright future in this life, we can only hope for a good birth in the next life Bar!"

Xiao Junmo also drank a cup by himself, and then looked at them: "The world is unfair, and we can do nothing, but the future of you brothers is Xiao's responsibility. Brothers, I, Xiao Junmo, boasted a lot today. One day, I will Help everyone seek justice, so that the black yarn on your head is worthy of your loyalty and talent!"

Luo Biao and others were all moved when they heard this.

Xiao Junmo filled the wine and held it up high: "Come on, for the sake of justice, do it!"

"Dry!"

Everyone roared in unison, and eight or nine wine cups collided.

(End of this chapter)