Lanting prelude
Chapter 19 Assassination
Chapter 19 Assassination
Xiao Junmo set the date for rescuing Biancai and Chu Lisang on April 25th.
He remembered that on this day, about two months ago, he arrested Biancai, so he decided to rescue Bacai on the same day in order to highlight the meaning of repaying debts and make his conscience feel better.
As Mi Mancang said, once this matter is done, he will have no choice but to run away, and he will definitely not be able to return to Chang'an.But Xiao Junmo tries not to think about the future now, because it doesn't make much sense if he thinks about it, he can only take one step at a time.
The day before the action, Xiao Junmo packed a simple bag for himself, which contained only a few ingots of gold, a few copper coins, a pair of scythes and flints, a volume of "Lanting Collection", a jade pendant, and the "winner glass".Thinking that after living for more than 20 years, these few things are worth taking away in the end, Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling a little sad.
Just two months ago, he was still the majestic Xuanjia Guard General, a young talent who was unanimously optimistic about his future.But right now, he is a loner with a deceased adoptive father, unknown background, and no relatives in the world, and he is about to become a wanted criminal by the imperial court, and he is about to embark on the boundless and unknown road of escape.
Looking at the luggage, Xiao Junmo thought for a while, then picked out the jade pendant and put it on his chest.This is the only clue to find his own life experience, and he must not lose it.Then, Xiao Junmo walked out of the house, wanting to find a few people he still cared about, because he might not be able to return to Chang'an in this lifetime, so he had to see them for the last time.
He first found Li Shiji.
The two chatted about some past events one after another, and Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling sad.Of course, Li Shiji didn't see it, and he was still encouraging him to be dedicated to his duties, so that he could be promoted in the future and glorify his family.Xiao Junmo's mouth was perfunctory, but he smiled wryly in his heart.
After chatting for about half an hour, Xiao Junmo left, and almost couldn't hold back tears when he walked to the door.
Then, he went to find Huan Dieyi, but he walked all over the government office without seeing her, and finally heard from his colleagues that she seemed to be on a mission.Xiao Junmo had no choice but to give up, thinking of the scenes of Huan Dieyi fighting with him, a warm feeling surged in his heart and eyes at the same time.In fact, he has already seen that Huan Dieyi likes him, especially since he has always been jealous of Chu Lisang recently.
Dieyi, sorry, brother let you down.When leaving the Xuanjiawei Office, Xiao Junmo said silently in his heart, I hope you can find a good husband who really likes you.Although senior brother can't drink your wedding wine, but no matter in Haijiao or Tianya, senior brother will bless you from afar.
Finally, Xiao Junmo thought of someone.
For some reason, Xiao Junmo suddenly wanted to see him for the last time.
This person is Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng was obviously a little surprised by Xiao Junmo's sudden visit, but he still received him warmly.
After the two were seated, Xiao Junmo cut straight to the point and said that he was going on a long trip, so he came to see the Grand Master, maybe there would be fewer opportunities to meet in the future.Wei Zheng was a little surprised, then looked at him for a while with eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate everything, and then smiled lightly: "It's good for young people to go out and experience more, but Chang'an is your home, no matter how far you go , you will come back after all."
Xiao Junmo suddenly regretted telling him the truth.Because he didn't even ask where he was going or what he was doing, as if he had guessed what he was thinking. "Grand Master, don't you ask me where I want to go and what I plan to do?"
Wei Zheng smiled: "If you want to say it, you will naturally say it; if you don't want to say it, why should I ask more questions?"
Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing either.
Dealing with smart people is like this, sometimes it seems very simple, sometimes it seems very complicated.
"Teacher," Xiao Junmo suddenly took off the jade pendant on his chest, "Do you know this jade pendant?"
Wei Zheng took a look at it and shook his head: "I've never seen it before. Why, is there any history?"
Xiao Junmo observed his expression and had to admire his determination.Thinking that today might be the last time I saw Wei Zheng, Xiao Junmo suddenly had an impulse, and said: "Master, do you know? My father is not my biological father, but the owner of this jade pendant is."
No matter how determined Wei Zheng was, his eyes finally fluctuated.
"There is such a thing?" Wei Zheng tried his best to cover up, "Then how did you know?"
"Before my father died, he left me a silk book."
Wei Zheng was slightly shocked.He never expected that Xiao Henian would break their agreement of more than 20 years and reveal this secret to Xiao Junmo before his death.But judging by Xiao Junmo's expression, it seems that he doesn't know much about the inside story. "Then, did your father tell you who your real father is?"
"Originally he had already written it in the silk book, but it's a pity..." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "In the dungeon of Prince Wei's mansion, the silk book was bitten to pieces by mice. There is someone, but I don't know who it is."
This was the first time Wei Zheng heard about Xiao Henian's final encounter, and it was exactly as he expected, Xiao Henian was killed in Wei Wangfu.Wei Zheng felt sad in his heart, but said calmly, "What a pity."
"Grand Master, my father has followed you for many years. It is said that he will not hide my life experience from you, right?"
Wei Zheng avoided his gaze: "That being said, everyone has their own privacy, and it's impossible for your father to tell me everything."
"That is to say, you really don't know anything about my life experience?" Even though he knew that this question was purely for nothing, Xiao Junmo couldn't help but say it.
Wei Zheng shook his head: "I really don't know anything."
"Teacher, if you say that I am going to die now, will you tell me the truth?" Xiao Junmo didn't know why he said that suddenly.
Wei Zheng was stunned: "Why did my nephew say that? I really don't know, otherwise why didn't I tell you?"
"I don't know why you all keep it from me." Xiao Junmo said sadly, "I can only guess that my biological father is an extraordinary person and has experienced something extraordinary, so you don't let me I know the truth, and it’s actually for my own good, right? Just like it’s also for my own good not to let me get involved in the mystery of "Lanting Preface."
In Wei Zheng's heart, he once again felt a little afraid of the young man in front of him.Talking to him is really like walking on thin ice. "Jun Mo, the past is over, even if you don't know the truth, don't you live a good life, why bother to ask so many questions?"
"Of course, a pig can live a good life without knowing anything." Xiao Junmo sneered, "But I am a human being, and human beings have thoughts and feelings after all. They are not satisfied as long as they live. Isn't that right, Grand Master?"
"What my nephew said is true. But have you ever thought about it? In fact, there are many people in this world who have difficulty even surviving. Therefore, in order to survive, they have to abandon their thoughts and emotions. Even if it is painful to do so, the most important thing for a person is to live, and it is worth giving up those things in order to live."
"Really? Then if you are asked to give up the succession system and let you support Wei Wang to become the throne, in exchange for your survival, would you be willing? Do you still think it is worth it?" Xiao Junmo said straightly Looking at Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng was startled, and cold sweat broke out on his back immediately: "Nephew, to tell you the truth, the old man can live to this day, he has naturally given up a lot, the reason why he still has a breath, lingering in this world, is only because It’s just that I dare not give up a little responsibility. If it is true as you said, and the court has reached that step, then the old man can only die.”
"So, isn't the Grand Master thinking the same as me?" Xiao Junmo said, "What's in people's hearts, whether it's called thoughts or responsibilities, is ultimately more important than life itself. Meaning; if you abandon these, people are nothing but a walking corpse!"
Wei Zheng suddenly got a little excited, and nodded in agreement: "A person with lofty ideals and benevolent people, if they don't seek to survive, they will harm benevolence, and if they kill themselves, they will become benevolent! What my nephew said is in essence the same as the teachings of the ancient sages!"
"Since the grand master agrees with my thoughts, why does he regard my life so important and ignore my thoughts at all?"
At this moment, Wei Zheng almost had an impulse to tell this confused young man everything. At the same time, he suddenly remembered the entrustment made to him by the owner of the jade pendant 21 years ago. Already dripping with cold sweat.
After a while, Wei Zheng took out a sweat towel and wiped his face, and said with apologetic smile, "It's already so hot in this damn weather, even though it's only just after the full hour."
Xiao Junmo looked at him, knowing that he must have something to hide, so he picked up the jade pendant again and said: "Grand Master, the younger generation is so ignorant, I don't know what the words and patterns on the jade pendant mean. Can the grand master analyze it for the junior, at least Give the junior some clues?"
Wei Zheng could tell that this smart young man was offering a compromise, allowing himself to reveal some clues to him, but not breaking his promise to the owner of the jade pendant back then.Wei Zheng feels that at present, it seems that this is the only way to alleviate the inner suffering of both parties.
Thinking about this, Wei Zheng took the jade pendant, looked at it pretendingly, and said: "As far as I know, the ganoderma and orchid generally symbolize descendants, so my nephew's guess is correct, this should be your biological father. Leave it to you."
Knowing that Wei Zheng had accepted his method, Xiao Junmo was overjoyed, and hurriedly said, "What else?"
"What else..." Wei Zheng looked at the jade pendant, "The word 'learn more', first of all, is to encourage you to learn more; secondly, these two words seem to be Buddhist terms, may this be a hint? , does the identity of your biological father have anything to do with Buddhism?"
Although such clues are extremely broad, at least they are better than nothing.Speaking of Buddhism, Xiao Junmo still has some understanding.He knew that during the reign of Wude, that is, the time when he was born, because the great ancestor Li Yuan recognized Laozi Li Er as his ancestor and worshiped Taoism, he was not very friendly to Buddhism, and even once in the ninth year of Wude, there was a case of exterminating Buddhism Later, thanks to Prince Li Jiancheng's persuasion, Buddhism avoided a dharma difficulty.
For some reason, Xiao Junmo thought of this past event, so he casually told Wei Zheng, but Wei Zheng's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly changed the subject.Xiao Junmo was very suspicious, he didn't understand why Wei Zheng became so nervous when he mentioned this topic when he was fine just now.Could it be that his biological father had something to do with this incident?
Wei Zheng talked about other topics, and then politely asked Xiao Junmo to have dinner at the house.Xiao Junmo knew that he would not be able to ask any further questions, so he got up and said goodbye.
Wei Zheng personally sent him to the gate of the mansion, and finally said: "Nephew, I still say the same thing, no matter how far you go or what you do, you must remember to come back at the end, this is your home."
Xiao Junmo's heart became more and more sad, and he quickly bowed deeply, then hurriedly got on his horse and left.
Standing in front of the mansion gate, Wei Zheng watched Xiao Junmo's figure disappear slowly, his eyes were slightly moist.
Nephew, why doesn't this old man want to tell you everything?It’s just that my old friend told me thousands of times back then that he must not let you know the truth about your life experience, let alone let you be involved in disputes in the court. He only hopes that you will be an ordinary person and live your life in peace.Since the old man made a promise to the old man, he had to keep his promise.So nephew, please forgive this old man, there is only so much this old man can tell you.In the future, if you can find out the truth by yourself, it is your good fortune, and it is also the fate you choose, and of course you can only bear it in the end.The old man is running out of time, I have nothing to ask for, but to be worthy of my heart and my old friend!
Xiao Junmo left the Wei Mansion, rode his horse out of Chunming Gate, and galloped towards Bailuyuan with whip.
Everyone who should be seen has been seen, and in the end, of course, he has to go to his father's grave to pay homage.I don't know if I can come back after this trip, and I will have no chance to go to the grave in the future. Xiao Junmo is full of guilt for this adoptive father.
He bought a lot of sacrifices, put them on the grave, lit three sticks of incense in front of the tombstone, kowtowed three times respectfully, then knelt quietly in front of the grave, chatting with his father in his heart.
There was light rain again in the sky, and the Bashui River not far away was misty and misty, and the surrounding scenery became more and more desolate and desolate, as if to set off Xiao Junmo's mood at this time.
He closed his eyes, but suddenly felt a murderous aura coming from all directions.
Xiao Junmo remained motionless until the murderous aura behind him approached within three feet, then suddenly turned around and jumped up. At the same time, the saber was unsheathed, and with a flash of cold light, it directly pierced the chest of a man in black, and pierced through the back. out.These actions were done in one go, as fast as lightning, without giving the opponent a chance to react.
The sneak attacking man in black held up the horizontal knife and looked down at his chest, as if he didn't realize what happened.
Xiao Junmo suddenly withdrew the knife, a bloody light sprayed out, and the man in black fell straight to the ground.
At this moment, there were at least [-] men in black around them, forming a closed hunting circle with Xiao Junmo and the grave as the center.And, the circle is constantly tightening.The man in black who had attempted to sneak attack just now was obviously just throwing stones to ask directions and say hello to him.The real hunting has only just begun.
Xiao Junmo quickly judged the current situation, and his heart trembled secretly.
Judging by the attire of these people, it is very likely that they are the group of people in the pine forest at Gantangyi, that is, Ming Zang's subordinates.
Obviously, Xiao Junmo played Ming Zang ruthlessly at the beginning, and now he is sending someone to take revenge, and looking at it like this, he is quite determined to win.If it is in the woods or in the neighborhood, Xiao Junmo believes that dealing with these thirty assassins is not a big problem, because he can dodge and move around with the help of obstacles, and defeat them one by one. .But the most terrible thing right now is that this is an unobstructed and open land, and he must confront them head-on. No matter how good his martial arts are, with such a huge disparity in power, it may be more dangerous than good.
When the encirclement shrunk to two feet away, a man in black suddenly laughed twice, and said, "Xiao Junmo, let's meet again!"
Yang Bingjun? !
Xiao Junmo took a closer look and found that the person who was speaking was covered with a black cloth and a black eyepatch was covering his left eye, but from the only remaining right eye, he could still recognize that this person was Yang Bingjun.
"Yang Shijun, it's been a while since I saw you, why did you lose your eyeballs?" Xiao Junmo laughed.
Yang Bingjun simply tore off the black cloth on his face, and said coldly: "Isn't this thanks to you?!"
"Oh? That's strange!" Xiao Junmo said, "I haven't seen you since Luozhou left. Why did you lose your eyes and rely on me?"
"If it weren't for you, I'm still the mighty governor of Luozhou, how could I have ended up in this situation? And how could Mr. Mingzang have his eyes gouged out?" Yang Bingjun gritted his teeth.
Xiao Junmo understood immediately, and said with a smile: "So that's the case, and you can only blame yourself! You are incompetent as an official, and you can't even be a thief. You should be punished by Mingzang."
"Boy, don't be too complacent. Open your eyes wide and look. Can you escape today?" Yang Bingjun grinned grinningly, "It just so happens that your father's grave is here, and I'll ask my brothers to dig up the grave later, so that you and your father can escape." Joint burial also saves a cemetery."
Xiao Junmo chuckled: "Your envoy is thoughtful, I'm afraid the dragon head knife in my hand won't agree!"
Yang Bingjun stopped talking, and with a wave of his right hand, all the men in black immediately rushed forward, and dozens of gleaming horizontal knives attacked Xiao Junmo at the same time, slashing, stabbing, chopping, picking, swinging, or sweeping, almost weaving He set up an airtight knife net, not giving him any chance to escape.
Xiao Junmo lightly tapped his right foot on the tombstone, and the whole person flew into the air, then turned over with a kite, broke away from the encirclement, and landed behind two men in black, stabbed and slashed with a knife in his hand, and the two fell to the ground immediately.Immediately afterwards, the long knife drew another arc, and intersected with the three horizontal knives on the other side in turn. There was a clanging sound, and the three men in black were knocked back a few steps.Xiao Junmo straightened his sword and charged directly at Yang Bingjun.
Yang Bingjun was startled, quickly drew his knife in his hand, stepped back quickly, and shouted: "Quickly surround him and kill him!"
Just when Xiao Junmo's blade was only two steps away from Yang Bingjun's face, a group of men in black finally surrounded him again, and Xiao Junmo had to fight back to block.The swords intersected and sparks flew everywhere.Xiao Junmo was a little inattentive, a cut was cut on his back, and blood immediately oozed out.
Yang Bingjun grinned grimly.
Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.
Li Chengqian knelt in the hall with ashen face, beside Li Tai who stood relaxed and composed.Li Shimin paced back and forth in front of the imperial couch, and asked Zhao Dequan who was beside him, "Is King Wu coming soon?"
"Going back to everyone, according to the distance, if you are fast, you can arrive at noon today, even if you are slower, you can arrive before the evening drum."
"I command you to come here to see me as soon as you enter the palace!"
"Old servant complies with the order." Zhao Dequan turned around and spoke to an eunuch, who hurriedly retreated.
"There are still pheasant slaves, why haven't they come yet?" Li Shimin looked anxious.
"Everyone, don't worry, this old slave will be reminded again." Zhao Dequan said, and quickly turned to another eunuch...
In the passageway in the palace, Changsun Wuji and a handsome young man in Chinese clothes came hurriedly, followed by a group of eunuchs and court ladies.
This young man is Li Shimin's ninth son and third son Li Zhi, who was 15 years old at the time and nicknamed Pheasant Nu.In Li Zhishi's time, he was granted the title of king of Jin, and he was the governor of Bingzhou. Because of his young age, he did not enter the feudal domain or open a mansion, and he still lives in the palace.He had received the imperial edict from his father half an hour ago, but Changsun Wuji kept pushing him to instruct him endlessly, so he was late.
"Pheasant slave, please remember that no matter what your father says later, you can't talk back, even if you scold you, you have to bear it." Changsun Wuji said, "Also, those brothers of yours who were scolded You just need to listen at the side, just say a few words to smooth things over at critical moments, so that your father can listen to you, and let a few brothers get off the stage."
Li Zhi couldn't help laughing and said, "Uncle, you've been talking back and forth all morning, and my ears are getting callused."
The eldest grandson Wuji is the uncle of Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi, but he has little contact with his two nephews, but he has a special liking for Li Zhi. The famous master always teaches and guides by his side.On the surface, it seems that Changsun Wuji only loves Li Zhi because of fate—anyway, it just looks pleasing to the eye, and there is no reason to talk about it.However, people with a discerning eye can actually see that the real reason why Changsun Wuji doesn't like the crown prince and King Wei is that the two princes are adults, have relatively rich life experience and political experience, have mature personalities, and have their own political teams. It is difficult for Mowgli to control them.On the contrary, Li Zhi is still young and has a weaker personality, and is much easier to control than the prince and Wei Wang, so Changsun Wuji will naturally bet his treasure on him.In other words, if he can help Li Zhi win this battle for succession, Changsun Wuji will not only be rich and worry-free for the rest of his life, but it will not be difficult for him to single-handedly control the government in the future.
This time, the child molestation scandal broke out in the East Palace, and Li Shimin was furious. He simply called the four princes, the prince, Wei Wang, Jin Wang, and Wu Wang, to prepare for a general training.Changsun Wuji was worried that Li Zhi would not know how to deal with it, so he made a special trip to the palace to exhort him.
Li Zhi knew that the other three imperial brothers had more or less problems, but he himself was a filial and weak boy since he was a child, but he was also named by his father, so he couldn't help but wonder.At this moment, Li Zhi raised his confusion while walking quickly.
Changsun Wuji smiled: "This is a good thing! Those who can be named this time are all the most favored by the Holy Majesty. In other words, if the crown prince is deposed, the new crown prince will be between you and King Wei and King Wu." bingo."
Hearing this, Li Zhi was thoughtful: "Even if the eldest brother is abolished, he should be the third brother and the fourth brother, why can't it be my turn?"
Changsun Wuji smiled meaningfully: "That's not necessarily the case. In my opinion, your chance of winning is even greater than King Wei and King Wu!"
Li Zhi was thinking about something, and was about to ask again, when he saw an eunuch from Ganlu Hall running towards him, shouting out of breath: "Everyone has an order, order King Jin to go to the hall to have an audience!"
A string of blood splashed out, and another man in black fell under Xiao Junmo's knife.
After a lot of fighting, more than a dozen men in black fell into a pool of blood, and Xiao Junmo had blood in many places. Although he didn't hurt his vitals, he bled a lot, and the whole white robe was covered with blood. stained red.
The remaining [-] men in black still surrounded Xiao Junmo, and the attack became more and more fierce.
Xiao Junmo was already exhausted, and slowly retreated to the grave, using the grave as the only barrier to deal with the opponent, obviously in a defensive position, and could only attack one or two moves from time to time.
Yang Bingjun had been standing five feet away and watching coldly. Now that the time was ripe, he raised his horizontal knife and rushed to join the battle group.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the blood mixed with the rain was flowing on Xiao Junmo's body.
The surrounding area was covered with rain and mist, and there was no one left on the huge White Deer Plain. Even the birds in the sky had hid in the woods to avoid the rain.
Looks like I'm going to die here today!
Xiao Junmo slashed and killed a man in black again, and smiled wryly in his heart.
In Ganlu Hall, Li Chengqian was still kneeling on the ground, Li Tai and Li Zhi stood on both sides.
Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, glanced at the rain curtain outside the hall, and said in a deep voice: "King Wu may be delayed by the rain, so let's not wait for him, let's start first."
Li Chengqian was expressionless.Li Tai and Li Zhi bowed at the same time: "I would like to listen to my father's instruction!"
Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian: "Chengqian, this matter happened because of you, you can tell the story yourself."
"Actually, this matter is also very simple." Li Chengqian seemed to have thought about it a long time ago, and said without hesitation, "My son likes a person who is too happy, but he is a man whose father was beheaded many years ago for talking nonsense while drinking. , that's it."
Li Tai and Li Zhi looked at each other subconsciously.Li Zhi looked calm, while Li Tai smiled secretly.
Li Shimin sneered loudly: "Hearing you say that, it seems that you have done nothing wrong, and I am making a fuss out of nothing?"
"My son didn't say that." Li Chengqian said, poking his neck.
"You spoil the child and corrupt the government, this is the first crime; you associate with the son of a rebellious minister, and you want to reverse the case for the rebellious minister, this is the second crime; you have no ruler and father, and lie about the secrets of the palace, this is the third crime; knowingly committing the crime, persisting in your obsession, and trying to send the child molester away to cover up Crime, this is the fourth crime; now you have no regrets, openly contradicting me, this is the fifth crime! Li Chengqian, if I count the crimes and punish them, do you think you can keep your crown prince?"
"The prince was canonized by the emperor, and the emperor can take it back at any time, and the son has no complaints."
Zhao Dequan was listening and couldn't help but sigh secretly.
"Okay! You still have a daring look!" Li Shimin said with a smile, "Then if I say that you are guilty of conspiracy, don't you dare to hand over your head?"
"My son's life was also given by my father, and my father can naturally take it back." Li Chengqian still showed no fear.
Li Tai couldn't help laughing secretly.
Li Shimin suddenly cast a sideways glance at Li Tai: "Qingque, you don't have to gloat from the sidelines, you're not alone."
Li Tai was startled, and mumbled: "Father, my son...what's the matter with my son?"
"You spend all day in the brothel in Pingkangfang with a group of rich and powerful children, indulge in sex, spend money like water, do you think I don't even know?"
Li Tai was startled, and hurriedly knelt down, not daring to answer.
Li Zhi saw that his two elder brothers were kneeling, and it seemed a little awkward for him to stand alone. After thinking about it, he also knelt down.
Li Shimin turned his attention to Li Zhi: "Pheasant slave, did you also make some mistakes, so you knelt before I asked you?"
Li Zhi thought for a while: "Returning to my father, the ancients said that brothers and sisters are respectful. Although my son did not make any mistakes, since the two emperor brothers are kneeling, the son is naturally obliged to accompany him, so... so the son Just knelt down."
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing, exchanged glances with Zhao Dequan, and forced himself to hold back a laugh.
Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian laughed out loud at this moment.
"Chengqian, do you still dare to laugh?" Li Shimin raised his face again, "Do you think you'll be fine if they all kneel down?"
"Of course I don't dare to think so."
"Then what are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at the fact that the term 'kneeling with me' is really new, and I'm also laughing at the three brothers, although they were all born to their father, queen and queen, some of them are so clever and some are so honest and cute."
Li Shimin heard the overtones, and immediately frowned.
Hearing this, Li Tai couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at Li Chengqian: "Brother, what do you mean by that?"
"It's just the three of us here, what do you mean you can't understand?" Li Chengqian sneered.He knew very well that he would be caught by his father in Qujiangchi for this incident, and it was obvious that Li Tai was playing tricks behind it, so he was already full of anger.
"Brother, if you want to swear, you have to have evidence!" Li Tai unconsciously raised his voice, "The good thing you did this time was discovered by your father, so what does it have to do with me? You can't swear!"
"I didn't say anything, you jumped out by yourself, isn't that evidence?" Li Chengqian sneered.
Li Tai was at a loss for words for a while, and was about to reply, when Li Shimin suddenly replayed the case, and said sharply: "Enough! I'm not dead yet, you guys want brothers to fight in the wall, and we'll wait until I'm dead!"
In Bailuyuan in the rain, Yang Bingjun attacked fiercely, and all his moves were aimed at Xiao Junmo's vital points.
Xiao Junmo fought and retreated, not only to resist his attack, but also to guard against the siege of other men in black.
In fact, Yang Bingjun's martial arts skills are sparse. In normal times, even eight Yang Bingjuns may not be Xiao Junmo's opponent, but right now Yang Bingjun is waiting for work with leisure and bullying the few, while Xiao Junmo is at the end of his strength and unable to support him alone, so the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Xiao Junmo The chance of surviving is very slim, and it is only a matter of time before Yang Bingjun cuts him under the knife.
Xiao Junmo knew that there was no escape from this disaster, so he simply sold an opening, pretended that the sole of his foot slipped, and hurriedly poked the ground with a knife, exposing his whole body in front of Yang Bingjun.Yang Bingjun was overjoyed, he leaned forward, raised the horizontal knife in his hand, and slashed at Xiao Junmo's head.Unexpectedly, Xiao Junmo did not block, but stabbed with a long knife, directly hitting Yang Bingjun's heart.
This is clearly a move to kill each other!
Yang Bingjun turned pale with fright, so he had no choice but to change his move halfway, dodging sideways, barely dodging Xiao Junmo's blade.
At this time, Xiao Junmo was determined to die, so he no longer guarded his back, turned his wrist, and the dragon head knife crossed Yang Bingjun's chest horizontally, Yang Bingjun screamed, and was severely injured.However, at the same time, a man in black behind Xiao Junmo slashed his knife on Xiao Junmo's shoulder.Xiao Junmo couldn't bear the strength, so he knelt down on one leg and stabbed the long knife in the ground so that he didn't fall completely.
Seeing this, Yang Bingjun endured the pain and slashed at Xiao Junmo's neck again.
At this moment, Xiao Junmo had no chance to block at all, so he smiled sadly, waiting for the last moment to come.
At the very moment, there was a sudden whoosh, and a sharp arrow shot from the southeast, piercing Yang Bingjun's wrist in an instant.Yang Bingjun wailed, and the horizontal knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
Xiao Junmo and all the men in black were surprised. Turning their heads to look, they saw a group of flying cavalry galloping down a slope. The leader was a tall white horse, and a sturdy knight in full armor sat on it. .The cavalry rode his horse and galloped while shooting an arrow with his bow, and then another arrow shot straight into the throat of a man in black. The man fell on his back without humming.
The cavalry general succeeded with two arrows, and the third arrow hit the bowstring in an instant.
The men in black were inexplicably terrified, and couldn't care about Xiao Junmo, they hurriedly hugged the injured Yang Bingjun and fled to the bank of Bashui.Their horses are tied to willow trees by the river.
In a blink of an eye, that team of flying cavalry arrived in front of them.Yang Bingjun and others also rode their horses and fled northwestward.The cavalry general said loudly to the cavalry: "Chasing! Catch me alive and see where the bandits dare to kill at the feet of the emperor!"
All the cavalry were ordered to chase after him.
The rider got off his horse and strode towards Xiao Junmo.
Xiao Junmo had already recognized the person, heaved a sigh of relief, and sat down in the mud.As soon as he relaxed, he felt pain all over his body, and he couldn't help taking a few breaths of cold air hissingly.
"Don't you always brag about how good your martial arts are, why are you being beaten like this?" The cavalier smiled, squatting down in front of him, looking at the wound on his body, his eyes seemed to be admiring.
"You can't even beat two bears, so you still have the face to criticize me?" Xiao Junmo touched the wounds all over his body, grinning in pain, "There are more than 30 of them, if it were you, you would have died eight times earlier!"
"I'm your savior now, can't you speak in a better tone?" The cavalier still had a smile on his face.
This person is still very young, looking only two or three years older than Xiao Junmo. It is unrestrained and uninhibited, as bright as the sun.
"I've saved you twice, and you're so proud of paying me back once. Are you interested?" Xiao Jun gave him a silent look.
"Yeah, I finally paid you back once, and I feel refreshed!" The cavalry general laughed, "If I had known that I would not shoot the second arrow just now, and wait until they cut you and I will shoot again. If you hit you twice, our account will be settled!"
"You are so good at settling accounts, you should be the governor of everything, and forget it when you return to the court." Xiao Junmo touched his shoulder, and even touched the blood on his hand, and quickly shook it away.
"You really hit the mark, my father just dismissed my governor, and now I'm without an official!"
Xiao Junmo frowned: "What's going on?"
The cavalry general who had just rescued Xiao Junmo was none other than Li Shimin's third son, Li Ke, the king of Wu who was then governor of Anzhou.A few days ago, he received Li Shimin's edict to return to the court, and was removed from the post of governor on the same day.
Li Ke stood up and shrugged his shoulders: "My long history Quan Wanji played a secret concert with the emperor, saying that I hunted too much and disturbed the people."
Xiao Junmo smiled: "You are really good, but you were sued by your subordinates, and you will be ashamed if you say it!"
"Quan Wanji is my subordinate on the surface, but in fact, it's not my father who keeps watch over me. It's no wonder he doesn't sue me!"
"Hey, let me say," Xiao Junmo looked up at him, "I'm so hurt, why don't you send me back to the city for medical treatment, and keep saying that you want to kill me?"
"It's you talking too much, who is to blame?" Li Ke said so, but his hands had already pulled Xiao Junmo up.
Xiao Junmo's wound was pulled, and his face was deformed due to the pain.
Only then did Li Ke notice that his face was extremely pale, and said solemnly, "Don't tell me, your face is already dead."
Xiao Junmo was indeed very weak, but he still forced a smile: "Don't curse me, I'm dead, it won't do you any good, and if you get crushed by some bear later, no one will save you."
Speaking of which, Xiao Junmo has a deep relationship with Wu Wang Li Ke.As early as Xiao Junmo's first year as Xuanjiawei, he went to Anzhou to perform a mission. It happened that Li Ke was out of the city to hunt. He accidentally fell off his horse and hung on a cliff, and was rescued by Xiao Junmo who was passing by.In the second year, Li Ke returned to the court to report on his duties, and went hunting in Zhongnan Mountain. He ran away from his subordinates, was besieged by two black bears, and happened to be rescued by Xiao Junmo.Li Ke said with a smile that Xiao Junmo is his lucky star, Xiao Junmo said that it will only happen three times, and you will die if you do it again.Since then, the two have had a lifelong friendship. Although they seldom meet each other, they are almost like brothers invisibly.
"Stop talking nonsense! Get on your horse quickly, I think you are dying!" Li Ke looked nervous.
Xiao Junmo smiled: "Look at you who have never seen the world! I am in good health, with a lot of blood, and I can't stop bleeding..." Before he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, shook his body, and then fell limp.
Li Ke hugged him, and couldn't help cursing: "You are so stubborn! You will die with this mouth sooner or later!"
Xiao Junmo remained motionless, obviously fainted.
Li Ke was in a hurry, and hurriedly slapped him on the face: "Hey, don't scare me, you are really dead if you say you are dead?"
Seeing that Xiao Junmo still didn't move at all, Li Ke hurriedly whistled.The white horse not far away heard the sound, and immediately ran over with its head held high.
There was silence in Ganlu Hall, only the sound of Li Shimin's heavy breathing was very clear.
"Qingque, answer me honestly, does this matter have anything to do with you?" Li Shimin looked at Li Tai.
"I'm wronged, father!" Li Tai said anxiously, "Did I mention child molestation to you from the beginning to the end? I didn't know anything before that!"
Li Shimin was silent.
Li Chengqian sneered: "You didn't mention it, but it doesn't mean that your people didn't mention it. If I'm not wrong, the person who sued me behind my back this time must be Liu Ji, the servant of Huangmen, right?"
Li Tai also smiled: "I don't know who sued you, but even if it was Liu Ji, he did it out of loyalty to his father and Sheji, and even more out of painstaking efforts to save you! If you insist on If you say he belongs to me, then I admit that on this point, Liu Ji and I are indeed of one mind! I believe that all the loyal ministers, filial sons and honest gentlemen in the court are also of one mind with us!"
Li Tai's words were righteous, powerful, and impeccable. Not only did he clear the siege for himself, but he also helped Liu Ji to make things right, and more importantly, he followed suit, which made Li Shimin listen very well.So as soon as the words fell, Li Shimin immediately showed admiration, and said: "Qing Que's words are reasonable. If all the subjects have this heart, why should the emperor worry about it! Chengqian, don't talk about other things, just understand the general situation In terms of taking care of the overall situation, Qingque has done better than you, so don't be dissatisfied."
Li Chengqian sneered faintly and stopped talking.
"Thank you for your approval!" Li Taixi said, "Although I have no virtue and incompetence, I always remember my father's daily teachings and dare not forget them for a while."
"Yeah." Li Shimin nodded, "Then when you hang out in brothels in the future, you'd better remember my teachings."
Li Chengqian secretly smiled.Even Li Zhi couldn't help grinning, but he couldn't bear to show a smile.
Li Tai was very embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "Father has taught you the right lesson. From now on, my son will definitely change his past mistakes and never set foot in Pingkangfang again!"
"Pheasant slave," Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi, "your two elder brothers, what is right and what is wrong, and what is my attitude, you have also seen it. From now on, how should we behave in the world? , don’t I need to teach you any more?”
Li Zhi hurriedly said: "Father is so painstaking, my son will naturally understand. Please rest assured, father, I will be careful in handling people and dealing with things in the future, and will never dare to add trouble to father."
Li Shimin frowned slightly: "Pheasant slave, it is right to be cautious, but your problem is not that you are not cautious enough, but that you are too cautious and too weak. Everything is too late. If you dare not do anything, it is lack of Take responsibility, how will you serve your father and brother as a vassal in the future?"
Li Zhi was a little puzzled: "Then, then, please show me, what should my son do?"
"The important thing is not to do something right now, but to cultivate the courage, courage and responsibility that a prince and a vassal should have between the usual silence, movement, words and deeds. In other words, what you should do, It's not not to add trouble to me, but to take the initiative to help me share my worries, do you understand?"
Li Zhi seemed to understand, so he nodded.
Li Shimin sighed, turned his head to Zhao Dequan and said, "Look at my three sons, one is courageous but lost in recklessness; the other is very smart but lost in scheming; I lost it because I was honest and weak. My heart is really boring!"
After hearing this, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi couldn't help looking at each other.In one sentence, the strengths and weaknesses of the three people were clearly explained, not only affirming their strengths, but also mercilessly exposing their weaknesses, which inevitably shocked the three of them.
Zhao Dequan hurriedly said: "Everyone's eyes are like torches, piercing into people's hearts, and this old slave is so impressed! However, the three princes are still young, the rough jade has yet to be carved, and the real gold needs fire. The two princes make full use of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and each achieves its own beauty!"
Li Shimin had a half-smile, "You can talk, but you're too eloquent, it's the same as if you didn't say anything."
Zhao Dequan laughed and bowed his head in silence.
At this moment, an eunuch hurried into the palace and said: "I would like to report to you all, the crown prince and grand master Wei Zheng are here to see you."
Li Shimin smiled coldly: "I guess, he should come too!"
Zhao Dequan glanced at the door of the palace, and saw the heavy rain outside, couldn't help muttering in a low voice: "It's raining so hard, Grand Master..."
"It's raining heavily?" Li Shimin sneered again, "If such a big incident happened, even if there were knives falling from the sky, Wei Zheng would come." Then he said to the eunuch at the gate of the hall, "Let him in."
The eunuch took the order to withdraw.Li Shimin looked around at the three people kneeling on the ground, and said: "You all go down, Qingque and Pheasant slaves remember what I said today; Chengqian don't go out of the palace, and wait for the verdict in the side hall."
At Chengtianmen, the heavy rain was pouring, and the sky and the earth were all gray.
A group of soldiers guarding the gate were all huddled in the doorway, looking boredly at the heavy rain outside.
Suddenly, a white horse rushed out of the rain. The man on the horse was covered in armor, holding a man in white clothes covered in blood on his chest, and rushed straight towards the palace gate.
The soldiers were astonished.The leader of the team was serious, and gave an order: "Block!" All the soldiers pointed their spears at the approaching people, and instantly formed a long spear formation.
"I am Li Ke, king of Wu, get out of the way!" The man on the horse yelled sharply, not only did not stop, but accelerated his speed, "I am ordered to enter the palace, and those who stand in the way will die!"
The soldiers all panicked and quickly looked at the captain.Dui Zheng also hesitated, not knowing whether to block or let go, because even if he entered the palace according to the order, no one had ever barged in with such a desperate posture.
In a blink of an eye, the white horse was only three feet away from the palace gate.The soldiers only listened to the clatter of horseshoes, followed by a group of flying cavalry.Seeing that they refused to give way, the leading white horse rider drew out his saber, and all the riders behind him also drew their sabers in their hands.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out at the palace gate, all the soldiers looked panic-stricken.
Just when Li Ke was about to jump into the entrance hole, Dui Zheng finally shouted: "Let!"
All the soldiers put away their spears in a swish, and dodged to both sides.Li Ke passed by them like a gust of wind, and then the team of flying knights swished past them again.
It wasn't until Li Ke and his flying cavalry disappeared into the rain in Miyagi that the gatekeeper swallowed a mouthful of saliva and murmured, "Isn't King Wu crazy?!"
When Li Ke rushed into the gate of the Imperial Medical Office with Xiao Junmo, who was covered in blood, he really shocked all the imperial physicians, young and old, inside.
"Hurry up and save people, what are you doing in a daze?!" Li Ke roared angrily.Only then did the imperial doctors come to their senses, and hurriedly carried Xiao Junmo into the house.
"If you can't save him, I'm the only one asking you!" Li Ke dropped these words and strode into the rain again.
The imperial physicians looked at each other, were silent for a moment, and then rushed to their own medicine boxes...
"I ordered you to teach the prince, but you have taught such a result?"
In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin said coldly to Wei Zheng who was standing below.
The rainwater soaked Wei Zheng's black gauze and official robe, dripped to the ground again, and formed a small pool of water at his feet in a short while.
"I've neglected my duties, and I've owed the Holy Grace. Please forgive me!" Wei Zheng said, kneeling on the puddle of water with a plop.
Li Shimin frowned, feeling a little unbearable, and gave Zhao Dequan a wink.Zhao Dequan quickly moved a round stool over, and said in a low voice, "Master, it's cold on the ground, everyone asks you to sit and answer."
But Wei Zheng knelt stubbornly, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I know that the crown prince has made a serious mistake this time and should be severely punished, but I don't know how His Majesty plans to punish him?"
Zhao Dequan was embarrassed, so he had to put the round stool aside and quietly walked back to Li Shimin's side.
"I am considering whether to depose him."
Knowing that the emperor would definitely say that, Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. There are three things that must not be done to depose the crown prince at this time."
"Oh?" Li Shimin raised his eyebrows, "So you entered the palace in the heavy rain, not to plead guilty, but to persuade?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, the job of a minister is to speak out and speak out. This has been the case for so many years. Your Majesty may not listen, but the minister must speak. Moreover, there are priorities. The minister said what should be said, and then the majesty will govern the minister. I have no grievances against you!"
"Forget it, then tell me, what are the three things?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Needless to say, in recent years, among the princes, King Wei has received the most honor and favor, surpassing the Eastern Palace for a time, and he has gradually coveted the position of the crown prince. This is known by the government and the public. If your majesty deposes the prince at this time, Changing the king of Wei, regardless of whether the child molestation incident is related to the king of Wei or not, will create an impression on the government and the public that the position of the crown prince can be managed. If your majesty's descendants follow suit, it will not be good for us The long-term peace and stability of the Tang Dynasty, so I think it is impossible."
In fact, this was exactly one of Li Shimin's concerns, but he remained calm and said, "Go ahead."
"This incident involves Lu Shenyan's treason case, which involves the secret of the palace. Regardless of what the secret is, if the prince is deposed because of this, it will definitely cause an uproar in the government and the public, and make thousands of subjects curious about this secret. This must not be what His Majesty would like to see, so I think it is impossible."
Li Shimin had to admit that this was indeed his deeper worry.Back then, very few people knew about the fact that Gaozu was forced into the palace by force and imprisoned. It would indeed be extremely unwise to be exposed because of this child molestation incident.Even if the government and the public don't know the truth, but it is just word of mouth or slander among the subjects, which is unacceptable to Li Shimin.
"Then what is the third one?"
"The crown prince is the foundation of the country. It is a last resort and should not be deposed lightly. The mistake made by the prince this time, in the final analysis, is just a failure to cultivate virtue, not really intending to rebel. If he is deposed, it will be suspected that the small loss is big. If In the former Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty deposed the crown prince Yang Yong because of a trivial matter, and set up another Jin Wang Yang Guang who harbored evil intentions and was determined to seize the heir. As a result, the country was overthrown and the second generation died. Don't make the same mistakes again!"
After Wei Zheng finished speaking, Li Shimin fell into a long silence.
He found that Wei Zheng's "three musts" all touched his inner worries.Therefore, rather than saying that Wei Zheng is persuading, it is better to say that he is helping Li Shimin say what he thinks in his heart but is inconvenient to say.In other words, this is a ladder for Li Shimin to let him step down.For so many years, the reason why Li Shimin has repeatedly accepted Wei Zheng's straight remonstrances, not only is he not annoyed by them, but he also finds his words "charming". reason.
In Li Shimin's silence, Wei Zheng suddenly sneezed very loudly.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was a little awkward.
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing out loud, Zhao Dequan quickly laughed out loud, and finally, even Wei Zheng couldn't help laughing too.Thus, the embarrassing atmosphere was dissolved in the laughter of the three monarchs and ministers, and this sudden and thrilling crisis of the crown prince also quietly dissipated and became invisible in the laughter...
(End of this chapter)
Xiao Junmo set the date for rescuing Biancai and Chu Lisang on April 25th.
He remembered that on this day, about two months ago, he arrested Biancai, so he decided to rescue Bacai on the same day in order to highlight the meaning of repaying debts and make his conscience feel better.
As Mi Mancang said, once this matter is done, he will have no choice but to run away, and he will definitely not be able to return to Chang'an.But Xiao Junmo tries not to think about the future now, because it doesn't make much sense if he thinks about it, he can only take one step at a time.
The day before the action, Xiao Junmo packed a simple bag for himself, which contained only a few ingots of gold, a few copper coins, a pair of scythes and flints, a volume of "Lanting Collection", a jade pendant, and the "winner glass".Thinking that after living for more than 20 years, these few things are worth taking away in the end, Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling a little sad.
Just two months ago, he was still the majestic Xuanjia Guard General, a young talent who was unanimously optimistic about his future.But right now, he is a loner with a deceased adoptive father, unknown background, and no relatives in the world, and he is about to become a wanted criminal by the imperial court, and he is about to embark on the boundless and unknown road of escape.
Looking at the luggage, Xiao Junmo thought for a while, then picked out the jade pendant and put it on his chest.This is the only clue to find his own life experience, and he must not lose it.Then, Xiao Junmo walked out of the house, wanting to find a few people he still cared about, because he might not be able to return to Chang'an in this lifetime, so he had to see them for the last time.
He first found Li Shiji.
The two chatted about some past events one after another, and Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling sad.Of course, Li Shiji didn't see it, and he was still encouraging him to be dedicated to his duties, so that he could be promoted in the future and glorify his family.Xiao Junmo's mouth was perfunctory, but he smiled wryly in his heart.
After chatting for about half an hour, Xiao Junmo left, and almost couldn't hold back tears when he walked to the door.
Then, he went to find Huan Dieyi, but he walked all over the government office without seeing her, and finally heard from his colleagues that she seemed to be on a mission.Xiao Junmo had no choice but to give up, thinking of the scenes of Huan Dieyi fighting with him, a warm feeling surged in his heart and eyes at the same time.In fact, he has already seen that Huan Dieyi likes him, especially since he has always been jealous of Chu Lisang recently.
Dieyi, sorry, brother let you down.When leaving the Xuanjiawei Office, Xiao Junmo said silently in his heart, I hope you can find a good husband who really likes you.Although senior brother can't drink your wedding wine, but no matter in Haijiao or Tianya, senior brother will bless you from afar.
Finally, Xiao Junmo thought of someone.
For some reason, Xiao Junmo suddenly wanted to see him for the last time.
This person is Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng was obviously a little surprised by Xiao Junmo's sudden visit, but he still received him warmly.
After the two were seated, Xiao Junmo cut straight to the point and said that he was going on a long trip, so he came to see the Grand Master, maybe there would be fewer opportunities to meet in the future.Wei Zheng was a little surprised, then looked at him for a while with eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate everything, and then smiled lightly: "It's good for young people to go out and experience more, but Chang'an is your home, no matter how far you go , you will come back after all."
Xiao Junmo suddenly regretted telling him the truth.Because he didn't even ask where he was going or what he was doing, as if he had guessed what he was thinking. "Grand Master, don't you ask me where I want to go and what I plan to do?"
Wei Zheng smiled: "If you want to say it, you will naturally say it; if you don't want to say it, why should I ask more questions?"
Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing either.
Dealing with smart people is like this, sometimes it seems very simple, sometimes it seems very complicated.
"Teacher," Xiao Junmo suddenly took off the jade pendant on his chest, "Do you know this jade pendant?"
Wei Zheng took a look at it and shook his head: "I've never seen it before. Why, is there any history?"
Xiao Junmo observed his expression and had to admire his determination.Thinking that today might be the last time I saw Wei Zheng, Xiao Junmo suddenly had an impulse, and said: "Master, do you know? My father is not my biological father, but the owner of this jade pendant is."
No matter how determined Wei Zheng was, his eyes finally fluctuated.
"There is such a thing?" Wei Zheng tried his best to cover up, "Then how did you know?"
"Before my father died, he left me a silk book."
Wei Zheng was slightly shocked.He never expected that Xiao Henian would break their agreement of more than 20 years and reveal this secret to Xiao Junmo before his death.But judging by Xiao Junmo's expression, it seems that he doesn't know much about the inside story. "Then, did your father tell you who your real father is?"
"Originally he had already written it in the silk book, but it's a pity..." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "In the dungeon of Prince Wei's mansion, the silk book was bitten to pieces by mice. There is someone, but I don't know who it is."
This was the first time Wei Zheng heard about Xiao Henian's final encounter, and it was exactly as he expected, Xiao Henian was killed in Wei Wangfu.Wei Zheng felt sad in his heart, but said calmly, "What a pity."
"Grand Master, my father has followed you for many years. It is said that he will not hide my life experience from you, right?"
Wei Zheng avoided his gaze: "That being said, everyone has their own privacy, and it's impossible for your father to tell me everything."
"That is to say, you really don't know anything about my life experience?" Even though he knew that this question was purely for nothing, Xiao Junmo couldn't help but say it.
Wei Zheng shook his head: "I really don't know anything."
"Teacher, if you say that I am going to die now, will you tell me the truth?" Xiao Junmo didn't know why he said that suddenly.
Wei Zheng was stunned: "Why did my nephew say that? I really don't know, otherwise why didn't I tell you?"
"I don't know why you all keep it from me." Xiao Junmo said sadly, "I can only guess that my biological father is an extraordinary person and has experienced something extraordinary, so you don't let me I know the truth, and it’s actually for my own good, right? Just like it’s also for my own good not to let me get involved in the mystery of "Lanting Preface."
In Wei Zheng's heart, he once again felt a little afraid of the young man in front of him.Talking to him is really like walking on thin ice. "Jun Mo, the past is over, even if you don't know the truth, don't you live a good life, why bother to ask so many questions?"
"Of course, a pig can live a good life without knowing anything." Xiao Junmo sneered, "But I am a human being, and human beings have thoughts and feelings after all. They are not satisfied as long as they live. Isn't that right, Grand Master?"
"What my nephew said is true. But have you ever thought about it? In fact, there are many people in this world who have difficulty even surviving. Therefore, in order to survive, they have to abandon their thoughts and emotions. Even if it is painful to do so, the most important thing for a person is to live, and it is worth giving up those things in order to live."
"Really? Then if you are asked to give up the succession system and let you support Wei Wang to become the throne, in exchange for your survival, would you be willing? Do you still think it is worth it?" Xiao Junmo said straightly Looking at Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng was startled, and cold sweat broke out on his back immediately: "Nephew, to tell you the truth, the old man can live to this day, he has naturally given up a lot, the reason why he still has a breath, lingering in this world, is only because It’s just that I dare not give up a little responsibility. If it is true as you said, and the court has reached that step, then the old man can only die.”
"So, isn't the Grand Master thinking the same as me?" Xiao Junmo said, "What's in people's hearts, whether it's called thoughts or responsibilities, is ultimately more important than life itself. Meaning; if you abandon these, people are nothing but a walking corpse!"
Wei Zheng suddenly got a little excited, and nodded in agreement: "A person with lofty ideals and benevolent people, if they don't seek to survive, they will harm benevolence, and if they kill themselves, they will become benevolent! What my nephew said is in essence the same as the teachings of the ancient sages!"
"Since the grand master agrees with my thoughts, why does he regard my life so important and ignore my thoughts at all?"
At this moment, Wei Zheng almost had an impulse to tell this confused young man everything. At the same time, he suddenly remembered the entrustment made to him by the owner of the jade pendant 21 years ago. Already dripping with cold sweat.
After a while, Wei Zheng took out a sweat towel and wiped his face, and said with apologetic smile, "It's already so hot in this damn weather, even though it's only just after the full hour."
Xiao Junmo looked at him, knowing that he must have something to hide, so he picked up the jade pendant again and said: "Grand Master, the younger generation is so ignorant, I don't know what the words and patterns on the jade pendant mean. Can the grand master analyze it for the junior, at least Give the junior some clues?"
Wei Zheng could tell that this smart young man was offering a compromise, allowing himself to reveal some clues to him, but not breaking his promise to the owner of the jade pendant back then.Wei Zheng feels that at present, it seems that this is the only way to alleviate the inner suffering of both parties.
Thinking about this, Wei Zheng took the jade pendant, looked at it pretendingly, and said: "As far as I know, the ganoderma and orchid generally symbolize descendants, so my nephew's guess is correct, this should be your biological father. Leave it to you."
Knowing that Wei Zheng had accepted his method, Xiao Junmo was overjoyed, and hurriedly said, "What else?"
"What else..." Wei Zheng looked at the jade pendant, "The word 'learn more', first of all, is to encourage you to learn more; secondly, these two words seem to be Buddhist terms, may this be a hint? , does the identity of your biological father have anything to do with Buddhism?"
Although such clues are extremely broad, at least they are better than nothing.Speaking of Buddhism, Xiao Junmo still has some understanding.He knew that during the reign of Wude, that is, the time when he was born, because the great ancestor Li Yuan recognized Laozi Li Er as his ancestor and worshiped Taoism, he was not very friendly to Buddhism, and even once in the ninth year of Wude, there was a case of exterminating Buddhism Later, thanks to Prince Li Jiancheng's persuasion, Buddhism avoided a dharma difficulty.
For some reason, Xiao Junmo thought of this past event, so he casually told Wei Zheng, but Wei Zheng's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly changed the subject.Xiao Junmo was very suspicious, he didn't understand why Wei Zheng became so nervous when he mentioned this topic when he was fine just now.Could it be that his biological father had something to do with this incident?
Wei Zheng talked about other topics, and then politely asked Xiao Junmo to have dinner at the house.Xiao Junmo knew that he would not be able to ask any further questions, so he got up and said goodbye.
Wei Zheng personally sent him to the gate of the mansion, and finally said: "Nephew, I still say the same thing, no matter how far you go or what you do, you must remember to come back at the end, this is your home."
Xiao Junmo's heart became more and more sad, and he quickly bowed deeply, then hurriedly got on his horse and left.
Standing in front of the mansion gate, Wei Zheng watched Xiao Junmo's figure disappear slowly, his eyes were slightly moist.
Nephew, why doesn't this old man want to tell you everything?It’s just that my old friend told me thousands of times back then that he must not let you know the truth about your life experience, let alone let you be involved in disputes in the court. He only hopes that you will be an ordinary person and live your life in peace.Since the old man made a promise to the old man, he had to keep his promise.So nephew, please forgive this old man, there is only so much this old man can tell you.In the future, if you can find out the truth by yourself, it is your good fortune, and it is also the fate you choose, and of course you can only bear it in the end.The old man is running out of time, I have nothing to ask for, but to be worthy of my heart and my old friend!
Xiao Junmo left the Wei Mansion, rode his horse out of Chunming Gate, and galloped towards Bailuyuan with whip.
Everyone who should be seen has been seen, and in the end, of course, he has to go to his father's grave to pay homage.I don't know if I can come back after this trip, and I will have no chance to go to the grave in the future. Xiao Junmo is full of guilt for this adoptive father.
He bought a lot of sacrifices, put them on the grave, lit three sticks of incense in front of the tombstone, kowtowed three times respectfully, then knelt quietly in front of the grave, chatting with his father in his heart.
There was light rain again in the sky, and the Bashui River not far away was misty and misty, and the surrounding scenery became more and more desolate and desolate, as if to set off Xiao Junmo's mood at this time.
He closed his eyes, but suddenly felt a murderous aura coming from all directions.
Xiao Junmo remained motionless until the murderous aura behind him approached within three feet, then suddenly turned around and jumped up. At the same time, the saber was unsheathed, and with a flash of cold light, it directly pierced the chest of a man in black, and pierced through the back. out.These actions were done in one go, as fast as lightning, without giving the opponent a chance to react.
The sneak attacking man in black held up the horizontal knife and looked down at his chest, as if he didn't realize what happened.
Xiao Junmo suddenly withdrew the knife, a bloody light sprayed out, and the man in black fell straight to the ground.
At this moment, there were at least [-] men in black around them, forming a closed hunting circle with Xiao Junmo and the grave as the center.And, the circle is constantly tightening.The man in black who had attempted to sneak attack just now was obviously just throwing stones to ask directions and say hello to him.The real hunting has only just begun.
Xiao Junmo quickly judged the current situation, and his heart trembled secretly.
Judging by the attire of these people, it is very likely that they are the group of people in the pine forest at Gantangyi, that is, Ming Zang's subordinates.
Obviously, Xiao Junmo played Ming Zang ruthlessly at the beginning, and now he is sending someone to take revenge, and looking at it like this, he is quite determined to win.If it is in the woods or in the neighborhood, Xiao Junmo believes that dealing with these thirty assassins is not a big problem, because he can dodge and move around with the help of obstacles, and defeat them one by one. .But the most terrible thing right now is that this is an unobstructed and open land, and he must confront them head-on. No matter how good his martial arts are, with such a huge disparity in power, it may be more dangerous than good.
When the encirclement shrunk to two feet away, a man in black suddenly laughed twice, and said, "Xiao Junmo, let's meet again!"
Yang Bingjun? !
Xiao Junmo took a closer look and found that the person who was speaking was covered with a black cloth and a black eyepatch was covering his left eye, but from the only remaining right eye, he could still recognize that this person was Yang Bingjun.
"Yang Shijun, it's been a while since I saw you, why did you lose your eyeballs?" Xiao Junmo laughed.
Yang Bingjun simply tore off the black cloth on his face, and said coldly: "Isn't this thanks to you?!"
"Oh? That's strange!" Xiao Junmo said, "I haven't seen you since Luozhou left. Why did you lose your eyes and rely on me?"
"If it weren't for you, I'm still the mighty governor of Luozhou, how could I have ended up in this situation? And how could Mr. Mingzang have his eyes gouged out?" Yang Bingjun gritted his teeth.
Xiao Junmo understood immediately, and said with a smile: "So that's the case, and you can only blame yourself! You are incompetent as an official, and you can't even be a thief. You should be punished by Mingzang."
"Boy, don't be too complacent. Open your eyes wide and look. Can you escape today?" Yang Bingjun grinned grinningly, "It just so happens that your father's grave is here, and I'll ask my brothers to dig up the grave later, so that you and your father can escape." Joint burial also saves a cemetery."
Xiao Junmo chuckled: "Your envoy is thoughtful, I'm afraid the dragon head knife in my hand won't agree!"
Yang Bingjun stopped talking, and with a wave of his right hand, all the men in black immediately rushed forward, and dozens of gleaming horizontal knives attacked Xiao Junmo at the same time, slashing, stabbing, chopping, picking, swinging, or sweeping, almost weaving He set up an airtight knife net, not giving him any chance to escape.
Xiao Junmo lightly tapped his right foot on the tombstone, and the whole person flew into the air, then turned over with a kite, broke away from the encirclement, and landed behind two men in black, stabbed and slashed with a knife in his hand, and the two fell to the ground immediately.Immediately afterwards, the long knife drew another arc, and intersected with the three horizontal knives on the other side in turn. There was a clanging sound, and the three men in black were knocked back a few steps.Xiao Junmo straightened his sword and charged directly at Yang Bingjun.
Yang Bingjun was startled, quickly drew his knife in his hand, stepped back quickly, and shouted: "Quickly surround him and kill him!"
Just when Xiao Junmo's blade was only two steps away from Yang Bingjun's face, a group of men in black finally surrounded him again, and Xiao Junmo had to fight back to block.The swords intersected and sparks flew everywhere.Xiao Junmo was a little inattentive, a cut was cut on his back, and blood immediately oozed out.
Yang Bingjun grinned grimly.
Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.
Li Chengqian knelt in the hall with ashen face, beside Li Tai who stood relaxed and composed.Li Shimin paced back and forth in front of the imperial couch, and asked Zhao Dequan who was beside him, "Is King Wu coming soon?"
"Going back to everyone, according to the distance, if you are fast, you can arrive at noon today, even if you are slower, you can arrive before the evening drum."
"I command you to come here to see me as soon as you enter the palace!"
"Old servant complies with the order." Zhao Dequan turned around and spoke to an eunuch, who hurriedly retreated.
"There are still pheasant slaves, why haven't they come yet?" Li Shimin looked anxious.
"Everyone, don't worry, this old slave will be reminded again." Zhao Dequan said, and quickly turned to another eunuch...
In the passageway in the palace, Changsun Wuji and a handsome young man in Chinese clothes came hurriedly, followed by a group of eunuchs and court ladies.
This young man is Li Shimin's ninth son and third son Li Zhi, who was 15 years old at the time and nicknamed Pheasant Nu.In Li Zhishi's time, he was granted the title of king of Jin, and he was the governor of Bingzhou. Because of his young age, he did not enter the feudal domain or open a mansion, and he still lives in the palace.He had received the imperial edict from his father half an hour ago, but Changsun Wuji kept pushing him to instruct him endlessly, so he was late.
"Pheasant slave, please remember that no matter what your father says later, you can't talk back, even if you scold you, you have to bear it." Changsun Wuji said, "Also, those brothers of yours who were scolded You just need to listen at the side, just say a few words to smooth things over at critical moments, so that your father can listen to you, and let a few brothers get off the stage."
Li Zhi couldn't help laughing and said, "Uncle, you've been talking back and forth all morning, and my ears are getting callused."
The eldest grandson Wuji is the uncle of Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi, but he has little contact with his two nephews, but he has a special liking for Li Zhi. The famous master always teaches and guides by his side.On the surface, it seems that Changsun Wuji only loves Li Zhi because of fate—anyway, it just looks pleasing to the eye, and there is no reason to talk about it.However, people with a discerning eye can actually see that the real reason why Changsun Wuji doesn't like the crown prince and King Wei is that the two princes are adults, have relatively rich life experience and political experience, have mature personalities, and have their own political teams. It is difficult for Mowgli to control them.On the contrary, Li Zhi is still young and has a weaker personality, and is much easier to control than the prince and Wei Wang, so Changsun Wuji will naturally bet his treasure on him.In other words, if he can help Li Zhi win this battle for succession, Changsun Wuji will not only be rich and worry-free for the rest of his life, but it will not be difficult for him to single-handedly control the government in the future.
This time, the child molestation scandal broke out in the East Palace, and Li Shimin was furious. He simply called the four princes, the prince, Wei Wang, Jin Wang, and Wu Wang, to prepare for a general training.Changsun Wuji was worried that Li Zhi would not know how to deal with it, so he made a special trip to the palace to exhort him.
Li Zhi knew that the other three imperial brothers had more or less problems, but he himself was a filial and weak boy since he was a child, but he was also named by his father, so he couldn't help but wonder.At this moment, Li Zhi raised his confusion while walking quickly.
Changsun Wuji smiled: "This is a good thing! Those who can be named this time are all the most favored by the Holy Majesty. In other words, if the crown prince is deposed, the new crown prince will be between you and King Wei and King Wu." bingo."
Hearing this, Li Zhi was thoughtful: "Even if the eldest brother is abolished, he should be the third brother and the fourth brother, why can't it be my turn?"
Changsun Wuji smiled meaningfully: "That's not necessarily the case. In my opinion, your chance of winning is even greater than King Wei and King Wu!"
Li Zhi was thinking about something, and was about to ask again, when he saw an eunuch from Ganlu Hall running towards him, shouting out of breath: "Everyone has an order, order King Jin to go to the hall to have an audience!"
A string of blood splashed out, and another man in black fell under Xiao Junmo's knife.
After a lot of fighting, more than a dozen men in black fell into a pool of blood, and Xiao Junmo had blood in many places. Although he didn't hurt his vitals, he bled a lot, and the whole white robe was covered with blood. stained red.
The remaining [-] men in black still surrounded Xiao Junmo, and the attack became more and more fierce.
Xiao Junmo was already exhausted, and slowly retreated to the grave, using the grave as the only barrier to deal with the opponent, obviously in a defensive position, and could only attack one or two moves from time to time.
Yang Bingjun had been standing five feet away and watching coldly. Now that the time was ripe, he raised his horizontal knife and rushed to join the battle group.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the blood mixed with the rain was flowing on Xiao Junmo's body.
The surrounding area was covered with rain and mist, and there was no one left on the huge White Deer Plain. Even the birds in the sky had hid in the woods to avoid the rain.
Looks like I'm going to die here today!
Xiao Junmo slashed and killed a man in black again, and smiled wryly in his heart.
In Ganlu Hall, Li Chengqian was still kneeling on the ground, Li Tai and Li Zhi stood on both sides.
Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, glanced at the rain curtain outside the hall, and said in a deep voice: "King Wu may be delayed by the rain, so let's not wait for him, let's start first."
Li Chengqian was expressionless.Li Tai and Li Zhi bowed at the same time: "I would like to listen to my father's instruction!"
Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian: "Chengqian, this matter happened because of you, you can tell the story yourself."
"Actually, this matter is also very simple." Li Chengqian seemed to have thought about it a long time ago, and said without hesitation, "My son likes a person who is too happy, but he is a man whose father was beheaded many years ago for talking nonsense while drinking. , that's it."
Li Tai and Li Zhi looked at each other subconsciously.Li Zhi looked calm, while Li Tai smiled secretly.
Li Shimin sneered loudly: "Hearing you say that, it seems that you have done nothing wrong, and I am making a fuss out of nothing?"
"My son didn't say that." Li Chengqian said, poking his neck.
"You spoil the child and corrupt the government, this is the first crime; you associate with the son of a rebellious minister, and you want to reverse the case for the rebellious minister, this is the second crime; you have no ruler and father, and lie about the secrets of the palace, this is the third crime; knowingly committing the crime, persisting in your obsession, and trying to send the child molester away to cover up Crime, this is the fourth crime; now you have no regrets, openly contradicting me, this is the fifth crime! Li Chengqian, if I count the crimes and punish them, do you think you can keep your crown prince?"
"The prince was canonized by the emperor, and the emperor can take it back at any time, and the son has no complaints."
Zhao Dequan was listening and couldn't help but sigh secretly.
"Okay! You still have a daring look!" Li Shimin said with a smile, "Then if I say that you are guilty of conspiracy, don't you dare to hand over your head?"
"My son's life was also given by my father, and my father can naturally take it back." Li Chengqian still showed no fear.
Li Tai couldn't help laughing secretly.
Li Shimin suddenly cast a sideways glance at Li Tai: "Qingque, you don't have to gloat from the sidelines, you're not alone."
Li Tai was startled, and mumbled: "Father, my son...what's the matter with my son?"
"You spend all day in the brothel in Pingkangfang with a group of rich and powerful children, indulge in sex, spend money like water, do you think I don't even know?"
Li Tai was startled, and hurriedly knelt down, not daring to answer.
Li Zhi saw that his two elder brothers were kneeling, and it seemed a little awkward for him to stand alone. After thinking about it, he also knelt down.
Li Shimin turned his attention to Li Zhi: "Pheasant slave, did you also make some mistakes, so you knelt before I asked you?"
Li Zhi thought for a while: "Returning to my father, the ancients said that brothers and sisters are respectful. Although my son did not make any mistakes, since the two emperor brothers are kneeling, the son is naturally obliged to accompany him, so... so the son Just knelt down."
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing, exchanged glances with Zhao Dequan, and forced himself to hold back a laugh.
Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian laughed out loud at this moment.
"Chengqian, do you still dare to laugh?" Li Shimin raised his face again, "Do you think you'll be fine if they all kneel down?"
"Of course I don't dare to think so."
"Then what are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at the fact that the term 'kneeling with me' is really new, and I'm also laughing at the three brothers, although they were all born to their father, queen and queen, some of them are so clever and some are so honest and cute."
Li Shimin heard the overtones, and immediately frowned.
Hearing this, Li Tai couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at Li Chengqian: "Brother, what do you mean by that?"
"It's just the three of us here, what do you mean you can't understand?" Li Chengqian sneered.He knew very well that he would be caught by his father in Qujiangchi for this incident, and it was obvious that Li Tai was playing tricks behind it, so he was already full of anger.
"Brother, if you want to swear, you have to have evidence!" Li Tai unconsciously raised his voice, "The good thing you did this time was discovered by your father, so what does it have to do with me? You can't swear!"
"I didn't say anything, you jumped out by yourself, isn't that evidence?" Li Chengqian sneered.
Li Tai was at a loss for words for a while, and was about to reply, when Li Shimin suddenly replayed the case, and said sharply: "Enough! I'm not dead yet, you guys want brothers to fight in the wall, and we'll wait until I'm dead!"
In Bailuyuan in the rain, Yang Bingjun attacked fiercely, and all his moves were aimed at Xiao Junmo's vital points.
Xiao Junmo fought and retreated, not only to resist his attack, but also to guard against the siege of other men in black.
In fact, Yang Bingjun's martial arts skills are sparse. In normal times, even eight Yang Bingjuns may not be Xiao Junmo's opponent, but right now Yang Bingjun is waiting for work with leisure and bullying the few, while Xiao Junmo is at the end of his strength and unable to support him alone, so the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Xiao Junmo The chance of surviving is very slim, and it is only a matter of time before Yang Bingjun cuts him under the knife.
Xiao Junmo knew that there was no escape from this disaster, so he simply sold an opening, pretended that the sole of his foot slipped, and hurriedly poked the ground with a knife, exposing his whole body in front of Yang Bingjun.Yang Bingjun was overjoyed, he leaned forward, raised the horizontal knife in his hand, and slashed at Xiao Junmo's head.Unexpectedly, Xiao Junmo did not block, but stabbed with a long knife, directly hitting Yang Bingjun's heart.
This is clearly a move to kill each other!
Yang Bingjun turned pale with fright, so he had no choice but to change his move halfway, dodging sideways, barely dodging Xiao Junmo's blade.
At this time, Xiao Junmo was determined to die, so he no longer guarded his back, turned his wrist, and the dragon head knife crossed Yang Bingjun's chest horizontally, Yang Bingjun screamed, and was severely injured.However, at the same time, a man in black behind Xiao Junmo slashed his knife on Xiao Junmo's shoulder.Xiao Junmo couldn't bear the strength, so he knelt down on one leg and stabbed the long knife in the ground so that he didn't fall completely.
Seeing this, Yang Bingjun endured the pain and slashed at Xiao Junmo's neck again.
At this moment, Xiao Junmo had no chance to block at all, so he smiled sadly, waiting for the last moment to come.
At the very moment, there was a sudden whoosh, and a sharp arrow shot from the southeast, piercing Yang Bingjun's wrist in an instant.Yang Bingjun wailed, and the horizontal knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
Xiao Junmo and all the men in black were surprised. Turning their heads to look, they saw a group of flying cavalry galloping down a slope. The leader was a tall white horse, and a sturdy knight in full armor sat on it. .The cavalry rode his horse and galloped while shooting an arrow with his bow, and then another arrow shot straight into the throat of a man in black. The man fell on his back without humming.
The cavalry general succeeded with two arrows, and the third arrow hit the bowstring in an instant.
The men in black were inexplicably terrified, and couldn't care about Xiao Junmo, they hurriedly hugged the injured Yang Bingjun and fled to the bank of Bashui.Their horses are tied to willow trees by the river.
In a blink of an eye, that team of flying cavalry arrived in front of them.Yang Bingjun and others also rode their horses and fled northwestward.The cavalry general said loudly to the cavalry: "Chasing! Catch me alive and see where the bandits dare to kill at the feet of the emperor!"
All the cavalry were ordered to chase after him.
The rider got off his horse and strode towards Xiao Junmo.
Xiao Junmo had already recognized the person, heaved a sigh of relief, and sat down in the mud.As soon as he relaxed, he felt pain all over his body, and he couldn't help taking a few breaths of cold air hissingly.
"Don't you always brag about how good your martial arts are, why are you being beaten like this?" The cavalier smiled, squatting down in front of him, looking at the wound on his body, his eyes seemed to be admiring.
"You can't even beat two bears, so you still have the face to criticize me?" Xiao Junmo touched the wounds all over his body, grinning in pain, "There are more than 30 of them, if it were you, you would have died eight times earlier!"
"I'm your savior now, can't you speak in a better tone?" The cavalier still had a smile on his face.
This person is still very young, looking only two or three years older than Xiao Junmo. It is unrestrained and uninhibited, as bright as the sun.
"I've saved you twice, and you're so proud of paying me back once. Are you interested?" Xiao Jun gave him a silent look.
"Yeah, I finally paid you back once, and I feel refreshed!" The cavalry general laughed, "If I had known that I would not shoot the second arrow just now, and wait until they cut you and I will shoot again. If you hit you twice, our account will be settled!"
"You are so good at settling accounts, you should be the governor of everything, and forget it when you return to the court." Xiao Junmo touched his shoulder, and even touched the blood on his hand, and quickly shook it away.
"You really hit the mark, my father just dismissed my governor, and now I'm without an official!"
Xiao Junmo frowned: "What's going on?"
The cavalry general who had just rescued Xiao Junmo was none other than Li Shimin's third son, Li Ke, the king of Wu who was then governor of Anzhou.A few days ago, he received Li Shimin's edict to return to the court, and was removed from the post of governor on the same day.
Li Ke stood up and shrugged his shoulders: "My long history Quan Wanji played a secret concert with the emperor, saying that I hunted too much and disturbed the people."
Xiao Junmo smiled: "You are really good, but you were sued by your subordinates, and you will be ashamed if you say it!"
"Quan Wanji is my subordinate on the surface, but in fact, it's not my father who keeps watch over me. It's no wonder he doesn't sue me!"
"Hey, let me say," Xiao Junmo looked up at him, "I'm so hurt, why don't you send me back to the city for medical treatment, and keep saying that you want to kill me?"
"It's you talking too much, who is to blame?" Li Ke said so, but his hands had already pulled Xiao Junmo up.
Xiao Junmo's wound was pulled, and his face was deformed due to the pain.
Only then did Li Ke notice that his face was extremely pale, and said solemnly, "Don't tell me, your face is already dead."
Xiao Junmo was indeed very weak, but he still forced a smile: "Don't curse me, I'm dead, it won't do you any good, and if you get crushed by some bear later, no one will save you."
Speaking of which, Xiao Junmo has a deep relationship with Wu Wang Li Ke.As early as Xiao Junmo's first year as Xuanjiawei, he went to Anzhou to perform a mission. It happened that Li Ke was out of the city to hunt. He accidentally fell off his horse and hung on a cliff, and was rescued by Xiao Junmo who was passing by.In the second year, Li Ke returned to the court to report on his duties, and went hunting in Zhongnan Mountain. He ran away from his subordinates, was besieged by two black bears, and happened to be rescued by Xiao Junmo.Li Ke said with a smile that Xiao Junmo is his lucky star, Xiao Junmo said that it will only happen three times, and you will die if you do it again.Since then, the two have had a lifelong friendship. Although they seldom meet each other, they are almost like brothers invisibly.
"Stop talking nonsense! Get on your horse quickly, I think you are dying!" Li Ke looked nervous.
Xiao Junmo smiled: "Look at you who have never seen the world! I am in good health, with a lot of blood, and I can't stop bleeding..." Before he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, shook his body, and then fell limp.
Li Ke hugged him, and couldn't help cursing: "You are so stubborn! You will die with this mouth sooner or later!"
Xiao Junmo remained motionless, obviously fainted.
Li Ke was in a hurry, and hurriedly slapped him on the face: "Hey, don't scare me, you are really dead if you say you are dead?"
Seeing that Xiao Junmo still didn't move at all, Li Ke hurriedly whistled.The white horse not far away heard the sound, and immediately ran over with its head held high.
There was silence in Ganlu Hall, only the sound of Li Shimin's heavy breathing was very clear.
"Qingque, answer me honestly, does this matter have anything to do with you?" Li Shimin looked at Li Tai.
"I'm wronged, father!" Li Tai said anxiously, "Did I mention child molestation to you from the beginning to the end? I didn't know anything before that!"
Li Shimin was silent.
Li Chengqian sneered: "You didn't mention it, but it doesn't mean that your people didn't mention it. If I'm not wrong, the person who sued me behind my back this time must be Liu Ji, the servant of Huangmen, right?"
Li Tai also smiled: "I don't know who sued you, but even if it was Liu Ji, he did it out of loyalty to his father and Sheji, and even more out of painstaking efforts to save you! If you insist on If you say he belongs to me, then I admit that on this point, Liu Ji and I are indeed of one mind! I believe that all the loyal ministers, filial sons and honest gentlemen in the court are also of one mind with us!"
Li Tai's words were righteous, powerful, and impeccable. Not only did he clear the siege for himself, but he also helped Liu Ji to make things right, and more importantly, he followed suit, which made Li Shimin listen very well.So as soon as the words fell, Li Shimin immediately showed admiration, and said: "Qing Que's words are reasonable. If all the subjects have this heart, why should the emperor worry about it! Chengqian, don't talk about other things, just understand the general situation In terms of taking care of the overall situation, Qingque has done better than you, so don't be dissatisfied."
Li Chengqian sneered faintly and stopped talking.
"Thank you for your approval!" Li Taixi said, "Although I have no virtue and incompetence, I always remember my father's daily teachings and dare not forget them for a while."
"Yeah." Li Shimin nodded, "Then when you hang out in brothels in the future, you'd better remember my teachings."
Li Chengqian secretly smiled.Even Li Zhi couldn't help grinning, but he couldn't bear to show a smile.
Li Tai was very embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "Father has taught you the right lesson. From now on, my son will definitely change his past mistakes and never set foot in Pingkangfang again!"
"Pheasant slave," Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi, "your two elder brothers, what is right and what is wrong, and what is my attitude, you have also seen it. From now on, how should we behave in the world? , don’t I need to teach you any more?”
Li Zhi hurriedly said: "Father is so painstaking, my son will naturally understand. Please rest assured, father, I will be careful in handling people and dealing with things in the future, and will never dare to add trouble to father."
Li Shimin frowned slightly: "Pheasant slave, it is right to be cautious, but your problem is not that you are not cautious enough, but that you are too cautious and too weak. Everything is too late. If you dare not do anything, it is lack of Take responsibility, how will you serve your father and brother as a vassal in the future?"
Li Zhi was a little puzzled: "Then, then, please show me, what should my son do?"
"The important thing is not to do something right now, but to cultivate the courage, courage and responsibility that a prince and a vassal should have between the usual silence, movement, words and deeds. In other words, what you should do, It's not not to add trouble to me, but to take the initiative to help me share my worries, do you understand?"
Li Zhi seemed to understand, so he nodded.
Li Shimin sighed, turned his head to Zhao Dequan and said, "Look at my three sons, one is courageous but lost in recklessness; the other is very smart but lost in scheming; I lost it because I was honest and weak. My heart is really boring!"
After hearing this, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi couldn't help looking at each other.In one sentence, the strengths and weaknesses of the three people were clearly explained, not only affirming their strengths, but also mercilessly exposing their weaknesses, which inevitably shocked the three of them.
Zhao Dequan hurriedly said: "Everyone's eyes are like torches, piercing into people's hearts, and this old slave is so impressed! However, the three princes are still young, the rough jade has yet to be carved, and the real gold needs fire. The two princes make full use of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and each achieves its own beauty!"
Li Shimin had a half-smile, "You can talk, but you're too eloquent, it's the same as if you didn't say anything."
Zhao Dequan laughed and bowed his head in silence.
At this moment, an eunuch hurried into the palace and said: "I would like to report to you all, the crown prince and grand master Wei Zheng are here to see you."
Li Shimin smiled coldly: "I guess, he should come too!"
Zhao Dequan glanced at the door of the palace, and saw the heavy rain outside, couldn't help muttering in a low voice: "It's raining so hard, Grand Master..."
"It's raining heavily?" Li Shimin sneered again, "If such a big incident happened, even if there were knives falling from the sky, Wei Zheng would come." Then he said to the eunuch at the gate of the hall, "Let him in."
The eunuch took the order to withdraw.Li Shimin looked around at the three people kneeling on the ground, and said: "You all go down, Qingque and Pheasant slaves remember what I said today; Chengqian don't go out of the palace, and wait for the verdict in the side hall."
At Chengtianmen, the heavy rain was pouring, and the sky and the earth were all gray.
A group of soldiers guarding the gate were all huddled in the doorway, looking boredly at the heavy rain outside.
Suddenly, a white horse rushed out of the rain. The man on the horse was covered in armor, holding a man in white clothes covered in blood on his chest, and rushed straight towards the palace gate.
The soldiers were astonished.The leader of the team was serious, and gave an order: "Block!" All the soldiers pointed their spears at the approaching people, and instantly formed a long spear formation.
"I am Li Ke, king of Wu, get out of the way!" The man on the horse yelled sharply, not only did not stop, but accelerated his speed, "I am ordered to enter the palace, and those who stand in the way will die!"
The soldiers all panicked and quickly looked at the captain.Dui Zheng also hesitated, not knowing whether to block or let go, because even if he entered the palace according to the order, no one had ever barged in with such a desperate posture.
In a blink of an eye, the white horse was only three feet away from the palace gate.The soldiers only listened to the clatter of horseshoes, followed by a group of flying cavalry.Seeing that they refused to give way, the leading white horse rider drew out his saber, and all the riders behind him also drew their sabers in their hands.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out at the palace gate, all the soldiers looked panic-stricken.
Just when Li Ke was about to jump into the entrance hole, Dui Zheng finally shouted: "Let!"
All the soldiers put away their spears in a swish, and dodged to both sides.Li Ke passed by them like a gust of wind, and then the team of flying knights swished past them again.
It wasn't until Li Ke and his flying cavalry disappeared into the rain in Miyagi that the gatekeeper swallowed a mouthful of saliva and murmured, "Isn't King Wu crazy?!"
When Li Ke rushed into the gate of the Imperial Medical Office with Xiao Junmo, who was covered in blood, he really shocked all the imperial physicians, young and old, inside.
"Hurry up and save people, what are you doing in a daze?!" Li Ke roared angrily.Only then did the imperial doctors come to their senses, and hurriedly carried Xiao Junmo into the house.
"If you can't save him, I'm the only one asking you!" Li Ke dropped these words and strode into the rain again.
The imperial physicians looked at each other, were silent for a moment, and then rushed to their own medicine boxes...
"I ordered you to teach the prince, but you have taught such a result?"
In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin said coldly to Wei Zheng who was standing below.
The rainwater soaked Wei Zheng's black gauze and official robe, dripped to the ground again, and formed a small pool of water at his feet in a short while.
"I've neglected my duties, and I've owed the Holy Grace. Please forgive me!" Wei Zheng said, kneeling on the puddle of water with a plop.
Li Shimin frowned, feeling a little unbearable, and gave Zhao Dequan a wink.Zhao Dequan quickly moved a round stool over, and said in a low voice, "Master, it's cold on the ground, everyone asks you to sit and answer."
But Wei Zheng knelt stubbornly, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I know that the crown prince has made a serious mistake this time and should be severely punished, but I don't know how His Majesty plans to punish him?"
Zhao Dequan was embarrassed, so he had to put the round stool aside and quietly walked back to Li Shimin's side.
"I am considering whether to depose him."
Knowing that the emperor would definitely say that, Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. There are three things that must not be done to depose the crown prince at this time."
"Oh?" Li Shimin raised his eyebrows, "So you entered the palace in the heavy rain, not to plead guilty, but to persuade?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, the job of a minister is to speak out and speak out. This has been the case for so many years. Your Majesty may not listen, but the minister must speak. Moreover, there are priorities. The minister said what should be said, and then the majesty will govern the minister. I have no grievances against you!"
"Forget it, then tell me, what are the three things?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Needless to say, in recent years, among the princes, King Wei has received the most honor and favor, surpassing the Eastern Palace for a time, and he has gradually coveted the position of the crown prince. This is known by the government and the public. If your majesty deposes the prince at this time, Changing the king of Wei, regardless of whether the child molestation incident is related to the king of Wei or not, will create an impression on the government and the public that the position of the crown prince can be managed. If your majesty's descendants follow suit, it will not be good for us The long-term peace and stability of the Tang Dynasty, so I think it is impossible."
In fact, this was exactly one of Li Shimin's concerns, but he remained calm and said, "Go ahead."
"This incident involves Lu Shenyan's treason case, which involves the secret of the palace. Regardless of what the secret is, if the prince is deposed because of this, it will definitely cause an uproar in the government and the public, and make thousands of subjects curious about this secret. This must not be what His Majesty would like to see, so I think it is impossible."
Li Shimin had to admit that this was indeed his deeper worry.Back then, very few people knew about the fact that Gaozu was forced into the palace by force and imprisoned. It would indeed be extremely unwise to be exposed because of this child molestation incident.Even if the government and the public don't know the truth, but it is just word of mouth or slander among the subjects, which is unacceptable to Li Shimin.
"Then what is the third one?"
"The crown prince is the foundation of the country. It is a last resort and should not be deposed lightly. The mistake made by the prince this time, in the final analysis, is just a failure to cultivate virtue, not really intending to rebel. If he is deposed, it will be suspected that the small loss is big. If In the former Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty deposed the crown prince Yang Yong because of a trivial matter, and set up another Jin Wang Yang Guang who harbored evil intentions and was determined to seize the heir. As a result, the country was overthrown and the second generation died. Don't make the same mistakes again!"
After Wei Zheng finished speaking, Li Shimin fell into a long silence.
He found that Wei Zheng's "three musts" all touched his inner worries.Therefore, rather than saying that Wei Zheng is persuading, it is better to say that he is helping Li Shimin say what he thinks in his heart but is inconvenient to say.In other words, this is a ladder for Li Shimin to let him step down.For so many years, the reason why Li Shimin has repeatedly accepted Wei Zheng's straight remonstrances, not only is he not annoyed by them, but he also finds his words "charming". reason.
In Li Shimin's silence, Wei Zheng suddenly sneezed very loudly.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was a little awkward.
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing out loud, Zhao Dequan quickly laughed out loud, and finally, even Wei Zheng couldn't help laughing too.Thus, the embarrassing atmosphere was dissolved in the laughter of the three monarchs and ministers, and this sudden and thrilling crisis of the crown prince also quietly dissipated and became invisible in the laughter...
(End of this chapter)
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