Lanting prelude

Chapter 25 Gentry
Li Shimin stayed up all night for two consecutive days.

On the first night, he was furious because of Biancai's escape, and stayed in the Hall of Liangyi all night waiting for news.On the second night, Li Shimin calmed down and sorted out the secrets about "Lanting Preface" that he had learned so far from the beginning to the end, and found that he had overlooked an important direction of investigation: the gentry.

Since the debate said that the Tianxing League was established by Wang Xizhi and other aristocratic families at the Lanting Meeting, wouldn't it be possible to dig out the Tianxing League from the descendants of these noble families?However, when Li Shimin thought about it again, he became a little depressed.The Lanting Society was held in the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It has been nearly 300 years so far. These gentry clans have already spread out, and there are thousands of descendants of each surname. How do you know which descendants are members of the Tianxing League?
The only thing Li Shimin knows is that Zhiyong's nephew, Wang Hongyi, has inherited the Mingzang rudder.Before that, he had ordered a division to investigate this person, but there were very few clues: Wang Hongyi was born in the Kaihuang reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. Afterwards, during the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, his specific whereabouts could not be traced, so no trace of him could be found in the household registration files of all levels of government.

Even Wang Hongyi, who has a name and surname, is like this, let alone other members of the Tianxing League.For this reason, Li Shimin tossed and turned, thought hard, and tossed and tossed in bed for most of the night, but he still had no good plan.Until it was dawn, he felt dizzy, his back was sore, he turned over and sat up angrily, and was about to call Zhao Dequan to bring in a basin of cold water to refresh his mind, when a flash of spiritual light unexpectedly appeared on his face in the head.

"Dequan!" Li Shimin shouted, "Chuan Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, and Cen Wenwen enter the palace immediately!"

Suppress Jiangzuo gentry in an all-round way? !
In the Hall of Liangyi, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, and Cen Wenwen, the governors of the three provinces, looked at each other in shock when they first heard the emperor's intention.

"May I ask Your Majesty," Fang Xuanling spoke first, "Why do you suddenly have such an idea?"

"Suddenly?" Li Shimin said lightly, "I asked Gao Shilian and Cen Wenwen to revise the "Clan Records" ten years ago. Gentleman, have you forgotten?"

The so-called clan refers to the gentry, which refers to the aristocratic family that "officials have a family, and a family has a family".Since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to the influence of Cao Wei’s Jiupin Zhongzheng system, family background has become the main condition for ordering a product. Therefore, for hundreds of years, the state power has been controlled by some aristocratic families, and the selection of officials is also based on the county’s prestige and family status. , which was called "Shang surname" at the time, that is, the family name of the surname is the most respected.In order to maintain the purity of the blood, the rich and noble families strictly forbid intermarriage with the poor and common people.At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, with the change of dynasties and historical changes, the power of the old gentry had been greatly weakened, and a group of common people who had established meritorious deeds rose up. The high-ranking gentry still scrambled to marry the old gentry, while the old gentry behaved quite arrogantly, not only asking for huge dowries, but sometimes going back on their promises, as if they still looked down on the upstarts of the Li and Tang courts.

Li Shimin was extremely dissatisfied with this, and questioned the ministers, "Do you not value me as an official?" So in the sixth year of Zhenguan, he ordered the then Minister of the Ministry of Officials to be a senior scholar on the grounds that "the severity is inappropriate, and reform is necessary." Lian, Zhongshu Shilang Cen Wenwen, Yushi Dafu Wei Ting and others "published the correct surnames", rearranged the ranks of the surnames in the world, abandoned the past habit of "preserving surnames" and changed them to the principle of "preserving officials", that is, based on the current The size of the official title is the only criterion for ranking.For this reason, Li Shimin repeatedly reiterated to Gao Shilian and others: "It is not necessary to talk about the number of generations ago, but to use today's officials and nobles as the rank." After several years of repeated revisions, a brand-new "Clan Chronicle" was promulgated in the 12th year of Zhenguan. , a total of 290 three surnames were collected, divided into nine classes, the first class was the royal family, the second class was foreign relatives, and the rest were classified according to the size of the official rank, while a group of old gentry families were naturally deposed and ranked behind.

Fang Xuanling recalled this past event, but still didn't understand Li Shimin's purpose of bringing up the old story again, so he could only bite the bullet and ask: "Your Majesty, since all surnames in the world have been rearranged, now the government and the public respect the current dynasty's clothes and crowns. , why do you want to suppress the Jiangzuo gentry back then?"

"Good question!" Li Shimin said loudly, "I called you into the palace early this morning to tell you a big secret. After I finish speaking, you will have the answer in your heart."

Hearing what the emperor said, Fang Xuanling and the other three suddenly became curious and looked at him with wide eyes.

"You guys know, what did Wang Xizhi do at the Lanting meeting back then?" Li Shimin made a fool of himself.

The three exchanged glances.

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji had already learned some secrets of "Lanting Preface" from Li Shimin, so they were not very surprised, but they didn't know what Li Shimin was going to say at this moment.Cen Wenwen did not participate in this matter from the beginning to the end, and naturally knew nothing about it, so he replied: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Lantinghui is an elegant gathering of literati presided over by Wang Xizhi, a generation of calligraphers. His Majesty's most respected masterpiece "" The Orchid Pavilion Preface was created by Wang Xizhi at this meeting with silkworm cocoon paper and a mouse whisker brush. This is something that the world knows, and I really don't know what your Majesty is asking."

"Well, I was the same as you at first, thinking that the Lanting Society was just Wang Xizhi gathering a group of literati to drink and compose poems, but I was deceived, and you were also deceived. For hundreds of years, people all over the world They were all deceived!" Li Shimin said, "In fact, it was at this Lanting meeting that Wang Xizhi established a large-scale secret organization—the Heavenly Punishment League."

As soon as this remark came out, even though Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji knew a little about it, they were still surprised, and Cen Wenwen was even more dumbfounded, unable to react at all.

Then, Li Shimin told the three people present everything that Biancai had told him about the Tianxingmeng.

"Now, you must have understood my thoughts, right?"

The three of them secretly figured out the emperor's intentions, and they already understood in their hearts that the emperor was obviously preparing to introduce some strong measures to suppress the old gentry and force the sub-helms of the Tianxing League hidden in the Jianghu to show up.But Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenwen didn't open their mouths, because after all they were a little sensitive to figure out the holy will, so they made up their minds, they just waited for the emperor's decree, and they carried it out.Only Changsun Wuji has a relationship with a foreign relative. It is most appropriate for him to take the conversation at this time, and said: "Dare to ask Your Majesty, which noble families do you want to take action against?"

"Wang, Xie, Sun, Yuan, and Yu are mainly these old gentry families. In addition, all the big families that participated in the Lanting Club and still have certain influence today need to be beaten."

"Then, I wonder what measures His Majesty is going to take?"

"That's why I asked you to come here." Li Shimin said, "Let's talk about what to do, so as to achieve the goal of knocking the mountains and shaking the tigers, not only forcing out the sub-rudders of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, but also not disturbing the world. Yan Heqing's situation."

Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenwen remained silent.

Changsun Wuji thought for a while, and said: "I would like to report to your majesty, I believe that although the descendants of the gentry headed by Wang and Xie have experienced hundreds of years of turmoil since the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, their momentum has not declined. There are still a large number of wealthy people, and many of them even have billions of dollars in wealth. As the saying goes, the wealthy are strong-willed. The main reason why the Heavenly Punishment Alliance has been able to continue in a secret state until now, and is still able to secretly stir up trouble, is It is backed by rich financial resources. If the court promulgates some decrees in a targeted manner to curb the business activities of these gentry and crack down on their lucrative industries, it will definitely have the effect of dredging the bottom - once the financial resources are exhausted, these latent black forces will inevitably It will surface, and at that time, His Majesty can take action calmly and catch them all in one go!"

Li Shimin nodded frequently: "That's right, it's a good idea!"

Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenwen secretly exchanged glances, but remained silent.

Changsun Wuji got the approval, and with a smile on his face, he took a step forward and said: "In addition to cutting the bottom of the pot and cutting off his financial resources, I have another strategy, I don't know if it should be said or not."

"speak!"

"Yes. From my point of view, if these aristocratic families are regarded as a tree, then the changes of the times for hundreds of years are just like the changes of the four seasons. Although the tree has experienced the harsh autumn and winter, and most of the branches and leaves are withered, it is still alive. What are the reasons for standing upright and undying vitality? One is what the minister said just now, strong financial resources are just like a huge torso, which is enough to withstand the blows of wind knives and frost swords, but the torso alone is not enough They must have a deep root system hidden under the soil in order to maintain their vitality. And I think that the root of these gentry is two words: context."

Changsun Wuji paused on purpose, secretly pondering Li Shimin's expression of concentrating and frowning slightly, and couldn't help feeling a little complacent about his performance today, and immediately continued: "What is the context? The ancients said: The legacy of the son is full of gold. It is better to teach one scripture to children. These gentry have always passed on their poems and books to their families, and what their ancestors taught their descendants is more than one classic and two classics? Therefore, I think that the reason why the Jiangzuo gentry have continued to thrive for hundreds of years is that In its unbroken heritage..."

"Wuji," Li Shimin couldn't help interrupting his long speech, "If you have any ideas, you might as well say it directly, don't go too far."

"Yes, I'm going to get to the point now." Changsun Wuji felt a little embarrassed, coughed, and continued, "Since he ascended the throne, His Majesty has opened up the imperial examinations to obtain scholars from all over the world, so that countless children from poor families have a fair and just This is the great virtue of His Majesty, and the great fortune of my thousands of people in the Tang Dynasty! However, I also found that in the past ten years of scientific examinations, the proportion of admissions from poor families is still far lower than Aristocratic family. The reason for this is, first of all, the "cultural context" mentioned by the minister: the children of the gentry, with a collection of books and a good teacher at home, have a natural advantage in the examination; secondly, once the imperial examination passes, the old gentry Relying on his family prestige and connections in the officialdom, he will be able to help his sons entrust him with entrustment in the future selection of officials, so as to quickly obtain official positions. As far as I know, the Jiangzuo gentry, headed by Wang and Xie, have entered official positions through this route over the years. There are not a few officials. The second strategy of the old minister is to ask His Majesty to issue an order to strictly investigate the sons of the gentry who have entered the officialdom in recent years on the grounds of maintaining fairness and justice. And the selection and other matters will be subject to strict examination and selection. In this way, the rising ranks of the Jiangzuo gentry can be blocked, so that they have no hope of getting ahead. If they don't want to sit and wait for death, they will definitely take risks and be exposed automatically. At that time, His Majesty can cut them off one by one without any effort."

After Changsun Wuji finished speaking, the hall fell into silence.Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenwen obviously disagreed with this approach, but the emperor hadn't made a statement yet, and it was inconvenient to refute immediately, so they could only stealthily observe the emperor's expression while continuing to remain silent with complicated thoughts.

After Li Shimin listened, the expression on his face didn't change.Changsun Wuji took a few glances secretly, feeling a little apprehensive in his heart.After a while, Li Shimin smiled meaningfully, and instead of looking at Changsun Wuji, he said to Fang and Cen: "After listening for so long, you two, don't you have anything to say?"

Fang Xuanling finally couldn't hold it back, bowed his head and said: "Returning to Your Majesty, I think the first strategy of Eldest Sun Xianggong is fine, but the second strategy is open to discussion."

"Oh?" Li Shimin raised his eyebrows, "Tell me your opinion."

"Our dynasty has always had a clear and clear administration of officials. Although there are many things in the selection of officials by the official department, such as entrusting them with entrustment, taking bribes and taking bribes, they are still a minority. If you use this as an excuse to comprehensively suppress the Jiangzuo gentry, it just violates our dynasty's principle of fairness and impartiality. One is fear of dissatisfaction, and the other is that it will damage the prestige of the court. In addition, if this proposal is implemented, the minister is worried that the person in charge will take the opportunity to attack dissidents and form cliques for personal gain. Chaos and unrest in the world, so I think it is inappropriate."

Changsun Wuji was quite displeased when he heard the words, and was about to speak out to refute, but seeing the emperor quietly stopped him with his eyes, he restrained himself.Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling, and smiled softly: "Xuanling, you are afraid that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to form a clique for personal gain. You are very worried! Sitting on this imperial couch, I am afraid that there is nothing more worrying about me every day. But, having said that, if the courtiers have selfish intentions, when can they not form a party? Why can’t they be selfish? Not to mention anything else, let’s just talk about the increasingly fierce battle for the heir apparent in the past few years. According to Fang Aiqing, in the In this matter, have the ministers formed a party for personal gain?"

Fang Xuanling was stunned, and an ominous premonition suddenly appeared in his heart.It was definitely not accidental that the emperor suddenly brought up the topic, but what exactly did he want to say?

"Returning to Your Majesty, I have never considered this matter, and I have rarely paid attention to it, so I dare not comment."

"Never considered it? Rarely paid attention to it?" Li Shimin chuckled, "No way? As far as I know, isn't your Erlang and Qingque very close? Could it be that you want to tell me that they only talked about each other when they were together?" Fengyue, don't ask about state affairs?"

"This..." Fang Xuanling's expression was faintly flustered, "Returning to Your Majesty, Quanzi and His Royal Highness Wei Wang have been playmates since childhood. Although I don't know what they are talking about together, I believe that Quanzi will definitely not set foot in it." The matter of taking the heirloom..."

"Really? You are so sure that your family Erlang will never get involved in the matter of seizing the heirloom?"

"Chen... I assure you, the dog...he doesn't have the guts."

"He doesn't have the guts, but you do!" Li Shimin suppressed his smile and leaned forward slightly, "Fang Aiqing, in fact, don't rush to pick yourself up so clean. I know that the civil and military of the Manchu dynasty intervened in the battle for the heir apparent." There are a lot of people here, definitely not just your father and son. From my point of view, the current Tang court can be described as "officials, both civil and military, have their own entrustments; among relatives, they are divided into cliques." Ministers have long They have all chosen sides and formed a good team. Fang Aiqing is the head of the bureaucrats, so she should see it more clearly than me, right?"

Fang Xuanling's forehead was already dripping with cold sweat, but he didn't dare to reach out to wipe it off, his expression was extremely embarrassing.

Changsun Wuji saw it in his eyes, and felt a burst of joy in his heart.

In fact, he and Fang Xuanling have no personal grievances. Instead, they have worked together for many years. As early as when Li Shimin followed Gaozu to fight the world, the two of them were Li Shimin's most important right-hand men. Later, during the Xuanwumen Incident Assisting Li Shimin to seize the throne together, it can be regarded as helping each other and sharing the same goal along the way.However, precisely because both of them are the oldest meritorious officials, they have secretly formed a rivalry recently.After all, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. As the national power of the Tang Dynasty grows stronger, who will eventually become the chief minister of the Zhenguan dynasty and go down in history has become the biggest thought in the hearts of the two.In addition, at the moment of seizing the heir apparent, Changsun Wuji wholeheartedly wanted to support Li Zhi, so naturally he was hostile to Fang Xuanling and his son who supported Li Tai.Today the emperor took the opportunity of discussing the gentry to suddenly attack Fang Xuanling. Although Changsun Wuji was a little unexpected, it was something he had been secretly looking forward to.

At this moment, Fang Xuanling didn't know how to answer, so he could only kneel down on the ground with a plop, and said in a trembling voice: "I am not careful in my conduct, I am incompetent in teaching my children, and I have owed the grace of the saints. Enzhun, let me resign as a minister immediately." After speaking, he took off the black gauze with trembling hands, held it upright, and held it high above his head.

Cen Wenwen didn't expect that this court meeting would lead to such a result, so he hurriedly bowed and said, "I would like to report to Your Majesty, although Fang Xianggong is meticulous and unscrupulous, he has done nothing wrong. If he is suddenly dismissed, I am afraid that people will be disturbed. I hope His Majesty will read it." He deserves credit for giving him a chance to reform himself."

"Dismissed? Did I say that he was going to be dismissed?" Li Shimin changed his comfortable posture and leaned on the imperial couch, "You saw it too, it's Fang Xuanling who wants to put down the pick, and I'm still thinking about how to keep him What about him?"

Fang Xuanling became more and more embarrassed when he heard the words: "Your Majesty, I have made a big mistake, and I dare not be greedy for salary anymore. I just want to be an official as soon as possible and think about my mistakes behind closed doors. I hope Your Majesty will make it happen!"

"Brother Xuanling," Changsun Wuji said in a nonchalant manner, "The Holy Majesty is discussing the matter as it is, and he didn't say that he would punish you. Why do you have such a big reaction and resign at every turn? Is there anything you can't say well?"

Of course Fang Xuanling knew that the eldest grandson Wuji was crying for a mouse, so he sneered silently and didn't answer, but resolutely raised the black yarn a little higher.

"Fang Aiqing, do you really want to go home and contemplate behind closed doors?" Li Shimin looked at him.

"Return to Your Majesty, the minister's decision has been made."

"That's good." Li Shimin nodded, "There is a saying in the "Shangshu": If you don't behave cautiously, you will end up with great virtue. You have been in high position for many years, and your vigilance and fear may have faded away, so you have forgotten this sentence. Now , since you are willing to reflect on yourself, I will not stop you, so I will give you a little time to go home and think about it!"

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Cen text."

"The minister... the minister is here." Cen Wenwen didn't expect the emperor to take such a step, and he couldn't recover for a while.

"You draw up an order immediately: After investigation, the left servant of the Shangshu said that Fang Xuanling was not conscientious and meticulous, and violated his integrity, so he was suspended from his post and returned to his private residence, and Sun Wuji, the eldest servant of the Minister, will review the Shangshu to save trouble."

"I obey the order." Cen Wenwen couldn't hide his helplessness.

Changsun Wuji was overwhelmed by the flattery, and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, I am sincerely and terrified!"

To inspect the school and save trouble is to act as the deputy minister Zuo Pushe, and at the same time also serve as a servant of the province, which is equivalent to one person serving as the governor of two provinces.In this way, Changsun Wuji not only became the chief prime minister, but also the most powerful prime minister since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, which naturally made him overjoyed.

"Wuji, I think the second strategy you proposed today is completely feasible, and I will take full responsibility for this matter. You should draw up a detailed statement as soon as possible. After I review it, I will implement it in an all-round way."

"The minister leads the order."

"Besides, you are responsible for two provinces, and you have to carry out this matter. I'm afraid it will be a heavy burden. I hope you recommend someone as a servant to help you share your worries. Who do you think is suitable?"

In the Tang Dynasty, there could be one or two persons serving as Shizhong and Zhongshuling.Changsun Wuji thought about it for a while, and said: "Returning to Your Majesty, I think that Liu Ji, the servant of Huangmen, is calm, prudent, diligent and sensitive, so he can be a servant."

Li Shimin's favorite candidate was actually Liu Jie, but he asked Cen Wenwen, "Ben Wen, what do you think?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I also recommend Liu Jie. I have been a colleague of Liu Shilang for more than 20 years, and I know him well. This person is old and capable, prudent in his actions, and considerate. He is indeed the best choice for the servant."

Liu Ji and Cen Wenwen served together in the Southern Liang Dynasty under Xiao Xian. Liu Ji was the servant of Huangmen, and Cen Wenwen was the servant of Zhongshu.The two have not only been colleagues for many years, but also have a close personal relationship, so of course Cen Wenwen will not object to this appointment.

"Well, it's settled!" Li Shimin said loudly, "The matter of suppressing the Jiangzuo gentry and forcing the Tianxing League to show up is left to the three of you. I hope you will fulfill your mission and give me a satisfactory explanation. "

An unremarkable carriage drove through the crowds of people in Anyifang.

Sitting in the car was Li Ke, dressed as a businessman.

He closed his eyes and looked expressionless, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.From the night before yesterday when he learned that Xiao Junmo entered the palace and robbed Biancai's father and daughter, Li Ke's heart has never been at peace.He never expected that the subtext behind the sentence that Xiao Junmo inexplicably dropped when he left the palace that day was actually this.

"Li Ke, if one day you can't find me, will you be bored?"

It's really hateful that this kid bids farewell to himself in this way!It turned out that he was arguing to go out of the palace and go home every day for the purpose of robbing Biancai's father and daughter.But many wounds on his body have not healed, how can he stand the toss?

Early yesterday morning when he heard that something important had happened in the palace, Li Ke hurried into the palace to inquire about the news with his father.Zhao Dequan said that his father stayed up all night, and now he is sleeping.Li Ke didn't dare to disturb him, so he went to look for Li Shiji, just as Li Shiji was ordering to track down the Xuanjiawei personnel.At that time, Li Ke had an ominous premonition in his heart, and immediately rushed to Xiao Junmo's house, but saw that the door was closed tightly, and no one came to answer the door after knocking for a long time.

Li Ke's heart sank instantly.In the afternoon of the same day, the accurate news finally came out from the palace that it was indeed Xiao Junmo and the eunuch Mi Mancang who robbed Biancai's father and daughter.

What on earth is he doing this for?
Li Ke couldn't figure it out, could it be that he fell in love with that woman named Chu Lisang, and did not hesitate to ruin his bright future because of this?If so, then this guy is really stupid!There are thousands of women in the world, what kind of women can't find them?Why bother to pay such a high price for a woman?
Thinking of this, Li Ke wished he could find this bastard right away and slap him hard to wake him up.However, no one knows where Xiao Junmo is now, and it's hard to say whether he is dead or alive.Hearing from the Forbidden Army that a lot of blood was found in the Forbidden Garden on the night of the incident, Li Ke thought that there must be Xiao Junmo there.The imperial doctor had already said that the wounds on his body had just healed, and he couldn't move vigorously, but this kid actually dared to rob people in this situation, it's just too much to die for!If he could not be treated in time, this kid might have died in the wilderness by now...

Just when Li Ke was thinking wildly, the carriage stopped, and the driver outside said softly: "Your Highness, we have arrived."

Li Ke opened the curtain of the car, facing a magnificent restaurant, with three gilt characters "Zui Taiping" written on the door plaque.Li Daozong, dressed in literati's uniform, strode out from the door to greet him.

"Has anyone arrived?" Li Ke asked.

"I'm here early, I'll be waiting for you Saburo."

Li Daozong led Li Ke to a secluded elegant room on the second floor, where the food and drink had already been prepared, and Yuchi Jingde, who was dressed in casual clothes, was chatting enthusiastically with a man in his fifties with a red face.Seeing Li Ke coming in, the two quickly got up to salute.

"Sun Boyuan, I met Saburo." The big man was tall and burly, and his voice was like a bell when he spoke. It was obvious from a glance that he was a man with profound martial arts skills.

"Mr. Sun, it's hard work coming from a long distance." Li Ke replied, "Please sit down quickly."

The four of them sat down, and after exchanging pleasantries, Li Ke learned about Sun Boyuan's background.He is a big salt merchant who controls dozens of salt wells and salt pools in various counties and counties across the country. He also opened several big salt shops in the east and west of the capital. He also operates casinos, pawnshops, restaurants, farms, etc. , with billions of dollars in wealth, and as many as 6000 to [-] employees.This drunk Taiping restaurant is one of Sun Boyuan's many properties in the capital.Coincidentally, Anyifang, where this restaurant is located, is only one street away from Qinrenfang, where Prince Wu's Mansion is located, and it is also adjacent to Dongshi, so it became the best place for Sun Boyuan to stay in Chang'an.

Sun Boyuan's superficial identity is a wealthy businessman, but what really interests Li Ke is the true identity hidden behind these things—the rudder master of Jiugao of the Tianxing League.

As Li Ke had expected, this Sun Boyuan was the descendant of Sun Chuo, a famous scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at the Lanting Meeting.

Sun Boyuan was quite forthright, and after a short exchange of pleasantries, he directly expressed his loyalty to Li Ke, claiming that he would go through fire and water for him, which shows that Yuchi Jingde had already confessed to him before.When Li Ke heard this, he smiled lightly and said, "I appreciate your kindness. However, there is no need for you to go through fire and water right now, you just need to find someone for me."

"Despite Sanlang's orders, there are at least three or 400 people under the leadership of Sun under the capital, all of whom are at Sanlang's disposal."

"That's great!" Li Ke said, giving Li Daozong a wink.Li Daozong immediately took out a document of sea arrest and put it on Sun Boyuan's case.

"Yang Bingjun?"

"Yes, the former governor of Luozhou is actually Mingzang's subordinate." Yuchi Jingde interjected, "Speaking of which, he can be regarded as a brother who is allied with you."

"It's true that the same alliance is true, but the word "brother" is out of the question." Sun Boyuan sneered, "Since the leader of the alliance issued the 'sleep' order in the ninth year of Wude, everyone has done their own things. Who is the brother?"

Li Ke and Li Daozong exchanged glances.It seems intriguing that the leader of the Heavenly Punishment League would choose the time point of "Nine Years of Wude" to order the organization to sleep.

Yuchi Jingde laughed: "It's a good thing, Saburo was worried that if you caught this guy, it would break the rules of your alliance."

"It can't be broken. The current rule of the League is that pigs go forward and chickens go back, and each finds its own way of life." Sun Boyuan smiled, and then turned his gaze to Li Ke, "Dare to ask Saburo, what did this Yang Bingjun do?"

"Assassinate General Xuanjia Weilang in broad daylight." Li Ke said, "I took a lot of effort to arrest this man according to the order, but he seemed to disappear out of thin air without a trace."

"How does Saburo know that this person is still in Chang'an? What if he ran away early?" Sun Boyuan asked.

"I happened to be there on the day this person committed the crime, so I ordered my subordinates to hunt him down. As a result, he escaped after his subordinates chased him into the city. Afterwards, the imperial court sealed off all the gates of the city and strictly checked all passers-by until today. Therefore, he escaped from Chang'an. The possibility is very small. In addition, reliable information shows that the main purpose of Yang Bingjun and Mingzang Ruozhu coming to Beijing this time is by no means to assassinate General Xuanjiaweilang, but to have a bigger conspiracy, so there must be follow-up actions. From this we can see that Yang Bingjun must still be in Chang'an."

Sun Boyuan nodded, stared at the portrait on the document for a moment, and said: "Sanlang, Sun has an idea, I don't know whether to say it or not."

"But it doesn't matter."

"With Saburo's identity, I can't find this person. It can be seen that his hiding place must be unusual. In my opinion, it may not be the best policy to track down this person directly. It is better to start with the people around him. Sanlang can know whether this Yang Bingjun has perennial power. Follow the confidantes around? If there are clues in this regard, it will not be difficult to follow the clues to find him."

Yes, why didn't I think of it?Li Ke couldn't help scolding himself for not using his brain, and at the same time admired Sun Boyuan, as expected of an old Jianghu, a word made things turn around.Li Ke recalled that when Yang Bingjun took office in Luozhou, there seemed to be a long history named Yao Xing beside him, and he participated in the Gantangyi incident together. He then forgot.

Li Ke immediately told Sun Boyuan about Yao Xing, and then said to Li Daozong: "Uncle Cheng Fan, you will hand over Yao Xing's portrait to Mr. Sun when you turn around."

Li Daozong's character is Chengfan, which Li Ke called him since he was a child.Li Daozong nodded in agreement, and looked at Sun Boyuan with some admiration.Li Ke and Li Daozong admired Li Ke and Li Daozong when Yuchi Jingde saw his sworn brother came, and felt a little proud.

"Sanlang, don't worry, as long as Yang Bingjun and Yao Xing are still in Chang'an, Sun will definitely have a way to find them out!" Sun Boyuan said confidently.

Li Ke smiled: "Okay, I believe Mr. Sun."

After the four of Xiao Junmo settled down in Jiayugou, about ten days passed in a flash.

As the only woman in this group of people, Chu Lisang took up the responsibility of taking the spoon, not only making various soups and medicinal meals for Xiao Junmo to nourish the body every day, and cooking vegetarian dishes for his father, but also showing his housekeeping skills, cooking five or six dishes every day The dishes are for everyone to eat, and they are refurbished and different.

Meng Huairang and his three sons have lived a miserable life without a housewife for many years, and now they can be regarded as enjoying a blessing. Every meal is full of greasy mouth and round belly.The three sons unconsciously circled around Chu Lisang, scrambling to go to the kitchen to help her every day, or go to the mountains to hunt game according to her orders.Chu Lisang was also happy to order them around, and would fight with them from time to time.

Under Chu Lisang's careful care, Xiao Junmo's body recovered quickly, and the wounds were basically healed.These days, Xiao Junmo has been avoiding Chu Lisang intentionally or unintentionally, because what Biancai said that day really put him under great pressure, so whenever he sees Chu Lisang these days, he always has obstacles in his heart.Chu Lisang obviously noticed it too, but he didn't know why, and he didn't dare to ask, so the relationship between the two became polite and awkward.

It was early summer, it was the rainy season, and it was raining day after day. Meng Huai let the old injury on his leg recur, and it was so painful that he couldn't get off the ground.In the early morning of this day, the rain finally stopped, and Dalang Meng led a donkey to go out.Xiao Junmo also woke up early, and was stretching his muscles and bones in the yard. Seeing this, he asked, "Is Da Lang going out?"

"Go to the county to get medicine for my father." Meng Dalang smiled innocently, "There are not many medicines left at home. The rainy season is still long, and it finally cleared up today. I have to go there quickly."

"Why don't you have a horse at home? Riding a donkey is so slow." Xiao Junmo noticed that although the Meng family's donkey was strong, it was listless.

"Don't mention it." Meng Dalang smiled wryly, "I used to raise two horses, one male and one female, and I was thinking of raising cubs to sell for money, but I was lost by that brat San Lang a while ago."

"Sanlang likes to gamble?" Xiao Junmo was a little surprised.Of the three sons of the Meng family, the youngest son is the shrewdest and most intelligent. Xiao Junmo has a good impression of him, but unexpectedly he is not motivated.

Meng Dalang sighed: "Because of this, that bastard was beaten by my father a lot, every time he said he wanted to change it, but every time he farted! No, he slipped away without saying a word in the middle of the night last night. It's a gambling addiction, and he went to the county to gamble again, and I plan to find him on the way today."

"Why don't you ride my horse, anyway, the horse is idle anyway." Xiao Junmo said.The four horses they rode had been raised in the stables behind the house these days, fed the alfalfa the Meng family had grown themselves, and they were obviously fattened.

"No, no, I'm used to this donkey, but I can't ride a raw horse. Thank you Xiao Lang for your kindness." Meng Dalang declined with a silly smile, led the donkey out of the courtyard, looked up at the cloudy sky, and hurriedly rode on Get on the donkey and go.

"The mountain road is muddy, be careful on the road." Xiao Junmo also walked out of the courtyard, and told his back.

Meng Dalang waved his hand, and then wandered away on the bumpy mountain road.

Xiao Junmo frowned and looked at his back, a faint uneasiness suddenly appeared in his heart.While he was meditating, Biancai quietly walked behind him: "It's sunny and rainy today, and the vegetation is fresh. Will Xiao Lang accompany the poor monk to the mountain?"

After the rain, the Qinling Mountains are as blue as washed.The winding mountains surround Jiayugou.The grass and trees far and near are verdant and verdant, and the air is filled with the smell of soil and the fragrance of flowers and trees.

Xiao Junmo and Biancai strolled in the forest among the mountains.He closed his eyes and fluffed his nostrils. He felt that he hadn't been so close to nature for a long time, and he couldn't help but feel a long-lost sense of peace and tranquility.Standing beside him, Biancai rubbed a green leaf that was about to drip, and asked coldly, "I wonder if Xiao Lang has thought about his future?"

"My future?" Xiao Junmo opened his eyes and smiled, "Isn't my future already tied to the mage?"

"The poor monk is half-buried in the loess, like a withered tree in the rustling autumn wind, but Xiao Lang is in his prime, and his life is as vibrant as this green leaf. Why bother to be dragged down by the poor monk?"

"Maybe this is the karma that the Buddha said. From the day when the imperial court sent me to Luozhou to investigate the mage, my future is no longer up to me."

"No, life is always the result of self-choice. For example, Xiao Lang risked his life to rescue the father and daughter of the poor monk. Isn't it an active choice?"

"But I can only choose this way, because all the misfortunes encountered by the mage's family are caused by me, and I can't choose to stand by and watch."

"Even so, you still have a choice now." Biancai looked at him seriously, "You can choose to continue fleeing with the poor monk, live a life of ups and downs and precariousness, and feel like a bereaved dog, or you can choose to part ways with the poor monk , looking for a place where I can live in seclusion, avoid all disputes, and live a peaceful life again."

"Master wants to drive me away again and again. Is he concerned about my safety, or does he not want me to know more about the secrets of "Lanting Preface" and the Heavenly Punishment League?" Xiao Junmo stared into Biancai's eyes.

Biancai did not dodge, but met his gaze: "Didn't Xiao Lang realize that the two are the same thing?"

"But what about the mage's own safety? Why doesn't the mage ever think about himself?"

The debater was startled, and subconsciously looked away: "People live in the world, each has his own destiny, and the poor monk still has some things to do. If we can go here to fulfill the last wish of the first teacher, and then settle down with the little girl, the poor monk will have nothing to do." Any reason to live on..."

"If my guess is correct, the mage must have thought of somewhere in Jingchu to connect with people from the Guimeng, in order to prevent Mingzang from restarting the organization. Right?"

Hearing the words, the debater couldn't help being surprised again by this young man's keen insight, just like what he had seen many times in Luozhou back then.He smiled bitterly: "No matter what the poor monk wants to do, it has nothing to do with Xiao Lang."

"Master is wrong." Xiao Junmo said seriously, "My father died to protect the secret of "Lanting Preface", and everything that this junior has experienced these days is also related to the mystery of "Lanting Preface". Misfortune, it must still be entangled with "Lanting Preface"! The mage just mentioned destiny, maybe, this is my Xiao Junmo's destiny. Therefore, no matter what the mage wants to do, as long as it is related to "Lanting Preface", it is related to me Xiao Junmo, I can't stay out of it!"

Xiao Junmo was a little excited at the end, and unconsciously raised his volume.Neither he nor Biancai knew that at this moment, Chu Lisang and Meng Jia Erlang happened to pass by nearby and heard their voices.

Due to the continuous rain in the past few days, the ingredients stored by the Meng family were exhausted. Today, the rain finally stopped, so Chu Lisang got up early, and took the Meng family's Erlang, who was good at hunting, to the mountain to hunt game.In less than half an hour, the two hunted more than a dozen mountain delicacies, including roe deer, pheasant, hare, pangolin, etc., and returned with a full load.Both of them were very happy, chatting and laughing all the way, but they bumped into Xiao Junmo and Biancai as soon as they got down the mountainside.

Hearing what they said, Chu Lisang was a little excited, and was surprised. He hid behind a tree and looked at it, and said to Meng Erlang in a low voice: "You go back first, deal with these things, and I'll come back."

Meng Erlang said "Oh", but he didn't move his footsteps. Instead, he followed Chu Lisang's eyes and looked around. When he saw Xiao Junmo not far away, he couldn't help feeling jealous.

As early as the night when the four of them came to Meng's house, when they saw Chu Lisang for the first time, Meng Erlang's soul was taken away.He felt that in his more than 20 years of life, he had never seen such a beautiful woman, she was like a fairy descended from the legend.He originally thought that this fairy must be reserved and arrogant, ignoring others, but he didn't expect to be so easy-going and easy-going, and he got along with the three brothers as soon as he came, which really surprised him.Every time Chu Lisang smiled sweetly, he immediately felt his whole body go limp; if Chu Lisang glanced at him again, Meng Erlang's heart would thump wildly, almost jumping out of his throat.These few days with Chu Lisang were undoubtedly the happiest and most exciting days in his life.

However, he soon saw that this fairy's heart was with Xiao Junmo.Every day, Chu Lisang would meticulously cook soup and porridge, make medicinal meals for Xiao Junmo, and serve them in front of him attentively, as if wishing to feed him with his own hands.And Chu Lisang's gaze on Xiao Junmo was even more tender, like a river of spring water under the sun.Every time Meng Erlang saw this gaze, he felt as if a knife had been stabbed in his heart.Of course, Meng Erlang also knew that he was not good enough for Chu Lisang.In all fairness, he also felt that Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang were a match made in heaven, but the more he was forced to admit this, the more intense jealousy gnawed at his heart, causing him unbearable pain...

Seeing that Meng Erlang was in a daze and did not leave, Chu Lisang urged, "What are you thinking? Didn't you hear me?"

"Tigers and wolves are infested in this mountain..." Meng Erlang faltered, "I'm worried that you won't be safe alone."

Chu Lisang patted the bow and arrow on his back: "We all tried it just now. You don't shoot as much game as I do, right? If you really want to meet a tiger or a wolf, maybe I will have to protect you! Let's go."

Meng Erlang had no choice but to tell Chu Lisang to be careful, then turned his head every three steps, and went down the mountain slowly.

Chu Lisangmao stooped a little closer, hid behind a tree, and then eavesdropped on the two of them talking.

"Xiao Lang," Bian Cai let out a long sigh, "Speaking from the bottom of my heart, the poor monk advises you not to get involved, because it is a little selfish."

As soon as Xiao Junmo heard it, he knew that he must bring up Chu Lisang's matter again. The pressure in his heart suddenly rose, so he pretended not to understand, turned his head away, and pretended to appreciate the surrounding scenery.

"Presumably Xiao Lang also understands the meaning of the poor monk." Biancai looked at him, "Sang'er, although she has no blood relationship with the poor monk, is better than her own flesh and blood. Right now, the poor monk is most worried about her... "

Chu Lisang listened from a distance, his eyes suddenly turned red.

"Yingniang and I have regarded this girl as the apple of our eye since we were young. We are afraid of falling when we hold it in our hands, and we are afraid of melting when we hold it in our mouth. We pamper and pamper her in everything, and never let her suffer even the slightest bit. Unexpectedly, the world is impermanent and misfortunes come from the sky, causing her to suffer so much..." Biancai's voice choked up, "Whenever I think of this, my heart feels like a knife is being twisted. It's all my fault, I hurt them You two! Now that her mother is gone, if I can no longer protect her well, what face do I have to live in this world? What face will I have to see Sang'er's mother in the future?!"

Xiao Junmo felt uncomfortable when he heard it, but he didn't know what to say, so he stretched out his hand to caress Biancai's back to show comfort.

Chu Lisang hid behind the tree, tears welling in her eyes, afraid that she would cry out, so she tightly covered her mouth.

"By the way, Xiao Lang, what happened to Li Sang's mother in the end, can you tell the poor monk the details?" Biancai looked at Xiao Junmo sadly and earnestly.

On the night that Chu Yingniang was killed in Pine Forest of Gantang Station, in fact, her debate skills were also at Gantang Station, but it was a pity that she followed Luo Biao one step ahead, so she passed Chu Yingniang, and heaven and man were separated forever.Recalling these, Xiao Junmo couldn't help but feel sad, but he could only tell the story by truthfully debating...

(End of this chapter)