the enlightener says

For the county magistrate, he already has the duty of recommending talents, and even if the recommender is good enough, if he makes contributions in the future, he, the recommender, will be promoted accordingly, which is a matter of honor.

However, Qin Ke was really not interested, so he politely declined: "My lord's kindness, I appreciate it. But I'm only staying in the village this time, and I still have to leave in a few days."

The county magistrate nodded, with a little regret in his eyes, he turned his head and glanced at Cai Yan in a flash of his heart, seemed to understand something, and smiled slightly: "It's me who is troublesome, and now you are definitely not an ordinary person. , why do you need other people's recommendation? Presumably your wife has already made arrangements?"

Qin Ke's expression was slightly embarrassed, and he thought to himself, which pot is not opened and which pot is to be lifted, why does everyone misunderstand their relationship with Cai Yan?Is it possible that I have to hang a sign on my body and write clearly on it?

But he soon realized that there were not many literate people in the village, and the only ones who could read were taught by his master...

With a sigh, Qin Ke shrugged his shoulders, and didn't bother to explain any more. He smiled and bowed and said, "In short, thank you for your kindness."

The county magistrate couldn't force it, so he smiled freely, chatted a few words about family matters, and left.

In the small courtyard, Cai Yan stroked the puppy's head, tilted his head and smiled slightly: "You really never thought about being an official or something? Or a general?"

Qin Ke raised his head to look at the sky, and smiled helplessly: "Forget it, where is my material? A man with long sleeves and dancing skills like Lao Gao will definitely be able to be an official. As for being a general...that is Abu's long-cherished wish."

Cai Yan burst out laughing: "Forget it, if Lao Gao is an official, he will steal, play tricks and not work every day, and use his power for personal gain."

……

The days in the small village are as dull as a light cloud in the sky, light and soft, without the undercurrent of Jinzhou, and not as colorful as Ding'an City in the Tang Dynasty. The relaxing air lingers around them all the time.

In the morning, Asahi's head on the mountain climbs like a yellow-orange egg yolk, and the fiery red clouds are dyed with a layer of light golden forest.

Cai Yan always yawned and went back to sleep after watching the sunrise, while Qin Ke took advantage of this time to cook the porridge, and took out some sour and crisp pickled radishes from the earthen pot, and put them She cried out, and the two sat opposite each other, having a delicious breakfast.

In the following time, the two of them were either fishing in streams or fish ponds, or wandering up the mountain in various places. Qin Ke even took Cai Yan to the entrance of Ye Wangling once because of Cai Yan's strong request.

Most of that deep cave has been buried due to the collapse, and even the blind fish in the stream have disappeared. It is difficult to reproduce the colorful and magnificent scene in the dark.

But Qin Ke secretly breathed a sigh of relief, at least those giant snakes in the tomb of King Ye, the king Ye who is neither human nor ghost, dragons, snakes... were all buried under those huge stones, buried in the deep in the belly of the mountain.

But the next period of time became a little less peaceful.

For a reason that only Qin Ke knows well, some giant snakes and giant ants appeared in the mountains around Daoxiang Village from time to time, causing disaster. Although there was no one that was as close to the level of demon transformation as last time, it was amazing enough up.

Fortunately, the county magistrate reported it in time, and with the previous big snake's corpse as evidence, the county directly dispatched [-] sergeants to go up the mountain to clean up and kill nearly a dozen big snakes in a short time, and the disaster was basically put down.

And Qin Ke also made a nickname in this battle to eliminate snakes and ants. You must know that in such a remote area, it is rare to have a strong man whose cultivation level is close to that of a small master. Shoudu sent someone to ask Qin Ke if he planned to join the army and make contributions.

Of course, Qin Ke politely declined. After all, he also knew that he still had the important task of finding his master, and the officialdom and the army had never been his favorite place.

But it is a pity that compared with the county magistrate, the county magistrate is obviously less free and easy, and more tough. Not only was he not discouraged, but he sent people to invite him over and over again. It seems that he has made up his mind to ask Qin Ke to be his Bodyguard.

"I have expressed several times that I don't want to go. Could it be that I have said it too tactfully?" Qin Ke looked at the money on his table, it was all the "good intentions" of the county sheriff However, behind this kindness was asking himself to work for him, which he really couldn't accept.

Cai Yan was lying on the polished wooden floor, holding a scroll of letters in both hands, giggling while reading: "Do you want to know why?"

Qin Ke was stunned, looked at Cai Yan and asked strangely: "You know?"

"Of course I know, and not everyone is as stupid as you." Cai Yan shook his long black hair, "The Mohist family has an express law, if any of the common people registered in the county has a practitioner, the county guard can He was forced to work for the government for three years. It’s just that this law has rarely been actually implemented since it was recorded.”

She grinned and said: "But this is not unusual. Most of the really powerful practitioners come from aristocratic families, or they have become the guest servants of aristocratic families. Those who are not good enough can even be honored as honored guests if they go to those escort bureaus and gangsters." Even if the government wants to recruit talents, they have to take into account the ideas of various groups, and most of the time they will not act rashly."

"But..." Cai Yan rolled up the letter, like an old scholar holding a ruler, pointed at Qin Ke and said, "You are an exception."

"exception?"

"In the eyes of your county guards, you, Qin Ke, are just an ordinary citizen. You got this level of cultivation because of a hermit master. Now that hermit is gone, you have no protection from a wealthy family, nor a gang background. Isn't it the best recruiting object?"

Qin Ke smiled wryly, and said, "I really don't want to be a bodyguard for others..."

"That's true!" Cai Yan gave Qin Ke a white look, put down the letter and went to get the nuts beside him, "I said you have no background, so you really think you have no background? Although your background is not here, but the Jinzhou public loser family It is not light in the Mo family, if you just throw out the background of your father-in-law's son-in-law, I think the county sheriff will retreat if he finds out."

"But... will this cause trouble for the public loser?" Qin Ke stared blankly at Cai Yan, then lowered his head again, "Besides, if I really consider myself the son-in-law of the public loser, then the matter between me and Yinxue will be sure. spread the word.”

"What are you afraid of?" Cai Yan narrowed his eyes, leaned closer to Qin Ke and said, "What's wrong with letting everyone know that you have a wife from a wealthy family? At that time, don't say that your county magistrate has to be respectful in front of you." , even the sheriff wants to respect you three points."

"I... I don't want to spread this matter..." Qin Ke patted the back of his head, shook his head vigorously and said: "Originally this matter was only in Jinzhou, once it spreads here one day, Yinxue and I are not real. It has become true, so how will I behave in the future? When I find Master, I will come back to live!"

"Pretend." Cai Yan smashed the bamboo slips in his hand, and pointed at Qin Ke with his white and slender fingers, "You men are the most hypocritical, on the surface you seem to be unhappy in every possible way, but in fact, have you never been proud of yourself in your heart? "

"I... how can I be proud!" Qin Ke suddenly shouted excitedly, "I've never had it before! I'm very distressed, okay!"

Cai Yan opened her eyes again and smiled sweetly: "I'm just kidding, what are you so excited about?"

"Hmm..." Qin Ke looked at the smile in her eyes and knew that she was deliberately teasing him again. He hung his head and muttered softly: "In short, I didn't."

Since he couldn't move out of the mountain of the public loser, Qin Ke had no choice but to use "36 tricks and go as the best plan". Anyway, he will go back to Jinzhou sooner or later, and it doesn't make any difference whether it's earlier or later.

Moreover, although Gao Yishui's judgment on the situation of the public loser is to "wait and see how things change", if he keeps on watching, he will probably turn into a negative response, right?

Qin Ke was not Gao Yishui, he didn't have such in-depth calculations, so naturally he couldn't figure out a few key points, but he could only be sure of one thing: that is, Gongshu Yinxue's position as Patriarch, and he still wanted to help fight for it.

Not only because of the transaction, but also because he has long regarded Gongshu Yinxue as his friend.

Around mid-May, Qin Ke, who was sitting on horseback, finally saw the solemn and solemn "Jinzhou" engraved on the city gate again.

Everything seems to be fine for the public loser, Gao Yishui and Abu are still idle and bored every day, either visiting the playground or eating and drinking around; Gongshu Yinxue is still busy with the things that Gongshuren explained every day, but because of the continuous busyness, her face looks a little haggard .

And Gongshujiu is domineering in Gongshu's family, as if he is in charge of the family - of course, it is only on the surface.

Everyone knew that as long as the person lying on the sickbed didn't die, no matter how much Gongshu jumped up and down, it would be an empty show, and as long as Gongshuren opened his mouth, it would be enough to knock him into the dust.

However, Gongshu wasn't too worried after all.

Whether it was from the smoke from the decocting medicine or from the sad face of Dr. Lu after taking the pulse every day, he knew that the end of Gongshuren's day was getting closer and closer.

All he has to do is wait.

When the old crown fell to the ground, someone would kneel and put the new crown on his head.

"Your uncle is also true. You have to do so many things by yourself. You are not an iron-clad organist. How can you stand it?" Qin Ke sat on the chair with a bit of complaint in his tone. Opposite him, sitting With Gongshu Yinxue.

Chapter 421 Whose Fish?whose net?

Probably because he didn't sleep well these days, Gongshu Yinxue had a few blisters on the corners of his mouth. Although it was not a serious matter, it was naturally hard for the girl's family to bear it.

So Gongshu Yinxue lowered his head, drinking the white fungus and lotus seed soup in the bowl very seriously, every mouthful seemed to take a breath on the tip of his tongue before swallowing slowly.

After finishing a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, she finally showed a satisfied smile: "Try it too, the white fungus and lotus seed soup cooked by Xiaodie is just right, it can sooth your throat and calm your throat, and the weather is getting hotter now." , although you don't get angry, there is no harm in drinking."

Seeing her sincere expression, Qin Ke took the clean bowl and spoon with a wry smile, while Gongshu Yinxue helped him take out a bowl from the porcelain jar very freely.

Qin Ke said while drinking: "You are very calm, as if what I said is not you."

Gongshu Yinxue once again filled a bowl for himself and drank it slowly, with a smile on his lips: "I know you care about me, I am very happy."

She said she was very happy, she was really happy, not some polite scene.

It should be said that she really enjoys this time of sitting with Qin Ke while drinking and talking, which can temporarily free her from a lot of heavy things of the public loser, and feel the peace of the years with peace of mind.

Looking at Qin Ke's face, Gongshu Yinxue's cheeks blushed silently. She thought about telling Qin Ke that the reason why she couldn't sleep well and why she got angry was because in the previous days, she had already I am used to Qin Ke's company.

But how can a girl like her say such words?

"Actually, I don't think much of it." Gongshu Yinxue said: "The uncle is willing to entrust these things to me, because he values ​​me, at least it proves that he believes in my ability, and at the same time, he also believes that I will take these things seriously and responsibly. Well done. If that's the case, what can I complain about?"

"It's true to say so." Qin Ke nodded and said, "But I heard that your third uncle has basically done nothing serious these days. Giving one gift to another, in contrast, always makes me feel a bit unwilling."

Gongshu Yinxue took a sip and said with a smile: "My third uncle can't wait to take over the uncle's position, and it's not surprising to win over those who can help him."

"You don't seem in much of a hurry."

"It's better to say that it's useless to be anxious." Gongshu Yinxue shook his head, as if thinking of something, and smiled: "Actually, I should thank Mr. Gao for his enlightenment. There are some things that I thought were too simple... I thought That said, if I can let my ancestors take care of me, I might be able to compete head-on with my third and fourth uncles. But my ancestor was just an outsider from the beginning to the end, so how could he really care about the power of the public losers falling into the Whose hands? Now that he has left the public loser, this is even more proof. Maybe he is still in Jinzhou, or maybe he has already left and is not in the Mohist territory. I can’t go anywhere. Once the underground palace is closed, it just cuts off my unrealistic thoughts, lest I have too many fantasies.”

"It's all about me..." Qin Ke lowered his head and said apologetically, "I didn't tell you about my going to the underground palace... When I saw my ancestor, I forgot to mention you."

Gongshu Yinxue continued to shake his head and said, "I didn't blame you, and you don't have to apologize. I've already figured it out. I'm not as good as third uncle when it comes to conspiracies and tricks, hiding a knife in a smile. In this way, it goes against my heart. If my father sees me so despicable, he will probably be very disappointed, right? Sometimes I also feel, maybe you are right, because he is trapped in the quagmire of public losers fighting for power and profit , it would be better to leave happily. My second wife has been suppressed all these years, but the property left by my father is enough for me and Yinyu to enjoy our lives in peace."

"..." Qin Ke looked at Gongshu Yinxue, and didn't know how to comfort her for a while, so he could only bury his head in drinking lotus seed soup.

"Don't worry. Even though I said that, it doesn't mean that I will lose my sharpness from now on." Gongshu Yinxue clenched her hand slowly, her nails digging into her palm, "Third Uncle has the same way as Third Uncle, and I have mine too. Plan. Giving gifts, wooing, maybe getting people to do things for him, but if he thinks that people’s hearts are just this simple, then he is wrong. Not all the elders in the family like his way of doing things. "

Qin Ke raised his head suddenly, always feeling that her words had a deep meaning: "What do you mean?"

Gongshu Yinxue laughed meaningfully: "Literally. Although Fourth Uncle was imprisoned, it definitely doesn't mean that those who supported him really forgot about him. Even if they can no longer support Fourth Uncle, they must It is absolutely impossible for them to seek refuge with Third Uncle. But since they choose to stand against Third Uncle, they need a banner."

Gongshu Yinxue closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "I am the flag."

"You are the flag?" Qin Ke understood, "So they became your strength?"

Gongshu Yinxue didn't answer, but just stretched out his hand to pick up the porcelain bowl in front of Qin Ke, filled another bowl of lotus seed soup with a spoon, and handed it to him: "This power...is enough to change many things. If it is true When it comes time to tear my face apart, I don't necessarily lose."

"It doesn't really matter who wins and who loses." On the couch, Gong Shuren said slowly, "I only know one thing, and that is that public losers must never fight among themselves..."

……

The room was filled with a strong and pleasant smell of incense, and the herbal tea on the table also had a slightly bitter orange color, Gong Shuren drank some tea, smelled the incense, and immediately felt that his breathing was smooth After a while, the distress in the chest also dissipated a lot.

From this point of view, Dr. Lu's medicine is indeed effective, but the word "effective" is definitely not enough.

Gong Shuren knew very well what the analgesic effect of this incense meant. Although it could bring him sobriety and comfort for a short period of time, it could not cure his stubborn illness. On the contrary, it would even speed up the destruction of his body.

But he needs it.

If he didn't want to be left with pain and struggle for the rest of his life, but also wanted to do more things in the rest of his life, at this moment he had to rely on the incense and medicinal tea to support his body and keep his mind clear.

"The Mohists seem to be powerful, but in fact they have already been strong outside. Now that the border is reporting, the Tang army has invaded again since the summer solstice. I think it should no longer be a temptation with thunder and rain. This should be a premeditated attack. ..." Gong Shuren sighed, and said: "The flames of the chaotic world have been ignited again, and I am afraid that no one can survive alone... This girl, Yinxue, is pure, but she was carved out of the same mold as her father. Ken easily bends and flatters her. If that day really comes, maybe she will really die."

"But the fish is dead and the net is broken... It is my loser's fish that die, and my loser's net is broken, no matter what it is, it is not a good thing." Gong Shuren said with a sigh: "In my life, my family is peaceful, my family is harmonious, It’s ironic that it turned out like this.”

"Master, don't blame yourself too much." The old steward of the public loser stood respectfully beside the bed, "You have done well enough, but... the world is always unpredictable. When all this is revealed, Miss Yinxue must understand you painstaking efforts."

"She will understand..." Gong Shuren slowly closed his eyes.

It is not surprising that Tang Jun has made a comeback. In other words, this is almost the consensus of most people.

Although the general situation of the world has maintained a superficial calm over the years, the surging game in the dark has never stopped.

Canghai continued to expand its territory in the north, conquering the major tribes on the grassland, and either annihilating them or taking them under its command... Cao Meng, who has always been a character who does not hesitate to declare his grand ambition of unifying the world, goes south as his national power continues to grow. It became an inevitable move.

However, the Tang State has been in constant internal struggle for these years. Although Cai Yong has been defeated, the anti-Yang Taizhen forces in the court are still there. The actual ruler of the Tang State also needs a grand foreign war to consolidate his power.

Compared with those years ago, the Mohist family has become weak and old in recent years. With Wang Xuanwei's defeat in the court battle, it seems that this world-renowned general no longer has the power to control the entire territory of the Mohist family. Naturally, it was given to Tang and Canghai. The two countries took advantage of the opportunity.

"Last year's test was just to make sure that the general really lost his power, not just a bureau or a small fight in the Mohist court."

The Tang army seemed to be getting closer and closer. These days, the constant military reports were really not optimistic. It was hard for everyone to imagine that the huge Mo family did not respond immediately when Tang Guocanghai joined forces to invade.

Those powerful people are still attacking each other in the court hall of Jicheng, fighting for power and profit, regardless of the life and death of the people.

Even Gongshu, who had just raised his eyebrows, was worried. He was afraid that the huge city of Jinzhou would be burned under the might of the Tang army.

To be honest, he doesn't care much about the people, but if Jinzhou is gone, his life's fine clothes and food will also disappear, which is really unacceptable to him.

"Why haven't the reinforcements arrived in Jinzhou yet?" Gong Shujiu frowned, looking at several officials, "Didn't we send 7 people to the south to defend against the Tang army last year? Marching normally, we should arrive in Jinzhou today."

An official stood up in embarrassment, and said to Gongshu: "We have sent five consecutive letters to urge, but this time the leader is the young general named Zhao Kuan, who insisted on marching steadily, Don't give the Tang army a chance to attack, it was supposed to arrive within ten days, but it was said that it would be delayed for ten days."

"This bastard." A slightly fat official couldn't take it anymore, stood up and said loudly: "Isn't it just because my family is a family of generals and is close to those Confucian factions, so I just rely on the recommendation to sit on the seat?" If the general is still here, how can he be so procrastinating? General Wang used his troops like ghosts and ran like fire, just like the last battle of Lizhou. He led [-] elite troops under his command and marched within three days For more than two hundred miles, he forcibly went around to the rear of the Cang Haijun, and caught him off guard. The general of the Tang army is Xiang Chu, who is called the "Overlord" in the South Army! Although there is no news about the Cang Navy, Cao Meng's men are like clouds, Confucian general Liu De, it is said that the reason why Cao Meng He has contributed a lot to laying the foundation of today. His two sworn brothers, Guan Changyu and Zhang Yi, are rare generals in the world. There are also Xiahou and Dianwei who have experienced many battles. Alas! If we don't fight, we've already lost half of our momentum!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Gongshu Jiu waved his hand. In fact, he was a little confused, but this kind of thing can't be said nonsense. If it's small, it's a private slander, and if it's big, it's disrespectful to the court. The eyes and ears of the imperial court, public losers can't afford to go around.

"Since it is the decision of the imperial court, we just obey it. We will do things in two ways. On the one hand, we will send more people to find out the situation of the Tang army. The army composed of refugees can be regarded as having some self-protection power. It is naturally wishful thinking to go out of the city to fight the Tang army, but if you want to defend the city, you can delay it for a long time, so don't worry too much."

Having said that, he has never experienced a battle in his life. Thinking of those nights where the spears were like a forest and the arrows were like rain, he felt a little weak.

There are not many people in Jinzhou who can lead soldiers, but among those who can lead soldiers, the fourth old man, Shucha, is counted as one, but the fourth old man, Shucha, has been imprisoned in the mansion, is it possible to let him out again?

I have fought against him for many years, and finally won a real victory this time. If I want him to intercede for this enemy, I am not willing to kill him.

Several people watched Gongshu's eyes change, thinking that he had already thought about something in his heart, but they were relieved a lot.

After all, Gongshu is the third master of the Gongshu family. If he has a foundation, it proves that Gongshuren already has a plan in his heart, then the people below just need to do what they are doing well.

Everyone is from Jinzhou, and they are rooted in Jinzhou. It is impossible to abandon the prosperity and wealth of Jinzhou and embark on a journey of escape like those refugees.

If that's the case, they will really become bereaved dogs.

But at this moment, a servant ran in hastily from outside the yamen, shouting loudly: "Master! Master!"

Gong Shujiu turned his head, saw the servant panicked, and his heart skipped a beat: "Why are you panicking, Tang Jun is calling?"

Chapter 422 Seal

"Tang...Tang army is calling?" The servant's legs were weak, and his mouth was wide open: "I don't know. If Tang army is calling, wouldn't Jinzhou be in disaster?"

"I was asking you, but you asked me instead?" Gongshu blew his beard and said angrily, "What happened?"

"Oh..." The servant came to his senses and said tremblingly, "Master... Mr. He can't do it. I heard that Mr. suddenly vomited blood, and now he is unconscious. A few days ago, Jicheng recalled Dr. Lu. On the way, this...how can this be done? Master, master...you wait..."

The servant looked at Gong Shujiu who was running towards the door in a chaotic footstep with a crying voice, and shouted while chasing him.