across the Quartet

Chapter One

It was getting late.Aji leaned on the creaking plank bed, put his hands behind his head, and stared at the new moon outside the window in a daze.

This place was originally the former residence of King Xian Mourning Xiang when he was still the prince, and later it was given to Guo Kai, the most trusted family member.After Zhao Wangqian succeeded to the throne, Guo Kai became more and more powerful, and this house was renovated again and again; in terms of grandeur, it was not too much compared with Zhao Wang's palace.There are no less than 300 maids and servants in the mansion, and they support many diners of unknown origin and abilities.Before he knew it, Aji had been working as a gardener in this wealthy mansion for almost half a year.

More than a year ago, he was still a recruit in the Bizi Battalion. He was unfortunately hit by an arrow during the battle. Although he managed to save his life, the patella of his right leg was pierced by a crossbow.At that time, when Aji thought that he would become lame at a young age, not only would he be expelled from the army, but he would not know how to make a living in the future. .One day, Ge Da, a former brother of the same Wu, approached him and asked him a question that he had never thought about.

"Aji, with your leg injury, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay in the infantry battalion in the future; I wonder if you would like to join the 'Mountain Ghost'?"

"Mountain ghost? What is that..."

After hearing Ge Da's explanation, Aji opened his mouth wide in surprise. "The scout battalion directly under General Sima? Surely only a master like Brother Ge will be selected into it! How can a useless person like me come in handy?"

Ge Da shook his head and said, "There are indeed many people with high martial arts skills in the mountain ghost, but the quality of kung fu is not the root of being a scout. After all, the most important thing for a spy is to get important information without being caught by the enemy." In addition to some skills, the more important thing is to sneak into the enemy's camp without making people feel defensive."

In this regard, Aji's conditions can be said to be unique.He had just turned sixteen, and he was a small, skinny boy with the foolish look of a country boy and a cripple who wouldn't be too wary of anyone who saw him.On the contrary, Ge Da got into a lot of trouble because of the "swordsman's eyes"; Zhongshan Wolf complained more than once that Ge Da's appearance is too conspicuous, and it is really not a material for careful attention.

After listening to Brother Ge's persuasion, and because there was really no better way out, Aji finally plucked up the courage and accepted a secret mission as a "mountain ghost".

"Let me sneak into Guo Kai's Shangqing Mansion?" Aji rubbed his legs in embarrassment, "But even if Guo Kai's mansion wants to find some servants, there are a lot of people in Handan with intact hands and feet, and a cripple like me must have just entered the gate They were kicked out—”

"Don't worry, I will teach you a skill, and they will rush to get you in custody."

"What's the matter?"

"Planting orchids."

In the city of Handan, it is common to see farmers living on the streets because of losing their land, some begging along the street, some stealing and cheating, doing everything to fill their stomachs for a day.Therefore, if a large family wants to find a coolie to tidy up the yard and trim the vegetation, it is very convenient.But a good crop work may not be able to serve the precious flowers and plants in the noble man's house; the most delicate among them is the orchid, which is also known as the gentleman among flowers and is deeply loved by people.There are many kinds of orchids, and it is extremely difficult to cultivate them—more water will cause the roots to rot, less water will cause the leaves to wither, more fertilizer will burn the seedlings, and less fertilizer will cause the buds to fall.So as soon as Aji said that he was good at raising orchids, he was immediately invited in by the manager, and settled down in Guo's mansion ever since.

Although Guo Kai is a powerful figure in Handan, his reputation among Zhao people has long been rotten; the folks don't know that this person framed Lian Po back then, was also the enemy of General Li Mu, and often went to various places to search for beauties to enrich the harem. It made Zhao Wang indulge in lust and disregard the government; such a shameless person was born with the trust of two generations of monarchs, and many nobles and ministers also attached to him. The senior generals in the company, apart from cursing in private, had nothing to do with him.

However, as the leader of the mountain ghosts, Gai Nie was not worried about Guo Kai's taking power, but because of his internal cause as a Qin person, he did not know what kind of conspiracy he would plan to endanger the country and Zhao Jun.Ever since he read the mysterious account book that was stolen from Xianyang after going through all kinds of difficulties and dangers, a secret plan gradually formed in his heart.

The names on the account books are all the internal agents and informants that Qin bought from the six countries in order to reduce the resistance of sweeping the world; with them, King Qin can have a clear understanding of the political and military trends of the six countries.Although Gai Nie does not have enough status and rights to remove the intermediaries who have been placed in Zhao State one by one, but if you keep an eye on the daily contacts of these people, you can conversely speculate when and what kind of competition Qin State will have against Zhao State. action.

——If the monarch and ministers of Qin used bribes and assassins to weave a huge web that included the six kingdoms of Shandong, then he had to feel the vibration of each spider thread to guess where the spider in the center of the web planned to go first. A prey crawls.

Since entering the Guo Mansion, Aji has lived a rare and comfortable life.He cultivated orchids every day, watered them and fertilized them; at the same time, he kept a secret record of the visitors who came to the house, and if he had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a few rumors among the servants, he would find a chance to pass them on.Although Brother Ge repeatedly told Guo Kai's mansion that there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers, it is very dangerous... But Aji felt that it was much better than charging against the dark Qin cavalry with a spear and halberd.

It's a pity that Guo Kai himself is really suspicious and cautious. The place where he handles official business or plans with his guests is the inner courtyard that is heavily guarded by the government soldiers. All of them were expelled, and they were not even allowed to get close to the courtyard wall.Therefore, even though he lived from spring to autumn, the information that Aji can get is still very limited.Until recently, he accidentally discovered a very secret way, which may help him sneak into the inner courtyard without anyone noticing; however, if he is discovered by the government soldiers or Guo Kai's master disciples, it will be a dead end.

Do you want to take a risk?

Aji turned over on the couch in a state of distraught.Sometimes I really wish I was just a gardener, and I don't have to think about those dangerous and terrible things; as long as I can support myself peacefully, that's enough.If you save enough private money, you might be able to marry a daughter-in-law...

Before going to bed, he remembered that the new batch of cymbidiums from the flower garden hadn't been fertilized yet; if this work was done during the day, it would definitely give off a bad smell, which would make the women in the house unhappy, so it could only be done at night.He had no choice but to get up reluctantly, put on his clothes, and walk into the courtyard in the dark.

Just as Aji was working hard among the flowers, a few clusters of candlelight suddenly lit up at the waist of the corridor.A group of maids lead the way with candles, followed by a mysterious guest in a cloak.

The steward's voice came from the front. "Mr. Nan, Mr. Guo is in the study and has been waiting for a long time."

"It's not easy for me to get out, I hope you will forgive me." The guest replied.

Aji was startled suddenly—the voice was so familiar.But not recent memory.Could it be that... I heard it in Zhao Guo's barracks?

If this person is the one that Brother Ge and General Sima have not found, the real spy...

Aji hid behind a tree trunk out of the reach of candlelight, and watched the man walk into the inner courtyard.He stood there for a long time before he made up his mind to take a risk no matter what.

There is a large pond in Guo's mansion, which is the running water drawn from outside Handan City; the water channel passes through the wall, connects the inner court and the outer court, and then flows into the pool.As long as you dive against the current, you can bypass the guarded private soldiers and enter the inner courtyard.However, there are also two kinds of strange fish in this water, they are about the same size, and their habits are also very similar; one is all black, the other is all white, swimming very gracefully.According to the manager, this is a "Yin-Yang" fish that Mr. Guo spent a lot of money to buy from Qidi.This kind of fish is naturally fond of meat and meat. People who feed the fish often throw chickens and ducks with severed necks into the pond, and within a short while they are devoured until only a bone remains.The servants who have seen this scene with their own eyes all stay away from ponds and waterways, for fear of accidentally falling into them and becoming bait for fish schools.

One day, Aji accidentally saw a yellow dog in his family accidentally fell into the pond. He thought it was bound to die, but he saw the dog swim up to the shore leisurely and leisurely, not even losing a hair. root.If Aji realized something, he deliberately caught a crow, suffocated it and threw it into the pond, but no fish came to eat it; he picked up the bird carcass, sprinkled some chicken blood on it, and threw it back into the water again. The fast fish swarmed in.

Now Aji figured it out: as long as there is no smell of blood on his body, he will not be discovered by the yin and yang fish, and he will not be eaten.

He took a few deep breaths by the pool, and finally submerged his body slowly.Walking upstream along the silt at the bottom of the water, black and white fish shadows can be clearly seen along the way, but they are just swimming and not approaching.

In this way, Aji passed through the courtyard wall without making a sound. In order not to make the sound of water, he continued to swim a long distance before climbing ashore, and then crawled back to the study in the inner courtyard.Fortunately, the government soldiers seemed to be only on the other side of the courtyard wall, and even the maids were removed from the courtyard, so it was almost deserted.Only a faint ray of light can be seen in the study room.He stuck to the wall tightly, recalling the method of exhalation and exhalation that Brother Ge had taught him before, hiding his breath as much as possible.

"...Mr. Nan is so arrogant, Mr. Guo and our brothers, but waited for you for almost half an hour—"

A loud, impolite voice came from inside the room.Aji recognized this voice. It was one of Guo Kai's most valued disciples, Zhao Beiming, the well-known "Mother and Child Wind and Thunder Sword" in the world.

Some other voices also complained vaguely.At this time, the owner Guo Kaifa spoke.

"Fourth, don't be rude; Mr. Nan came out to make those people in the army not suspicious, but there are many difficulties." Nature, but it makes people feel warm when they hear it.

"I dare not, thank you for your understanding." "Mr. Nan" replied. "I don't know if your lord has summoned us tonight, what advice do you have?"

Guo Kai laughed dryly for a while and lowered his voice, "Please come here, I naturally have something important to discuss. To tell you the truth, the old man met Dunwei again a few days ago, and King Qin asked him to ask when the big deal will happen; The old man asked him to wait patiently for a while..."

"Hey, my lord, why hesitate again and again, although Brother Ji Sun failed, but with Mr. Nan's means, this matter is not difficult to do."

"Boy Ximen, what do you mean—" a heavy voice panted and cursed.

"Don't be restless, be restless, be restless..." "Ximen" who spoke earlier was still grinning, "Brother Ji Sun's swordsmanship has always been admired by the next generation; it's a pity that the only ones who can get close to Li Mu now are the only ones left. One for Mr. Xia Nan."

"Stay here, stay here," Guo Kai interrupted them, "It's not that I don't know Mr. Nan's ability, but this matter is delayed on purpose. Can I not know what the people of Qin are thinking? They think that apart from Li Mu , Zhao Jun is a mess, and there is no way to stop them from taking Handan. But Li Mu is so easy to get rid of? Last time he turned his face on the old man because of the food and pay in the army, and all the 10 frontier troops belong to him People, I have long regarded the old man as an enemy; if he dies at this time, let alone our people, even if it is other natural disasters and man-made disasters, the [-] people will turn around and kill this Handan City. .Dun Ruo made a good plan, borrow our manual knife and gun, so that he can get the first job of killing Zhao when he goes back, so that he won't care about the old man's life and death."

"I see, my lord has a good opinion!" Zhao Beiming interjected, "I have probed into other people's opinions in Handan City before. Among the people in Zhao, it seems that the majority are still oriented toward Li Mu. At this moment, the public opinion will definitely be against your lord; Success, I don't know how Li Mu's subordinates will retaliate..."

"So, if you really want to attack Li Mu, you can only wait for a while," Guo Kai said in a slightly complacent voice, "that is when the [-] troops are restrained at the border, or when they are almost attrition. It will be convenient for us later. Get away from Handan. So the old man made an agreement with the people of Qin that when they attack Zhao again, Li Mu will definitely lead the army to defend. At that time, the old man will ask the king to issue an edict to recall him from the front line—if he leads the edict to return to Handan , is in the palm of the old man; if he dares to disobey, he can try to catch him and kill him."

"Your Excellency is easy to calculate. Even if there is any change in his subordinates at that time, the people of Qin will launch a general attack; the army of Zhao will inevitably be unable to resist, let alone revenge."

Guo Kai laughed and said, "As expected of Mr. Nan, I won the heart of this old man—"

"Thanks to my lord for your advice." "Mr. Nan" said: "However, although this plan is good, there is still a loophole. There are many capable people around Li Mu. If he realizes in advance and refuses to be called back, we will have to be in the army. Hands-on at that time, as long as there is someone to protect him, even if he is next to him, he is not sure."

"Oh? Is there such a person?"

"This person is the biggest obstacle to your future plans. I remember that Brother Ji Sun and Brother Zhao seem to have suffered from him—"

"What did you say?!" the two yelled in unison.Then Aggie heard some rustling sounds.

"This portrait is... so it's him!" Zhao Beiming exclaimed in shock.

"Ge... Da..." "Jisun" gritted his teeth.

Aji shivered.He was terrified by the vicious plans against General Li before, but now Brother Ge was involved...

"Ge Da is not his real name. As far as I know, his real name is Gai Nie. Although no one knows his origin, he must have learned from a master. Although he is only a centurion in the army now, he has won Li Mu and Sima Shang hold a high regard and are not to be underestimated. As for his swordsmanship, everyone must know a little bit; at least in the Red Leopard Camp where Zhao's strongest swordsmen gather, there is no one who is his opponent."

"...Mr. Nan, are you being too self-effacing? After all, none of us has ever been lucky enough to see Mr. Nan exert [-]% of his strength." "Ximen" came the frivolous voice.

"Don't dare." Mr. Nan replied calmly, "In terms of swordsmanship, this person is indeed a rare master in the world; but it is not difficult to get rid of him."

"Oh? What's your trick, sir?"

"This man has at least two major weaknesses. Each of them is enough to kill him." Mr. Nan said eloquently, "One is the kindness of a woman. Unless he is fighting on the battlefield, he will never hurt others easily , and even suppressed his sword on purpose. For example, in the military competition last year, the rule was to hit as far as possible, so he took it as it should; What is the power of the sword of killing intent? Second, it is too high. With this person's strength, even if he was besieged by dozens of people, he would not be hurt. But in fact, he was repeatedly injured in the battle. Why? It is nothing more than him Save one person and want to save two, save two and still want to save ten people... Regardless of one's own strength, indecisive, overconfident, no matter how good the sword is, it's nothing more than that."

"As expected of Mr. Nan... In your opinion, in order to deal with Li Mu in the future, this person must be eliminated?"

"That's right. You don't have to worry, sir. I've already made some plans in my lower chest, but—there's a wonderful person who has ears behind the wall, and I need to say hello."

"Who?!"

Aji crouched in the corner and shivered.He knew he shouldn't be doing this, he had to control his breathing, and then cautiously returned to the water... However, he hadn't climbed a few steps before a pair of legs blocked him.He looked up in horror.

"You...you are!!"

"Mr. Nan" laughed. "You seem to recognize me? It's okay, anyway, our friendship between you and me ends here."

With a sound of "chi", a flower of blood bloomed in the verdant courtyard.

TBC

The author has something to say: From today on, I will focus on this place as the main battlefield, and try to catch up with the progress; the TUT will be updated after the stock is emptied.