Huan Rong

After leaving Huanwen camp, Jia Bing turned around and rushed to the camp set up by Xi Yin twenty miles away.

At that time, news of the coming from Youzhou spread throughout Jiankang City, and the palace had already received the news, so envoy Xi Ting naturally would not be kept in the dark.To his surprise, Jia Bing came so quickly.

But since people come, they must see each other, and they cannot be stopped outside the camp.

In the handsome tent, Xi Min, dressed in dark black clothes and wearing a sword around his waist, sat on the head. Seeing Jia Bing saluting in the tent, he immediately smiled and said, "I knew youzhou was coming, but it's a pity that I'm outside the city. Now We'll see each other."

While speaking, Xi Yin looked at Jia Bing carefully, with doubts abounding in his heart.Looking at Xu Chao who was standing in front of the tent again, he was stunned again.

I haven't seen him for several months, and it's really unexpected that there are more people like this beside Huan Rong.From this point of view, the previous promise to the Queen Mother was too hasty, and now it is unknown whether it will be too late.

"The envoy once said that when he became the county magistrate of Yandu, he was very grateful for the support and guidance of Xi Shijun. Last year, during the Northern Expedition, he relied on Xi Shijun's righteous words and help, and he was able to get out of trouble many times."

"Where." Xi Yin waved his hand, "It's just a little help, Mr. Huan is really polite."

Jia Bing said with a serious face: "The envoy also said that he would repay his kindness. Xi Shijun has helped you many times, and you will remember them all in your heart, and you will never forget them."

Xi Yin didn't answer the words, but looked at Jia Bing in front of him, still smiling, but his heart shivered.

Knowing gratitude and repaying kindness, in turn, is tantamount to repaying grievances.

If he couldn't figure out the meaning behind these four characters, he would be in vain for dozens of years as an official and immersed in the court for decades.

"The meaning of envoy Huan, Yanye already understands."

Jia Bing clicked to stop, and handed over again.Then the conversation changed, mentioning the "alliance relationship" between the two, and ordered someone to present a gift.

"Knowing that Mr. Xi Shi respects Huang Lao, Mr. Xi specially found two volumes of ancient books in the Han Dynasty, and there are also landscape bonsai in the palace of the former dynasty. It is better than Qiqiao. I invite Mr. Xi to accept it with a smile."

Seeing the wooden box sent into the tent, seeing the bamboo slips and jade-carved bonsai in the box, Xi Min frowned slightly, thinking deeply about the meaning of this move, feeling sad in his heart.

From then on, I am afraid that I will no longer care about human feelings, but only pay attention to interests.

Jia Bing also asked to send a small box, which contained a jade box wrapped with gold thread, and contained two gold beads, one large and one small, the pearls were shining and dazzling.

Xi Yin didn't understand what he meant, and subconsciously looked at Jia Bing.

Regardless of the two golden beads, what is the purpose of one big and one small?

"There is a saying in the world that the kinship of flesh and blood cannot be separated, father and son brothers cannot be separated from each other, and if a family of nobles is damaged, it will be damaged, and if it is prosperous, both will be prosperous."

Jia Bing paused for a moment, and seeing Xi Yin's expression changed slightly, he just continued: "The so-called fighting with each other, although there is anger, it is only a momentary anger. In the face of major events, differences will always be eliminated and one will be united. Just like this pearl Generally speaking, if you are born in the same age, the younger ones will rely on the older ones, and the elders will support the younger ones, this is the eternal way.”

"Father-son affection, the eternal way?"

Xi Yin tasted the words carefully, his expression became dignified.

"Is this the intention of the envoy Huan?"

"Yes." Jia Bing nodded and said, "Jiankang's wind and rain are approaching, so you are still worried about the temple when you are far away in Youzhou. I went to Da Sima's camp first, and I have explained the meaning of the envoy face to face, and Da Sima is very pleased. Today's visit Xi Shijun, every word and every sentence is sincere, because of Xi Shijun's previous kindness."

The translation is that the Huan family and his son decided to put aside their past grievances and join forces for the time being. On the matter of establishing a new emperor, the Youzhou aunt maintained a high degree of agreement.No matter what the reason was, why Huan Rong gave in, the tone was set.

The purpose of disclosing the news to Xi Yin is to remind him in advance for the sake of past kindness.

After this incident, Quan should repay the previous kindness, and the future relationship will be maintained entirely by interests.Huan Rong will never hold back if he encounters schemes like Shouchun again.

At that time, the grievances and grievances will be settled face to face, and please don't blame him for being unkind.

The gift that should be given is given out, and the thing that should be said is finished, Xi Yin's decision is all up to him.

From Jia Bing's point of view, Xi Yin will not make a decision immediately, and will definitely send people to inquire in many ways to make sure that Youzhou has indeed "reconciled" with the aunt before deciding how to proceed.

At that time, there is not much room left for him.

Thinking of this, Jia Bing showed a slight smile, bowed his hands and said goodbye, intending to turn back before the city gate closed.

This trip bears a heavy responsibility, and it is only half completed so far, and there are still aristocrats who need to visit.In addition to revealing the news, it is best to take the opportunity to win over more senior families.

There is no need to think about the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Xie family of Chenjun.

Since forming an alliance with the Wang family of Langya, there must be differences of interests between the two, and it is inappropriate to maintain superficial peace, and it is impossible to win an alliance.

Huan Rong and Xie Xuan have a good friendship, but in the face of family interests, personal friendship can only be put aside.

What Jia Bing is optimistic about is the few Wu surnames who stayed in Jiankang and the unsuccessful overseas Chinese surnames.

These gentry were either restricted by their births, or were on the wrong team before, most of them were marginalized, and their power in the court was weak, not to mention influencing the political situation, it was not as powerful as Huan Rong's power in Youzhou.But they have lived in Jiankang for a long time, are well-informed, and are married to each other, and their relationship network extends in all directions.

If it is used well, it will be far more "useful" than the Langya Wang family, and can provide Huan Rong with more convenience.

The Wang clan of Langya is now in a weak position, barely able to treat each other with courtesy with Duke Ming.When he gained a firm foothold in the imperial court, with his family heritage, it was impossible for him to stay under others for a long time, and it would only be a matter of time before he regained his former glory.

At that point, the alliance between the two sides is bound to become fragile and crumble at the slightest touch.

For their respective interests, they may even stab a knife in the back.

It's hard to comment on when the Langya Wang family will act.With Jia Bing's style of doing things, if things are starting to show signs, Huan Rong will definitely be advised to act first.

Early stabbing and late stabbing are all stabbing, but it is more enjoyable to cut the knife early, so as to avoid troubles caused by looking forward and backward.

Jia Bing was sitting in the car, thinking of the in-depth conversation with Huan Rong before leaving, he squinted his eyes unconsciously.

"Duke Ming is extremely intelligent, but his heart is too soft."

But for him, having such a master is luck.

Replaced by a villain and a villain whom the six relatives do not recognize, what Jia Bing has to worry about is not being too soft-hearted, but how he should avoid living in the mountains and avoid possible disasters after he has achieved a great cause.

Opening the car window, Jia Bing suddenly laughed when receiving the sporadic rain.

Xu Chao looked behind him in puzzlement, and couldn't help being confused.

"Why did the Jiashe people laugh? But what strange things did you see?"

As Xu Chao said, he looked around. Except for the common people who were hurrying on their way, and the peddlers carrying burdens looking for shelter from the rain, there were only gentlemen and girls who came out to enjoy the rain.

What's so ridiculous about this?

"From Youzhou to the south, the closer you are to Jiankang, the more rain there will be." Jia Bing said slowly.

"Last year there was a severe drought in the north, so it's hard to say good or bad this year. However, there must be floods in the south. Jiankang may be able to avoid disasters, and places like Yuzhou and Jiangzhou may not be stable."

Xu Chao was stunned.

"Can Jashers watch the weather?"

"Understood."

"Are you laughing because of the flood just now?" Asked this sentence, Xu Chao felt very uncomfortable.If Jia Bing gives an affirmative answer, there is no guarantee that he will turn his face on the spot.

"How could it be?" Jia Bing shook his head and said in a deep voice, "In Xu Zhuzhu's eyes, is Bing such a person?"

"..." Can he say yes?

"Things are going well today, and Bing is in a good mood. The rain is slightly cool to dispel the summer heat." Jia Bing patiently explained, "Banzhu Xu really misunderstood."

What a misunderstanding?

Xu Chao still doesn't believe it, but he also understands that the two of them have important responsibilities on their shoulders, so it's best not to get into a dead end and cause unnecessary quarrels.

"If you are careless beyond your words, don't be offended by the people of Jiashe."

"No problem." Jia Bing said with a smile, "Banzhu Xu speaks quickly, and Chao admires him very much."

admire?

Xu Chao grinned, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

According to the envoy's words, to be admired by Jia She people is really stressful.

As the carriage moved forward, the rain gradually intensified, and gradually became a piece of filaments, splashing past, and the entire Jiankang City was shrouded in the rain curtain, as if covered with a light veil.

In Qingxi, Qian Shi caught another person who was probing outside the mansion, without saying a word, knocked him unconscious, tied up five flowers and threw them into the dark room.

No matter who sent it, don't even think about leaving when you come.

Beat a few times to ask for confession, and send them all to Yandu to be salt slaves.

"Will there be any accidents if you do this?" A healthy servant asked worriedly.

"No." Qian Shi waved his hand, wiped off the rain on his face, and said with a smile, "Send it to the saltworks and there will be special guards. Don't even think about running out, don't even think about committing suicide."

Cruel?

indeed.

However, the world is like this, if you don't play hard, the people behind will make more progress.What's more, with Huan Rong's order and the permission of Princess Nankang, Qian Shi has no scruples about doing things.

If the people behind the scenes don't care about it, if they dare to move their minds, send a few to catch a few, the more the better, it will save you the trouble of recruiting salt workers.

Under the corridor, Mrs. Li opened the bamboo cage, and the pigeons in the cage stepped out. Instead of flapping their wings and flying away, they tilted their heads and rubbed against Mrs. Li's sleeves lovably, making cooing sounds.

The maidservants looked at it strangely, but they didn't dare to approach easily.A few days ago, someone was accidentally pecked while feeding, leaving a long scar on the back of the hand. No matter how much medicine was applied, it would not get better. She didn't want to try her own method.

Mrs. Li took out an incense ball and shook it lightly with her bare hands. It was filled with the spices that Huan Rong used to use, and it was scattered in the rain with the sound.

The pigeons are becoming more and more docile, with fluffy breast feathers, cooing more cheerfully, and being round and cute.

When Princess Nankang came, she happened to see the pigeon lying down, so she couldn't help but chuckled.

"Sister."

Mrs. Li raised her head, brushed the hair on her cheeks, and smiled softly.

The maids and servants in the corridor blessed themselves and saluted.

Princess Nankang raised her right arm, and except for Ah Mai, everyone backed away five steps.

"Can you fly in such a sky?"

"No problem." Mrs. Li held up the pigeon, brushed the feathers of the pigeon with her fingertips, and said with a smile, "but you must wrap the silk cloth well, so as not to stain the handwriting."

Princess Nankang nodded, put the silk cloth into the bamboo tube with her own hands, and tied it to the pigeon's neck.

"This is left over from Gua'er's last delivery."

Due to the size of the bamboo tube, the thick and thin bamboo tube of the thumb can be used to put on the legs of the goshawk, but the neck of the pigeon can only be tied.

When the rain subsided, Mrs. Li ordered people to bring fresh water, and after feeding, she released the pigeons to fly.

The black-gray figure hovered over the courtyard for two weeks, cooed a few times, and then flapped its wings and flew north. It quickly turned into a black spot on the horizon and disappeared from the sight of the two of them.

"Sister, I heard the servant said that the Empress Dowager sent her servants into the mansion?" Mrs. Li pulled Princess Nankang's sleeve and asked softly.

"Indeed." Princess Nankang sneered, "Invite me into the palace and discuss important matters."

"Is it important?"

"It's probably because none of the sent people came back and wanted to find out. Or they didn't find out the purpose of the people from Youzhou and planned to ask a few questions from me."

"Sister, the intention is not kind." Mrs. Li frowned slightly, and said, "If you don't use the excuse of catching a cold, don't go."

"Why do you need an excuse?" Princess Nankang said with a smile, "I am the head princess of the Jin Dynasty. She is just a harem woman. Both her husband and her parents are dead, and she only fights for the title of Queen Mother. When the Chu family was in its prime, I would not let it go." In my eyes, I don't need to worry too much about tearing up my face now."

"so?"

"I don't want to see her, so I just sent her away."

Mrs. Li opened her beautiful eyes, and a look of surprise flashed across her expression.

"Sister, are you serious?"

"Of course." Princess Nankang was rarely joking, brushing the tassels in Mrs. Li's hair, "Don't you believe me, sister?"

Mrs. Li put away her surprise, smiled with crooked eyebrows, and leaned against Princess Nankang, exhaling like blue, smiling like a flower.

"What my sister said, I naturally believe it."

The two looked at each other and smiled, the drizzle was lightly splashing, hazy and misty, covering a pair of beautiful figures in the corridor.

台城

The eunuch who returned to the palace knelt in the hall, his face turned pale, and his lips trembled faintly.

Empress Dowager Chu sat in front of the couch, her face sinking like water, and she didn't cry for a long time.

Hu Qianan sat on one side, his expression indifferent, comfortable as usual, as if he hadn't been forcibly "invited" from home.On the contrary, the two apprentices who came with him were in a state of uncertainty, with uneasy expressions on their faces, and fear flashed in their eyes from time to time.

Suddenly a gust of wind broke through the window, with a howling sound, and blew out the two three-legged lamps placed by the wall.

The eunuchs and servants dared not make a sound, and hastily removed the old lamps and put in new ones.

The fire flickered for a few times, but finally did not go out again.

The sound of wind and rain is isolated from the outside of the hall, while sandalwood is floating in the hall, the lights are bright, but the atmosphere is particularly depressing.

"Nankang really said that?" Queen Mother Chu said in a deep voice.

"Back to the Queen Mother, it's absolutely true." The eunuch dared not hide anything, his forehead touched the ground, and his voice was trembling.

Empress Dowager Chu clenched her sleeves tightly, gritted her silver teeth, and finally couldn't hold back, and swept away the bamboo slips in front of her with a wave of her sleeves.

The bamboo slips fell to the ground and spread out in an instant, revealing a few lines of characters on them, which were clearly the hexagrams obtained by Hu Qian and Buji, and the word "variable" was impressively visible.

"The Queen Mother calm down!"

The eunuchs and maids in the palace turned pale with fright, and knelt down on the ground, their faces turning pale.

"Go down."

After five breaths, Empress Dowager Chu restrained her anger and repelled everyone, leaving only her confidants and eunuchs.

When the door of the palace was closed, he turned his gloomy gaze to Hu Qian, and said coldly, "You still don't intend to tell the truth?"

"My servant doesn't understand very well." Hu Qian said indifferently, "Everything about Buji has been presented to the Empress Dowager, and nothing is concealed. What else does the Empress Dowager want to hear from this servant?"

"Okay, there's nothing to hide!" The Empress Dowager Chu laughed angrily, "What about the 'extremely noble face'?"

Hu Qian remained silent for a long time.

Empress Dowager Chu thought the story was right, so she sneered even worse, "Are you willing to tell the truth?"

Hu Qian sighed, and said: "This is indeed a servant's deliberate intention to help the Jin family. However, the destiny has its own destiny, and all the actions are in vain."

"Nonsense!" Empress Dowager Chu became even more angry, and said forcefully, "You still want to lie to me now?! What variables, what benefits the family, are all lies!"

Hu Qian raised his head and looked directly into the Empress Dowager Chu's eyes. The dark eyes were like an abyss, without any emotion, they swept across the person's body, making people chill to the bone.

"What is a variable, has the Queen Mother ever thought about it?"

Empress Dowager Chu suddenly stopped.

"Where the variable is, it is the fate."

"The servant said that Fengyang County is a variable, not only for the Jin family, but also for himself. The descendants of the Jin family should have benefited, but when someone intervenes, side effects arise, how can the fate remain the same!"

After hearing these words, Empress Dowager Chu's expression changed a few times.

"You mean, it's my fault?"

"The Empress Dowager knows it well."

The six characters sounded loudly, and the Empress Dowager Chu was no longer angry, her voice trembling slightly: "Is there a way to crack it?"

"The fate has changed, and the servant will eventually become a mortal, unable to break the secret." Hu Qian lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Whether the Empress Dowager believes it or not is entirely up to her, and no one else can control her."

Empress Dowager Chu froze on the spot, opened her mouth dejectedly, and finally did not say a word.

It rained intermittently throughout the night.

The next morning, the sky was still gray.

When the city gate opened, a group of vehicles entered first.

The man driving the car had broad shoulders, long arms, and a thick waist, making him extremely sturdy.Bowing his head and sweeping his eyes, the gate guard's feet felt weak and his scalp went numb.

After verifying his identity, he knew that it was Xi Yin who had entered the city. The guards at the city gate quickly let him through, and drove away in his car.

When the carriage was far away, the city gate guards looked at each other, breathed a long sigh of relief, and said in a low voice: "It is said that the Beifu army was selected from the refugees, and three of the five masters were commanders of the refugees. It is so fierce that the rumors are indeed true."

The man who drove the car was a refugee commander in his early years, and later joined the Beifu Army, making contributions many times.

This time Liu Laozhi was ordered to stay at Jingkou, so he took over from the former as Sima in front of the chariot to guard Xi Min's safety.

The car drove across the Qinhuai River without stopping all the way, and drove to Qingxili.

The gate had just opened, and there were not many boats on the river, but two merchant ships from the south were unloading.

A healthy servant was carrying a wooden box, his sight was blocked, and he was accidentally taken down by a galloping carriage. He didn't care about the scattered goods, and only saved his life by rolling twice on the spot.

"Who he..."

Before the healthy servant could swear, his companion covered his mouth forcefully and dragged him aside.It wasn't until the carriage was far away that the tugging man let go of his hand and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

"Don't look clearly before you speak, don't you want to die?!"

"The red-painted soap is coming from outside the city. It's clearly the driver of the car. You know who is in the car, so you dare to speak? Are you carrying a head or a stone on your shoulders! You don't want to die, everyone has not lived enough." !"

The healthy servant hurriedly apologized to his companion, and hurriedly picked up the wooden box and picked up the scattered goods.

Fortunately, there are some common groceries in the box, so they are not afraid of being soaked by rain.If it was replaced by sea salt and spices, not only would this trip not make money, compensation for losses would kill him.

Not to mention how scared the servant was, the carriage drove into Qingxi and went directly to Langya Palace.

The government army in front of the car handed over the greeting card, the door of the house opened quickly, and Sima Yu, the king of Langya, came out to greet him in person. When he saw Xi Min who got off the car, his eyes flashed slightly, and he quickly put on a smile.

"Fang Hui is coming, Yu You is far away to welcome you."

"Your Highness is welcome."

After exchanging greetings, the two stepped into the mansion, as affectionate as if they were close friends.

In less than a moment, the matter of Xi Min's visit to King Langya was reported to Huan Wen, and the Empress Dowager Chu in Taicheng also heard about it.

Upon hearing the news, the two had completely different reactions.

Sima Huan laughed lowly, and said: "Xi Fang is capable of bending and stretching, I really underestimated him."

Empress Dowager Chu was furious, and then became decadent again.

Thinking of what Hu Qian said, he slumped in front of the couch powerlessly, and instantly seemed ten years older.

The wind and rain in Jiankang has not yet drifted to Youzhou.

Since Jia Bing left for Jiankang, Zhong Lin became more and more busy. In less than a few days, she lost a lot of weight, and she was trembling when she walked.

Huan Rong was worried, and immediately sent a letter to Yandu, leaving Shi Shao to sit in the county government, asking Xun You to come as soon as possible, and bring Huan Yi along.

Not wanting to send out the letter, Xun You set off quickly and arrived in Xuyi a few days ago, but Huan Yi was nowhere to be seen.

"The fourth son went to sea a few days ago."

"Going to sea?" Huan Rong was stunned, his voice raised half a degree.

"Don't worry, it's a big ship that can withstand wind and waves, and it is accompanied by experienced boatmen and private soldiers. I have specifically told you that it is only in the near sea and not far away."

Xun You's expression was a little inexplicable, obviously he had a "struggle" with Huan Yi, but in the end he failed to convince the other party, but was defeated instead.

However, Huan Yi is really capable of making Xun Sheren show this expression.

"The fourth son has excellent water skills."

Thinking of the fourth son Huan who can hold his breath underwater for [-] breaths, let the boatman bow down, and likes to have fun everywhere, compared to Huan Rong who is more comfortable in the assassin's mansion and never runs around unless necessary. Xun You suddenly felt A burst of relief.

Fortunately, Minggong's personality is not like the fourth son's, it's really a blessing!

"Brother really went to sea?" Although Huan Rong was a little surprised, he expected it.

Huan Yi had long said that he yearned for the sea, but now he has realized it ahead of schedule.

Although there are some willful elements, but in terms of safety, there shouldn't be any problems.

After confirming that Huan Yi was only wandering in the near sea and would not go to the far sea, Huan Rong heaved a sigh of relief, temporarily let go of his throat, and turned to ask about Wu Che.

"Two batches have been sent out, a total of [-] vehicles, half of which came from the warehouse." Xun You said seriously, "Before loading, Gongshu and Xiangli modified the body, and secretly buried the mechanism to ensure that they will not be used in the future. public threat."

Huan Rong scratched his chin, this is not the simplified version, but also cut corners?

But why doesn't he feel guilty at all?

Huan Shijun looked at the sky at a 45-degree angle, silent and unresolved.