The happy life of the devil and the devil

After such a commotion downstairs, Yuan Shao didn't have the intention to continue sitting down, so he just drank a cup of tea and got up to leave.In the opposite direction to where he left, Ling Yucheng had come back surrounded by a group of guards. After a while, the horseshoes were clattering. Holding the reins, they bowed neatly on the horseback and saluted: "See you, my lord!"

Ling Yucheng nodded slightly in return, and urged the horse to come closer, his eyes swept over like cold electricity.Seeing his subordinates holding their breath involuntarily, but trying their best to raise their heads and chests and look back, he couldn't help nodding secretly, and then his face sank and he gave a cold drink:

"Xiao Ran!"

"Here!" The one who was named was the black-clothed army officer who led the people to confront the Jinwu Guard of Daliang before. Hearing his name called by the commander, he immediately urged his horse to take a step forward. Go up, bow down again.Before he had time to straighten up, he heard a cold shout above his head:

"—Are you guilty?"

"Subordinates—"

Xiao Ran led his brothers to block the Beiliang barbarian back. He was a little proud at first, but after being slapped like this by the commander, all the military regulations and disciplines that the chief officer had so earnestly emphasized came back to his mind, and it was like pouring a basin of ice water on his head. The burning brain is freezing cold.For a moment, he couldn't help but sweat dripping down his back, he hurriedly jumped off the horse, and knelt down on the ground:

"The subordinate is guilty!"

"Ok?"

"The subordinate did not have the order of the superior, overstepped his authority, and ordered the attack without authorization. It is a crime—a crime..." He hardened his heart, gritted his teeth and said: "The crime should be beheaded!"

There was a slight exclamation behind him, and dozens of people jumped off their horses with a plop, and bowed down on the ground behind him.Xiao Ran secretly groaned, and with a stiff neck, he protested: "My lord, the responsibility for this matter lies with the subordinates. The brothers are all following the orders of the subordinates. Please don't blame them, my lord!"

"Humph!"

Ling Yucheng's face had been sinking like water, his face was so cold that even his personal guards were disturbed when he saw it, and his face turned slightly pale when he heard this sentence.But he ignored Xiao Ran for now, and waved at the group of soldiers kneeling on the ground casually:

"Don't do your business, get up."

"Thank you sir!"

Now that the coach had spoken, even though Xiao Ran's subordinates were worried, it was impossible for them to continue to lie on the ground and get on their horses uniformly.Although they didn't dare to intercede, they still looked at Ling Yucheng eagerly, as if they were ready to jump down and replace them with their own bodies at any time.Looking at it like this, the old guards behind Ling Yucheng couldn't help laughing secretly, only the person who was stared at seemed to be unaware, and he stepped up two steps, looking at the man who was kneeling on the ground. Xiao Ran, who dared to raise his head, murmured:

"I remember that you joined the army five years ago. You beheaded 15 people in the battle of Shuanglong Gorge the year before last, and you were selected into the Iron Cloud Cavalry?"

"Yes!"

"It can be regarded as growing fast. ——Why still don't know how to use your brain?"

"Subordinates—"

"You want to say that it's unreasonable to see the people of Beiliang arrogant in our land, don't you? You want to say that these wolf cubs, if you don't give them some ruthlessness, they can't retract their claws, right? ——Did you Think about it, if they didn't scare you back at that time, if they drew their knives and rushed forward, what chance would you have of winning?"

"..." There is no possibility of getting away with this question, and in fact he is not allowed to talk nonsense, Xiao Ran lowered his head, and answered honestly: "Both will suffer, if we can cut them off by [-]%, at least half of our brothers will die. "

"What if you have twice as many people on hand?"

"With a hundred guns pointed at them, they would never dare to charge up!"

"In that case, you just brought people out to see what's going on. The brigade is not far away, so why didn't you sound the alarm?" Ling Yucheng's tone gradually became serious, "Why did you rashly order a war and gamble with the lives of the brothers?"

"Subordinate—this subordinate is guilty!" Xiao Ran's face was pale, and he kowtowed repeatedly on the ground.Ling Yucheng didn't wait for him to continue talking, and raised his voice to order:

"Exceeding the authority and engaging in military affairs without permission, the crime is to be executed. Gu Nian you forced the Beiliang Jinwu Guards to retreat. No one on your side was injured. You will be severely punished by the twenty army sticks and demoted to soldiers!" The voice changed, and there was a slight smile in the tone Meaning: "After the injury is healed, transfer to the first battalion of the first division of Tie Yunqi."

"Yes!"

If it is said that taking twenty army sticks and taking one military post into captivity should be punished as a crime, then the transfer orders that followed really surprised and surprised Xiao Ran.Before he had time to thank him, someone came over and pushed him to the ground, and the two executioners picked up their military sticks and beat him down firmly.The fifty cavalrymen in the back reined in their horses and stood, watching the blood splatter on the body of their former chief, they still gritted their teeth and dared not make a sound, only ten fingers dug into the mud, each of them was speechless, but their faces were full of blood. It's an unabashed look of envy.

The first battalion of the first part of Tie Yunqi, that is the personal guard of the adults!Don't talk about twenty army sticks, it's worth doubling it again!

Ling Yucheng's military law has always been strict. After the twenty army sticks were beaten, Xiao Ran couldn't even stand up. Someone had already pulled up a rope bed between the two horses and helped him to it. He Liu, the captain of the personal guard beside Ling Yucheng, He personally ordered a group of soldiers to escort him to the barracks.The rest of the people shouted and hugged Ling Yucheng to the inner city.

After all, it was at the feet of the Son of Heaven, so it was hard to let go of the speed and gallop. A group of people walked slowly on the bridle, turned around the long street, and stopped in front of a black oil gate with three rooms and five frames.There are many mansions in this area, and all the way here are carved beams and arches. Only the gate of this house and the walls on both sides are made of terrazzo. The gate has no decoration except for two heavy copper rings, and the gate stands like a nail. On the contrary, the two guards in black exuded a chilling aura.

Ling Yucheng swung his stirrups off his horse, and immediately his own soldiers rushed out to take the reins and surrounded him up the steps.Before entering the door, I heard the sound of horseshoes behind me, and a familiar voice called out, "Wen Ze!"

"Jing Hui?" Ling Yucheng stopped and turned around, looking at the person who came, couldn't help showing a sincere smile.At the same time, all the guards around him bowed down and shouted neatly: "See Your Highness Duan Wang!"

"Free courtesy, free courtesy!" The young man galloping here is Emperor Jiayou's third son, Prince Duan Ningxiu, whose name is Jinghui, and who is one year younger than Ling Yucheng. The brothers are also similar.He obviously knew Ling Yucheng's group very well. He jumped off the horse and waved his hand casually, "I do this every time. Don't you bother me! I said Wen Ze, thanks to you I have been friends with me for so many years, looking at the appearance of your group of guys, if you don’t know, you may think that we are meeting for the first time!” Walking up the steps quickly, he punched Ling Yucheng’s left shoulder, and laughed loudly: “Today I heard about it, well done! Where's the kid in the lead?"

"You don't need to be brainy when you do things. You taught me a lesson and carried you back." Ling Yucheng received Ning Xiu's punch without hesitation, and several of his subordinates almost went up to stop him—your lord had just injured his left shoulder a few days ago. The military doctor diagnosed it as a fractured bone, and told him to take good care of it and not to use too much force.As if nothing happened, Ling Yucheng walked in side by side with Ning Xiu's arm behind his back, and said with a smile: "You guys go to the Three Treasures Palace for nothing, what did you like about me today?"

"What good things can you have here, worthy of my prince's touch?" Ning Xiu smiled, and followed him into the door, bypassing the screen wall, two rows of towering camphor trees sandwiched a tree that could run five horses abreast. On the bluestone avenue of the horse, the thick branches and leaves spread out, covering the stone road with even a little bit of sunlight.

"This house is clean and tidy, but it's too remote." Ning Xiu would repeat it every time she came to the door, and this time was no exception, "You too, if you don't want to live in the majestic Yunyanghou Mansion, If you want to nest in such a corner, the last time a Hanlin who had just been elected as an official came to deliver an order, but he couldn't find a place-people around here would rather take two more streets than go to your door. I can't even ask for directions!" Seeing that Ling Yucheng gradually put away his smiling face, he stopped talking and said with a sigh: "After all, you are also the master of the Marquis Mansion, why don't you even go back to your own home?"

"Yunyang Hou Mansion?" Ling Yucheng's mouth curled up into a cool smile, "That's where Yunyang Xianghou and the Princess Empress live. I'm an illegitimate child raised by a concubine, even worse than a girl's son. Wouldn't it be a blasphemy to live in the royal family? Move far away as soon as possible, and leave each other clean."

"What kind of princess, that's your mother!—Well, it's the aunt." Seeing Ling Yucheng's eyes sweeping over like a knife, Ning Xiu shrugged her shoulders and changed her words automatically, "That's still a golden branch and jade leaf anyway, You don't recognize her as a mother, even if you don't see the royal family in your eyes, don't say that the father's face is not good-looking, even the censors will also participate in your unfilial piety. ——Let's not talk about this, you should be careful about today's affairs, I heard Someone wants to join you in the capital to attack foreign envoys by arbitrarily mobilizing armored soldiers."

"Those old men know nothing to cause trouble for others!" Ling Yucheng cursed bitterly, but he didn't take it to heart.According to the law on the ground of the capital, except for the Imperial Forest Army and the garrison troops stationed in the capital, the other troops did not obey the order, not to mention the use of force.However, Ling Yucheng relied on his great military exploits, and what he did today was to protect the state and promote the country's prestige. How could he take the clichés of some old men seriously?

Ning Xiu came to the door specially, but it's not that she didn't go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing.Seeing that it will be the birthday of Emperor Jiayou in a few days, the envoys from all over the world have already arrived in Yuyang. Apart from the Honglu Temple giving banquets as usual, there are even the princes and ministers who have been instructed by the emperor to invite people over with various excuses. meet.After all, there are many things that are difficult to discuss in court, and it is still necessary to meet and exchange opinions in private.

This day is Prince Dayu Rui's birthday, because this prince is the only surviving uncle of Emperor Jiayou, and even the emperor values ​​it very much. Since three days ago, rewards from the palace have been sent to the palace in an endless stream.The birthday banquet in the evening is said to include senior ministers of the third rank and above in Dayu, and even envoys from Beiliang, Ximin, and Sutai will come to drink a cup of birthday wine, so Ning Xiu dragged Ling Yucheng to the banquet just to see the emperor The biggest excitement before the fifty full birthday.