Dragon Pattern Roll Set

Zhao Pu listened to the "past events" that Xi Su said, and read the letters of the old retainers of the county prince's mansion that Zhe Ying brought back, together with Master Wentian's manuscripts and Master Wang's travel notes, he probably... got the ins and outs of the matter clear.

The origin of the matter, to be honest, really has nothing to do with their ancestors of the Zhao family. It was still in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and everything was related to the Xingtian.

At that time, there was a very powerful official in the court, whose exact name is unknown.The official got a son when he was old, and he raised him like a jewel, and the child is still talented in both civil and military affairs, with a bright future.

However, this son unfortunately fell into the sea and died when he went out to sea with a military ship privately to catch pirates. He was just in his early twenties when he died.

The official was enraged and hated the pirates deeply, so...the navy at that time started an almost crazy operation of building warships and hunting pirates.

In addition, what puzzled the official was that his son was originally a civil servant in the Ministry of Punishment, so why did he follow the navy to round up pirates?Later, after many inquiries, I found out that there was a group of death row prisoners who were sentenced to death for theft and complained to their son... They were originally fishermen, but they couldn't fish and survive because of the pirates at sea. I had no choice but to take risks and do stupid things, but ended up like this.His son just sympathized with them and moved his mind to become a navy general in the future. Because he was afraid that his father would worry or send someone to protect him, he kept it secret and acted privately, but he never returned.

I don't know if it was because he was too sad to lose his son in old age, but the official blamed his son's death on the repeat criminals in prison and those pirates.

However, the pirates were caught. Some of the pirates were originally residents of the nearby islands. Seeing that the imperial court had caught them tightly, they each fled back to the island.

The official participated in the performance to the imperial court, hoping to send troops to attack those islands. The imperial court felt that the cost was too high, and it was unnecessary. There were only a few pirates, and most of the island residents were innocent.

The more the official thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Firstly, the pirates could not be killed. Secondly, the emperor found out that the serious criminals were only ordinary fishermen who were forced to steal. It also coincided with the Empress Dowager’s birthday, so the emperor wanted to pardon them. their minds.

The official was very dissatisfied and couldn't swallow his breath. At this moment, someone came to offer advice to him.

That man is a wizard, dressed in white, who is said to have the ability to predict the future, and is proficient in witchcraft. He said that there is a way to wipe out those felons, pirates, and their descendants without using a single soldier from the imperial court. Think of it as doing justice for the heavens.

The official listened to the wizard's suggestion, so he agreed.

A few days later, bandits ran rampant again on the sea, which made the emperor realize that if those pirates were not completely wiped out, it would always be a hidden danger.

On the other hand, many courtiers feel that repeat offenders should not be pardoned, which may disappoint the public opinion.

The emperor thought it was reasonable, so he gave up the amnesty, and sent some sailors to exterminate the pirates... But the strange thing is that all the sailors who went this time never returned, so everyone was curious—why are those pirates so powerful?

The official took this opportunity to tell the emperor that most of the pirates came from the islands of the Eight Clans. The people on the islands are all talented and cruel.

After hearing this, the emperor also felt that it was necessary, but it was too risky to send people to destroy the island.

So... according to what the wizard taught him, the official told the emperor a method, which is to use the method of sacrifice-exchanging life for life.

The emperor didn't quite understand, and asked in detail, it turned out that the same number of death row prisoners were sent to a certain island. After the wizard made a furnace, he cast a spell to exchange lives for lives. As many death row prisoners died, as many pirates died.

Although the emperor hesitated a little, he felt that this method was actually "the best of both worlds", so he ordered the officials to do it.

But in fact, those pirates who have caused chaos recently were arranged by the officials according to the wizard's plan, and the prisoners who were transported to the island did not jump into the furnace after being put on masks, but walked into the cave. The man was assigned weapons, left the cave, and boarded another boat.

The wizard told them to send them to some islands to kill pirates. As long as they kill one person, their own lives will be exchanged, and they can start over when they return to land. If they kill two people, they will be rewarded. Jin... In short, the more you kill, the better.

Therefore, those prisoners who were sent to the island, whether they were pirates or ordinary islanders, would kill anyone they saw. It is said that the sea water near the Bazu Islands was red at that time.

The only surviving death row prisoners originally thought that the mission was completed, and they could go back and start again in exchange for their lives... But who knew that the boats that transported them back were all tampered with, and the boats capsized and sank at sea, and even the largest Xingtian ship also lost their lives. sank.

This incident was originally intended to be caused by "the navy expedition to wipe out the pirates, but they died together with the pirates".However, a few people got to the bottom of this, that is, the boatmen who built the big ships back then.

Those boatmen all said that these warships, especially the Xingtian, are impossible to sink!The pirates' ships were all small boats, even if they all crashed into the Xingtian, the Xingtian would not be damaged at all, there should be something strange about it.

In the face of the pursuit of those boatmen, in order to protect themselves, the officials executed all the boatmen who knew about it for reasons such as cutting corners during shipbuilding and poor shipbuilding technology.

The above is what Zhao Pu roughly pieced together from various written records, about the real reason why the Xingtian went to sea and remained silent.

Because of the long history, most of the parties involved had died, so it became a secret, but some people knew about it at that time, especially some high-ranking people in the imperial city.

After the Xingtian incident, so-called "sacrifice" activities will take place every once in a while.

In fact, the sacrifice is just a deception... Even if they are traced, the so-called "life-for-life" is found to be a second layer of deception. The truth is-the remaining descendants of the Eight Clans Islands grew up with hatred and prepared to take revenge It was discovered, so... the second "life for life" began.The prisoners were sent to Ehudao Island, where they took their weapons and set foot on a rigged warship to carry out a slaughter without return, and finally died in the belly of the fish.

This is like entering an endless loop. There will always be surviving descendants on the Eight Clans Islands, and it seems that they can’t be killed. Those descendants spent 30 years growing up and gathering to prepare for revenge, but they encountered the same thing as their ancestors again. destiny.

In addition to the islanders who suffered catastrophe, there were also death row prisoners who no one cared about.But with the coming of prosperity and peace, the number of serious criminals is getting smaller and smaller, so... when the "survivors" of the Eight Clans Islands grow up and prepare for revenge, little thieves and vagabonds like Shi Jin, was involved in it.

In addition, there is another question that bothers everyone—there are so many prisoners, not to mention vicious or evil, why can a wizard control them?Why didn't they take the opportunity to rebel and escape after they were given weapons, but obediently cooperated and put on masks to kill?

All this is because of the thing tied to the "moving chain" that Shi Jin saw on the island.

It is said that the sorcerer brought a monster made out of the official's anger and resentment, and raised it on the island to guard the cave. The death row prisoners had only two choices, one was to feed the monster, the other was to be obedient and desperately try to survive. Opportunity.

However, things like hatred may not last forever. After several generations of catastrophe, the Eight Clans Islands have fewer and fewer people.

In particular, the other side of the sea has also experienced a change of dynasties. The bandits on the sea have almost disappeared, and everything has been forgotten in the vicissitudes of life.

However, the monster is still there, and the resentment has been growing on that small island, and it has never dissipated. Every 30 years, two things must be done: one is to send the death row prisoners wearing masks to the cave, and most of these death row prisoners do not need to board a boat Go to Tudao, but be directly killed and eaten by monsters.The second is to send people to the Eight Clans Islands to find out if there are any survivors. After confirming that there are no survivors, they can be beheaded regardless of age.

Every time there is a certain number of people on death row, there cannot be one less. It is said that because of the wrong number of people, the monster made a big fuss at sea, causing many shipwrecks.

The "truth" back then was like a legend. After Zhao Pu learned all about it, he didn't know which one to believe and which one not to believe.

"A monster formed by resentment?" Zhao Pu looked at Gongsun subconsciously.

Gongsun shook his head like a rattle, "Impossible! It's just nonsense! At the beginning, it is plausible to use death row prisoners to slaughter the island and then destroy the ship, but what is the monster born with resentment? ghost!"

Zhao Pu said to Gongsun, "The general of the royal family said that when the early years were chaotic, many people used this method to eliminate dissidents. King Boyang is a typical example. He told the emperor that there are still people alive on the Eight Clans Islands, and that there are people who use this method to eliminate dissidents. The condemned prisoner flattened the monster's anger... Only King Boyang knows the specifics."

Master Bao frowned, "The matter of the monster...maybe there are still some inside stories that I haven't found out yet."

"By the way, there is one more thing." Zhao Pu said, "About that wizard."

Gongsun also asked, "Has the wizard lived for so many years? Or has he been a villain for generations?"

Zhao Pu took out a portrait from the letter and said, "Here is a portrait of the legendary wizard, do you feel like a person?"

Everyone looked at each other and leaned over to look at the portrait.

After only one glance, the fourth son was startled, and hurried into Gongsun's arms.

Xiao Liangzi also jumped up, "Ah! It's that guy!"

The person in the portrait looks very much like a fox, with an evil spirit. It is the Bai Ji who almost murdered Gongsun and the fourth son in the case of the fox!

"So the wizard who made the bad move is from the Baiji clan?" Gongsun asked.

"With this guy around, there's a real chance of creating some kind of monster!" Zhao Pu couldn't help frowning, "Do you still remember that he made a woman and turned into him like a dead body? "

"Besides playing tricks, Bai Ji also has some real skills. Beware of him."

Everyone was discussing, and someone outside said a word.

In a blink of an eye, I saw Yin Hou walking in.

Yin Hou was helping Zhao Pu to follow Wu Su to inquire about the situation, and since he came back, it means that he has a clue.

"So fast?" Zhao Pu was very pleasantly surprised. Sure enough, the old man handled things safely.

Yin Hou sat down, and Gongsun poured him tea.

Before Yin Hou could start talking, he caught sight of the fourth son who was lying in his father's arms like a quail, a little funny, "What's the matter?"

Gongsun had no choice but to move the portrait to show Yin Hou.

Yin Hou glanced at it and sneered, "He just came out to do something when the Demon King was gone. When the Demon King was around, he didn't dare to go out on the road, so he just played him to death."

"The wizards back then were probably from the Baiji clan." Zhao Pu said.

"Then the position is reversed this time, he may be the one who instigated those people to take revenge." Yin Hou said, "There are eight masked people in total, and they seem to come from eight islands..."

"Eight Clans Islands?" Zhao Pu asked.

Yin Hou nodded, curious, "It seems that you have a lot of clues here."

Gongsun told Yin Hou the clues they had investigated concisely.

Yin Hou touched his chin lightly, "Monster...um..."

Everyone looked at him, "Does that monster have a clue?"

Yin Hou frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head, "This is really not very clear, it's a bit suspicious, let me tell you what I found out first."

Everyone nodded.

"Those eight little ghosts are from the Eight Clans Islands. Their kung fu is not bad. I don't know where they learned it. They probably grew up watching the bones of their ancestors. They felt that everyone living in this land across the sea is especially The royal family and the generals are all devils, they are so innocent that they are typically used by others. The fat man seems to be a little shaken, thinking that Zhao is not as bad as the legend says, but most of the others regard that Mr. Mo as a god... What I'm more curious about is who the "Sea God" they call their father is, and he speaks like he knows everything." Yin Hou waved his hand to Chen Xing'er who passed by the door, "Girl, give me that bowl of noodles."

Chen Xing'er hurried to get food for Hou Yin.

Everyone was a little embarrassed. They were over 100 years old and couldn't even care about eating while helping out with errands.

Yin Hou said to Zhao Pu, "They are hiding in a mansion in the west of the city. I think they are all asleep and have no intention of leaving, so they will come back. Their task is to wait. It seems that there are people who cooperate with each other. When the time comes, the imperial city Once there is chaos, their task is to take advantage of the chaos and enter the palace to assassinate Zhao Zhen."

Zhao Pu frowned. Sure enough, the other party planned to assassinate Zhao Zhen.

Yin Hou looked at Zhao Pu and said, "Would you like to listen to my old man's opinion?"

Zhao Pu was taken aback for a moment, and nodded quickly, naturally he listened.

Yin Hou said, "You are focused on going south to fight, so leave it to Zhao Zhen to deal with these people."

Zhao Pu was slightly surprised.

"Zhao Zhen is not your son, and you can't help him settle everything. You are for fighting, not for settling grievances." Yin Hou crossed his arms and said, "These children can be said to belong to the eight-family archipelago. The only remaining generation, maybe kill them, and then we will know everything about the Eight Clans Islands..."

Zhao Pu frowned slightly, looking at Yin Hou.

"But what is the difference between this approach and what King Boyang did back then?" Yin Hou said, "These eight are all being used by people. They firmly believe that every 30 years, many warships will come from across the sea to wear them. Loaded with ghost masked men, coming to their island to kill. It's going to be another 30 years, and this time they're going to fight back."

Zhao Pu and others frowned upon hearing this.

Xiao Baoyan couldn't help but said, "From their point of view, it's true that our side is not good. There are so many bones all over the island. Except for those pirates, most of them are innocent people. It is only natural that future generations want revenge. What's more, it was indeed a toss about every 30 years before, and people who want to preemptively don't want to sit still."

Pang Yu tugged at Bao Yan's sleeve, don't get excited, Zhao Zhen didn't do it either.

Zhao Pu sighed, and said to Yin Hou, "Old man, are you asking me to push the most troublesome things to the emperor?"

Yin Hou waved his hand, "From Zhao Zhen's attitude in handling this matter, we can see what kind of emperor he is. If Zhao Zhen asks people to kill these eight people, I advise you all to stop working for him and find an island Go live in seclusion, the Zhao family will not last long."

Everyone was sweating for Zhao Zhen, but what the old man said was right, this is also a "father's debt to the son" in a sense, how can we end this generational hatred?Everything depends on Zhao Zhen's decision. Anyway, killing is definitely not feasible, so we have to think of other ways.

Gongsun also nodded, and he said to Zhao Pu worriedly, "Don't be distracted, you don't know what will happen in the battle ahead, they came prepared, and you have no experience in water battles, Zhao Zhen really treats you like Zhuge Liang." Use it! Leave some things for him to solve by himself!"

Lord Bao shook his head helplessly——ah, Gongsun still faces the prince.

Zhao Pu was in a mess at first, but the way Gongsun spoke was focused on himself, and he was in a better mood for no reason.

Zhao Pu looked at Bao Zheng.

Lord Bao smiled, "My lord, don't worry, I still have confidence in your majesty, just concentrate on the war."

Zhao Pu nodded, thought for a while, picked up a pen and told Zhao Zhen the whereabouts of those eight people, how they were used, and the reason for the war against Song Dynasty, and finally added a sentence, which means-I was busy fighting, It's up to you to figure things out on your own.

When Zheying delivered the letter, Zhao Zhen opened it, put his arms around the sleepy Xiangxiang and rubbed it, and complained while rubbing, "Father's life is miserable! They don't care about your father..."

Xiangxiang pouted, and stretched out her small hand to comfort Zhao Zhen's shoulder.

Nangong glanced at the letter aside, and couldn't laugh or cry... The emperor really hasn't been bothered for a long time. This matter is indeed difficult, even more difficult than fighting a war.

Nangong asked Zhao Zhen, "Your Majesty, do you want to discuss it with the Eighth Prince, or with other ministers?"

Zhao Zhen smiled helplessly, and shook his head, "I have to solve this myself, and I can't leave it to anyone."

Nangong was puzzled.

Zhao Zhen put down the letter, "If I can't handle this matter well, I'm afraid no one will be willing to sacrifice their lives for me... Is it justified to pay the father's debts." After finishing speaking, Zhao Zhen suddenly raised his head, "I'm going out of the palace !"

Nangong stared at Zhao Zhen for a while, and asked uncertainly, "The emperor is going to the latrine..."

Zhao Zhen raised his foot and kicked him out, "Get me some handsome clothes, tomorrow I'm going to go on tour in modest clothes!"

The first thing Nangong did was to go to Kaifeng mansion, why?By Yin Hou!