An Feng Bamboo Horse

?The beggar with the beard did not escape very far.

Just one street away from Bu Zhangbai and the others, he was chased by a strong and healthy family member of the Xia family. More than a dozen people held sticks and surrounded them.

There were still some pedestrians walking along the street, but at this time they were also alarmed by the menacing aura of the Dingguohou's Mansion, and they all ran away, and the street was soon empty.Even if there were a few people who were sympathetic and wanted to report to an official, but later realized that the beggar seemed to be on the most wanted list of the government, they immediately realized that this was Ding Guohou's family affairs and should not interfere to manage.

The servants gradually narrowed the encirclement, keeping in mind the order of Ding Guohou to capture him alive.

The beggar stood in the siege where he couldn't fly, but he didn't rush.His arms were broken during the chase just now, and he hangs weakly by his sides; his eyes are as bright as electricity, changing the muddy and confused pretense before, and scanning the surrounding people one by one.

Looking up to the sky and laughing loudly: "Go back and tell your master that Dingguo is a wolf with ambitions, and the six thousand ghosts of the Chinese army will not let him go!"

He opened his mouth and suddenly bit down on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the servant closest to him rushed forward, and the beggar spat out a mouthful of thick blood in his face.Along with the blood, a soft piece flew past his right cheek and landed on the ground, bouncing several times like an unyielding fish.

Bu Zhangbai chased to this street, and witnessed the heavy body of the beggar falling backwards, falling into the dirty snow trampled by countless people.

He stiffened and stopped ten paces away.

Xia Anfeng passed by him like a gust of wind, and had already rushed to the scene of the incident in two or three steps.Looking down, the beggar was bleeding from his mouth, his face was stiff, and he was dying.

The young master gasped, and said angrily, "What are you doing!!"

He turned around and faced the dozen or so servants of Xia's mansion dressed in the costumes of servants, but he saw each other face to face, and was already shocked.

Their expressions are firm and their eyes are stern... They are not ordinary servants, they are soldiers beside their father Xia Zun!

What kind of beggar do you need to use the soldiers around Ding Guohou to hunt down a beggar?

Those soldiers didn't seem to have expected that they would bump into the young master on the way to arrest him.The leader of the soldiers bowed towards Xia Anfeng, and said politely: "Young Lord, this man is a domestic slave who defected from the mansion a few years ago, and he has registered in the mansion. Under the order of Lord Hou, he will He was captured alive, but he was so stubborn that he chewed his tongue and killed himself."

Xia Anfeng took a closer look at the beggar. The face hidden under the disheveled beard was indeed like one of the people on the notice that his father asked the government to arrest the whole city.

There are many people in Dingguohou's mansion, so he doesn't have much impression of this family slave; but his father has always run the family rigorously, and he is also a military general. It is not unreasonable to take people back.What's more, he also heard that among these domestic slaves, several people were charged with theft and murder, even if they were beaten to death in the street, it was hard to say.

Seeing that his face softened a little, the leading soldiers gestured to the left and right, and dragged and hugged the gradually cold body on the ground.

He cupped his hands and said, "I don't want to disturb the young master's interest, so I will bring the corpse back to the mansion and return to order."

Xia Anfeng looked at the ground, seeing the shocking pool of blood that melted into the dirty snow, feeling a little uncomfortable. "You clean up here before leaving."

"Yes."

Bu Zhangbai was still standing stiffly on the spot, his ears buzzing.The scene where the beggar fell just now was firmly embedded in his eyes, like a lingering afterimage, replaying in front of his eyes over and over again.

He was extremely sure. Before he fell down, he took a deep look in his direction, and the look contained in that look was firm and complicated.Loyalty, determination, unyielding, resentment... how many emotions can a person express before he dies; and how much unwillingness is hidden in the last glance, the last unspoken words?

Suddenly, a hand patted her shoulder lightly.Bu Zhangbai's heart sank, he subconsciously grabbed the letter that the beggar gave him in his inner pocket, and slowly turned his head away.

Luo Tang, who chased out of Nuanyun Pavilion together with them, did not go forward with Xia Anfeng to check the condition of the corpse, but stood beside him and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.Thoughtfully said: "Mr. Bu lives in secluded places. Seeing such bloody scenes, you can't stand it for a while? We will make an appointment for dinner at another time. Let Luo's car drive you and your friends back home."

After getting rid of all the guards and maidservants in the Shuyuan, Ding Guohou went to the middle of the courtyard with a sullen face, without saying a word, and knelt down to inspect the corpse that died on the street half an hour ago.He didn't look closely at the cause of death, but reached out to his arms and pockets to check carefully, and confirmed that the deceased did not carry any important items.

The leader of the guards who was in charge of reporting back found the escaped domestic slave in an alley in a low voice, and mobilized his men to chase him into the street together.

Ding Guohou said: "Who else was on the street at that time?"

"Second master, Mr. Bu. The third son of Luo Biqiu, Duke of Wei, is also here."

Xia Zun frowned.

"How did they end up in that place?"

"When the subordinates were chasing the bandits, they noticed that the three masters came out of the 'Nuanyun Pavilion' on the adjacent street."

As a tyrant in Honshu, Marquis Dingguo naturally knew the attributes of Nuanyun Pavilion, and his expression became darker.

"Brother Feng's playfulness never changes..." But he stopped after only half a sentence.He knew Luo Biqiu's third son, Duke of Wei, who was a few years older than Xia Anfeng. He liked playing with flowers, and he was unrestrained.He had a good relationship with Xia An when he was a child//, and whenever he came to the local area, he would drag people around to play.Normally, even if he lent Xia Anfeng ten hard-hearted and leopard guts, he would not dare to bet his father's name and go to prostitutes in broad daylight. This time, Luo Tang obviously dragged him into trouble again.

At the moment, he is not in the mood to pursue the issue of his son hanging around the fireworks site. He has other things that he cares about more.

"What did you say to them?"

"Naturally, the subordinates will tell the truth, arrest the defecting slave, and prepare the family law to serve him. Even if this person commits suicide in the street, the body will still be taken back to the mansion."

Ding Guohou nodded slightly.

He stood beside the beggar who had been exhausted for a long time, staring at the angry eyes that still refused to close, thoughtfully.

The soldier surnamed Qin who had followed him for many years said softly: "Master Hou, these thieves have been fleeing here and there for many years, and their whereabouts have been erratic; this time they suddenly appeared in the city, there may be new signs."

The Marquis of his family did not speak, so he said again: "Although there is no sign that they have had private contact with Mr. Bu, there are some things that must be guarded against. This subordinate boldly speculates that they came for Mr. Bu, maybe they are here On the newly posted list, it was found that Mr. Bu survived, so..."

Marquis Dingguo interrupted him suddenly, and answered irrelevant questions: "A few days ago, did you find out who was the owner of that carriage that ran into Brother Feng on the street?"

The soldiers immediately understood that Lord Hou probably already knew what he had guessed just now.

He replied honestly: "We have sent more people to investigate secretly, and even the carrier pigeons have notified the chambers of commerce that have dealings with us to pay attention on their behalf. It's just that there is no definite news yet. I only know that it is not commonly used by court officials or nobles. The family crest."

"Well, keep checking and report back with news."

"Yes."

The two of them stood in the middle of the book garden, and Marquis Dingguo explained some precautions, and the leader of the personal army nodded frequently.When Lord Hou had no other instructions, he bent down and picked up the corpse, seeing no one was around, and swiftly crossed the wall.

Ding Guohou stood there for a moment, thinking about his own thoughts.Looking past the two red plums in full bloom in the courtyard, I looked at the two courtyards behind the book garden that were never allowed to enter. The snow in the courtyard was as white as when it first fell without being trampled by footprints.He could see God.

With his back facing the gate of Shuyuan, the sound of light footsteps sounded in his ears, and Ding Guohou turned around alertly.

The eldest son, Xia Feng, appeared beside the circular arch, and walked in with a smile: "Father, why did you dismiss all the servants? Mother and the child are waiting for you to eat in the main hall, and I haven't seen you for a long time."

His father's gaze flicked across his body, and he responded, "Got it."

His response was cold, Xia Feng was taken aback, feeling somewhat unwilling in his heart.

Taking a step forward, Dingguohou Shizi lowered his voice and hurriedly said: "Father, my son heard that Commander Qin captured a defected soldier, and before he died, he even yelled unbearable words in the street. ..."

Ding Guohou's eyes suddenly cooled down, but the corners of his mouth slightly raised into a smile. "Feng'er is so well informed, I really surprised my father. What did that man call?"

Encouraged by his father's smile, Xia Feng grew bolder.

He took another step forward, lowered his voice, and said, "What are you saying about the six thousand innocent souls of the Chinese army...Father, it's not that you talk too much. If you want Buzhang to live for nothing, it's best to put him under house arrest and don't let him have a chance to enter the country." Beijing takes the exam to get fame, after all—”

Marquis Dingguo smiled, "What is it after all?"

"After all, what we took in was the heir of the traitor Bu Qingtian. Once the events of the past are revealed..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes blurred, and when he woke up again, he was pressed headfirst into the snow by his father, and the cold slush choked his head and face, and entered his chest along his nostrils. .

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Marquis Dingguo's frosty voice sounded from his ear that was suppressed on the ground: "I remember reminding you, I don't want to hear such words a second time. I don't care if you come from your stupid mother. I've heard so many inexplicable rumors, and I don't even want to know how much you have learned from your mother to tell tales."

Xia Feng struggled, but he didn't dare to struggle too hard. All he could see was the solid ground before his blackened eyes, and his father's furious appearance that he had never seen in his memory.

"Today, I'll say it again. The status of Prince Dingguo is not irreplaceable. You still have two younger brothers. You can take care of yourself."

The big hand that was pressing on the neck suddenly let go.Xia Feng heard the sound of his father's boots stepping on the outside of the Shuyuan gate, and the sound of the bluestone pavement going away.

He lay silently on the ground in the snow, and the hot air from his nose melted the snow and mud into a ball.Both hands tightly grasped the cold snow foam, and the corners of his mouth slowly bit the bleeding.

The car with the family emblem of the Duke of Wei stopped in front of Dingguohou's mansion.

The servants came up to meet him, and wanted to take the things in the hands of the young master and Mr. Bu.Bu Zhangbai handed them the books, and on the pretext of going back to the room to change out of his snow-soaked robe, he declined to go to the main hall for dinner with Xia Anfeng.

He suppressed his beating heart, lit the candle, and opened the brown letter paper that had been hidden in his arms for a long time and had no chance to take it out with the help of the beating fireworks.

The letter was not what he had expected, it was a keepsake from his grandfather just like the Tiger Talisman.

It can't even be regarded as a letter in the strict sense, it's more like half a piece of paper torn from some document during a quick march, after scribbling a few lines, the paper is folded in half into the shape of a letter.

"Bu Shuai, it rained continuously for days, and the ground collapsed..."

The reason why the letter paper looked brown, but when carefully identified under the candle, it was actually dried blood stains, one piece at another, infecting the original color of the paper.Years have passed, and many handwritings have become blurred.

"... Wanwang supports...waiting for our army..."

Bu Zhangbai turned the letter over and over again, but he could barely recognize seventeen characters.Unwilling to give up, he moved the letter closer to the candle, and finally saw a vague "Xia" signed in the last corner.

summer.

This is undoubtedly a letter addressed to grandfather Bu Qingtian.If the exiled soldier who claimed to be from his grandfather's account was telling the truth, this scribbled military letter was just one of the battle reports sent from the rear line to the front line by orderly soldiers during the battle of Tianmai Valley.

This summer, is it Xia Yeyan or Xia Zun?