Chiwuxing

Chapter Ninth - The Crown Prince seeks to marry a pretty girl, and the admiral is deeply in love

The courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion is deep, Zhu Shu opens and closes, and birds sing in the corridor. It is suspected that it is a nobleman's visit.

Ni Congwen was reviewing official documents in the study, when a housekeeper knocked on the door and entered in a low voice, "My lord, His Royal Highness has arrived and is waiting in the garden."

He got up quickly and said: "Please come in quickly and tell the maid to prepare tea."

The housekeeper took the order and exited the door.

After a while, the visitor, dressed in plain casual clothes and well-groomed, walked through the door slowly.

Ni Congwen greeted each other in the room, he lifted his robe and wanted to kneel: "My lord, see Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Uncle, you don't need to be so polite," Zong Zhengyi stepped forward to caress him, and said in a warm voice, "You are a monarch and minister in the court, and you are also a lonely elder in private."

"The etiquette of a monarch and his ministers is more important than personal feelings, and etiquette cannot be neglected," Ni Congwen continued with a kind smile, leading Zong Zhengyi to the seat, and the maidservant entered the room to offer new wine in early spring.

"The ancestor worship ceremony was very heavy the day before yesterday, and it was not as good as congratulating His Highness face to face on his enthronement." Ni Congwen said with a smile.

Zong Zhengyi put down the teacup in his hand, with a look of gratitude on his face: "This matter is thanks to my uncle's secret help. If my uncle hadn't suggested to me the strategy of diverting water from the embankment along the side of Maocheng, my father might not have praised Gu greatly for it." Flood disasters are the foundation of people's livelihood and agriculture, this move will undoubtedly solve the great worry of the father, and I really want to thank you in person for this opportunity."

"Hey, Your Highness is modest," Ni Congwen said with drooping eyes, "Your Highness cares deeply about the people of Yan Kingdom, before worrying about the world's worries, bravely shouldering important responsibilities, and sharing the worries for your father. He is really the best candidate for the heir, so what do you have to do with your ministers?" ?”

Zong Zhengyi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, and said with an embarrassed smile: "What uncle said is very true...Thank you uncle for your compliment."

"I wonder how the imperial concubine is doing well in the palace?" Ni Congwen asked again.

Zong Zhengyi replied: "My mother and concubine are kind-hearted. Even though they live in the palace, they still chant scriptures every day to pray for the people of the country of Yan. The emperor is very pleased with this."

Ni Congwen smiled: "Your Majesty worrying about the affairs of the harem is hard work. Thinking about His Highness's current state of affairs, your Majesty's heart will be relieved a lot. It's better to visit him often."

Zong Zhengyi nodded, his triangular eyes still did not lose the obedience of the young man.

Ni Congwen paused for a moment, then brought up the topic again: "King Yu has lived in seclusion in the mansion for nearly a year, does His Highness have any visits?"

Zong Zhengyi showed an embarrassed smile again, and said: "Even though my elder brother took care of my mother and concubine when he was young, but...he was cold and withdrawn by nature, and he was a few years older than him, so the friendship was not deep. When my elder brother joined the army, he was still young. Little, I seldom see him again afterward, even if I see him once in a while when he returns to the palace, it is a normal polite greeting... Presumably my elder brother has outstanding martial arts skills, so he must not like someone like Xigu who stays in the palace to study all day at a young age."

"What your highness learned in the palace is the strategy of governing the country, why should you compare it with King Yu?" Ni Congwen twitched his beard to observe the expression of the opposite person, shook his head, and said, "Your Highness's status is different now, and King Yu is dedicated to the country. Injury, as the crown prince, you should take care of it in time, not only about the unity of the clan, but also to avoid chilling the hearts of all the soldiers."

Zong Zhengyi said in a low voice: "Elder brother has been treated coldly by the emperor, I just thought—"

Seeing him pause, Ni Congwen continued: "Although your majesty is the Ninth Five-Year Supreme, it is normal for ordinary people to like and dislike him occasionally, but your highness's foundation is not stable, and the power in the court is secretly surging. King Yu is involved in military and political affairs. Your highness needs to learn to be considerate in all aspects. It is."

Zongzheng Yi bowed his head and said yes.

Ni Congwen glanced at his expression, and continued: "Your Highness has studied poetry and books since childhood, and you must also know the limitations of the way of sages and sages in the books. In recent decades, the southern barbarians have repeatedly violated the frontier, and they have long since left the category of "righteous warfare" in the early days. It is a serious problem for the country's confidant. King Yu has been in the army for a long time, and His Highness can also benefit a lot from contacting him."

Zongzheng was silent, he didn't want to say too much on this matter, and said: "I have one more thing, I want to discuss it with uncle."

"what?"

Zong Zhengyi showed a bit of shyness, but spoke fluently, and said: "I heard that my cousin met Ji a few months ago, and I have known her since I was a lonely child. I have already belonged to her, and I would like to get closer and get married together."

Ni Congwen was not surprised when he heard the words, but turned to the side with a sad expression on his face, and said: "Your Highness also knows that Xin'er has a stubborn personality, and she is not like an ordinary daughter who is good at female red chess and music since she was a child, and only loves to fight and kill. Therefore, she has admired King Yu for a long time, and King Yu has been recuperating behind closed doors for a year, and she has also been hurt at home and refused to go out."

Seeing Zongzheng's silence, Ni Congwen sighed: "I originally blamed my ministers. Xin'er and Chengzhi lost their mothers since childhood, and the ministers did not remarry. Instead, the two children lost their mother's care."

"Uncle and aunt are deeply in love, and I am envied by Gu... Please also tell Uncle to tell Gu, if cousin agrees to nod, the position of Crown Prince and Concubine is waiting in vain." Zong Zhengyi replied.

Ni Congwen didn't think that these infatuated seeds would come out of his family, so he just nodded and said: "Your Highness is so kind, it's really my daughter's luck."

Zong Zhengyi once again turned his head and remained silent, before asking after a long time: "...May I ask if my cousin is in the room at this moment?"

Although Ni Chengxin has reached Ji's age, the crown prince is related to her and there is a huge disparity in status, so there is no need to accommodate the barrier between men and women.

Ni Congwen nodded and said, "Your Highness, you can go to the West Chamber to look for it."

Zong Zhengyi got up immediately to say goodbye, Ni Congwen bowed and sent him respectfully to the door, stared intently at the shadow of the prince leaving for a while, then turned around and entered the room.

After a while, another man in Tsing Yi entered the room, nodded to Ni Congwen and said, "Father."

Ni Congwen nodded, looking at the stable and proper eldest son, he was satisfied, and said, "Did you meet the prince just now?"

"Well," Ni Chengzhi nodded, and asked, "The canonization ceremony was just performed a few days ago, and it should be a time when there are a lot of things. Why do you come here today?"

"It's just some children's thoughts. This time, I finally have the confidence to ask to marry Xin'er." After speaking, he shook his head again, but there was no displeasure on his face. The year of the crown, after all, is still a childish mind."

Ni Chengzhi said: "The prince has lived in the palace for a long time to study books, and it is normal for him to be too rigid. It's just that this matter of courtship, according to Xin'er's nature, must be difficult to obey."

"Let her go, the prince will not be a good match," Ni Congwen said, "Although he is immature, he is pure and kind-hearted. If Xin'er really doesn't want to, he will not marry by power. On the contrary, the Yuwangcheng mansion It's deep, it seems elusive."

"King Yu has been in the army for [-] years, but he only cares about serving the country, defeating the barbarians, and has no intention of participating in power struggles. After all these years, Prince Yu's mansion has been empty, and he doesn't care about men and women." Ni Chengzhi replied.

"I hope so," Ni Congwen replied, "but after King Yu defeated the enemy and became disabled, even His Majesty, who usually disliked him, felt pity and did not take back his military power, but only followed him back to the mansion to recuperate. The military power of Yan State is still in prison. Putting it in the hands of King Yu and the old eunuch Jia Yun is not a long-term solution after all."

"A lot of enemies were defeated in Qiannan's first battle, Your Majesty will definitely not get involved in the business because of his own likes and dislikes," Ni Chengzhi said again, "Xin'er has been in love with King Yu for a long time, if it wasn't for the war, she would be able to fulfill her thoughts. "

Ni Congwen replied: "It's not impossible, but now... choose someone else."

Ni Chengzhi turned to ask again: "I heard that my father has placed new personnel in the Gyeonggi Auxiliary Army, but do you want to take action?"

Ni Congwen nodded, his eyes flashed brightly: "That's right, Jia Yun is old and in command of the army, and Dayan's army is exhausted. It's time for some fresh blood."

In front of the west chamber, there are flowers and willows, shaded by mountains and rocks. A woman in a red dress is leaning on the bench on the porch in a trance.

At this moment, there is no one around, and it only complements the unspeakable beauty of this woman who is alone with the scene.

Zong Zhengyi walked around the rockery in the courtyard and stepped into the powder wall. What he saw was such a scene. With a thought, he stopped in front of the corridor and said nothing.

Ni Chengxin was staring at the pair of birds on the branch, when he suddenly felt a sound behind him, he turned around and was taken aback for a moment, then squeezed out a faint smile, got up and said: "I haven't congratulated His Highness the Crown Prince on his entry into the East Palace. Your Highness, Your Majesty, Your Majesty Please forgive me for my mistakes.”

Zong Zhengyi smiled wryly, and walked forward: "Why is my cousin so distant, you and I grew up together, why should you be so polite."

"Yes." Ni Chengxin replied calmly.

Seeing her stern look, Zong Zhengyi said with concern: "Why have you lost so much weight? I heard that you have been living in your house for a year and never went out. I am really worried."

"Thank you for your cousin's concern." Ni Chengxin replied, looking away.

Since her father's elder brother made a slip of the tongue on the street a year ago, he strictly ordered her to go out of the house to play, lest she lose the face of the house again.It's also my fault that she was outspoken at the time and forgot the occasion, but people always have a bottom line that is difficult to touch, she...

"Brother has honed his temper in the army for a long time, and his heart is firm and resolute, so he won't be depressed because of it." Zongzheng comforted him.

"He..." Ni Chengxin was stunned for a moment, looked through his shadow, and said in a daze, "That's right, he...is different from you."

A piece of fallen flowers scattered from the branches, lonely and silent.

"Cousin," Zong Zhengyi let go of his fist behind him, "I... have something to tell you today, I... I just discussed with my uncle, and I intend to welcome you into the Eastern Palace as the main concubine."

When Ni Chengxin heard the word "Concubine Zheng", she didn't react for a while, she was frightened and furious, and immediately ran to Zong Zhengyi, frowning and looking straight into his eyes: "How could you do this! You know, you know me You have your own heart, but you still mix me into your affairs, you all... use me one by one!"

The woman in the red dress had a rare determination in her eyes, and her eyes, which were usually bright and bright, suddenly turned into ice-like anger.

"No, that's not the case," Zong Zhengyi quickly denied in a daze, "I didn't mean to take advantage of him, but I have been in love for a long time, and I never said anything about it."

Ni Chengxin couldn't see his previous thoughts, but he didn't mention it before, so he didn't know it.At this time, he heard the words and snorted coldly, and said: "Then how is your Highness doing? Come and inform me today, and then choose a day to ask the emperor to force me to enter the East Palace?"

Zongzheng smiled wryly: "Cousin, you and I have known each other for many years, I know that you are straightforward and don't like restraint, so naturally you won't force you to do what you don't want."

Ni Chengxin's face paled slightly, and then he heard Zong Zhengyi continue to say: "Since my brother is suffering from an incurable disease, his future is unpredictable, and I can't be a good match. I only hope that my cousin can get out of depression as soon as possible, and I can see that there are people around me. You wait."

"...No intention of persecution."

The prince's tone was gentle, with some pleading.

When Ni Chengxin heard this, his heart was overwhelmed with emotions, and he said forcefully: "My daughter is not feeling well, please go back to your room to rest, Your Highness will not see you off if you walk slowly!"

After saying that, he turned his head away, revealing a few traces of resentment in his eyes when he turned around.

Zong Zhengyi stood in the courtyard for a long time, his whole body covered in red.

It is night, and the moon is full.

Ni Congwen stood with his hands behind his back in front of the window, and turned around when he heard a noise coming from the house.

"Benefactor." A black figure flashed in the dark room, his face unclear.

Ni Congwen closed the window, walked straight to the shadow without lighting a candle.

Fu Chen spoke first: "I have passed the recent selection test in the Gyeonggi Auxiliary Army, and tomorrow I will enter the red-armored guards that Jia Yun is in charge of, should I take the opportunity to approach now, and then follow the opportunity to assassinate and kill him? "

The youth's two black pupils emitted a faint green light.

"No!" Ni Congwen sternly stopped him, "Leaving aside the fact that that man is also a master of martial arts, he has been used to all kinds of conspiracies and tricks after serving the emperor for many years. Even if you do something dangerous, it will hurt others and yourself."

"I've already said that you don't need to put yourself in it. I am deeply saddened by the death of the teacher. If his only son who is still alive in this world has no good death, how can I have the face to meet him in the future?"

Fu Chen remembered the prophecy on Wuming Mountain, closed his eyes and said: "I am a dying person, I have no relatives and no one to rely on, my father's revenge will be resolved by myself, and I will never implicate my benefactor."

"A person who is about to die?" Ni Congwen seemed to be aware of the abnormality, "...what do you mean?"

Fu Chen didn't want to reveal the secrets, and those assertions would be hard to believe if they were true, so he lied: "Zijie has suffered from hidden diseases since childhood, and his life expectancy is short."

"You are too impatient, you can't do everything just by betting your life out of thin air," Ni Congwen shook his head and sighed, "The death of the teacher is just the tip of the iceberg, and Jia Yun has such great power in the army because of the support behind him." The scourge of the eunuch’s eunuch has been tormented for a long time. Killing him alone is just the pleasure of the enemy, but are you willing to be indifferent to more people like you who have been framed by the loss of their relatives?"

Fu Chen bowed his head and said nothing, he understood what Ni Congwen was trying to persuade him.But he wandered with his mother since he was a child, and was later abandoned in the mountains. By chance, he saw the number of days and knew that this life was about to end.He asked himself that in the past, even if he wasn't a good person who hung the pot to help the world, he couldn't be called a wicked person.However, this year, in the Gyeonggi Army, he dealt with a lot of eunuchs who secretly came to spy on them. But he has been with mountain wolves since he was a child, and he understands that the wolves' priority is to protect relatives and groups, so those tricks that harm people are nothing more than His sword was just a means to obstruct his father's life, and he was willing to block the bitterness of it, even if he didn't know those people well, he was willing to bear this indelible crime alone.

But he has no thoughts of killing indiscriminately. If the only evil thought is to give up the happy grievances and enmities that might be able to risk his life, he lives in the world and is willing to beg for the little bit of warmth and sympathy that normal people give him.

I just don't know whether it is the previous karma or God's deliberate play, and we have reached today's plight of missing parents and having nowhere to take refuge.He admits that he has no ambitions for family and country, grand plans and lofty aspirations, and he only wishes to live in seclusion with his parents in a corner of the world, and live in peace and happiness ever since.But did he do it wrong again?

Why did he risk his life and be a hero who worked hard and did nothing?

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became, but when I opened my eyes, it was still the same as before.

Seeing the young man's silence, Ni Congwen continued to persuade: "The eunuch party was the most hated by the teacher during his lifetime, and it was also a scourge in his heart that he had not eradicated before he left. Today, the head of the eunuch has Jiang Hua in Chinese and Jia Yun in Wu. Ten years ago, the eunuch party was the most prosperous. At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the control of Jiang Hua could replace the emperor Zhu Pi, and Jia Yun even took advantage of King Yu to assist in the military power of the Yan Kingdom. It was the teacher's outspoken remonstrance that gradually suppressed the power of the eunuchs and added imperial examination officials to the court. But your majesty is grateful for the old People, Jiang Hua and Jia Yun have not been fundamentally eliminated except for cutting power. The danger of eunuchs may recur at any time. Now there are internal and external troubles. .”

"Ji Zhan often hears him talking about you. It's not easy to fend off people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who came to spy on you this year. You have done a good job. It's just that you are not afraid of killing people. In order for you to start killing indiscriminately, I have high hopes for you."

"Furthermore," Ni Congwen put his hands on Fu Chen's shoulders, and continued in a deep voice, "It is the teacher's last wish to completely eradicate castration, and the teacher died because of it. If you really want to avenge your father, don't be so impatient. His hatred blinded his eyes... You have to know what your father was looking forward to, at least, it wouldn't be to let you learn martial arts in the army and kill someone to relieve your hatred."

"...What should I do?" Fu Chen said hoarsely.

"If you want to take it, you must give it first. Forget about hatred first, and gain his trust," Ni Congwen pinched his shoulder, and comforted him, "The only thing Jia Yun relies on now is the military power in the hands of him and King Yu. Now Yu The king was killed, the military power was left behind, and Jia Yun had the old rule of being deprived of power. Even if he temporarily takes over the military position in the future, it is not a plan to serve the people for a long time. The group of soldiers in the red armor barracks are not easy to talk about...so I want you to get it Just rely on his trust, no matter how bad it is, don't make too many troubles first."

"Once the military power is in hand, the remaining eunuchs are just a mob and can be easily wiped out."

Fu Chen was silent for a while.

"How... to gain trust?"

Ni Congwen said coldly: "The eunuchs are just a group of servants who serve others, and they naturally like to be obedient and well-behaved in private... It's just that I'm afraid you will be wronged in the process."

Fu Chen swallowed the nausea that was rolling in his heart, and nodded in response.

In the early morning of the next day, the Chijia barracks ushered in the [-] new troops who reported to Gyeonggi.

The [-] soldiers selected from Yiwei in each city of Yan State had already settled in the camp two days in advance, which contrasted with the fact that this group of [-] young men from the capital came late.

After lining up and entering the camp according to the instructions, all the soldiers I saw coming and going were practicing separately, and no one cared about the strange faces who came from the capital.

Tang Lan walked beside Fu Chen, and said quietly: "The red-armored guards look really serious and dignified. After all, they really killed people at the border. They are all unsmiling. They don't even look at us. It's so scary."

Compared with the lazy appearance of the daily training in the Gyeonggi Auxiliary Army, the gap is obvious.

Fu Chen also said in a low voice: "King Yu has not returned from his illness for a long time, and the soldiers have no leader. It is inevitable."

"Oh." Tang Lan shook her head and sighed.

The 20 people each went to the camp to resettle.

Just as Fu Chen put his sword and clothes on the ground, someone came in through the curtain and said, "Is this the new Fu Chen?"

Fu Chen saw that the person was wearing a black gauze eunuch hat, he knew that he was an eunuch, and felt disgusted in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face: "What's the matter?"

"Admiral Jia wants to see you, please come to the handsome tent."

Squinting his eyes, he said, "Okay."

Along the way, Fu Chen couldn't help thinking about Ni Congwen's request last night, with mixed feelings.Before the curtain was lifted, he took a deep breath and calmed down before entering.

A figure in amber clothes sat at the main seat, he restrained a few times, but still couldn't help but glance forward, and was stunned for a moment.

I saw that the man was dressed in a capable and corseted official robe, with a crown and hat decorated with a gold pendant and a sable tail exclusive to military eunuchs. He had thick eyebrows and black eyes, fair skin, wide eyebrows, and a clear and gentlemanly appearance.The white silk on the sideburns and the folds at the end of the eyes showed the age of the person, but the gentle corners of the mouth made people feel a moment of kindness from this majestic yet elegant face.

Fu Chen was stunned for a moment, surprised in his heart.He thought that Jia Yun was the eunuch in ocher clothes, that fat, big-eared, greasy little man he saw on the school ground that day... Did he admit it wrong?

"You are Jia Yun?"

He blurted it out without a word of respect.

Jia Yun was surprised when he heard this, and said, "Exactly."

Fu Chen didn't dare to make a sound.

The Buddha said that marriage in previous lives is destined to cause and effect.He is a widow abandoned by fate. Years of turmoil pushed him deep into Longtan, and he raced against the remaining days. Therefore, he is not afraid of the fate of heaven and earth, and does not believe in the words of gods and Buddhas. Even if it is only seven years, he is willing to endure it forever. To live, to avenge his father.But at this moment, the sense of familiarity that that person brought to his face made him unbearable.

Use a sharp blade to pound spring water, and a stick to sweep cotton.

"What's the matter with you?" Jia Yun felt that this young man was just restrained and cowardly before, but now he saw that his words were direct at first, and then his expression was dull and gloomy for a while, as if in a daze, and he was also puzzled.

The low hoarse voice interrupted Fu Chen's thoughts, and he realized that the familiarity was not an illusion. It seemed that he had heard the voice before, but he couldn't remember seeing this person before, so he quickly replied: "Biao Xiaxiang Born in the wild, once summoned by the admiral, it is unavoidable to feel anxious, reflect on the mistakes, and ask the admiral to forgive, forgive the crime of rudeness."

"Don't be nervous," Jia Yun said with a smile, "We met before, have you forgotten?"

Met before?

Seeing the bewildered look on the young man's face, he reminded again: "It was at the foot of Longqi Mountain on that day after the ceremony was completed."

Fu Chen immediately searched from his memory, and the familiar tone suddenly brought him back to a few days ago when he ran into King Yu when he was practicing swords. Looking closely, it is only the attendants of King Yu.

It turned out that he was the one who was asking the question at that time, and he mistook it as King Yu asking the question.Had they already met early?I didn't recognize the face of my enemy, and sighed in my heart.

"Biao Xia is stupid and has a bad memory. I dare to ask the admiral to forgive me." The young man trembled.

"It's just an ordinary question, you don't have to be so nervous," Jia Yun said with a smile, "I saw that you are very good at swordsmanship at the foot of the mountain, so I paid attention to it, and now I see you won the championship in the capital competition, and you are indeed a talent."

"Admiral Miao Zan." The voice sank a little.

Looking at his uncertain face, Jia Yun felt amused, and said: "Soldiers are deceitful. The so-called soldiers do not tire of deceit, and they can use tricks when marching and fighting, but to be a man, to be a general, you need to be open-minded and clear-minded. A man stands in the world , should be concerned about the people and the country, and should not introduce personal interests into the stability of the country."

Hearing his remarks, Fu Chen felt deeply reasonable, but at the same time couldn't help insinuating that he was a hypocrite, with a half-smile on his face: "What the admiral said is true, Fu Chen has been educated."

Jia Yun forced to ask: "Then I ask you something, you need to tell me the truth."

Fu Chen's heart trembled, he had just entered the camp, did he notice something?

With a calm face: "Admiral, please tell me."

Jia Yun asked: "At the foot of Longqi Mountain that day, I saw that although your swordsmanship is fast, you obviously lack internal strength. Are you trying to cover up your eavesdropping on my conversation with King Yu?"

"...I am wronged, I just practiced at the foot of the mountain that day, and I didn't know that the admiral and His Highness were discussing matters on the mountain." Fu Chen relaxed, but his face showed a panic, nonsense, "When I was young, I was in the The Nanman accidentally ate mountain mushrooms and almost died. After being rescued by a genius doctor, his life was saved, but his bones were damaged due to illness, and it was difficult to penetrate the internal force. So until now, it has been a vain place where the internal force has disappeared. If the admiral is suspicious of this, he can come and check his veins by himself."

As he spoke, he lifted up his sleeves, revealing a thin wrist bone.

"No need, I believe you are," Jia Yunben suddenly felt that the child was interesting, not as timid as he appeared on the outside, but pretended to be timid, so he deliberately teased him to see his reaction, "It's just a pity gone."

The young man bowed his head.

"For those who practice martial arts, this can be regarded as a fatal weakness." Jia Yun recalled that he was amazed by the agility for a moment when he met him at the foot of the mountain before, and asked, "Then how did you practice so far?"

Fu Chen closed his eyes, and a year of suffering turned into a cloud of smoke. He actually felt a real sense of loss, and said with a faint smile, "Just find some rocks and sand and tie them to your body for more practice. I can't think of anything other than stupid methods." What a great idea."

"Don't underestimate yourself, what you think is right. Even if you ask all the martial arts practitioners in the world, no amount of crooked methods can compare to your stupid method that many people can't stick to." Jia Yun came over and patted his warm palms. Pat him on the shoulder.

The warmth made him feel cold, and in the end, it was the enemy who killed his father who knew his suffering.

Jia Yun asked again: "Who taught you your swordsmanship? I have never seen such a move before."

"It's just that I learned a few moves from the captain in Gyeonggi before. I'm stupid and can't remember all the moves. When I compete with others, I just fight recklessly and blindly seek speed." Drilling and grinding out some light moves, which cannot be put on the table."

"Being able to apply what you have learned and draw inferences from one instance proves that you have good aptitude," Jia Yun said disapprovingly, "It's just that your internal strength has indeed been delayed a lot. If you can think of being faster than others in terms of speed, you have already found an entrance to make up for your shortcomings. , continue to train in the future, and still have the opportunity to become the best in the army."

"Yes." Fu Chen said.

"Now that you have joined the Red Armored Army, if you have any questions, you can come and ask at any time. There is no need to restrict the etiquette of the upper and lower ranks in the army. Everyone is a brother who fights together." Jia Yundao, "Nowadays, the ranks of the upper and lower ranks of the Red Armored Army have been adjusted. Soldiers whose military strength is paramount can compete for the first place based on their military exploits, so you don’t have to underestimate yourself just because you’re a newcomer.”

"Yes."

Jia Yun looked at the young man in front of him still with a cowardly bent back, his eyes stopped looking at him after the bewilderment just now, he was speechless for a while, and said: "Go back and pack your luggage, and gather for training in a while."

"Yes."

After leaving the tent, Fu Chen returned to the camp in a daze, took several wrong turns on the way, and even bumped into a soldier in Chijia, who glanced at him and cursed him as a "weak chicken". It's unheard of.

"Hey, Zijie, where are you?" It wasn't until Tang Lan stretched out his arm to stop his front shoulder that Fu Chen woke up as if he had woken up from a dream.

"...Huh?" Fu Chen adjusted his expression and said, "...Have you packed it?"

"What can I do?" Tang Lan turned to look at him, noticing that something was wrong with his expression, and said, "What's wrong with you, you look so ugly?"

"Huh? It's nothing," Fu Chen said, "I suddenly felt a little nauseous just now, probably because I got sick from eating at noon."

"Then you come in with me first, and drink slowly." Tang Lan couldn't help but pull him into the tent, pour him a bowl of water, and hand it over, "I've just entered the camp, so it will take a few days to get used to it." .”

"Don't look at the barracks. I just went out and walked around. This place is quite different from the Gyeonggi barracks," Tang Lan said. Flowery shelf..."

While sighing softly, Tang Lan saw Fu Chen gulping down water, and said, "Why did you eat so badly? Didn't we go to have lunch together?"

Fu Chen put down the bowl, wiped the water stains around his mouth, hesitant to speak.

As soon as Tang Lan saw his always arched back raised and shrugged, she knew that he had something to say, so she sat beside him, saw his thin nose from the side, and said, "What's the matter? Comfortable? Tell me how you feel."

Fu Chen shook his head wearily, and said for a long time: "Tang Lan, have you ever met... that kind of pretending... hypocrite?"

"...Why do you ask that?" Tang Lan was stunned, and continued, "Are you referring to the kind of person who always likes to pretend to be himself?...Of course I've seen it before, there are many such people in the world. , you should trust others less easily."

According to Tang Lan, isn't he one of them?Fu Chen shook his hand.

"...Is...you can't say that?" He felt guilty for a while, bowed his head and hesitated, "It's a person who has done extremely evil things, but he looks friendly in front of people, so he teaches others Unfathomable, and secretly hateful."

Tang Lan bit her lip, put her hand on Fu Chen's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Did you see someone, or did you suddenly realize something?"

Fu Chen didn't take into account the low tone in his tone, and still didn't move away from the face in his mind, so he said bluntly: "...I did see it, so I'm surprised..."

At this time, a person came in from outside the tent, glanced at the two of them, and said to him, "Are you new from the Beijing army?"

"We are." Tang Lan said.

"Let me inform you that the gathering time in the afternoon has been postponed by an hour, so don't go early," the man said.

"Okay, thank you very much." Seeing the soldier leave, Tang Lan recalled Fu Chen's words just now, and suddenly said, "Hey...you just went to watch them gather and fight, didn't you?"

"...Who fought?" Fu Chen didn't react.

"It was at the training field behind the barracks, a group of people started fighting, tsk tsk," Tang Lan smacked his lips and sighed, "If it is true that soldiers who have killed people in the battlefield, they would not be merciless when they beat their own people. When I got there, several generals had already gone to stop them. Many of the people who fought were wounded and dying. I was shocked. How can I mess around here from now on..."

"I reckon that the delay in this gathering is mostly due to the need to rectify the incident at their place." Tang Lan judged.

When Fu Chen recalled the soldier he bumped into just now, his eyes were blurred with redness. Now that he thought about it, it should be the bloodstains on his body: "...I did see it just now."

"So that's how it is," Tang Lan said, shaking his head, "It's no wonder, when I was young, I saw the scene when the Red Armored Army paraded across the street in victory. I thought they were heroic figures defending their home and country. It's a matter of framing each other."

"Treat each other?"

"That's right," Tang Lan said, "They said that the generals issued a transfer order a few days ago, and they planned to take advantage of this opportunity to promote several outstanding officers and soldiers, so some people took advantage of the general's absence Secretly went to the camp to steal the credit book, tampered with the military merit details on it, and then stood up and pointed out that those military meritorious people did everything they could to raise their ranks. The few people who were framed became furious, and gathered a crowd to beat up those who spread the rumors , but no one dared to admit that it was the person who stole the book, but now they don't know who the instigator is, so they just fight together."

"There are other things like this," Fu Chen said, "They all practice martial arts together and go to battle to kill the enemy. What difference does it make if they are promoted or not?"

"That's different. In the Red Armored Army, there are distinct ranks from Yiwei to personal guards, and from the first rank to the last rank," Tang Lan said. "The salary difference is much worse. This is no different from the soldiers in the Jingji Auxiliary Army. Most of the families are poor, they are selected to join the army, and many of them are poor and helpless. The atmosphere of advocating literature and suppressing martial arts has not changed over the years. If the family is rich, they will all be sent to school to study and practice calligraphy. It's okay to practice martial arts, a hooligan in the street, and most of the soldiers and guards with background in the Gyeonggi Auxiliary Army are uneducated and incompetent, so the family arranged for him to be in such a leisurely place. Even in In the middle court, the status of military officers is always low, and the treatment enjoyed by military officers and civil servants of the same rank is even more disparate."

"Indeed," Fu Chen thought about the red-armored guards he had seen along the road, and said, "Guarding the border all the year round and living the days of licking blood with knives, working hard for the country, why don't you want to get more money to resettle your family? The purpose of a man suffering is nothing more than to make the relatives of the family settle down completely. If I still have relatives alive, I would not care about the money and salary. It's just that the food salary should be proved by the strength of my body, and I shouldn't use such a despicable method. "

"That's what I'm talking about," Tang Lan said, "These days, there are only two ways out for those who have no money or power."

"Oh?"

"First, just like us, join the army. From then on, you have to tie your head to your belt and be ready to sacrifice at any time."

"What about the second one?" Fu Chen was curious.

"Second, of course it is to be castrated and become a eunuch, but there are too many people who take this path. After all, if you are a smart and sensible person, you can ascend to heaven in one step and go directly to work in the palace, even if you are serving in the home of a rich man. As a human being, you can also enjoy the blessing of a stable and noble person, without worrying about food and drink." Tang Lan said.

There was undisguised disgust in Fu Chen's eyes, and he said: "A flattering villain who sucks carbuncles and hemorrhoids is not worthy of being a man."

"Oh...forget it," Tang Lan sighed deeply, and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. How can you blame them? It's not a last resort. Who can cruelly cut off their own life."

Fu Chen didn't want to get entangled in this topic, so he turned around and said, "Why do you know everything so well?"

"Hey, look at what you said," Tang Lan said with some smug joy, "You have only been in the Jingji Auxiliary Army for a total of one year, and I have been there for many years. I have never heard of any stories in the military, and I am very well-informed... Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for always competing with me for the past year, and forcibly arousing some fighting spirit in me. I didn't think about it at the time Come in here..."

"You have a good foundation, it's just that you don't want to practice hard." Fu Chen was infected by the smile in his peach eyes, and smiled, and said, "In this case, there is still some time anyway, so let's not be idle , how many tricks have you tried?"

Tang Lan raised her eyebrows, raised her hands in an extremely exaggerated gesture of crossing her arms, half kneeled down and said solemnly:

"Obey, General Fu."

Fu Chen barked, happy.

Twilight fell, pointing to a man in an amber official robe on the stage to stand alone.

"Soldiers! My Red Armored Army is the most elite since the founding of the Great Yan. After a hundred years of changes, the soldiers have been rotated. Today, we have added [-] brothers. From then on, we will work together to defeat the barbarians! Protect my Great Yan's prosperity! Just around the corner! "Jia Yun stood on the platform and shouted, full of excitement.

"Break the barbarians! Protect me, Yan!" The soldiers and guards in brown and red armor raised their arms and shouted.

Fu Chen lived in the back row, listening to the deafening shouts around him, his arms were stiff and did not move.

At night, there was silence outside the Imperial Study Room.In the room, the serving eunuch bowed and placed the emperor's completed memorial on the side table, and picked up a new stack and placed it next to the emperor's table.

Zong Zhengqiu rubbed his temple with his right hand, put the memorial in his hand aside, and took another copy.

After opening it, you can see "Chen Jia Yun please"