Oriole Line

Wuchang Army! "

Pu Chen said: "Old General Xiang, when you go back this time, you can retire and return to the farmland. Jinzhou has reserved [-] mu of fertile land for the Xiang family. If you still want to buy it, just let me know if you have any difficulties."

"Patriarch!" Xiang Hu knelt down with a plop, "I watched the old Patriarch build the Wuchang Army bit by bit, Patriarch! A total of 15 people, a well-organized army, sufficient armor, and a hundred warships! Patriarch! The Wuchang Army can’t just say it’s gone!”

Pu Chen felt extremely exhausted. How could he expect his generals and the 15 people in Wuchang to accept what he had spent so many days digesting overnight?The military surname of Wuchang is Pu, which is known to all the people in the world.In troubled times, warlords of different surnames might be able to guard one side of the country and keep one side safe, but in prosperous times, what are warlords of different surnames who do not guard the borders or guard the city?

Pu Chen looked at Xiang Hu, who was already graying at the temples, and said in a deep voice, "Old General Xiang, get up quickly. The Wuchang Army was established by my father. It protects the country and resists Beiyan. It is all for the country. Now, the national fortune is revived, and the strong The enemy has already gone, and we are not disgraceful to the Wuchang army by forming a frontier army."

"What does it mean to be considered humiliation?" Xiang Hu said, "Brothers who followed the old Patriarch and Patriarch through life and death, finally got a piece of our territory, why go to Youzhou, Ningzhou and other barren places to guard the border? Brother Do you deserve to suffer? If Beiyan and Turks dare to invade, our Wuchang army will attack immediately, with 15 people, even if the king of heaven comes, we will not be afraid! Isn’t it serving the country?”

Xiang Hu is a rough man, and Pu Chen knows that he is sincere and only thinks of Pu Shi, so it is difficult to explain these family and country principles to him, so he can only persuade him with nice words: "Old General Xiang spent half his life in the army, and he has reached the end of his life. At that time, I don't have to worry about these things. I am the Patriarch of the Pu family, and I will make proper arrangements for everyone. General Xiang's nephew in the Wuchang army, I decide to stay with Lei Xiong in Liangzhou, Youzhou, Ningzhou, etc. There is no need to go to the bitter cold wild land."

"Patriarch!" Xiang Hu said, "Does Patriarch think that I am kneeling here for my nephew? Is that kind of person, Xiang Hu? I have followed Pu for most of my life. In a barren land, can I, Xiang Hu, just sit idly by and let the patriarch be alone there?" Tears welled up in the old general's cloudy eyes, "Tang Yu is going to Ningzhou, and the patriarch is going to Youzhou. Army, basically divide our Wuchang Army into three, isolated and helpless! I can't figure it out, what's wrong with us sitting in this world in the first place!"

"Shut up!" Pu Chen shouted, "Old General Xiang's words are too presumptuous."

Xiang Hu snorted coldly: "In the battle of Beiyan, it was our people who were killed and injured, and in the change of Renzi, it was our people who contributed. No wonder people say, 'Crossing the river and tearing down the bridge, rabbits and dogs are cooked'. I don't know the truth of what the owner said. I understand, I only know that after Xiang Hu's death, I will have no face to see the old Patriarch!"

Xiang Hu rushed out the door, Pu Chen only felt a throbbing pain in his temple.Why didn't Xiang Hu's words hit his heart?Over the past few days, I have repeatedly persuaded myself to accept that the Wuchang Army is divided into three, so why not avoid the words "flying birds are exhausted, good bows are hidden, cunning rabbits are dead, and lackeys are cooking"?He can't hate Zhou Yu and live in a different place. If he is the emperor, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to accept an army of 15 people with different surnames. Since he decides to be a courtier, he must have the consciousness of being a courtier. The Wuchang Army left to him by his father is unrivaled in the whole world.

This world makes people so frustrated.Aggrieved in troubled times, I didn't expect that there would be aggrieved in prosperous times.Pu Chen felt a fit of depression with nowhere to vent and an inescapable feeling.

Pu Chen closed his eyes, and the appearance of Wuchang City appeared in front of his eyes. The wide city walls of Wuchang seemed to be still so clear. His Grand Governor's Mansion was built in the city. Since his father came to power, the Pu family has taken root here for more than [-] years. years.Tens of thousands of people were stationed outside the city. During the day, they trained in the school training ground. The people in Wuchang City could always hear their slogans louder and louder, which gave them the most peace of mind in the years of war.On the river outside the city, battleships are lined up neatly, and the raised white sails reflect the sunlight, making the character "Pu" on the banners particularly eye-catching.

Pu Chen bit his lip, as if forcing himself to smash the picture in front of him.

From now on, Wuchang has nothing to do with him, and there is no Wuchang army in the world.

99, 99.

Luoyang, Sijian Pavilion.

The predecessor of Sijian Pavilion was Zhao Prison. In the past, Zhao Prison was used to detain the guilty of the royal family and officials above the third rank, and it was set up in a corner of the imperial city.Sijian Pavilion is called a "Ge", but it is not a high-rise building, because it was rebuilt from Zhao prison, and the cells are all underground, and two floors have been dug down on the basis of the original Zhao prison.So strictly speaking, Sijian Pavilion has three floors, which can also be regarded as an attic, an inverted attic leading to the ground.

Few people know what Si Jiange looks like, because few people who have actually seen Si Jiange can come out of it.

The owner of Sijian Pavilion is naturally that Qi Dai who is deeply appreciated by the new emperor Zhou Yu.Qi Dai is considered a legend in today's imperial court. Earlier in Zhou Yan's first dynasty, he was an official of the third rank, with a clear moon and a clear breeze, which was appreciated by the prime minister at that time, Xie Kun.However, during the change of Renzi, he was the one who killed Xie Kun with a sword, but he asked to be escorted to Zhao Prison.It has been several months since such a person reappeared in front of everyone. He has changed from an official uniform with open sleeves to a black one, and he has a new title: Si Jian.

It is said that the people in Sijian Pavilion were all selected by Qi Dai himself, most of them were from secret guards, and they covered their faces with masks all the year round, so that people could not see their true faces clearly.Except for Qi Dai, Qi Dai was the only person in Si Jian Pavilion who showed his face. Not only did he show his face, he often smiled kindly, but only those who had been interrogated by him understood that sometimes smiles are the scariest thing in this world.

For example, Chen Mao at this moment is the son of Chen Sui, Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Chen Mao's name appeared on the list of 26 people who cheated in the imperial examination handed over to the Ministry of Punishment by Zheng Yong, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, before his death. He has been imprisoned in Sijian Pavilion for more than ten days, and every day is like a nightmare for him. .At this moment, the black cloth in front of his eyes was taken off, and it took a full quarter of an hour before he really realized that he was in a room with four sides closed, with a candle on each side, and the people in front of him were looking at him with a smile on their faces, he Suddenly realized that this is the only person in Sijian Pavilion who can show his face, Qi Sijian who is called "Smiling Hades".

Qi Dai was dressed in black, making his complexion extraordinarily fair.He smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, are you still used to it after a few days here?"

Chen Mao shuddered. Hearing this, he couldn't help trembling: "Master Si Jian, forgive me."

"Oh? Forgive me?" Qi Dai raised the teacup in front of him, and said kindly, "So? You pleaded guilty?"

"Confess, confess! I did know the exam questions before the exam!" Chen Mao said like a cannonball.

Qi Dai stared into his eyes for a while, with a smile still on his face: "Since you have to plead guilty, explain it clearly from beginning to end. How to cheat? How to collude with Zheng Yong? How much do you know about other cheaters?"

Chen Mao nodded like a pounding garlic.Half an hour later, Qi Dai drank half of the cup of tea in front of him, and he said slowly: "So, the book master in Da Sima's mansion is also suspected of fraud?"

The interrogation room was very cold, and Chen Mao shivered: "Five days before the exam, we were having a drink at Guiyun Restaurant, and we happened to meet Master Wen. At the banquet, Master Wen was full of ambition and disdainful." Also, on the day of the exam, the exam took two hours, and the paper master handed in the paper within an hour. I am not the only one who saw this. The disciples also saw it. Sir Si Jian, if Master Wen didn’t know the exam questions in advance, how could he complete the exam in an hour and still come out on top?”

Qi Dai lowered his head and took a sip of tea.It has been confirmed by many people that Wen Tao drank in Guiyun Restaurant with the cheating candidates in Bingzhou five days before the test, and all the test takers present unanimously testified that they handed in the test paper within an hour on the day of the test.It's just that these are not real evidence, and they can be used to interrogate others, but if used to interrogate Wen Tao, it may not last for a long time.

Feeling a little bored, Qi Dai slowly walked out of the interrogation room. A secret guard had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Qi Dai come out, he silently handed over a note, which recorded the whereabouts of Pu Chen and Wen Tao for half a month.When he saw one of them, Qi Dai's eyes widened suddenly: "Did Sima and Master Wen secretly meet Xiang Hu in Shaoshi Mountain?"

The dark guard nodded.

Qi Dai suppressed the doubts in his heart, and said in a normal tone: "Do you know what they talked about?"

The hidden guard shook his head: "There are too few people at night, so it's inconvenient for us to approach, but Da Sima and his master waited for several hours at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, and it was almost midnight when Xiang Hu arrived." The dark guard was thinking After a while, I still didn't tell about Pu Chen and Wen Tao's disheveled attire. It's a bit difficult to tell, and I'm afraid it has nothing to do with their conspiracy.

Qi Dai thought for a long time, then said: "Today's palace banquet has already begun."

"Yes." Anwei said, "Courtiers of rank five and above are all invited."

"Let's go to Da Sima's Mansion." Qi Dai's tone suddenly became cold.

Qi Dai's car was parked at the side entrance of Da Sima's Mansion, and Qi Dai personally handed over the name card and entered.Today there is a big banquet in the palace, Pu Chen is in the palace, Wen Tao has no official position, and there is an incident of cheating in the imperial examination, Qi Dai is sure that Wen Tao will not attend to avoid suspicion, so he is in Da Sima's mansion at this moment.

Qi Dai led several black-clothed dark guards to file in, and the dark guards controlled several entrances and exits.Before entering the front hall, a person shouted: "Who dares to trespass into Pu's residence?"