Linque

Ningzhou, a lonely city.

In the last ten days of the first lunar month, when the cold air still existed between the sky and the earth, a snow-white falcon flew over the mountains, swooped down from the sky, and lightly landed on the tip of the young man's sword.

The boy sat on the eaves, took back the scabbard, and took off the wooden tube tied to the white bird's leg. It was a letter from the imperial capital, with the standard "Ye Shuli" style. Ye Xinghui rolled his eyes and skipped it Those nonsense, turn to the end and read.

This idea was thought up by Ye Shuli, mainly to solve Chu Heng's troubles, and Xinghui was only on the Lishan side, following what Ye Shuli said, to create momentum for the help, after all, this kind of thing, I believe You will only believe it when you go to the imperial capital.

Bored, he turned back and read the letter of "Ghost Seeing Sorrow" from the beginning. He was reading it with contempt, when a hidden guard at the bottom waved his arms and called him: "Young master, everything is done!"

"Here we come!" Xinghui put away the note, jumped down from the eaves, took a look at the thing, was immediately happy, and asked, "Did you pass Chunnanjian when you came here? Is there anyone there now?" ?”

Chunnanjian is a tea place with excellent scenery on the mountain, and disciples often gather there to play in twos and threes.

The secret guard shook his head and said with a vague smile: "The young master also knows what happened recently... and it's also cold, so everyone won't go."

The terrain of Lishan Mountain is high, the winter snow on the mountain has not yet melted, and it is cooler than in the city, especially in the past few days, it is so cold that people dare not go out, and they all hide in their rooms as little white rabbits.

The reason is very simple, because Ye Jianwei, the leader of the Eastern Capital, is very irritable now. It is said that the reason is because he read a letter from the imperial capital.

Everyone didn't know what was said in the letter. In short, the master master scolded everyone these few days, and everyone dared not touch him. After all, Pavilion Master Mu is not around, so no one can control him.Anyway, it's right not to go out, he couldn't find anyone to scold, so he went back by himself.

But not everyone can hide, some people have to stroke the tiger's fur.

At the gate of the Changji Hall, Xing Hui probed in and saw that it was dark inside and the lights were not on. He couldn't help but feel a little frightened. He just took two steps back and wanted to go back when he bumped into a person. Looking back, it was his second son. uncle.

"As soon as you stepped on the steps of Changji Hall, your father knew someone was coming, where do you want to go?"

Xinghui had no choice but to stand still, looked in again, and asked with his eyes.

The second uncle said: "I'm angry, I'm sure. If it wasn't for your mother's letter reminding him that he can't enter the imperial capital unless he is in the Mahayana realm, he can...Anyway, you should be better these two days, and don't make your father angry."

The young man's handsome eyebrows were frowned, and he asked with a frown, "What happened? He has been on fire for the past two days. Wherever he goes, his brothers and sisters don't go out."

The second uncle said in his heart that the eldest son was kidnapped by others. Could he not be depressed? He sighed and said, "Let them do what they should, and you too."

Turning around and pushing the door, he suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked, "By the way, Xinghui, you will be seventeen by the end of the year, and you want to go to the imperial capital?"

Hearing the word "Emperor Capital", Ye Xinghui, the young master of Lishan Mountain's eyes lit up, nodded repeatedly and said, "Didn't my second brother go to the Emperor Capital to find a wife? I also think that I will go to the Emperor Capital at this time next year. I will be able to bring my daughter-in-law back next year!"

Second Martial Uncle rubbed his chin, nodded and said, "That makes sense, then your father's heart must be on the right track. If everyone is like your senior brother..."

As he spoke, he went in, but Xinghui didn't hear the last few words carefully, and only captured the three words "big brother". Could it be that Chu Heng has a wife?

Can't you?

Xinghui glanced at the note in his hand suspiciously, finally shook his head and thought, never mind, anyway, if Chu Heng has something, he can learn from Chu Heng, and he should be able to do it, right?

His father will be very happy then.

……

On the outskirts of the imperial capital, Luyuan.

I don't know what was on that invitation card, Ye Shuli held it in his arms and felt warm.After thinking about going all the way, after dinner, he pulled Mu Xiyun aside and asked, "Master, will we send someone to celebrate the Yishan Academy celebration in March?"

"Of course I'm going," Mu Xiyun nodded, "Why are you asking this? Why do you want to go and see it too? The relationship is good, the academy has a profound heritage, and there are many things that our Lishan Mountain can't match, and the celebration is once in ten years. Great event, but I missed it. Just one thing, don’t be like back then, Mingyuan went to the academy to borrow the solitary book of Baicao Pavilion, you, your senior brother, and Xinghui clamored to learn from you, but the result was good, just now Stepping into Yichong's territory, you will start a fight with the family's eldest son..."

"Didn't we have a smile with him a long time ago?" Ye Shuli felt a little uncomfortable, "We only had dinner together at noon, and Xiao Gaomin gave me an invitation card."

Mu Xiyun was slightly surprised when he heard the words: "He sent you a post to invite you?...All right, I don't bother with the affairs of you young people. Go back to Lishan and talk to your parents, and then we will go together."

Ye Shuli averted his gaze and said, "Uncle, I won't go back to Lishan. Anyway, the celebration is in March, so it won't be long. I want to go to Guangling first to pay homage to my uncle. Last winter I have not been able to pass through the imperial capital. I will wait there, and when the people from Lishan come, we will go to Yichong together."

"Really?" Mu Xiyun looked at him with a half-smile, "It seems that your senior brother is right, you didn't find a wife and went back empty-handed, are you afraid of being scolded by your father?

"..." Ye Shu was at a loss for words.

Mu Xiyun didn't make things difficult for him, "Okay, then you can go directly to Guangling tomorrow, and I'll go back to Lishan and tell him."

Ye Shuli readily agreed, then suddenly remembered something, and said: "By the way, uncle, don't tell senior brother about my going to Guangling, lest mentioning Guangling reminds him of junior uncle, it will only add to his heart."

……

The inner city of the imperial capital, Yong'an Hou Mansion.

Xiao Gaomin entered the door, and the old butler hurriedly brought the servant over to lead the horse, and said earnestly, "Your Majesty is back."

"En." Xiao Gaomin responded casually, and ordered, "Let someone pack up and I will return to Yichong the day after tomorrow."

The butler took the whip and handed it to the servant, and was startled when he heard this: "Your Majesty will leave the day after tomorrow? Why is it so sudden?"

Xiao Gaomin nodded, and said lightly: "The things that should be done are done, and there is no point in staying here. Let's go back. By the way, old man, where is my father?"

He was obviously not in a good mood, and the housekeeper couldn't persuade him, so he could only say: "Master Hou is in the study, son, let's go."

Xiao Gaomin's saying that the errands should be done is done, but it is not a lie.

In the study of the Marquis of Yong'an, he met Xiao Wencong, and repeated what he said to Su Lang in the future, and said in a deep voice: "I said that it is not appropriate to hold the examination paper, why not start the exam directly, Su Lang did not refute me."

There was silence in the room for a while, Marquis Yong'an dropped the scroll in his hand and went to the window to look into the distance, and sighed after a long while: "As expected, our Majesty is quite ambitious."

Xiao Gaomin asked: "Father thinks that ambition is hard to be rewarded?"

"It's difficult." Xiao Wencong said without hesitation, after a pause, "but it's not impossible. It depends on the emperor's determination, because someone will definitely die."

Xiao Wencong turned around, paced back to the desk, sat down, and said slowly: "An ancient book says, 'Insufficient internal strength must be borrowed from external forces'. The same is true for the restoration of King Jing, and the same is true for the emperor's remuneration. Whether to borrow money for King Jing is a matter of future , but at least the emperor has killed three birds with one stone.”①

Xiao Gaomin stirred the sweet soup in the bowl with a spoon, without raising his head, he said, "Ying Hai, Yu Jiang, Jiang Jincheng."

Xiao Hou rubbed his son's head, said with a smile: "I can see it quite clearly, I didn't come to the imperial capital in vain."

"What are you doing? Messed up my hair." The prince withdrew to avoid his father's hand, shook his head, raised his eyelids and said, "Isn't this obvious? Since ancient times, which emperor didn't want to expand the territory? Which one? Does the subject not have a dream of 'loyalty to martial arts'?"

"It's obvious?" Xiao Hou stretched out a palm, and said with a smile, "Your two words of 'obvious', the court can see no more than this number. The authorities are fascinated."

"You're right," Xiaohou sighed softly, "no emperor would want to open up territories and conquer all kingdoms, even now. The civil strife in Yujiang is a very good time, Beidi is about to move, Dayin also has plans, Who cares that Prince Weixi of Yujiang calls himself a courtier? What he wants is absolute conquest, and that land is marked with Dayin's emblem from now on. Only in this way can the suffering of chaos in the Jingzhou borderland be completely quelled. , so that the emperor can achieve a career that will last forever, and it can also enable the courtiers to earn the posthumous name of 'loyalty'."

"During the hundreds of years since the founding of Dayin, how many "loyal warriors" have been produced? You can count them with two hands. At that time, the governor of Shuozhou, Gu Chongshan, rejected Beidi seven times and galloped in Yujiang. Gu Chongshan was the emperor's mother-in-law and the biggest fear of the queen mother and the king of Qi. If it hadn't been for the late emperor Foresight, just in case the emperor left a will in black and white, Gu Chongshan would not be able to get this 'Zhongwu'. As long as he does not rebel, a 'loyalty' can protect the future generations from fear, and Pingjue will not be degraded. , the Gu family in the northern border was able to survive without the backbone."

"Su Que is also a military general, and he also has the ability to suppress rebellion and frighten the enemy. He also thinks. In truth, he is more suitable than Gu Chongshan. All-rounder, the word 'Zhongwu' is perfect. But he is still a bit short of fire."

Xiao Gaomin continued: "Yu Jiang is that fire."

"It's just that there is an internal problem in the court, King Jing, who has not been eliminated. His Majesty can't afford to go west to conquer Yujiang. Otherwise, if there is a war in the front, there will be fire in the back. We can only use the formula of consumption. The governor of Jingqing Erzhou The matter is not due to Duke Ying Su Que, but whoever goes today, when the time is right to conquer Yujiang in the future, whoever can achieve the merits of sealing wolves and living in Xuxu and keeping stones Yanran. A "loyal warrior" is not It's a matter of hand."

The emperor's reward and restoration of the king all rely on the external force of Yu Jiang, but Ling Ye is in power, and he has to play the game first.

Selecting Su Que, Duke Ying of the Kingdom of Ying, to govern Jingzhou—it can be said that it was a lot of money. This move made Su Que a success. In exchange, it also allowed the emperor to get the right to speak on the scrolls of the Su family in Yinghai; He has the ability and prestige to strategize on the battlefield, let him go to Yujiang to familiarize himself with the situation, and when the time is ripe, he will lead the Western Expedition to Yujiang, and the emperor is at ease; Being able to restrain King Jing's hand stretched out from Jiang Jincheng, so that he can no longer rely on Yu Jiang's extra strength.

Xiao Gaomin suddenly felt that he might be short, there were more than three eagles with one arrow.The trick of the emperor is that he doesn't show his face at all. If the imperial examination fails, it will affect the interests of all the families. It is definitely something that can make the whole court explode. The emperor has already started to make arrangements, but the courtiers are still a little stormy Yitou didn't even realize it——Sucque, Duke of Chengquan Ying, went to Jingqing Erzhou, which was a very crucial link, but this link was discussed by civil and military ministers at the Great Court Meeting on the [-]th day of the first lunar month , the emperor just nodded and said "yes".

It was really sold by these two people and helped count the money.

Xiao Gaomin twitched the corner of his mouth, and said again: "What I said to Su Lang today can't be just a test, can it? Father is willing to help His Majesty pay for his ambition?"

Yong'an Hou Shizi could detect the emperor's tendency from Su Lang's reaction, and similarly, what he said today, Su Lang would also relay to the emperor.

——Represents Yi Chong Xiao's attitude.

"Yeah." Xiao Wencong nodded, and said lightly, "It can't be regarded as helping, but I won't object."

Xiao Wencong smiled slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Xiao Xiao, Empress Xiao Mingtang once left a proverb for the Xiao family, which was taken from the "Book of Shang Jun", saying: 'The country is weak and the people are strong, but the people are strong and the country is weak. The country is for the weak.'”

Xiao Gaomin was shocked when he heard the words, "Shang Junshu" is the most banned book in the world, and only emperors and princes are qualified to read it carefully in all dynasties.

People say that a gentleman will be killed in the fifth generation, but the Yi Chong Xiao family has continued with the Dayin Dynasty to this day, and has always maintained the status of the first family in Kyushu, and has never had a low point.Being backed by Yishan Academy is of course the reason, but this warning left by Empress Zhaoyi to the Xiao family is the key to the long-term prosperity of the Xiao family in Yichong.

The country is weak and the people are strong, and the people are strong and the country is weak. "Weak people" is the essence of the emperor's art. The emperor's imperial examinations are "weak people". , Only when talents are transferred from the aristocratic family to the emperor, that is, the country, can the rule be stable and long-term.

This is what every emperor wants to do and will definitely do. The imperial examination has already taken shape, and if it is not Ling Ye, it will be the next one to end the family examination.

When the general trend is like this, going against the trend requires paying a certain price.As the saying goes, the king is the first to capture a thief. In the Dayin Dynasty, the Yichong Xiao family was the first family, and it was the natural "king of thieves" within the family.

"Although the imperial examination knife hurts, it only hurt the skin when it fell on the Xiao family. It's nothing. Yishan Academy is one of the places where the fourth branch of the army was cultivated. The Xiao family never relied on imperial examinations."

"The old family objected if they wanted to. Anyway, my Xiao family should not be the 'thief king'. Taking advantage of the academy celebration coming soon, I also went back to Yichong to hide in peace." Xiao Wencong said, and asked his son: "Xiao Xiao, when do you plan to come back? Home?"

Xiao Gaomin took a sip of the sweet soup and said lazily, "The day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow, on the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, there will be a grand court meeting in the Xuanzheng Palace, and Xiao Hou has to go. The implication is that Xiao Hou can go as he likes, anyway, the son will not take him with him.

"Leave the day after tomorrow?" Xiao Wencong was a little disappointed, observed his son suspiciously, and said for a while, "Xiao Xiao, why do I feel that your mood is not right these two days?"

"Huh?" Xiao Gaomin raised his head, "What's wrong with me?"

"I can't tell. Anyway, I've never seen you like this before. You lose interest in everything you do all day long." Xiao Hou also served himself a bowl of sweet soup, and casually joked: "Xiao Xiao, don't you like it?" Fell in love with some girl, but they didn't like you? But it shouldn't be... On your terms, if she gets married, it will be..."

Xiao Hou was thinking about it, but the complexion of the prince on the opposite side changed a few times, and finally turned into anger from embarrassment, threw the spoon in his hand, and said fiercely: "Drink your sweet soup! I will leave tomorrow!"

Xiao Wencong hurriedly caught the green-glazed lotus-leaf spoon—this is a pair, sent by his wife, it is his fault if it breaks, and his son will be blamed if he falls—Xiao Hou stared at his son angrily. With a bulging back, he murmured: "It's really wrong..."

Although the son said he would leave the next day, Mrs. Yong'an Hou stayed for a day and set off on the [-]th. At that time, Ye Shuli had already left, and the son already knew about it.

However, as expected, there are unexpected.

Guangling is the most convenient waterway to Yichong.

This road, Ye Shuli had to go to sacrifice his little uncle, and Xiao Gaomin had to go home.

So five days later, at the Guangling Wharf on the Changzhou Waterway, the Yong'an Hou Mansion and his party packed up and invited their sons to board the ship.As soon as Xiao Gaomin stepped into the pier, he saw a familiar figure from behind.

He was startled, and approached slowly, the man also turned around, with crooked smiling eyes, and lazily said——

"My lord, please stay safe."

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① "In the chaos of restoration, if internal strength is insufficient, external strength must be borrowed." Quoted from the line of "Fission", I saw it on the Internet. I checked the source, but I don't know if it is the most original. ②The plot part of this chapter can be read in conjunction with "Chapter 142 Yu Jiang".See the previous chapter for what persimmon and Sulang Road said.The plot chapter is relatively long, because I want to write the relevant plot points at once, and I don’t know if it is clear and straightforward... ③ "Zhongwu" can be regarded as the best posthumous title for a courtier. It is a civil and military posthumous title, usually civil and military all-rounder.However, the posthumous posthumous methods of different dynasties are not the same. In this article, Zhongwu is the best, not one of them. ④Please imagine the journey of persimmon and book leaving Yichong, and what happened in Yishan Academy later, and see you later.In the next chapter, I will return to the main story of 00zi and Hua, and write something cheerful, and I will persecute Hua again hahahaha.