Emperor Que Shaohua

Gu Di’s shock was no small matter. Ning Wang Luo Pingyuan’s various deeds can be seen as thunderous in the current martial arts world. Wei and Langhuan swept the Kunlun Mansion twice, and Lu Yu Tea House captured Ji Wuya alive.

He didn't pay much attention to the court's decree to clear the land and acres, but he had already heard that the suzerain Jianghua went to the south of the Yangtze River, and King Ning also sailed on the same boat.

Today's situation is very special, Mu Shaoqing went to Juxianlou to attend an appointment, it is hard to say that there will be no accidents under the confrontation and collision between the two sides.He was in charge of staying behind, and he did not dare to slack off in the slightest. He arranged the defense inside and outside Wanjian Villa extremely tightly, and greeted several small gangs allied with each other. If there was any trouble, he would report it immediately.But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine that there was no movement in Langhuan, but the famous fifth prince suddenly came to the door at this time.

Gu Di's mind flashed the words "the visitor is not kind". What does King Ning want to do with a few guards?But he didn't have time to hesitate. It was obviously impossible for the guards alone to send the Buddha away, so he had to order eight disciples with higher sword skills, and hurried out of the villa to deal with it.

There is a four-foot-high stone archway outside the gate of Wanjian Mountain Villa. More than a hundred years ago, Bailishu, the sword demon of the Western Regions, attacked the martial arts by relying on his own unique swordsmanship. Taiwan, won with nineteen-style Chilong swordsmanship, forced Baili Shuli to swear that he would never go to the Central Plains for the rest of his life, won back the five ancient Wu hook swords lost by Wu Yue, and hid them in the villa.The martial arts comrades expressed their admiration, so they invited skilled craftsmen to jointly present this magnificent archway.Looking from a distance, the upper part is made of white marble as the base, and the patterns of clouds and dragons are carved in layers, which sets off the condensed and thick four-character seal script: "Sword Qi soaring to the sky".

At this moment, Ning Wang Luo Pingyuan, who was dressed in a light yellow Shu brocade gown, stood in front of the archway with his hands behind his hands, looking at the couplets on the stone pillars, looking very leisurely.

Gu Di couldn't help giving a secret compliment. The fifth prince who was born in the martial arts world was younger and more elegant than he could have imagined, and his clothes were not very luxurious, but he stood leisurely and had an extraordinary bearing. He was definitely not an ordinary martial arts disciple. comparable.

He greeted him with cupped fists and saluted: "I've admired Mr. Lu's name for a long time, I'm Gu Di, I just didn't know that the distinguished guest came, and I looked at Haihan when I was rude."

These few sentences are common greetings used by martial arts people when they first meet. Gu Di's long admiration is not completely polite, but he has been by Mu Shaoqing's side for a long time, and he can't escape the imperial court, especially the royal family, and he is somewhat tainted with arrogance. Therefore, he deliberately ignored the other party's status as a prince, and called him "Mr. Lu" to describe the martial arts peers.

"I have also heard about the name of Master Gu of Wanjian Villa." Luo Pingyuan bowed his hands slightly as a return of the gift, and said lightly, "You are welcome, because I did not inform you beforehand, so I am bothering you."

With his personality, he never talked about his status when he was in the same circle with his fellow martial artists, but this time he came with a plan, so he had to put on airs.He had already met Gu Zheng, a smiling young man with sharp eyes, while Gu Di in front of him was about 27 years old, and looked much more serious, with a serious and serious taste.

"Mr. Lu came here in a hurry. It's a brilliance. But my owner is out on business. I'm afraid the villa will neglect to entertain him." Gu Di guessed the other party's intention in his heart. On guard, he still said politely, "It's better than this, please leave a name card, Mr. Lu, and I will definitely tell the matter to the owner of the villa, and pay homage at another day."

"I made a special trip to the door, and Master Gu didn't even ask why he came, so he wanted to see off the guests?" Luo Pingyuan was suddenly displeased, "If you want to find Master Mu, don't you know that you have to go to Juxian Tower? What's more, I live in Huaibi Village now, so it's easy to leave a famous post. Your owner is really willing to come to visit? I heard that Mr. Gu never speaks falsely in his dealings with others. To prevaricate me?"

Gu Di's face turned hot, he is indeed a hard-working and down-to-earth person, just now he didn't intend to lie, but he just followed the rules of the world, but he forgot that Mu Shaoqing would never set foot in Huaibizhuang no matter what he said.

He consciously slipped his words, so he could only ask: "Since Mr. Lu didn't want to see the owner of my family, why did you visit?"

"It's both public and private," Luo Pingyuan said indifferently, raising his eyes to look at the sky, "However, this doesn't seem like a place to talk."

It was supposed to be sunny in the afternoon, but now it was raining.Gu Di has a big head, Mr. Lu Yuan is not like an ordinary martial artist, it is not easy to separate the crime, and if he can't be sent away, if he drags on, his party will be exposed to the rain. Besides, His Royal Highness Ning Wang even reported his real name, saying that he is on official business in the body.

But he really didn't dare to let people into the villa hastily. Recently, Wanjian Villa has been preaching that it wants to avenge the comrades and brothers who died in the past and seek justice from the court.The Jiangnan sky is high and the emperor is far away, and he is used to saying it on weekdays, but he can't feel it is wrong. Master Mu Shaozhuang's thoughts are all on dealing with the suzerain, and no one has considered that there is a fifth prince beside him.Thinking of this, a chill ran down Gu Di's back, and he became more and more suspicious of Luo Pingyuan's intentions.

He gritted his teeth: "It's not that Gu is unwilling to entertain us, this is really not the right time. Mr. Lu lives in Huaibizhuang, so he should understand our difficulties. Master Mu Shaozhuang has issued a strict order before going out for the appointment. , all outsiders are declined and will not be accepted. As a subordinate, I can only follow orders. Moreover, Gu can't be good at everything, and can't be a master. I'm afraid it will waste Mr. Lu's work in vain. It would be better to talk to the owner face to face in another day."

These words were neither humble nor overbearing, and pointed out several meanings at the same time, which was already a clear rejection.

"Wanjian Mountain Villa actually has difficulties? Isn't Master Mu Shaozhuang unscrupulous and takes the lead in everything?" Luo Pingyuan raised his eyebrows, and his voice became a little colder, "Since I have said that there is something How could it be possible for you to refuse the door just by saying 'according to orders'? Master Mu Shaozhuang hasn't reached a conclusion yet, is it possible that Master Gu wants to cause trouble for Guizhuang first?"

Gu Di's forehead was a little sweaty. From what he heard, King Ning's words also contained several layers of threats, so he couldn't help but hesitate to answer.

"Sect Master Jiang doesn't want the situation to become unmanageable. He hopes to follow the martial arts rules to solve the troubles caused by Master Mu Shaozhuang. I have already promised him that I will not intervene at will." Seeing that he was in trouble, Luo Pingyuan slowed down. He said in an unhurried tone, "As for why you chose to come here today, it's very simple. I don't have the patience of Sect Master Jiang, and it's enough to ask you, Sect Master Gu, for small matters, so that you don't have to talk about face-to-face with your lord. It’s a side issue. May I ask when my disciples of Hanshan’s sect did anything against the morals of martial arts? If you really want to cause trouble, do you need to come here on your own, with only four followers?”

As he spoke, he pointed at the majestic archway, and said with a sneer, "Wanjian Mountain Villa has a great reputation. When I saw it today, it turned out to be turbulent, strong outside and hard-working. When I saw it, I didn't even dare to open the gate. Why do you want to try the sword?" The General Assembly, the Mingjian League, can you be worthy of the ancestors who left this stone plaque?"

But Gu Di felt that there was no way to retreat. If he thought about it and insisted on it, and did not mention other follow-up questions, he might really get a reputation for being timid and timid. Those who know are cautious, but those who don’t know are hard to guarantee. He would not be the fifth prince who was afraid of Wanjian Villa alone.

"The Hanshan School has a century-old reputation, we can trust it." He hesitated for a moment, and finally ordered to the left and right, "Open the middle door, and invite Mr. Lu to come in and serve tea." The implication is still to ignore the other party's royal family His identity is closely tied to the Hanshan faction.

Wanjian Villa is built on the mountain. The first half of the villa is flat, with a clear stream winding through it. The back of the villa is adjacent to steep cliffs, and only one side can lead to a narrow mountain road. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is unique.

At this time, raindrops gradually began to float in the sky, from sparse to dense. Luo Pingyuan followed Gu Di through the main entrance, and went to the front hall through a wooden bridge. There were lush bamboo forests on both sides of the stone path. , Many Xiangfei bamboos are as thick as a bowl, and the leaves are like hanging swords, rustling in the drizzle.

When walking to the bridge, Gu Di saw his younger brother Gu Zheng standing not far away, gesturing towards him, behind him were two stewards of the village.Since Wei Cheng's death, the housework of the villa was mainly handled by the three of them discussing it. Gu Di's heart moved, and he accused King Ning of his crime, and walked over quickly and asked in a low voice: "What's the matter?"

"Brother, I was near the gate of the villa just now, and I heard everything. The fifth prince insisted on entering the village because of his pestering." Gu Zheng whispered to him, "This King Ning is a ruthless character, maybe he has some schemes, I It might be better to ask Big Brother Qiu to bring someone over, so we can take care of him."

The brother Qiu that Gu Zheng mentioned refers to Qiu Banxu, the vice-master of the sword hall, and the number one expert in the entire villa except the owner Mu Shaoqing. His swordsmanship is still higher than that of Gu Di. , negligence in dealing with others, will become a deputy.

Gu Di shook his head: "There is no room for loss in the Zangjian Pavilion, and Ban Xu must stay there and never leave."

"But in the living room, you have to recruit a strong player to cooperate with you," Gu Zheng said anxiously, "Brother Qiu can't leave the guard without permission, so let Jiang Qian rush over!"

Hearing what he said, Gu Di couldn't help hesitating. The Luoye Residence that Jiang Qian was in charge of guarding was also a dignified place. Zhu Jin, the deputy owner of Huaibizhuang, had been under house arrest for several months. Mu Shaoqing had already issued a strict order. Before the end of the sword test meeting, people must not be let go, so that Luo Yanhua will have less restraint and more help.

"Don't worry, there are so many guards in Luoyeju, even a mosquito can't fly in, it doesn't matter if Jiang Qian walks away for a while." Gu Zheng observed his words and quickly continued, "Besides, I'll just guard him for him. Although it’s a bit close to a fight, but in case of an unexpected situation, setting off a firework signal will not delay the incident.”

There is no time to think carefully at this stall, Gu Di does not doubt that he is there, seeing his younger brother's words are swearing, and thinking about it, it is true, so he nodded and said: "You should watch more in Houzhuang, in short, don't make mistakes. "Speaking, he took out a token engraved with the pattern of a sword from his arms.

"Brother, don't worry, I'll go to Brother Jiang right now." Gu Zheng smiled, "Maybe Mr. Lu has some business to discuss, let Guanshi Zhang and Guanshi Sun accompany you to treat guests, maybe I can help you with some paper and pens Wen Mo may not know."

When Gu Di returned to the original place in a hurry, she was still thinking, Gu Zheng usually has a wild temper, but at critical moments, she has a wink, sees things faster than others, and is also thoughtful.

After the host and guest were seated in the front hall, the two sides fell into silence. Luo Pingyuan drank tea slowly and was not in a hurry to speak.Seeing that Gu Di didn't take the initiative to ask questions, he just waited calmly beside him, and he couldn't help thinking in his heart, after all, Wanjian Villa didn't get its name in vain.

"Let's talk about business first." After drinking a cup of tea, Gu Zheng must have arrived at Luoyeju, and he just said: "Master Gu may not know that I came to the south of the Yangtze River this time to supervise the head of the household department. All kinds of matters concerning the fields, these days are busy checking the status of silkworms in the fields of Jinling Prefecture, and some matters need to be checked with Guizhuang. Ding Wenshu, tell me."

Among the four followers he brought today, in addition to Cao Molin and Ge Jun who met Shen Ling at the post house the day before yesterday, there was also a clerk and an accountant sent by Jing Yuwei in advance.

"The villain obeys." Hearing the sound, Nading Wenshu stepped forward, took out a book, opened it, cleared his throat, and said, "In the late summer of Tianyi 14, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River flooded, flooding many riversides in Xiaguan County, Jinling Prefecture. The top-grade rice paddy field, half a foot of floating sand remains after the water recedes, so it is not suitable to continue to cultivate and harvest. Today, there are 950 seven mu and three parts, which are owned by Wanjian Villa, is there such a thing?"

Rao Gu Di had already made various assumptions about the purpose of the uninvited guest, including representing the court to find fault and question the crime, but he did not expect that King Ning would talk about the fields and floods.He is in charge of the sword hall, and his daily thoughts are focused on the trend of martial arts and the advancement of swordsmanship. For a while, his eyes were blank and he couldn't react.

The two stewards that Gu Zheng stayed to help showed joy on their faces. Steward Zhang, who was in his fifties, was the most familiar with the accounts of the farm, and immediately stepped forward and replied: "It is true, the village has been flooded. The land is exactly 950 seven acres and three cents. It has been eight years and there is no harvest. The state government still collects the population tax according to the number registered by the Ministry of Households many years ago. It is unwilling to verify and report. We really have a hard time saying no out."

No wonder he was excited. Wanjian Villa is neither official nor commercial, and its main source of income is paddy fields. It stands to reason that the sword hall can bring income, but Mu Shaoqing has always refused to pay attention to these mundane affairs, and he is quite generous to friends in the world. Regardless of gains and losses of money, he often spends a lot of money on good swords, so the accounts of the villa are always in a state of tightness.The abandoned paddy fields mentioned by Ding Wenshu are even more troublesome. Over the past eight years, thousands of taels of silver have been lost in vain, but the state government said that it is extremely difficult to report to the higher authorities to change the field records. burden.

Therefore, before Gu Di had time to stop him, the housekeeper couldn't help but come up with an article similar to complaining and begging for decision-making, which sounded very discouraging.

"Just as long as the situation matches." Luo Pingyuan nodded slightly, "This is an oversight by the state government. There are many similar situations in Jinling Mansion. I will check them out one by one and make a new book, so as not to affect people's livelihood. As long as the verification is correct, Wanjian Villa will no longer have to pay taxes for this riverside sandy land from this year onwards."

"My lord, I still need to take a look at the land deed. There are some details that need to be clarified." Ding Wenshu bowed respectfully.

"I don't know if Guizhuang is convenient?" Luo Pingyuan glanced at Guanshi Zhang and asked kindly, "It's better to hit the sun than to choose the day. If you can get the corresponding land deed and accounts, why not do it now, I also have Xiangzhou. The facts of the government's investigation."

"Yes, yes, there are all the things that Mr. Lu asked about in Bizhuang." Zhang Guan agreed in advance repeatedly, and then remembered to look at Gu Di's face. Fortunately, Master Gu did not object, so he seized the opportunity and said, " Please, Mr. Ding, follow me to the side hall and wait for a while, I will ask someone to fetch all the account books and paperwork now."

Luo Pingyuan slightly raised his hand to signal, and Ding Wenshu and the accompanying accountant left the hall with the two stewards, and went to count and reconcile the accounts.

This is the business that King Ning wants to do, and there is no need to meet Mu Shaoqing.Gu Di recovered from his stunned state, and then cupped his hands and said, "Master Lu personally took care of the trivial matter, and thanked you on behalf of the owner." He obviously calmed down, which was very different from the arrogant and indifferent posture at the gate of the villa; plus, two of the four attendants were civilians, it didn't look like they were going to make trouble, so they couldn't help but relax a little.

"That's right, I don't care about settling accounts, it's just for a piece of land, let others do it." Luo Pingyuan heard his overtones, smiled, and his expression turned back to cold and serious, "The reason why I came today uninvited , I have an unfeeling request. There is a grand meeting on the fifth day of May, and I, Lu Yuan, are also planning to attend it. I wonder if Hall Master Gu would like to make it easier for me to take a look at the Tibetan Sword Pavilion in Guizhuang?"

He stroked the hilt of the long sword at his waist, and his gaze suddenly became as sharp as a blade: "I have heard that there are peerless magic weapons hidden in Wanjian Villa, but the legends are not enough. If I can't see it with my own eyes, how can I confirm you?" This sword trial meeting is worthy of the ancient famous sword Chun Jun unsheathing?"