Emperor Que Shaohua

The ancient ink that Emperor Tianyi bestowed on King Ning was sent to King Jing's Mansion the next day.Perhaps it was not good to give King Ning alone, and King Jing also got the reward.The way of rewarding is very interesting. For King Ning, a small box of ancient inks of various colors and twenty tubes of high-grade lake brushes were given, while for King Jing, two Duan inkstones and one hundred Chengxintang paper were given.

King Jing accepted it without seriousness, but King Ning always felt a little speechless.He wondered if even Emperor Tianyi felt that his attitude towards King Jing was too indifferent, so he intentionally gave half of the four treasures of the study to the two of them.After he calmed down, he was still a little guilty about yesterday's actions.Fortunately, since I was a child, I knew that Luo Yanhua loved calligraphy and Danqing, so after dinner that day, I asked Bai Lu to hold the small box containing the ink ingots, and Shuang Jiang took the brush, and went to Lancangju, intending to send some ink and ask for a few knives. Heartbroken, even if yesterday's faux pas are exposed and not mentioned.

Seeing that he came on his own initiative, King Jing had a soft smile in his eyes, and took him into the study for tea without mentioning what happened yesterday.He was really interested in this box of ink ingots, picked up pieces of ancient ink one by one, and admired them under the light.Seeing that some ink ingots glow blue in the pitch black, others glow red, and some are shining under the lamp, as if there is metal in them, I can't help admiring.He took a piece of ink with a hint of purple brilliance, saw that it was as firm as gold and iron, and praised: "This ink should be at least 200 years old. The ink is fragrant and of high quality, which is very rare."

King Ning came to reconcile, and said: "I always feel that there is a bit of medicine in the fragrance of ink, brother, do you know why?"

Jing Wang smiled and said: "I can't say much, but Zhang Xueshi once told me that the best ink is made from the pine smoke of the thousand-year-old pine, and the ink-making family has its own secrets. Musk, myrrh, safflower, Poria cocos, ginseng and other medicinal materials are added to it. When it is complex, there are dozens of rare medicinal materials. In Huizhou, the thousand-year-old pine is rare now, and some rare medicinal materials are even rarer. Therefore, each of these ink ingots that have been handed down to this day is an orphan and is worth collecting."

Speaking of this, remembering that Zhang Yuandao, the teacher who taught him, is no longer alive, he felt a little sad, and said: "I heard that Master Hanshan also likes ink very much. If you give him some, it will be very suitable."

Luo Pingyuan thought about it, that was indeed the case, and secretly blamed himself for writing a few letters after he came back, but he didn't think about honoring his master.He has discovered that King Jing knows a lot, and he is not surprised how the other party knows Mo Hanshan's preferences.

Luo Pingyuan wanted to give half of the ink ingots to King Jing, but Luo Yanhua wanted to refuse, but thinking that he took it specially, he randomly twisted two pieces, took two of his pens, and asked Qingming and Gu Yu to send them to Hanxiaozhai Buying a Duan inkstone and fifty knives of paper, even if you have divided up the pen, ink, paper and inkstone bestowed by Emperor Tianyi.

The two talked about business again.Since the envoy of Yijin was deprived of martial arts by Luo Pingyuan on the day of celebrating his birthday, and was expelled back to Daliang, the capital of Yijin, Pinwutang and Jintiesi have not made any new moves for the time being.However, Beiliao has recently increased its troops outside Shao'an City. The current army strength has reached [-] and is still increasing. It seems that they are determined to fight a big battle and capture Shao'an.

The Liao people are good at riding and shooting, and have a sturdy physique. In terms of individual combat power, the Yu Zhou army is often not an opponent.At present, King Yun has [-] soldiers in Shao'an. Although the number exceeds, there is no advantage.

King Jing said: "Both the enemy and us are currently dispatching troops. Beiliao has suffered some losses in the past three years, but it has not yet hurt the vitality. This time the attack is fierce, and it is very likely that they will not retreat easily. Wait until August When the autumn grass sees yellow, it is probably the time of battle. If Yu and Zhou are defeated, the Northern Liao will have three years of hunger, thirst and violence, and will inevitably burn, kill and loot, and hundreds of miles of fertile land will be looted. In order to capture Shao'an, Pin If Wu Tang and Jin Tiesi want to cooperate with each other, they should cooperate with the Kunlun Mansion to obtain information."

Luo Pingyuan understood the importance of news and clues, and remembered Ji Tinghui who was imprisoned in the sky prison. He nodded and said, "It's already being done. I'll explain it to you and hurry up to finish it. I'm afraid it will take a few more days."

King Jing smiled and said: "Don't worry, it's okay to wait a few more days, you must give him enough pressure."

When leaving Lancangju, Luo Pingyuan realized that this was the first time he had spoken to King Jing after he came back, but he didn't speak out against them. Perhaps he was focusing on dealing with foreign barbarians, or maybe he deliberately let himself Put aside the past.As long as he thinks about nine years ago, his mood will become chaotic and contradictory, and suddenly darken.Before he went out, he silently glanced at Luo Yanhua, and felt resentment for living in Prince Jing's Mansion again. He had to learn to face this person calmly, at least on the surface, otherwise he would continue to be trapped in entanglements and would not even think about doing anything. .

Ji Tinghui has spent more than a month in the prison since he was found out by the fifth prince in the Qingliang Palace and imprisoned.After he was detained in Ouchi, he was directly locked in.After the operation and care of the East Palace, the treatment he received was barely tolerable. Thirty blows of the killing stick when he first entered the prison were spared. One of the jailers even implicitly hinted to him that the higher authorities would delay the matter and then wait for an opportunity to release him. go out.So Ji Tinghui is still at ease in his heart, he just feels that it is too unlucky to fall when he is one step away from success.

However, since seven days ago, his situation has changed.On the first day, he was suddenly lifted out of the original cell, instead of going out, he was taken to the dungeon on the lower floor, where he was still held alone, but the torture instruments and shackles on his body were much heavier than before, like Afraid that he would break free and run away.Then he found that the prisoners in the surrounding cells were also treated in the same way. Some were lifeless and sat silent all day, while others were crazy, talking nonsense, or muttering curses.After observing for a day, he found out that the people here were all criminals who had already been convicted. Most of them were originally court officials, and the crimes convicted were enough to kill them several times.Of course, every meal became cold and rough, hard to swallow.No matter how you look at it, this state shows that his bad luck has gone up to a higher level and the situation is serious.

He hoped that the jailer who gave him hints would come over and give him a reassurance, at least let him understand what happened, but that person never showed up again, and even the jailer in charge of the dungeon thought it was a bad place, too dark and dirty, so he rarely appeared , every time he came in, he cursed and cursed, implying that every prisoner here would not live for a few days.

Two days after being moved in, Ji Tinghui discovered that what the jailer said was not a threat. He was given two meals a day in prison, and the prisoner in the next cell was suddenly given a braised fish at noon.The prisoner, who was silent at first, was stunned for a while when he saw the fish, then jumped up suddenly from the ground, shouted and screamed, and banged his head on the iron railing of the cell, making a loud bang.

The jailer didn't think it was strange when he saw it, and the prisoners around him cast their eyes on the fish one after another, and someone shouted, "Didn't you say we have to wait until after autumn?" A prisoner said slowly, "Master Wang, congratulations to you. I just ate meat last month, and today I have fish. After 18 years, I will be a good man again."

He walked out slowly, and said: "My lords, don't worry, everyone has a share, there is not enough space in the prison, and the order came from above, I will send you adults on the road in a few days, not waiting for the autumn. "

After he left, except for the prisoner who received the fish, who was still mad, the surrounding cells fell into a deathly silence.That Lord Wang also gradually exhausted his strength and collapsed.Ji Tinghui saw him staring at the fish absentmindedly for a while, then reached out to grab it, and started to chew it, regardless of the dripping juice.

The next morning, several men dressed as business officials entered the dungeon and took the man away.The iron door of the dungeon opened and closed creakingly, accompanied by the clanging of shackles and shackles, and the shouts of the police, gradually receding.Then at noon that day, a plate of fish was also placed in front of the prisoner in the cell opposite Ji Tinghui.

In the next few days, every day, a prisoner would receive the braised fish and be congratulated by the jailer, and then the next day at the earliest, or the third day at the later, he would be taken away, and of course, he would never come back.From the words of the jailer, Ji Tinghui already understood that according to the rules of the prison, a bowl of meat will be given when the death penalty is imposed, and such a fish was the day before the execution.

After five or six days, there were more and more empty cells. When it was time to deliver meals, when the jailer entered, all the prisoners held their breath and stared at the plate of fish in his hand to see who he was going to send it to.Ji Tinghui didn't know if it was an illusion, but every time he walked past his cell, the jailer would intentionally or unintentionally slow down and stop for a while, which made him involuntarily hang his heart high.

The only way to die through hardships through the ages, waiting for Qiu Jue is not the same as the despair of being decapitated in a blink of an eye. In addition to the usual gloomy and dead silence, the atmosphere in the dungeon also adds a certain kind of out-of-control madness.Some of the prisoners who received the fish were as limp as mud, some were crying and laughing, some were talking nonsense, some were cursing and scolding sharply, while the other prisoners were anxiously waiting for the fish that would fall on their heads at some point. one knife.

Ji Tinghui was surrounded by desperate voices all day long, all he thought about was what was going on, and why he suddenly fell into such a state of death.Looking back on the situation in the palace that day, could it be that the fifth prince who was filled with righteous indignation refused to let him go, or did the princess emphasize that he had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, which made the emperor decide to execute him directly?Or maybe it was just a mistake and he was sent to death row by mistake.He thought of dozens or hundreds of possibilities, no matter what the reason was, they were all hopeless at the moment.He couldn't sleep at night, listening to the moaning in the nearby cell, or the sound of scratching the suicide note on the wall with fingernails and grass stems.

He wondered if Dong Gong didn't know about it at all, that's why there was no movement. If it went on like this, if he was executed in a daze, he would be too unwilling.Once or twice, he tried to stop the jailer, saying that he had not yet been convicted and should not be held here. Of course, all he got was ridicule and warnings, how could the jailer pay him any attention.

Ji Tinghui has always considered himself a courageous person. If he hadn't had outstanding abilities, he wouldn't have been favored by Wei Wuze many years ago and cultivated him.However, this kind of non-stop panic and panic is really exhausting, as if a sharp ax is hanging above the head, and it will not be chopped.After seven or eight days, he was a little exhausted and lost his mind.

He also always thought that he could handle any situation, he knew how to deal with other people, gained trust quietly, and made others feel good about him, but now there is not even a normal person who can speak well around him, and he has no way to display it .

Naturally, he didn't know that those prisoners who were considered to have been taken away for execution were actually just taken out of the dungeon and kept in another place.

In the past few days, Shen Ling would report the situation in the prison to King Ning from time to time, and then asked for instructions: "Your Highness, the person who will be sent to visit the prison in two days has been decided. Do you need your subordinates to ask again?"

Luo Pingyuan said: "No need, I've found a suitable person." He didn't know how the emperor knew that Ji Tinghui had a girl he knew outside, but since King Jing said that this step would be handled by him, he could only do it. Need to cooperate.

The dungeon is not completely isolated from the outside world, and the visitors have come in two or three times, parting from life and death, living in panic, which makes people even more disturbed.Ji Tinghui heard that as long as he spends enough money, he can be allowed to visit the prison for a while, but his mission in Los Angeles is very secret. To avoid being exposed, the same family in the Kunlun Mansion will definitely not take the initiative to visit him. no.

Then one night, the jailer brought a bowl of braised fish as usual, but this time he finally stopped in front of him, and said with a smile on his face, "Congratulations to this master."

Ji Tinghui passed the night in a daze, and couldn't remember whether he ate fish or not. He had never been so afraid. It was said that people would recall their life experiences before dying, but he couldn't remember anything. There is only deep remorse, he shouldn't have obeyed orders to come to Luocheng to take this muddy water, he underestimated this place of capital too.

He figured out why every prisoner who was informed that he was about to die lost his composure and was rewarded with a little luck before it was his turn. Only now did he realize the feeling of it.

In the early morning of the next day, no one came to take him out to carry out the execution, and he would probably have to wait another day. However, the string in his heart that had already been stretched too tightly was about to break in the continuous torment.

In the afternoon, the door of the dungeon opened, and a graceful girl in a light yellow dress followed behind the jailer, walked in cautiously, holding a food box in her hand, and stopped in front of his cell door.

Ji Tinghui was stunned for a moment. This was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with a handsome appearance and a white gardenia on her hair. He knew it from a girl she met in Mingyue Tower, her name was Lurui.Ji Tinghui has lived in Los Angeles for more than half a year. In order to make friends with dignitaries and celebrities as much as possible, Mingyue Tower is a good place to show his taste, so he goes there from time to time.He didn't have the chance to meet Bai Ruohan, but he thought he was romantic, so he inevitably wanted to find a confidant. He went there a few times, and he liked Lu Rui's appearance and piano skills, so he often invited her to accompany him.He is very good at coaxing people, and when he plays a role in a scene, he often has a lot of obedient words.But Lurui seems to be a serious woman, always listening very seriously, and seems to have gradually developed a good impression of him and developed affection for him.Ji Tinghui especially likes this kind of clean and simple girl, which means that she can take advantage of it and be easy to use.

When he was just imprisoned, he thought of Lurui, and felt a little pity secretly. He didn't expect that now that he was in trouble, she would be the only one who came to visit him.

Lu Rui took out an ingot of silver and handed it to the jailer, and said softly, "Brother, please do me a favor."

The jailer took it over and weighed it, then took out a key and opened the lock, and his attitude became better: "The girl is rare, she can only stay for a while, and I won't be able to afford it after a long time."

Lu Rui thanked her, bowed her head and went into the cell without saying a word, just opened the food box and took out all the food and wine.

Ji Tinghui couldn't help but said: "Lu Rui, why did you come into the prison?"

Lu Rui set all the dishes and wine pots before raising her head, and said softly, "Master Ji, I'm here to see you off." There was a tear in her voice, "Lv Rui hasn't seen you for a long time, to the guests next to me After inquiring, I heard that the young master was in trouble. It was hard for me to find out that you were imprisoned here, and I sent some money to inquire about the news. In the past few days, people have been executed every day. Lu Rui was very worried, and then I found out The young master also... Lu Rui is just a weak woman, she has no power and power, and can't save her, but she still has to come in to see the young master."

Ji Tinghui's heart was cold when he heard it. Although he was a little moved, he was in a mess when he was in the mood to talk about love. Thinking about the plan for the present, the crown prince may not have tried his best, or maybe he didn't know it. Only by contacting Donggong can he save his life.

He looked at Lu Rui in front of him, from his heart, Ji Tinghui looked down on women in the world, as long as he worked hard, with his own conditions, it would be easy for them to fall in love with each other and obey them.Because of this, he has received many benefits.The Lurui in front of him is not the same, Baba misses him, and even sent money to come in to see him.After what happened to Shi Wan, he was very confident in his own charm. At this moment, the green pistil in front of him was the only lifeline, so he secretly made up his mind.

"Lu Rui," he cheered up, held the girl's hand, his emotion was not completely fake, and he began to talk about his longing for her in the past few days.

The two talked for a while, and seeing the jailer looking around twice, as if he was about to drive people away, Ji Tinghui whispered with some reluctance and embarrassment: "After you leave the prison, send me a letter, don't Leak it out, and it must be quick, so maybe I don’t have to go to the execution ground, and I can go out to guard you. This is the only chance to save me!”

After Lurui left, Ji Tinghui ate the food and wine she brought, and spent the night in apprehension and worry.

The next morning, when the prison guards came and took him back to his original cell, he was overjoyed. It seemed that Lu Rui's news had been delivered smoothly.

That night, he finally had a good night's sleep with peace of mind.

Ji Tinghui just didn't hear it. When he walked out of the dungeon, the jailer behind the door also let out a long sigh: "I'm done with my work, and I can turn over the errand."

The contact place that Ji Tinghui mentioned was a restaurant located in the bustling area of ​​Los Angeles. From the exterior architecture to the interior furnishings, to the price of the dishes, everything was quite satisfactory, and the name was also very common. It was called Piaoxiang Restaurant.However, there are also some features to attract business here: a small stage is set up in the lobby on the first floor. Special dishes from the Western Regions and highland barley wine, so whether it is some guests from the Western Regions or a few Hu people who serve wine and mutton in the back kitchen, they will not arouse suspicion.

After receiving Lurui's report, King Jing told Luo Pingyuan about the situation, and King Ning said, "I'll send someone to keep an eye on this restaurant, and find out who the regular customers are. Anyone who often sells vegetables, cattle and sheep here Who is it, and the history of the shopkeeper, what do you think, Brother Huang?"

Jing Wang smiled and said: "I think the idea is very good. Ping Yuan, you can hold your breath, and I wonder if you will go to make trouble."

King Ning was a little embarrassed by the ridicule.Now that he has started to manage the Jingyu Guard, he feels a lot of resistance when he actually does things. The imperial family, the three provinces and six ministries are everywhere, and the King Jing always asks him to keep a low profile, so he will inevitably feel depressed. Out.He said: "I'm not Brother Sanhuang. I just got a clue right now. The facts are not clear and there is not enough evidence. Although I want to find Wei Wuze quickly, I can't act rashly."

Jing Wang nodded and said: "The investigation must be done, but if you want to follow the vine, you can't startle the snake. Jing Yuwei still has some official air, and if you go too much, the people in the restaurant will be suspicious. Next, it's mine. People should go to investigate, and they should be able to find out the details quickly."

King Ning thought it was reasonable and agreed.This was the first time he had heard King Jing say that he would use his subordinates, so he couldn't help but feel a little curious, how many Langhuan's subordinates would come across the river, and how would they plan to act?Recently, he met Qin Su's younger brother, Qin Shuang, in Prince Jing's Mansion, but that young man seemed to go out often, and he didn't know what to do outside.He has also seen the shadow of a stranger who used Qinggong to fly over the eaves and walls of Prince Jing's mansion, but after experiencing the embarrassment of following up last time, he still can't get up to explore it.

Luo Yanhua was still thinking about the situation of Piaoxiang Restaurant, and said to him: "The Kunlun Mansion and Wei Wuze must have connections with the dignitaries of the imperial court. Ji Tinghui sent a letter, hoping that his accomplices would contact the imperial court to protect his life. You and I track them down as outsiders." There is no real evidence for the information provided by Yi, so at present, the only option is unannounced visits, which should be kept as secret as possible. Jing Yuwei's side stops here, so there is no need to investigate further, and don't mention it to outsiders. In addition, let Ji Tinghui go first, Wait a few days, see what is found, and then find a way to interrogate him, how about it?"

Hearing this, Luo Pingyuan felt somewhat uneasy.He once wanted to ask who asked Tianlao to take care of Ji Tinghui, but King Jing told him not to pursue it, and also said that this matter can only be investigated secretly, and the other party must not be aware of his suspicion.So cautious, could it be that the backer of the Kunlun Mansion in the court is so powerful that even Jing Yuwei, who is directly under the emperor, has to avoid it?

He always felt that King Jing had already confirmed who was behind the Kunlun mansion, but he just didn't tell himself.

He couldn't help but said: "If Ji Tinghui is not interrogated, is there any other way to find Wei Wuze quickly? Qingluan is still in his hands, so he has to find a way to rescue her. Brother Huang, don't forget, she did it for you and me will be taken away!"

King Jing didn't answer right away, and after a while, he said calmly: "I'm as anxious as you, but no matter how anxious I am, I can only proceed step by step. Wei Wuze is good at hiding his whereabouts. Although Ji Tinghui is his subordinate, he may not say anything. Find out where this person is now. You wait a little longer, let's do what we can do now."

Luo Pingyuan felt that he was a little impatient. Recently, he had more contact with Jing Wang, and he gradually became convinced, but he no longer wanted to blindly trust blindly like he did when he was a child, and sometimes his attitude seemed blunt and critical.

He paused, and finally said: "Okay, Brother Huang, then do what you can do first according to your wishes. Just remember what you should do."