"Madame, it's here!"

Xiaoxiao lifted the curtain and said to Hua Lianyue, who was sitting in plain clothes inside.

Hua Lianyue got out of the carriage and pulled the white satin engraved silver silk cloak on her shoulders. She subconsciously looked up at the sky, it was gloomy, the sun converged its light and hid behind the thick clouds. The sky that used to be as blue as a wash now looks extremely dark.

An old black owl suddenly rose from a nearby tree, and with a rough and terrible cry, it flapped its wings and flew into the distance.

"Phew, bah, bah! Xiaoxiao patted the dead leaves that fell when the old eagle flew up on her shoulder, and muttered silly.

Hua Lianyue retracted her eyes and looked at the gate of the General's Mansion in front of her, there were two miserable white paper lanterns hanging under the simple and majestic plaque, and the people of the General's Mansion who were busy greeting guests at the door were all dressed in sackcloth and tied with white cloth on their heads, showing sadness.

Hua Lianyue's pupils shrank slightly, and the feeling of constriction in her heart made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

It is really sad and lamentable, a generation of heroes who dodged countless cold arrows fired by the enemy on the battlefield, but were defeated by their own plots.

"This lady is ........." The servants of the General's Mansion blocked her way. After all, Hua Renyue rarely walks around the town, and to most people, she is a stranger.

Hua Lianyue took a deep breath before she spoke: "The young daughter of Liu Yiliang, the valley master of the Hundred Flowers Valley, is Hua. She didn't report her name as Mrs. Xianwang, and she didn't want to attract the attention of the rest of the guests.

"It turned out to be the young lady of the Liu Shen Doctor's family, please come here!"

Under the leadership of the servant, Hua Lianyue soon came to the martial arts hall where the coffin was placed.

The little guy standing at the entrance of the hall said loudly: "There are guests here." ”

Hua Lianyue lifted the skirt slightly and stepped in slowly. The mourning hall was all white, full of flying plain white tulle, and the rows of sad figures behind the tulle. When incense candles and paper money burned, the curling green smoke left behind added a bit of illusion to the solemn mourning hall. Except for a few monks who were squirming their lips and whispering scriptures that no one could understand, the entire mourning hall was silent.

The five sons and daughters-in-law of the Weng family all arrived, and they knelt in front of the coffin in sackcloth, their eyes were red and their expressions were sad, and they kept sobbing and throwing gold and silver foil into the brazier in front of them.

Hua Lianyue's body paused slightly, and the corners of her eyes gradually moistened. After taking a deep breath, he slowly approached, saluted the coffin, and the Weng family hurriedly returned the salute.

Hua Lianyue helped him and said in a low voice: "Festival mourning is smooth!"

The Weng family nodded, and said in a deep voice: "I have a heart!"

"Aunt Weng!" Hua Lianyue slowly bent her knees, and saluted to the old lady Weng who was leaning against the coffin with a sad expression. Old Madam Weng raised her eyes to look at her, and a tear slid down the wrinkled corners of her eyes.

"Aunt Weng!" Hua Liyue hurriedly took a few steps forward, she squatted down and held the old lady's cold hands, but she didn't know how to comfort her. After half a ring, he said in a low voice: "You mourn and change!"

Old Madam Weng's lips trembled slightly, she patted the back of Hua Liyue's hand, and said in a hoarse voice: "Good boy, you have a heart." It's a pity that your Uncle Weng is not blessed, if I had met you earlier, I wouldn't have ........"

Before she finished speaking, her throat was choked and she couldn't continue.

"Mother!" The eldest daughter-in-law on the side hurriedly came over and persuaded: "You scared Sister Hua." ”

Hua Lianyue said softly: "It's okay......"

Suddenly, there was another shout outside: "There's a guest!"

The old woman Weng hurriedly said to her eldest daughter-in-law: "Take your sister Hua to the back hall to rest!"

"Yes, Sister Hua, please come with me. ”

"I'm tired!" Hua Lianyue glanced back inadvertently before leaving, and happened to see Xie Jingde, who was wearing plain clothes, striding into the martial arts hall with a solemn face. After only a hurried glance, Hua Lianyue turned around and followed the eldest daughter-in-law of the Weng family out of the side door of Lian Wu Hall.

From afar, she could faintly hear Xie Jingde's sad cry: "Old general, I was fine a few days ago, why did I go like this." It really hurts me......."

Hmph! It's really a cat crying mouse fake compassion, Hua Lianyue lowered her eyelashes, covering the anger and ridicule in her eyes.

The mourning hall of the General's Mansion was placed for six days, and in addition to the five brothers of the Weng family, the old brothers who followed him to fight the world also accompanied him for six days.

Day 6, Nightfall!

Xie Jingde wore a homely satin jacket and sat in his warm pavilion, drinking a little wine while humming a small tune alone to the beat.

"Master, why are you so happy these days?" Xinna's little concubine Ruyan asked curiously, and obediently sandwiched the braised beef and fed it into his mouth.

Xie Jingde chewed the strip of meat in his mouth and breathed a long sigh of relief. I didn't expect the master to start so neatly. As soon as General Weng died, it was equivalent to moving away the mountain that was pressing on his head. From then on, the 100,000-strong army was only under his orders, how could he not be happy.

However, he can't tell a concubine about these confidential things. He reached out and touched his chin that was as smooth as smoke, and said with a lewd smile: "Good girl, if you sing your best Panlang Gui carefully, the master will buy back the set of red gold pearl noodles you have in mind tomorrow!"

Ruyan's eyes lit up suddenly, she immediately cleared her throat, lightly opened her red lips and sang delicately: "Pan Lang returns, Pan Lang returns, Lang is drunk in the spring breeze in Yaotai, and the slave is ......destroyed by the autumn wind in the long night."

The singing voice of the smoke is not exquisite, but there is an indescribable wonderland in the ears. Xie Jingde felt that his internal organs were like being ironed by an iron, and there was no place to do it. The pores all over the body are like eating ginseng fruit, and there is not a single pore that is not smooth.

After Ruyan sang more than a dozen sentences, he gradually sang higher and higher, and suddenly pulled out a sharp point, like a lark chirping and like a yellow warbler singing, so that Xie Jingde couldn't help but be amazed.

After the song, Ruyan smiled and snuggled into Xie Jingde's arms, and said delicately: "The master shouted hello, but you must remember the promise to Ruyan." ”

Xie Jingde put one hand around her soft and boneless fragrant body, and the other hand skillfully kneaded her chest, he didn't forget to laugh and said: "Little hoof, a small song for a set of red gold pearl head, it's really cheap for you." ”

After a few kneading, Ruyan's eyes were already hazy, his snort was humming, and his cheeks were crimson. But except for touching and pinching, Xie Jingde didn't seem to have any plans for the next step, and the spring tide was flooding like smoke in his heart, and he couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside, and a relative reported through the curtain at the door: "General, the big thing is not good, the granary is on fire." ”

"What, the granary is on fire?" Xie Jingde stood up suddenly, and Ruyan, who was leaning on his arms, was defenseless and almost rolled to the ground.

Xie Jingde commanded sharply: "What are you still doing in a daze, hurry up and change your clothes!"

"Yes!" Ruyan hurriedly got up, and helped Xie Jingde change into his official uniform and tie his waist knife in a panic.

After making preparations, he said with a small advice: "Master, water and fire are ruthless, but you must be careful." ”

Xie Jingde stretched out his hand and touched her cheek, and said in a low voice: "Wait for the master to buy you noodles tomorrow!" After speaking, he strode out of the warm pavilion.

After seeing Xie Jingde leave in a hurry, he returned to the table and sat down. She touched her hot cheek, and a trace of doubt rose in her heart. Although she is only a woman, she also knows that the fire in the granary in the army is a great event, how can you remember such a small thing as buying yourself noodles.

It seems that among the aunts in the courtyard, the master still cherishes himself the most. Thinking of this, Ruyan couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth proudly.

Out of the mansion, Xie Jingde was stunned to see many people gathered on the street, all of them pointing and talking in one direction.

It turned out that the fire in the granary was so big that it lit up almost half of the sky. Even though they were more than ten miles away, the people of the town could still catch a glimpse of the enchanting and terrifying orange-red flames, as well as the black smoke that rose into the air like a giant dragon.

The street was blocked by the crowd watching the excitement, and Xie Jingde, who was anxious, glanced at his relatives. The entourage immediately shouted: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, don't block General Xie from going to investigate the fire." ”

When the people heard this, they stepped aside, and "drove" Xie Jingde whipped his horsewhip fiercely, and he led his entourage through the crowd and walked towards the burning granary.

The people looked at their backs as they gradually moved away, and an elderly man couldn't help but shake his head and sighed: "The old general's bones are not cold, and there is such a big event in the barracks, it seems that it is not too peaceful!"

"Cough, cough, cough......"

Getting closer and closer to the granary, the smoke on his face and the ashes drifting down the wind made Xie Jingde cough vigorously. The temperature around him was getting higher and higher, and he clearly felt the dry pain in his throat, as if it had been scraped back and forth by a sharp blade.

"General, you can't go any further. There was a hoarse dissuasion in his ears, and in front of him was a red flame hissing like a poisonous snake. Xie Jing grabbed the horse's head, looked up to the sky and let out a mournful roar: "My grain, my grain, all destroyed, what will my 100,000 army take to live!"

In order to facilitate management, granaries are all built together. The distance between them was less than a dozen paces, and now the fire was together, and soon all the granaries were spread. Of the more than 30 granaries, the roof of most of them was burned through. Looking at this situation, the food inside will definitely not be saved.

Xie Jingde dropped the reins and climbed off the horse. He grabbed the soldiers who were busy fighting the fire, and asked sharply with red eyes: "What about Treasurer Dou?

The soldier guarding the granary was startled and stammered: "General, the general is angry, Treasurer Dou is estimated to be still guarding the old general's mansion at this hour." Someone has already gone to inform him, and it is estimated that he will be coming soon. ”

"Bastard, is it important to guard the spirit, or to guard the warehouse!" Xie Jingde snatched the bucket from the soldier's hand, turned his head and said to the rest of the soldiers who were busy fighting the fire: "Brothers, work hard, we can't let our winter rations turn to ashes." ”

"Yes!" Qi brushed the sound of agreement, resounding in the sky. Xie Jingde didn't say much anymore and quickly joined the firefighting team.

It wasn't until dawn that the fire, which had burned all night, was extinguished. Xie Jingde's originally dark face was so smoked that he could only see a mouthful of yellow teeth and bloodshot white eyes. While spitting the black ash in his mouth on the ground, he wiped his face a few times with the handkerchief specially sent by his entourage.

Treasurer Dou knelt in front of him with a pale face, trembling like chaff. Behind him were dozens of people kneeling, all of whom were soldiers who were in charge of guarding the granaries yesterday. Behind them was a large sprehensible wall of smoking. Everywhere there were wooden shelves that had not been completely burned, blackened by the fire.

Xie Jingde threw away the handkerchief in his hand, pointed to the ruins and broken walls, and said sharply: "Treasurer Dou, what else do you have to say in the face of this situation?"

Treasurer Dou has been with General Weng for more than 40 years, so he naturally knows what this fire that burned everything down. He didn't know the charges of others, but as the one directly responsible for managing the military granary, he couldn't escape death, and maybe the whole family wouldn't be able to save it.

He closed his eyes, and a few cloudy old tears rolled down his wrinkled cheeks. Slow down, old brother, you're coming to accompany you.

Treasurer Dou wiped away his tears with his cuffs, he kowtowed deeply, and said with great sadness: "Subordinate...... Convicted!"

Xie Jingde sighed, as if regretful, and said helplessly: "You, you, you are also an old man who has followed General Weng for decades, and you have been careful and proper, and his old man will hand over the land needed by this army to you to manage." Now that the old general has not yet entered the ground, you have such a big incident. If the old general had knowledge, he would definitely have difficulty living. Even I will be implicated by you this time. ”

Treasurer Dou lowered his head in shame, not seeing the sharpness and smugness that flashed in Xie Jingde's eyes.

"Someone!" Xie Jingde suddenly shouted loudly: "Take down Treasurer Dou, and send him to the capital tomorrow to ask the emperor for his guilt together with the general's excerpts." ”

Several Xie family relatives immediately stepped forward and tied up Dou Siku, who was almost paralyzed on the ground. Treasurer Dou didn't make the slightest struggle, he was discouraged in his heart, and only hoped that the emperor would let his family go for the sake of his good attitude in admitting his guilt.

"King Xian has arrived!"

The abrupt shout made Xie Jingde raise his head suddenly. But not far away, a group of people and horses mixed with a carriage was coming quickly. His pupils shrank suddenly, as he saw two familiar faces among those people, Feng Wu and Feng Qi, who had seen them in Dancui Villa.

"King Xian, doesn't it mean that he has been secretly helping their crown prince to restore the throne in the Northern Underworld, why did he come back at this time? Shouldn't you deliberately come back to the good things that are bad for the master!" Despite muttering in his heart, Xie Jingde still took the lead in welcoming him warmly.

"I've seen King Xian!"

"General Xie is polite!"

Although Liu Hui's rash appearance made Xie Jingde vigilant, seeing that there was no difference on his face, Xie Jingde felt that he seemed to be thinking too much. However, the timing of Liu Hui's arrival was too coincidental, and he still played twelve points of caution to deal with it.

Liu Hui turned over and dismounted, he looked at the smoky ruins in front of him, and then looked at the soldiers who knelt on the ground, and said suspiciously: "General Xie, this king only entered the city yesterday evening, but before he rested, he first saw the sky-high fire that reflected the red half of the sky. So early this morning, the king came over to find out. General Xie, can you tell this king what is going on here?"

Xie Jingde narrowed his eyes, and a look of apology and panic gradually appeared on his face with cigarette ash.