When the familiar sound of Cang Geng came from behind the thatched house, Huan Guanlan was holding a tea bowl and sipping slowly.

The bowl is stoneware fired on the spot on the tortoiseshell island, like a child's handiwork, crooked and pitted, very reluctantly filled with a little tea.

The tea should have been good, it was the result of robbery, but it is said that the ship was scuttled because of the fierce resistance, and the people and goods fell to the bottom of the sea.

Gongsun Sleeping Crane remembered that he loved to drink tea, and personally dived to the bottom of the sea more than ten feet deep to fish for a few cans of sealed tea leaves.

said that it was sealed, and after some tossing, it was also damp in the end.

Before that, even the slaves of the Huan family didn't bother to drink such tea.

But Huan Guanlan is relishing at the moment.

"Xiangye. The sound of Cang Geng disappeared, and at the same time, the sound of footsteps stepping on the grass was heard not far away.

Huan Guanlan didn't have to look up to know that it was Gongsun Tu who came.

The owner of Tortoiseshell Island and the patriarch of the Gongsun clan.

He is also the father-in-law of his own closed disciple Gongsun Sleeping Crane.

"The old man is no longer the prime minister. He put down the bowl and gestured to the stool next to him.

The stool was actually an old stump, and the cross-section was uneven, but Gongsun Tu, a reckless man, didn't care, he sat down in his robe, hugged his fists and said, "Xiangye, I have something to ask for." ”

Gongsun Tu is more than half a hundred years old, and his temples already have a frost color, but because of the wind and waves for many years, he has cultivated a body of tendon meat, and his hair is not old at all, but shows the heroism of being old and strong.

It's just that at this moment, a pair of eyes are heavy, full of determination that there is no return.

However, Huan Guanlan looked at it, but he was not shocked: "You are going to sea tomorrow, and it is not good to settle down at the moment, so as to recuperate...... What are you doing here?"

"Xiangye wants tortoiseshell island, I have already given it. Gongsun Tu stared at him and said in a low voice, "Xiangye wants my life again, and I am willing to give it!" But I ask Xiangye to read it for the sake of my interest over the years, and leave a bloodline for my Gongsun clan, okay?"

Huan Guanlan smiled, it was night at this time, the sound of the sea tide was heard in the distance, and the dark blue sky was overhead, and the stars were shining and shining, shining all over the island.

He said, "What are you talking about?"

"Although Tortoiseshell Island has long fallen into the hands of Xiangye, my Gongsun clan has presided over this group of people for three generations. Gongsun Tu's calm tone was intense and suppressed, "Especially Han Pan and my Gongsun clan have a grudge against their father, their secret march, how could I not know?

He exhaled, half indignant, half puzzled and asked, "But as early as Xiangye decided to settle on Tortoiseshell Island and teach that nobleman of the clan, my Gongsun clan quickly became a cover! Xiangye wanted to hand over the tortoiseshell island to that nobleman, and it was effortless at all! I would not use my mantis arm as a car to stop it, and even, according to Xiangye's arrangement for that nobleman, my Gongsun clan would like to have this opportunity to join the nobleman! Why does Xiangye have to eradicate the Gongsun clan?!"

"Do you know why the sleeping crane is at sea?" Huan Guanlan asked gently, putting the tea bowl on the table.

Gongsun Tu was stunned and shook his head: "I am a reckless person, how can I know such a secret?"

"He was born on the day of the fifth day. Huan Guanlan smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes, "According to the rumors, the son born on this day is the father." I don't know if it was a battle in the backyard of the Gaomi Palace, or if the son of Chongwu was indeed close to his parents, in short, after he was born, King Gaomi did get sick for a few days. At first, because of the princess's concealment, he didn't take it seriously, but when the concubine revealed the matter, he became disgusted with this son. ”

Even if he later learned that this son was the most qualified of his descendants, he did not think so. ”

But the old man didn't care about that. ”

Gongsun Tu had a faint sense of foreboding in his heart, and he said in a deep voice: "According to the requirements of the Xiangye, you recognized that noble person as your righteous son?"

"Otherwise, how can Rong Jing think that the matter of Ke Father is true. Huan Guanlan's eyes were indifferent, "After all, the old man worked hard to cultivate the sleeping crane, not so that he could one day Yunwen Yunwu go back to reunite with his parents and enjoy the joy of family." ”

"......" Gongsun Tu's heart sank, he thought quickly, trying to find a life for himself, "Xiangye, the noble man grew up on Tortoiseshell Island, and he has the status of master and apprentice with you, and he is greatly favored by you, even if he goes back to reunite with the Gaomi King and his wife in the future, how can the status of those two in the eyes of the nobles surpass you?"

Moreover, "If Xiangye is really not at ease, I am willing to share my worries for Xiangye!"

This worry, of course, is to send henchmen to Chang'an to assassinate Rong Jing and Princess Gaomi.

Although it is a bit whimsical to say that he is a local sea lord and wants to assassinate the prince and his wife who are in power, but if he can't convince Huan Guanlan tonight, he will die when he goes to sea this time.

But not only him, but also his wives and concubines and children and grandchildren had no way to live.

In contrast, I'd rather fight!

But Huan Guanlan didn't give him this opportunity at all: "Do you think the old man is afraid that the sleeping crane will be estranged from the old man because of blood in the future?"

He sneered, and there was a little arrogance in his originally calm tone, "What kind of character is the old man! If it is just to make Sleeping Crane die for the old man, he still needs to kill his biological parents?!"

Gongsun Tu couldn't refute this, after all, when Huan Guanlan openly appeared in front of Gongsun Sleeping Crane, Gongsun Sleeping Crane was only seven years old.

With this identity and qualifications, it is unbelievable to say that he can't even raise a seven-year-old child.

Recalling Huan Guanlan's attitude towards Gongsun Sleeping Crane over the years, Gongsun Tu had a faint sweat on his forehead, and said in a low voice: "Xiangye, I don't understand, you can be described as doing your best to the teachings of the nobles, but your attitude towards him is hot and cold...... For the safety of you and him on the island, I even set up my grandson's ...... Now he intends to let the nobles go ashore, and even to eradicate us...... Why did Xiangye do this?"

He smiled a little bitterly, "Ever since Xiangye's people secretly sneaked into the island and took me down, I knew that my life belonged to Xiangye." So far, I don't dare to expect anything, I just ask Xiangye Nian to be obedient for the sake of me all these years, don't let me go on the road in a daze?"

"......" Huan Guanlan originally didn't plan to pay attention to it.

Gongsun Tu is a figure like the emperor of the earth on Tortoiseshell Island, even if in fact Tortoiseshell Island has long been in the hands of Huan Guanlan, so far people outside the island, except for a few people in the know, think so.

The mainland closest to Hawksbill Island, such as Nanfeng County, trembled in front of the sea lord's feet.

But for Huan Guanlan, this person is not much worse than a dog.

If he hadn't settled here with his closed disciples, Gongsun Tu wouldn't even have the qualifications to see his former butler.

What's more, let him explain his intentions in person?

But probably because he is going to sea tomorrow, or the identity of the person in front of him, it arouses the longing for the old man.

He didn't let Fang Cai Xuecang Geng scream to remind him that someone was approaching the secret guard to come out and drive Gongsun Tu away, but took a big sip of the tea that was already running out...... This action was almost like pouring wine, and even ate a few tea leaves, some of which fell down the placket of his beard.

Huan Guanlan, who has always loved neatness, didn't care, but squinted his eyes, listened carefully to the tide for a moment, and said, "Do you remember Zhou Zhenman?"

Gongsun Tu subconsciously shuddered.

Zhou Zhenman.

This name, young people are afraid that they are at a loss.

But when it comes to "General Zhou", I am afraid that everyone in the whole world, even Ruru in the north, knows about it, and everyone knows it!

Huan Guanlan said softly: "It's been twenty years." ”

Twenty years ago, that is, in the tenth year of Xuanjing, General Zhou, who had outstanding military achievements and was regarded as the mainstay of Da Mu, and Huan Guanlan supported the great dynasty with one martial arts and one article, was given to die in the army on a series of charges such as attempting rebellion, and his family was beheaded.

The scene of General Zhou's eighty-year-old mother, who was white-haired and pale in a prison car, was sent to the execution ground on a roller became a nightmare for countless people in Chang'an at that time.

For example, the old lady of the Zhao family in the future, the Qin family.

This is an unjust case that has been recognized by the government and the opposition since the decree was issued.

No one believed that General Zhou would rebel, after all, it was the tenth year of Xuanjing, and Emperor Xuanjing, who ascended the throne at the age of seventeen, was already twenty-seven years old.

And General Zhou had already become famous as Emperor Xuanjing's father, His Majesty Emperor Xiaozong, if he wanted to rebel, what would he do not take advantage of the death of Emperor Xiaozong, although the crown prince hastily ascended the throne under the support of Huan Guanlan, and King Gaomi, who was favored by Xiaozong, took advantage of the opportunity of the courtiers to fight against the new monarch and launched a mutiny?

The most important thing is that General Zhou is guarding the frontier alone, and his family, especially his biological mother, has always been in Chang'an.

This is a proper hostage.

The great general, who had achieved fame in the previous dynasty, was not young at that time, and there was no possibility of ruthlessly giving up these people and finding a woman to have children...... After all, even if he has children at that age, he will definitely not have time to cultivate children until they reach adulthood.

In that case, even if you usurp the world, what's the point?

What's more, everyone knows how filial General Zhou is to his mother.

His mother gave birth to six children, four boys and two girls, two daughters one died in infancy, one died in childbirth after leaving the cabinet, and among the four sons, two died in the battlefield with the old general of Suizhou, and one was stationed in the western Xinjiang.

General Zhou was the only reason for her survival.

She is also the support of General Zhou Da who can continue to serve the country wholeheartedly after frequently ushering in the bad news of the death of his father, brother, brother, and sister.

You can imagine how deep the relationship between mother and son is.

What was the old lady doing when she was escorted to the execution in a prison cart twenty years ago?

Huan Guanlan thought a little distractedly, he seemed to be waving back left and right, standing alone in the court, pouring wine one by one, and then pouring it under the peony in front of the court one by one.

That clump of peonies is the sleeping crane fairy, which is the origin of the name of his now closed disciple.

He told Gongsun the many meanings of the name "Sleeping Crane", but he did not say the real intention.

It is to remember the deceased.

The deceased was not General Zhou.

It is the unknown biological mother of General Zhou, Wen.

Yes, she is Emperor Xuanjing, the same clan of the Wen clan who abolished the queen.

At the beginning, Empress Dowager Meng chose the Wen family as his wife for Emperor Xuanjing, in addition to considering that the Wen family had a queen in the past, she also took a fancy to the Wen family, who was the biological mother of General Zhou.

It's just that Zhou Wen's has always been low-key, and after leaving the cabinet, everything is focused on her husband's family, and she refuses to mix with her mother's affairs at all.

At that time, her husband and son were in military power, and although the Wen family had some thoughts, they couldn't force her...... The two sides kept a distance not far away.

These Huan Guanlan didn't care much about it originally.

When Zhou Wenshi took the initiative to come to the door that day, Huan Guanlan, who had always been calm and known as Mount Tai collapsed in front of him and his face did not change, showed a rare look of surprise.

Zhou Wenshi was disguised and parked at the back door of Huan Mansion in a carriage without any signs.

"The old body is dying. After being greeted by Huan Guanlan in person to the back hall to speak, the next person offered tea, and after being waved away by Huan Guanlan, she said straight to the point, "Before you die, there is only one thing that you can't let go." ”

Even though twenty years have passed, Huan Guanlan still clearly remembers the calm when the old man said this.

No complaint, no fear, no resentment, plain and calm.

He was not very familiar with Zhou Zhenman at that time, although he ordered Zhou Zhenman to go to the northern Xinjiang garrison...... This is mainly to avoid suspicion, so as not to suspect Emperor Xuanjing.

Huan Guanlan is actually not afraid of Emperor Xuanjing's birds, this emperor is brought up by him.

Because Emperor Xiaozong favored the biological mother of the other two princes, he didn't want to establish Emperor Xuanjing from the beginning, and even thought that Emperor Xuanjing was blocking the way of his beloved son, so he didn't care about Emperor Xuanjing, for fear that he wouldn't see his dislike.

Before the eldest son of the emperor ascended the throne, even during the years when he lived in the East Palace, Huan Guanlan was nominally his teacher, but in fact, he assumed the responsibility and role of his father.

He felt that he knew the emperor well.

He didn't get close to Zhou Zhenman, mainly because he didn't want to have anything to do with the emperor, one was because of the love that had been with him for many years, and the other was because he was afraid of delaying dealing with Ruru.

The only thing that Zhou Wenshi couldn't let go of before his death was Ruru.

"The old man was born in the previous dynasty, and the master and son died in the battle with Ruru. That evening, the old lady sat dignified on the Ming Hall and said calmly, "Even the husband married to the only daughter who has grown to adulthood is a blood-stained battlefield. Now the only remaining bone and blood barbarians have switched to the north and south over the years, and they are also resident in northern Xinjiang. ”

When Huan Guanlan heard this, she thought that she missed Zhou Zhenman, thought about the situation, and said cautiously: "There is no war in Northern Xinjiang now, if the old lady misses General Zhou......"

"Of course I miss him. Zhou Wenshi interrupted him and said, "But I would like to see the Ruru clan wiped out." ”

These words made Huan Guanlan take aback, and looked at her in disbelief.

"I'm in my eighties. Zhou Wenshi said softly, "I was born when Emperor Muzong was born, because I am the daughter of Wen, so the natural and man-made disasters in those years have not been affected much, and when I was in the boudoir, I still lived a life of fine clothes and food." Until, I married Zhenman's father. ”

Her marriage to General Zhou was also a legend at that time.

The noble daughter of the descendant clan is desperate to marry an officer who was born in the army.

General Zhou was not even qualified to call himself the "last general" at that time, and he was not handsome.

No one understands why Zhou Wenshi fell in love with him, and would rather fall out with his family than marry him.

This marriage has always been unfavorable, and the people of Zhou Wen's previous generation have gone, and there are many fewer people who say this.

But as the children born to General Zhou Wenshi left one by one, the old people who accompanied the marriage wondered if the husband and wife did not agree and rejected the children?

Zhou Wen's didn't care about these.

She said, "Ruru owes me the blood debt of the people of Da Mu, Huan knows better than a woman like me, and I will not say the innocent words of the people to impress you today." I just want to say one thing: When His Majesty Emperor Muzong died, I was also in the palace because of my aunt. Can Huan Xiang know that after the death of His Majesty Emperor Muzong, his eyes were difficult to close, and in the end, it was the prince who knelt in front of the royal couch, swore with tears that he would definitely make great efforts, expedition to the king's tent, and sacrifice the Taimiao with the head of the Yu Jiulu clan, and His Majesty Emperor Muzong closed his eyes?"

After a pause, Zhou Wen's voice finally leaked a little choked, "When the first husband went, it was Zhenman who swore in front of him that the heroic soul went." ”

"So, I want to ask for a look, so that before I die, I can see the fall of Ruru, and after I go down, I can also give my late husband an explanation, okay?"

"Old lady, if the subordinate officials don't want to eradicate Ruru, they won't let the general stay in the northern Xinjiang for a long time all these years, and they will keep an eye on the military salary of the Northern Xinjiang army, and no one will be allowed to do anything. Huan Guanlan looked at her, with respect in his eyes, but more helplessness, "However, the old lady must also know that His Majesty asked for a pair of dancing girls from Her Royal Highness the eldest princess of Wuyang to enter the palace a few days ago, and then she has been dropping out of the dynasty and the Northern Expedition...... Xia Guan mentioned it not once or twice. ”

But Emperor Xuanjing, who was obsessed with beauty, had no fighting spirit at all.

Even said that Da Mu is a big country, so he should have the bearing of a big country, since Ru Ru did not come to attack Da Mu, why did Da Mu take the initiative to provoke a war.

What made Huan Guanlan most angry was that Emperor Xuanjing didn't really have such a magnanimous mind.

He's just in trouble with going to war.

It will affect him and the Shu sisters.

"Your Majesty's affairs, these days, the old body has also heard something. Zhou Wenshi was not surprised by this answer, she said calmly, "Originally, the old body was also at a loss, but recently I got the doctor's permission, but I have an idea, I don't know if Huan Xiang is willing to help?"

…… Twenty years later, on Tortoiseshell Island, when Huan Guanlan used tea as wine and drank wildly to reminisce about the past, he once again asked himself, if he had known the consequences of agreeing to help Zhou Wen's family, would he still nod?

Then he slammed the tea bowl with a wry smile again.

Sometimes temperament is fate.

Even if you know the result, you can't change it.