When the officials walked out of the Taihe Palace, crossed the Golden Carp Bridge, walked out of the Tianji Gate, and came to the vast stone-paved square at the entrance of the Tianji Gate, the officials felt the ups and downs of the unpredictable and unknown court hall behind them, and finally faded most of them under the barrier of the high wall. At this moment, the cautiously suppressed expressions on everyone's faces were released, and many different expressions and words began to appear.

The focus of the problems that the officials were talking about or conjecturing in their hearts was, of course, Yan Lu and Xue Zhong.

In fact, Yan Lu and Xue Zhong also wondered, surprised at how the news of His Majesty could get so quickly. Of course, they can't talk about and question the speed and ability of his majesty's intelligence gathering.

In short, no matter how serious it is, both of them are the ones who were punished by His Majesty at the court meeting. No matter what the officials have in their hearts, at this time, they can only have some words of comfort and wishes. As for whether they used their true feelings, whether Yan and Xue were really guilty of betraying the Holy Trust and grateful for the caring words of the officials, only they knew in their own hearts.

Ten years ago, the territory of the Zhou Dynasty began to be harassed and eroded by several small barbarian states in the Western Regions. There is a saying since ancient times: the embankment of a thousand miles is destroyed in the anthill, and the elephant is big but dies in the ant's belly. At that time, the Zhou Dynasty had chaos and armed threats outside, and the Zhou Dynasty, which had lasted for more than 300 years, was close to the pressure of internal and external troubles. Seeing that the Zhou Dynasty was about to start a military disaster, before the Zhou Dynasty collapsed, the foundation of the people's livelihood would suffer the final heavy blow, but at a critical moment, the mutiny planned by Wang Ao, the father of the current monarch, obtained the monarch's power, and the great seal of the world was in his hands.

Although there are still a lot of rotten maggots on this boat of the Zhou Dynasty, the people who can fight to the end are not brainless people. If the Zhou Dynasty was really divided by a small foreign country, then everything would be over. Therefore, when Wang Ao obtained the power of the monarchy, there were still many people in important official positions who fell to his side and assisted him.

Killing chickens and taking eggs, how can an egg manage the stomach for a lifetime? Chickens and eggs are not stupid things that the ministers of civil and military affairs of the Zhou Dynasty would do.

Three years ago, Wang Ao's military strategy was successful, but he did not immediately claim the title of emperor, but hung the Zhu banner of 'Marshal of the Zhou Dynasty', and suppressed the violence in the name of the Zhou Dynasty's loyalty. After three consecutive years of conquest, although it failed to completely eradicate the small countries like melons and vines in the Western Regions, it really hurt several small countries to the bones. Military prestige is famous at home and abroad, and it has become a kind of deterrent in its own right, and those small alliances have no plan for a period of time, and they resolutely dare not start a war lightly.

And in troubled times, who has soldiers and whose soldiers can fight is the biggest weight in negotiations. Moreover, the scholars of the Zhou Dynasty have lived in this land for several generations, with the culture inherited by the Zhou Dynasty for hundreds of years, whether it is the official or the people of the Zhou Dynasty, even if the country is renamed, it is impossible to give it to the foreign people. However, when Wang Ao returned to Beijing, he still did not officially claim the title of emperor, but only the title of 'King of Zhenbei'.

And the ruined Zhou Dynasty, the little silver in the treasury, and the little good generals in the court are almost gone. After Wang Ao led the troops back to the court, he worked hard to repair only a part, and finally died of illness because of the recurrence of war wounds, which is detailed, but because the big country changed hands, and there was no detailed record of hundreds of officials to be built, which belonged to a history with a little gray meaning.

However, the new country was named 'Zhao', which means 'Amaterasu's country, the country of Che Zheng', but it is the clearest will of Wang Ao that flows out of Kyoto.

Because these eight words spread so quickly, even a traveling merchant in Kyoto who only came once every three days knew it. Wang Ao fell ill, and the first action of the Forbidden Palace Yulin Army was to follow his will and push the high walls of the original Forbidden Palace.

"If the country is not defensive, what can the national capital rely on? The lips are cold and the teeth are dead, and it is too late to regret it. ”

According to reports, these are the words that Wang Ao said when he returned from the west and entered Kyoto, in front of 5,000 elite soldiers, he scolded the high wall of the Forbidden Palace in Kyoto. Later, Wang Ao waited until he saw his only son Wang Chi for the last time, and repeated this sentence in person, and before he took his last breath, he explained this sentence to his son Wang Chi when he was dying.

"Home is the country, if you push that wall, you can see thousands of homes, and with that wall, you can only see yourself; Only by pushing that wall can you always be vigilant, and your country is surrounded by the eyes of each **; Only by pushing that wall can you truly know the breath of the world, and the talents of the world will also be used by you. Maybe some sour people will laugh at you for putting on a show, but what kind of courage and confidence do you really need to make this show?

Everyone in the world is a show, only strength can be a show, no scruples to move forward, you will be the emperor, but this practice actually conveys your faith to the world, so that your people have the first reason to surrender to you, do you have such confidence? ”

Wang Chi didn't say anything, because what he heard was his father's heartfelt words, and his father died after he was finished, maybe because his life came to an end and he couldn't wait for his reply, or maybe he didn't hesitate at all.

After Wang Chi did not say a word about filial piety for three days, his first military order was to order the Yulin army to push the high wall.

Now, Xue Zhong was dressed in the official robe of the Qilin Leaping Fire military attache above the fourth grade of the Zhao Kingdom, standing in front of this seemingly weak palace wall, the last barrier between the Son of Heaven's residence and the people's houses, standing with his hands tied.

Although Wang Chi obeyed his father's orders, there were many young women living in the palace, and there were some ** things involved, so he had to block it. However, this palace wall is still strong to defend against thieves, and if it is placed before the war, it is only a papier-mâché screen in the open room. In the estimation in the hearts of the soldiers who have the experience of the Western Expedition, almost? p>

Huang Ben female beer? p>

Looking at the row of pennants that fluttered in the wind in the narrow battle path on the high wall, letting his wide sleeves beat the same rhythm as the pennant, Xue Zhong's face showed a trace of amazement, and he sighed lightly for a long time, and said silently in his heart: "Your Majesty, which one are you singing?" ”

At this time, most of the officials in the square had dispersed one after another, and the few who stayed were either in a hurry and walked slowly, or they had some friends with Yan and Xue, and were ready to say a few more greetings. The Holy Lord made such a will to the two of them, and it seems a little inappropriate to go to the mansion to practice it, and at most it can only be said here.

In this incident, Yan and Xue received the decree together and cooperated with each other until they were punished together in the end, and they were condemned together because of their peers, and when the two closest people were tied up, they also gave birth to some strange closeness.

Yan Lu saw Xue Zhong's melancholy expression, although he was a little disgusted with Xue Zhong's soft and cowardly temperament before, but now he has been demoted several levels, and he can't turn a blind eye to his former boss. He approached Xue Zhong's side, followed Xue Zhong's gaze to the city tower, and after a moment he said softly, "Why is Lord Xue so worried?" ”

Xue Zhong's eyes still fell on the wall of the Forbidden Palace, and he didn't turn his face to look at Yan Lu, but on his side face, he showed a smile that was like a businessman, and said: "I'm about to leave here, thinking that I can only eat fast in the next half a year, it's really hard to give up Kyoto's marinated duck and fried loin."

When he got here, he suddenly stopped his mouth, and gently gave himself a mouthful, and then continued: "Alas, my mouth has begun to mess up again, and if this is heard by someone with a heart, it will be terrible." ”

Xue Zhong's appearance was really a little funny, but thinking that it would be impossible to work with him in the future, Yan Lu felt a little happy that he was like this for a while. But when he heard the latter sentence, he couldn't help but hear a little bit of a different meaning, and he could only smile silently when he knew that he was not good at it.

Xue Zhong let go of the hand tied behind his back and moved it to his chest to clench his fist, but instead of saluting, he unconsciously rubbed his finger joints left and right. Yan Lu looked at his hands that were a little fat, there was a crackling sound in the knuckles of his fingers, and his eyebrows couldn't help but move slightly.

At this time, he saw that Xue Zhong was already close to him, and leaned close to him and whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty is in its prime, you have to believe that we will meet in Kyoto." ”

Yan Lu was stunned, but Xue Zhong quickly withdrew. He limped to a sedan chair parked on the apricot mountain road in front of Tianjimen Square, and said casually as he walked: "It's good to be vegetarian, it's really good, if the fat grows faster than the bones, it's not good." ”

At the beginning of the rising sun, the original soft light sprinkled on Xue Zhong's body, and when the bits and pieces were reflected by the fine gold embroidery thread, it was a little dazzling.

Yan Lu stood on the spot, savoring what Xue Zhong had just said, and couldn't help but feel a trace of shame in his heart.

It wasn't until now that he discovered the things on Xue Zhong that he hadn't noticed before, or he didn't look at Xue Zhong like he used to use today's perspective, or maybe Xue Zhong didn't show him so much in the past as he did today.

Just as Yan Lu sighed and slowly walked to the apricot and fir road, a young man who looked like a family man hurriedly ran towards him and hurriedly whispered a short word in his ear.

Kyoto Quean Road, Yujia Teahouse.

Lao Yu was a little excited and a little apprehensive today. He opened a teahouse in Kyoto for about 15 years, which can be said to have experienced the greatest turmoil of this era. Fortunately, the Zhou Kingdom was overturned, the Zhao Kingdom was rebuilt, and the changes in Kyoto were not too big, at least much better than he imagined.

There was no radical mutiny in Kyoto, and in the eyes of the people, this was the greatest luck in the troubled times, and the officials of Kyoto did a practical thing at this juncture when the old and the new political situation were intertwined. As for what happened in the forbidden palace at that time, in the world outside Kyoto, this is not what the people could and need to know.

The walls of the Forbidden Palace have fallen, and the geography of Kyoto has undergone major changes that have not been seen in more than 300 years. Although the people born in the imperial capital can easily pass through the inner city, see the Heavenly Mansion through a thin forbidden palace tower, and even watch the micro-clothes of the royal concubines from afar in the inner city, but there is still a difference between the inner city and the outer city after all. The outer city is quiet, the inner city is luxurious, and there are subtle changes in the proportion of the noble and low components of the people who live there.

However, Lao Yu, who has opened a teahouse here for more than ten years and has seen thousands of people, is satisfied. The new monarch is in power, Kyoto is changing rapidly, and the old Yu family can now manage the food of a family of six by doing a little idle business every day, and can earn more when encountering some festivals. I can have extra money to add some belongings, make a new dress for the girl, and occasionally go to the inner city to drink two sips of good wine, which is good.

However, today is not a festival, and it is not enough time for lunch, there is still more than an hour before the afternoon neighborhood to drink tea and idle time, the teahouse should be very leisurely, but now the teahouse has come one after another, and the teahouse is full.