In the fifth year of Taihe, the second day of September, the first moment of Hai.

Victoria, Xuecheng County, somewhere.

Zhang Yijun took out a fire fold from his waist and blew it gently, because the culvert was a little damp, it took some effort to rub out the flames, which was just enough to light the way ahead. The culvert was wide enough to accommodate two people side by side. And the bearded man didn't seem to need lighting in the first place, so he walked directly in front of Zhang Yijun and led the way in the dark ditch very skillfully.

The culvert sloped slightly downward, and became narrower and narrower, and soon only one person could pass through, and the bearded man was so large that he was almost moving sideways.

Twenty steps forward, eighteen steps to the left, and fifteen steps to the right......

Zhang Yijun silently remembered that the yin and damp air in the culvert was damp, and the light of the fire fold was fading, and there was only one handle, and he could only use half a cup of tea.

Since a year ago, the previous stake in Victoria was killed, and then there was news that the Victorian defenders had been demobilized en masse, leaving less than 1,000 men. However, according to his observations in the past year, the Victorian garrison is probably less than 500, and Xue Cheng, as the seat of the Victorian government, is only garrisoned by 300 people at most.

However, what is even more strange is that Victoria's communication with Logos is frequent, and every time there are pack horses and large quantities of goods, which are guarded and sent by the reckless personal soldiers, and another group went to Logos two days ago. Then at the beginning of yesterday, he received a silver token from the deputy envoy of Victoria from the scout who received the news outside the city, and let himself see the Victorian informant in the Taoist temple, which was obviously the bearded man in front of him.

All these rapid changes gave Zhang Yi reason to believe that there is an undercurrent surging in Victoria, like the political situation in Tibet, and there will be a big plan, which is likely to be today and tomorrow.

However, after walking for more than ten fingers, at a corner, the bearded man stopped, and it turned out that the culvert had come to an end, and in front of him was a wooden screen carved with a plateau eagle. The screen was slowly pushed open by the bearded man, and bright candlelight came out of the culvert, which stabbed Zhang Yi for a while.

Inside was a large room, from which a disgusting smell emanated. The culvert that had just zigzagged and stretched downwards told Zhang Yijun that the wood-framed room should be located deep underground, perhaps to the northwest of the Taoist temple. No, due north, that is, ......

Just below the Victorian Festival!

Zhang Yijun suddenly realized. Then he felt a chill down his spine, and his intuition seemed to tell him what was going to happen.

There is a brazier burning in the center of the room, and the murals of the seated Buddha are painted with cinnabar, stone blue, and ochre on the three walls, which seems to be a Buddhist hall. But the Buddha statues painted on the walls made Zhang Yijun feel a little different from what he saw in Huaiyuanfang, Chang'an. At the end of the room, in front of the mural, a burly man in a brown fur coat and a beard sits on the floor, and his status is symbolized by a three-inch round gold and silver ornament above his armband.

"Gonde Sampo."

The man had a deep voice, he slowly got up and walked towards Zhang Yijun. Zhang Yijun found that the man did not have a left eye, and the original position of the left eye was only a black hole-like eye socket.

"Gunde Sangpo," the man repeated, clasping his hands together towards the blue seated Buddha on the mural, and then looking at Zhang Yijun with one eye, and speaking in a skillful Tang dialect: "Our deity, the Great Perfection Master." ”

"King Fuxian is coming." Zhang Yijun nodded, this is indeed not an ordinary Buddhist hall, "Are you a Bon?" ”

"I'm Xi Yimou," the man didn't answer directly, he smiled noncommittally, and stared at Zhang Yijun with one eye, like a bloodthirsty golden eagle looking at its prey.

"I guess you...... Is it the Tang Army's dark pile? ”

Hai Zheng.

Chengdu Mansion, the residence of the Jiedu Envoy.

Chengdu Mansion is an outstanding person, the name of Furong City is full of Tang Dynasty, and the Jiedu Mansion occupies a treasure of feng shui. Emperor Xuanzong's first Jiannan Jiedu envoy Li Jun in the Kaiyuan period opened half a square here and built the Jiannan Jiedu Envoy's Mansion. Later, Jiannan Road was divided into two, and the Xichuan Jiedu Mansion continued to be located here, the mansion was full of willow bamboo, and nearly half of the eastern plot was turned into a garden, which could avoid the ears and eyes of outsiders outside the city, and the three seasons a year were like spring. In front of the nave of the house, there are three springs dug in the great calendar year, and the spring water is still fresh and sweet, and it is the best quality for boiling tea.

In the inner hall of the middle hall, Li Deyu and Li Huaishen were dressed in felt, sitting silently opposite each other, and tea cups were placed on the sea of tea in front of them. On the left and right of the tea sea, there is an incense burner and a small stove, and the stove is "crackling", and there is a red sandalwood pottery pot on it, which is slowly boiling spring water.

Li Huaishen used a shovel to pestle the core of the fire to make the fire burn more vigorously. Seeing that there was no one else around, he lowered his voice and stepped forward slightly.

"Gong Li, you give Hua Yuan a thorough view, what is the origin of this Zhang Yijun?"

It's not just that Yang Zong was suspicious of this before, and the officialdom in Shuzhong has always been suspicious. Li Huai is secretly convinced that a Jingzhao man with no official character and unknown background has come to Xichuan with Li Deyu since last year, and then he has been so relied on by Li Deyu, all of them follow his strategy, and even the entire Victorian conspiracy can be said to be facilitated by one person. The other wingmen saw that it was impossible without a trace of curiosity.

"Zhang Yijun, ah......" Li Deyu said, silently put down the report, and looked sideways at the stove, "I met him at Ren Yicheng Festival last year, and I came to my shogunate through the recommendation of a 'friend' in Beijing. I don't know much about his background, but although he is talented, he does not want to be an official ......."

"Do you want to be an official? Whether...... Is there a suspicion of selling fame and reputation? ”

Li Deyu did not answer positively, which made Li Huaishen's curiosity completely aroused, and when he saw that the spring water had not yet opened, he immediately made a look of deafness.

"Yijun's ancestral home is Wu County, Eastern Zhejiang, and his grandfather was in the Emperor Dezong Dynasty, the official to the Zhongshu Shilang, and the envoy of the two towns, plus the same Pingzhang ......"

"Tongping Zhangshi......" Li Huaishen was a little surprised, and couldn't help but raise his hand to make a cross hand salute, and said, "That's ...... Prime Minister? ”

"Exactly," Li Deyu nodded slightly, his face was a little unfazed, "but later four years after Jianzhong, Jingyuan mutiny, his grandfather and two uncles were killed in Fengxiang together, since then, the family has fallen in the middle, his father ranks third, Emperor Dezong cherishes his grandfather's loyalty, Zhen Yuanzhong, Yu Chang'an gave his father a few houses and gold and silver, since it is barely in business to this ......"

At this point, Li Huaishen already knew who Li Deyu was talking about.

"He turned out to be Zhang Yi's grandchild?"

"Exactly, since Zhang Yi was killed, his father has set up a family motto, and future generations are not allowed to be officials, and Zhang Yi has adhered to it to this day, so he only entered my shogunate, and never ...... I don't want to be in the office. ”

Li Huaishen couldn't help but be amazed. Although Li Huaishen's intuition told him that Li Deyu still concealed Zhang Yijun's background, such as the real reason why he was so trusted and relied on, Jiedu seemed to be a little secretive. However, Li Huaishen saw that Li Deyu did not take the initiative to mention it, so it was inconvenient to continue to ask in detail.

Li Huaishen's intuition was right, Li Deyu did have something to hide. However, Li Huaishen would never know at this moment that what the Jiedu envoy was hiding was the name of the "friend" in Beijing who sent Zhang Yijun - Li Han, or with his title honorific title, it was Li Han, the king of Ying, the fifth brother of today's son. And Li Deyu used to be the prince of Ying, such a sensitive relationship must not be easily revealed to outsiders.

After that, the two of them were relatively silent for a long time, until the spout of the red sandalwood tea began to rise with white gas.

Li Huaishen saw that the spring water had been opened, so he got up slightly, picked up the porcelain pot containing tea leaves from the sea of tea, skillfully warmed the pot and cup, and then took the tea with tea and poured it into the red sandalwood teapot. Xu Yu picked up the clay pot again, poured the spring water inside the red sandalwood pot, and poured all the hot spring water in the teapot into the tea cup, and then poured it into the sea of tea, which is called washing tea.

And Li Deyu quietly watched Li Huaishen complete this whole set of processes skillfully.

"Huayuan, I know the art of tea well."

Li Gongjian smiled, "Li Huaishen filled the teapot with hot spring water again, so far, the warm pot, warm cup, tea washing, and tea making are completed," Although Li Sheng, the king of Xiping County, the great-ancestor of Huayuan, was born in Xiangzhou, Shannan Dongdao. When I was young, I was fortunate to have a relationship with Lu Yu, and since then, I have fallen in love with the tea ceremony. ”

"Lu Yu, Hua Yuan is talking about the tea saint Lu Hongji?"

"Exactly," Li Huaishen carefully poured the tea into the cup in front of Li Deyu, "'A device that becomes famous is only for tea, and Yuelai is full of tea." ’”

Li Deyu closed his eyes and sniffed carefully, and took a small sip: "Qingcheng snow buds." ”

"Not bad at all!" Li Huaishen's eyes lit up suddenly, and he said in surprise: "I didn't expect that Li Gong was also good at tea?" ”

"The world is warm and cold, drink like tea, and get drunk like wine. Three articles of the Book of Tea, a certain has also been read, which says that the origin of tea, the law, and the equipment are particularly prepared, and a certain deep thought that it is a little bit of tea. Li Deyu smiled and slowly put down the teacup, "At that time, a certain person was an observer in eastern Zhejiang, and I heard that there was a spring in Huishan Temple, and I was fortunate to taste it, which was indeed extraordinary. I think that if the snow buds are matched with its spring water, wouldn't it be beautiful? ”

Li Huai couldn't help but praise Li Deyu again and again for having such a deep understanding of the tea scripture.

"Then again," seeing that the atmosphere was ripe, Li Huaishen changed the topic slightly, and said with careful consideration: "Li Gong, Victoria has been plotting for so long, and now that Victoria is about to surrender, it is the time to act carefully...... General Yang Zong Yang has been transferred to Xichuan for only a year, and he is a rogue son, acting recklessly and uncontrollably, if he acts impulsively, the consequences will be unimaginable......"

Li Deyu paused, and seemed to have guessed what Li Huaishen was thinking, so he glanced at him and asked, "What does Huayuan mean?" ”

"I think that the situation is delicate now, and if there is a slight mistake, the conspiracy will be known to the Bull Party." The gentleman does not stand under the dangerous wall', so he dared to suggest that Li Gong temporarily transfer General Yang from Chengdu Mansion to avoid change! ”

Li Deyu put down the teacup lightly, but avoided Li Huaishen's words, "Does Huayuan know what is the key to tea tasting?" ”

"Forehead ......" Li Huaishen was a little stunned, and he didn't know what Li Deyu meant by asking, but he still replied: "Hua Yuan remembers that Lu Yu said in the "Book of Tea": Tea is similar to people, and the so-called Jiamu in the south is only the place of birth, appearance, fame, education, and character, and these five are indispensable. ”

"This is only one thing, not the other," Li Deyu smiled and took a sip of tea, and then said: "If you want to drink good tea, you need to spend enough thought." If there is a deviation in the season and the manufacturing method, drinking tea will not only not be beneficial to people, but will cause illness. This is a loss of tea. ”

"You mean?" Li Huaishen felt that there was something in the words of the Jiedu envoy.

"You are the Xichuan Marching Sima, Yang Zong's boss. Xiangyi was born in the meanders of the river, the land of the four wars, and his uncle was recently killed by the Tibetans, and it is understandable that he hated the Tibetans. He was young and vigorous, and he only knew how to be aggressive. Even for the sake of favors, you need to be kind to him, which is why someone is reluctant to reprimand him. ”

Li Huaishen was silent.

"He's not like you and me, he doesn't have any background. Without a background, it is a blank piece of paper, and you can have no scruples, but what follows is very easy to be used, Niu Siyan and Li Zongmin's people in Xichuan can all look at it. I say so, does Huayuan know? Li Deyu said the last few words almost word for word.

"Humble ...... Got it. Li Huaishen lowered his head slightly, but he didn't notice that Li Huaishen had a hint of reluctance on his expression when he used tea as a metaphor for people.