Taifu Siqing is in charge of the stable herding and the government of public opinion, which is popularly said, that is, the "Bi Ma Wen" who manages the horses. However, the state of Chu is located in the south of the Yangtze River and lacks horse-producing land, so it does not pay attention to horse politics. But no matter what, after all, it is a high-ranking official of the third grade, and the two thousand stone of Yulu is as the annex of the former Taifu Siqing, and the furnishings here are inevitably too simple.

This courtyard is arranged by the finished words of the courtyard that is not too big in three, the green tile and red wall, mottled and unbearable, the courtyard is connected by the arch and the corridor, there are no flowers and trees and mountain stones to embellish, there is no swimming pool and bamboo forest and other common elegance of the world, the surroundings are covered with the long pole of Tongzi wood, hanging the road flags of various shapes, the lotus flower is the top, the lotus leaf is the system, it moves with the wind, the weather is gloomy. And in the middle of the position to place a simple three-legged copper furnace, the head is the head of the beast, the tail is a bird wing, the whole body is carved with the pattern of the cockroach, the incense ash of more than ten inches is accumulated, it seems that there are still people who burn incense here from time to time to pray to God.

"It is said that Duke Wei is as incorruptible as water, and there is no comparison between the government and the opposition, which can be seen from this courtyard......"

Li Dingzhi shook his head, looked around, and was amazed. Du Sansheng couldn't get used to his appearance the most, and said: "This house has been abandoned for a long time, and it should be dilapidated." It's important that we come in to find the White Snake, don't waste everyone's time. ”

"You ......"

"Alright, don't argue!" Bao Xi's face sank, and he said, "County Lieutenant Du, you take people to the left courtyard to search, pay attention to the caves and corners." Mrs. Guo, bothering the tribe of your mansion to look for it in the right courtyard, if there is any trace, immediately send someone to report. Li Xiancheng, you and I go into the building to take a look, maybe you will find out. ”

"No!"

When everyone was preparing to search, eight purple-clothed child servants came out of the arch on one side, slender and delicate, about thirteen years old, with a thick layer of incense powder on their faces, white without the slightest blood, revealing a strange and cold taste in the sun, and their eyes were even more dull, if they looked carefully, even their pupils were bigger than ordinary people, and they all stretched out their hands to block the way of Zhan Wenjun and others.

Dou Xi frowned and said, "Li Xiancheng, didn't you say that this house has been abandoned for a long time?" ”

Li Dingzhi coughed dryly and said, "The Wei family is far away in Huiji, after the death of Wei Gongxian, no one else came to live here, and this mansion is indeed deserted." It may be that the descendants of Duke Wei sent slaves to watch and clean up occasionally in order to see things and think about people. ”

He is an old county magistrate in Qiantang, with a wide range of contacts, many ears and eyes, and the deepest knowledge of various dynamics in the county. Du Sanxing was still about to ridicule him, but Bao Xi stepped forward and said, "Which of you is in charge?" I am the master of Qiantang County, and I was ordered to enter your house to search for the white snake, and I hope to be accommodating! ”

Unexpectedly, the eight child servants did not answer, and the scene came to a stalemate. Out of the corner of his eye, Zhan Wenjun saw Xi Yuanda also coming in, and he didn't want to delay the fighter, so he said categorically: "The white snake's movements are fleeting, and it can't be delayed for too long, and it may change for a long time." Wan Qi, you immediately take someone to find it, and I apologize to the master here. ”

Wan Qi knew that the situation was urgent, so he didn't make a sound, and turned around and left with people. A child servant suddenly floated up like a ghost, as if it had no weight, and lay in front of Wan Qi, and at some point there was a cold moon blade oozing blue light in his hand, stabbing at her chest from a tricky angle under her armpit.

Wan Qi's eyes froze, he didn't dodge or dodge, his fingers popped out, and the speed was several times faster, hitting the finger of the boy servant's wrist. The boy servant shook violently, and the short dagger fell to the ground, and before he could react, Wan Qi approached him, formed a hook with his hand, and pinched his throat.

The feeling of suffocation in an instant is not pleasant, Rao is these child servants have received special training, and the pain is much weaker than ordinary people, but they still can't help but open their mouths to make ah-babay sounds.

It was also at this time that everyone saw that this man was mute, and that he was not born with a disability, but that his tongue had been cut off with a sharp weapon, and that the fracture was neat and smooth, and that it was dark and purple, and it was obvious that it was not a short-term wound.

Bao Xi's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Du Sanxing. Du Sansheng comprehended and said sharply: "Good thief!" Come on, take them down! In addition, seal off this house and search carefully, and there must be no omission! ”

Xi Yuanda hesitated outside for a moment, and when he finally squeezed through the crowd of onlookers and came to the courtyard, it was already a confrontation between the two sides. Seeing the purple-clothed boy servant come forward, his anxious heart calmed down, and he decided to take another look, if they could stop Bao Xi and Zhan Wenjun from just doing this and expel them from the mansion, then there was no need for him to come forward. After all, the "Farewell Biography of Yuanyang Jinglu" made up by someone mentioned that there was a Taoist altar of Heavenly Master Tao on the side of the West Lake, and he laughed at it at the time, thinking that it was a madman's nonsense, and he didn't think about it at all, but at this time, the white snake suddenly appeared in the world, and Qiantang Lake was renamed West Lake, and combined with Zhan Wenjun's performance, he was immediately sensitive to the viciousness and sinister nature of this article.

It's just too late!

Xi Yuanda understands that he has completely lost the opportunity today, and revealing that the other courtyard is owned by the Heavenly Master Dao will inevitably make people think about it, and combine this place with Yuanyang Jinglu, in that case, it will cause huge damage to Du Jingzhi's reputation.

This is also the subtlety of Xu You's strategy, Xi Yuanda just understands everything, but under the situation of gains and losses, he still can't make the wisest and most decisive choice at the first time. Every step drove him to a desperate situation, and then left him with a little hope, but after hope, he destroyed everything as cruelly as he could.

No matter how Xi Yuanda takes care of the overall situation, with his character, he can't stand such teasing, and it will collapse and explode, just sooner or later!

Although the plan was good, who would have expected Zhan Wenjun to be so decisive that he wanted his subordinates to forcibly enter the courtyard to search for the white snake regardless of who stopped him. Xi Yuanda's disillusionment was shattered, and he was about to say that this mansion had been transferred by Wei Du to the Heavenly Master Dao, and it was not a borderless place, even if Bao Xi represented the government, he was not allowed to trespass without an order. But when the words came to his mouth, before he could speak, the purple-clothed boy servant actually used a knife against Wan Qi, and still aimed at the chest, deliberately putting people to death.

Chu State Dingding Jiangdong for a hundred years, the law gradually tends to be perfected, it is not for nothing that people dare to kill people with knives, but most of them are in private remote and uninhabited places, and they have to deal with the traces well afterwards to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Not to mention the thousands of people gathered in Qiantang Lake today, as well as green-skinned government personnel like Bao Xi, Li Dingzhi, and Du Sanxing, the officials are everywhere, and everyone is watching, and the behavior of the purple-clothed child servant is undoubtedly his own death, and he can't complain about others.

At this step of the field, Xi Yuanda could no longer hesitate, shouted violently, and said, "Stop!" He jumped and stood between the purple-clothed boy servant and Bao Xi and the others.

Boom! Boom!

The guards reacted quickly, all of them had knives in their hands, and the cold light shot like ten thousand arrows, pointing at Xi Yuanda. Bao Xi took a step forward, his face was majestic, and he reprimanded: "Officer Xi Ling, what are you going to do?" ”

Xi Yuanda knew that he couldn't back down at this time, and shouted: "The courtyard here has been given Du sacrificial wine by Wei Du, the grandson of Wei Taifu, and it is currently one of the Jinglu of Yangzhou of this sect, and outsiders are not allowed to trespass!" ”

The voice came out, and it immediately caused a commotion in the crowd at the door, and I don't know who said: "Oh, the Heavenly Master Dao really has Jinglu on the edge of the West Lake?" ”

"Strange, why haven't you heard of it before?"

"Yes, when we Taoist people worship the gods and think about cultivating goodness, we have to go to the Qingxu Jinglu in Xicheng, but we have never heard of this place."

"You say, will it be Yuanyang ......?"

"It's still very likely that you're thinking too much...... Didn't you say in the biography of Yuanyang Jinglu, mixed Yuan pointed to the West Lake and built Yuanyang Lu, and was later occupied by the disobedient people in the church...... Yes? ”

"This ...... Fang Cai Xi Lingguan personally admitted that this place is the Jinglu of Yangzhou...... That, that, Du sacrificed wine to him, isn't he ......?"

"Shut up! Du Saijiu is by no means such a person! I don't believe this place is Yuanyanglu! ”

"Don't make any noise, wait and see, wait and see! Is it Yuanyang Lu, there are all the Lang Jun of the county government, and it will always be revealed to the world. ”

The discussion outside reached Xi Yuanda's ears, causing him to be angry, but the situation was urgent, and the lesser of two evils was the lesser of two evils, so he couldn't take care of it so much. For today's plan, only by moving out of the Heavenly Master Dao and Du Jingzhi can it be possible to stop Bao Xi!

"Oh?" Bao Xi frowned and said, "Why didn't I listen to you when I was outside?" ”

Xi Yuanda's breath was suffocated, could he say that he was afraid that it would have a bad impact on Du Jingzhi, so he hesitated for a while? took out the rogue nature and said, "I just said it, but the Lord was anxious and didn't hear it." These people," he pointed to the purple-clothed boy servant, and said, "They are all boys who serve around the sacrificial wine, who are born with cripples, unable to speak, and whose thoughts are a little more sluggish than ordinary people. ”

In terms of eloquence, ten Xi Yuanda are not as good as Bao Xi's fingers, and he said coldly: "When I came in before, I had already identified myself in person, and there were still more than a thousand people outside the door, no one knew that I was not a thief, but this child servant was armed with a knife, what was his intention?" ”

Xi Yuanda knew that he couldn't talk about Bao Xi, so he turned his heart and said, "Bao Xi, you are just a Qiantang master bookkeeper, what qualifications do you have to search for the Jinglu of my Heavenly Master Dao without authorization?" If you really want to search, let Gu Yun write an edict and ask for advice to the sacrificial wine in person, if you get the promise, it's not too late to be arrogant again! ”

"The White Snake is here, and the matter is big, and Gu Mingfu has allowed me to act cheaply, so I can't trespass. You are a calamity-eliminating spirit official, no quality and no rank, no different from the people of Qi, you dare to call the name of the Ming Mansion, so disrespectful, it is really audacious, are you not afraid of causing trouble to Du Sacrifice Wine? ”

"Woe?" Xi Yuanda's fierce face was revealed, and he smiled fiercely: "I have been preaching for a hundred years, I can help the gods at the top, and draw talismans to earthquake disasters at the bottom, the Lord is heavy, and all the people admire, what disasters are you afraid of?" It's you, who don't respect the gods and trespass into Jinglu privately, aren't you afraid of causing trouble for the Gu family? ”

Li Dingzhi and Du Sanxing looked at each other, worried in their hearts, after all, Du Jingzhi's prestige was so famous that he couldn't be provoked easily, so they both thought of retreating. Bao Xi knew that it was now a difficult situation to ride a tiger, so he looked at one end, clasped his fists on the left side with both hands, and said: "My family is worthy of the sky, and there is no regret on the ground. Come on, take down these child servants, who dares to stop them, take them together! ”

The disaster of the three armies, born out of suspicion, Du Sanxing hesitated, and the officials looked at each other, and also stayed on the spot. At the critical moment, fortunately, Zhan Wenjun shouted in time and said, "Wan Qi, did you hear Master Bao's order, and don't you take people yet?" ”