Batu was stunned for a moment, then understood, took out a porcelain bottle from the skin bag beside him, handed it to Zhang Shixing, and advised: "This is gold sore medicine, made of good tiger bones and deer hoof grass, to reduce swelling and stop bleeding, the effect is extraordinary, you can sprinkle a little on the wound, not too much, so as not to spoil the miracle medicine." ”

It turned out that Zhang Shixing grew up in the grassland, so he naturally knew that the hunters carried good medicine with them, so when they saw Batu, they reached out and begged for it.

Tana snatched the porcelain vase with her hand and said to Zhang Shixing: "Men and women don't kiss, you stay away for a while, I'll give medicine to my sister." ”

After that, she jumped off the horse, helped Xu Miaojin off the horse, pulled her to the depths of the woods, the place where she carried people, wiped Xu Miaojin with medicine, and bandaged her wounds. After a moment of incense, he walked back again.

Tana squinted her eyes and said to Zhang Shixing: "This matter has been done, we will return to Beiping, will Zhang Tongzhi go with me, or will they part ways?" ”

Zhang Shixing arched his hand and said: "The Queen Mother has gone all the way, and she has important things to do, so I will not accompany her." ”

Tana snorted, didn't look at Zhang Shixing again, flew on the horse, hugged her son, waved goodbye to Batu and others, and rode back to Beiping with Zhang Yu, Xu Miaojin and others.

Zhang Shixing continued to move forward with a few lieutenants in brocade clothes, walked fifty or sixty miles, and saw that the sun was gradually sinking in the west, on the gray mountain ridge, the side wall with jagged teeth was winding and undulating with the mountain, and every short distance, there was a beacon, looking at each other in pairs, endlessly.

Turn a mountain col, there is a stone wall in the distance, the city tower is towering, a yellow flag is erected on the left, the word "military gate" is written on the right, a yellow flag is also set up on the right, the word "soldier" is written on it, and the three big characters of "Yanqingwei" are engraved on the tower of the city in the middle.

Zhang Shixing said: "Yes, this is it." Urging the horse to gallop, he came to the front of the village, shouted at the sergeant guarding the door, and said: "Jinyiwei and Zhang Shixing came to pass the decree and asked Liu Sanwu to accept the decree." ”

When the sergeant guarding the gate heard this, he hurriedly entered the house to make a report, and after a while, he saw a general leading an old man followed by a large group of followers, and came to the gate of the village, hula lala knelt down in front of Zhang Shixing's horse, and said: "Yanqingwei commanded Yu Zhen to lead his subordinates to greet the envoy." ”

Zhang Shixing immediately took out the holy decree and read it out loud: "Feng, heaven carriers, the emperor's edict said: Liu Sanwu's previous sins are forgiven, and the official is reinstated." Dressed in brocade clothes, Wei Tongzhi Zhang Shixing sent someone to escort him back to Beijing to face the saint. Chin this. Shane. ”

After that, Zhang Shixing hurriedly jumped off the horse, helped the old man kneeling on the ground to his feet, and said affectionately: "Liu Gong, you have suffered." ”

The old man's hair was white, his body was a little trembling, but his spirit was vigorous, and he was a generation of Confucian Liu Sanwu.

At this time, Yu Zhen and the others also kowtowed and thanked him, stood up, stepped forward and said to Zhang Shixing: "Please Zhang Tongzhi enter for a while." ”

Zhang Shixing saw that this Yanqingwei commander made Yu Zhen pale yellow skin, eight-character beard, and mung bean eyes, and he didn't like it, but he had to be perfunctory, and thanked him: "Commander Yu is polite." Then he followed Yu Zhen and his party into the camp.

That Yanqingwei is five miles in radius, covering a small area, but although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs, the military camp, the warehouse, the school field, and the government office are all available, and there is a north-south street in the middle, and the trading shops opened by the families of the soldiers on both sides are still lively.

Yu Zhen welcomed Zhang Shixing into the command envoy's yamen, came to the second hall, and set up a banquet to entertain everyone. For a while, the red candles were shining brightly in the hall, and the guests were full of friends, and they were happy with the wine.

When the wine was half-drunk, Liu Sanwu was a little drunk, and sighed: "The old man is eighty and six this year, and he can't still leave here alive." For this reason, I would like to thank Commander Yu for taking care of him for many years, and the old man did it first as a respect. With that, he drank the wine in his glass.

Yu Zhen also drank the wine in the cup and said, "Liu Gong laughed. Liu Gong is a great Confucian in the sea, everyone admires him, and it is really a blessing to be able to come to my Yanqingwei. The contemptible people have always been upset by what Liu Gong encountered, and today he finally saw the moon in the clouds. When Liu Gong returned to Beijing to face the saint, he asked for a few kind words in front of the saint, so he was grateful. ”

Liu Sanwu said: "That's nature. However, I, Liu Sanwu, called myself Tan Tan Weng, thinking that my life was frank and unassuming, and I thought that a scientific expedition would implicate many people, but now it seems that I am a little stupid and have lost the lives of many people. ”

Zhang Shixing hurriedly made a round and said: "How can this matter be blamed on Liu Gong, Liu Gong is impartial and impartial, and he should be an example for the world's scholars." ”

Liu Sanwu said bitterly: "What is the public? What is selfishness? The old man only realized today that he was really ashamed of those who died in vain. ”

Yu Zhen was afraid that he would say something disrespectful, so he hurriedly picked up his wine glass and persuaded: "Liu Gong, drink, drink." ”

Liu Sanwu was not unhappy, and continued: "Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, the southeast has endowed the world with wealth, and most of the scholars in the scientific examination are southerners. And I was the main examiner, for my own name, regardless of the general trend of the world, so that none of the northern scholars were selected, and finally caused this disaster in the north and south, and gave the lives of Bai Xindao, Zhang Xin and others in vain. ”

After that, he couldn't help but cry.

When everyone heard this, they hurriedly came over to comfort them, and Liu Sanwu stopped his grief, drank a few more glasses, and was overwhelmed by the wine, and was helped into the back hall by Yu Zhen to rest.

Yu Zhen accompanied Zhang Shixing to the backyard of the government office, and someone had already cleaned up a clean room for him to stay.

The two entered, and the guests and hosts sat down, and Yu Zhen said with a smile: "Poor countryside, coarse tea and light rice, let Zhang Tongzhi smile." ”

Zhang Shixing thanked him: "Commander Yu is bothered. In his old age, thanks to Commander Yu's good care, his health and ability to return to Beijing, he will definitely speak well for Commander Yu in front of the saint. ”

Yu Zhen smiled: "Then there will be labor." It's not early, please Zhang Tongzhi rest early, and the contemptible person said goodbye. After saying goodbye, Zhang Shixing got up to send him off, but Yu Zhen took out a stack of treasure money from his arms, stuffed it into Zhang Shixing's hand, and said: "Zhang Tongzhi, saddle horse labor, hard work all the way, a little Cheng Yi, not a respect, Wanwang accepts." ”

Zhang Shixing excused himself again and again, and finally couldn't bear the emotion, so he accepted it. Yu Zhen left.

After a night without words, Zhang Shixing escorted Liu Sanwu to Beiping the next day, and returned to Beijing by boat along the canal, saving the saddle horse labor. Liu Sanwu was old and couldn't ride a horse, so Yu Zhen prepared a big car for him, personally led everyone out of the village, and said goodbye to him.

After walking for two hours, Zhang Shixing probed Liu Sanwu in the car and said: "Liu Gong, we have arrived at Beiping Mansion, whether to rest here, or go directly to the city and get on the boat from the pond." ”

Liu Sanwu lifted the curtain, looked out, and said, "Okay, rest here for a while, let's go to Tongzhou to board the boat." ”

Zhang Shixing was stunned and said: "Gong Liu, the pond is close at hand, why is Gong Liu seeking far?" ”

Liu Sanwu lowered his head and muttered, "I don't want to meet the people of Yanwang's Mansion." ”

Zhang Shixing suddenly realized that after the crown prince Zhu Biaoxu, Emperor Gao originally wanted King Yan to ascend the throne, but Liu Sanwu strongly supported Zhu Yunwen, making King Yan's success a failure, Zhu Yunwen was named the grandson, and now he is the emperor again.

Everyone rested in the roadside shop, ate a bowl of noodle soup, turned to the southeast, and walked for more than an hour, and finally came to the Tongzhou North Canal Wharf.

On the wharf, there are many sails, the ships come and go into the shuttle, it is not lively, on the west side of the canal stands an octagonal thirteen-level dense eaves type solid brick tower, about ten zhang high, the ancient tower is in the clouds, piercing the blue sky.

There is a shrine platform in the south coupon hole of the tower body, and the ancient Buddha of the lamp is enshrined on the platform, so the tower is also called the lamp tower. The remaining three sides are stacked with false doors, and the four inclined planes are carved with false windows. The top brick carved plaque reads "for the benefit of all people". There are wind chimes hanging on the eaves of each layer of towers, swaying with the wind, tinkling, attracting people.

Liu Sanwu got out of the car, stared at the tower for a long time, and said to Zhang Shixing: "According to legend, this tower was built to suppress the white dragon of the Luhe River to prevent it from flooding and endangering the people on both sides of the strait. Standing here for thousands of years, it can be said that the credit is not small, the pillar of Youyan. ”

As soon as the words fell, a person turned out from behind the tower, the dragon walked and the tiger walked, the frontal bone was raised, and the sun was facing the sky, it was Zhu Di, the king of Yan.

Zhu Di stepped forward quickly, held Liu Sanwu's hand and said, "It's just a tower, why worry about it." Liu Lao is the pillar of the imperial court. ”

What are you really afraid of, what is coming, Liu Sanwu couldn't dodge, so he had to kneel down and salute Zhu Di. Zhu Di hurriedly held him up and said, "I can't do it, I can't do it." Liu Lao is a great Confucian at home, a pillar of the country, Emperor Gao still respects you for three points, and this king can be worshiped by you. ”

Liu Sanwu stared at Zhu Di and said, "Is King Yan coming here to take the life of the old man?" ”

Zhu Di looked up to the sky and laughed: "Duke Liu, why do you say this, why does this king want to take your life?" This king just blames you Liu Gong for passing through Beiping and not entering, thinking that there is something that offended Liu Gong, so he is here to apologize. ”

Liu Sanwu said with a guilty face: "The old man is ashamed of King Yan, so he is reluctant to enter the city." It's not that King Yan offended the old man, but that the old man couldn't help it. ”

Zhu Di said indifferently: "Everything is fate, and it is not up to anyone at all." Destiny is there, what regrets do I have. ”

Liu Sanwu nodded and said, "It is really a great fortune for the country that King Yan can think like this. The emperor is a rare benevolent monarch in a century, and King Yan is a military wizard. As long as you uncle and nephew work together, the world will be safe. ”

Zhu Di sighed: "I mean so. However, the court suspects us and other uncles, and repeatedly cuts the domain, I am afraid that the world will be restless. ”

Liu Sanwu said: "After the old man returns to Beijing, he will definitely say yes to King Yan and bridge the love of your uncle and nephew." ”

Zhu Di shook it to the ground and said, "Thank you Liu Gong, this great kindness will be repaid in the future." ”

After that, Zhu Di ordered people to put a few drinks and food on the case, and gave Liu Sanwu to practice. Liu Sanwu drank a few glasses, then boarded the boat, waved goodbye to everyone, and Zhang Shixing sent his lieutenants to escort him.

On the occasion of parting, Liu Sanwu chanted a poem as a pre-departure gift: "Don't blame Sanwu for not getting up, almost stepping on the red dust with two feet; Relatives and friends don't care about each other, and the old age is silent and lazy. So he set sail and turned east.