The weather was gloomy, and the sound of the call outside the house stopped at some point.

In the small room, Tang Minjie, who had a thin face and a full beard, was curled up by the stove in a daze with a teacup, and suddenly woke up. He raised his head, listened to the silence outside, took a sip of water, and reached out to wipe some of the patterns on the ashes on the ground before slowly standing up.

Pushing open the door with difficulty, the wind and snow outside the house had stopped, and the sound of rustling gradually began to appear in my ears, followed by the sound of people on the street, and not many footsteps.

It was afternoon, and I didn't know what time it was. Tang Minjie closed the door, calculated in his heart, turned around and began to sort out the coat that went out.

When I put on the hat, my ears with chilblains hurt so much that I wanted to reach out and tear them off - this is not good in the north, every winter frostbite, fingers, feet, and ears will all be frozen, and after arriving in Beijing, this situation is getting worse, and I feel that my hands and feet are itching too much.

Lu Mingfang is much better in this regard. In fact, if you had considered this earlier, you should have allowed yourself to go back to the south to enjoy a few days of happiness, with your alertness and talent, you will not be yin by Mandu Daru in the future, and you will end up with his virtue.

Thinking so, he put on his gloves with some difficulty, and then put on a torn cloak with a scarf, and the whole person was no longer very recognizable.

This is one of the benefits of heavy snowy days, and people on the streets try to cover themselves tightly, and it is difficult to see who is who. Of course, because Lu Mingfang's actions in Shangjing were relatively restrained and did not make a lot of trouble on the surface, the investigation of residents in the city here was relatively relaxed.

Leave the door of your temporary house and walk along the snow-covered road towards the south. It was already October 21 on this day, and it was already the beginning of October of this year when we set off on August 15 and rushed all the way to Shangjing. Originally, I thought that Wu Qimai had died for so long, and the eastern and western governments should have fought long ago to determine the new emperor's belonging, but the progress of the whole situation did not become so ideal.

For reasons he did not understand, Wu Qimai revised his previous edict before his death, and in the final edict, he withdrew his mandate to the next emperor of the Jin Kingdom, and handed over the choice of the new monarch to the heads of the various branches of the Yan clan and Zhu Bo to vote for after discussion.

This kind of discussion used to be a method used by the Jurchen clan in the early years when it was still in the stage of tribal alliance, and theoretically speaking, Dajin, who is already a country, has suffered such a change, and it is very likely that it will be bloodied and divided. However, throughout October, the atmosphere in Shangjing was indeed solemn, and there were even several emergency troops and small-scale battles of the army, but the bloodshed that really affected the whole city was always contained at the most critical moment.

In the twenty days since he came to Beijing, during intermittent inquiries, Tang Minjie also roughly figured out the outline of things here.

At present, Shangjing is in a stalemate stage of "three kingdoms". Just as he once introduced to Xu Xiaolin, on one side is Hulubo Jilie Wanyan Zonggan who is standing behind Zongfu Zongbi, on the other side is Wanyan Zongpan, the sister-in-law of Wu Qimai, and the third party is Zong Han and Xiyin, who arrived in Shangjing at the end of September.

Theoretically speaking, Zong Han's side has lost the possibility of becoming the next Jin Emperor, and as soon as they arrived in Beijing, they first made an appointment to meet Wanyan Zongpan, who was at a disadvantage, but still had a lot of momentum; Subsequently, he visited every household and began to exaggerate the progress and terrible progress of the Huaxia Army in the southwest; In words, it was demanded that the various branches of the Jin state must put aside today's dispute and elect an emperor who would satisfy everyone in order to deal with the next great threat that might be killed from the south.

If such a thing hadn't been said by figures like Zong Han and Xi Yin, it might not have been noticed by anyone among the Jin people in Shangjing. But in any case, Zong Han's decades of fighting for the Jin State have indeed accumulated a huge reputation and prestige for him, and others may suspect other things, but at this moment when Ah Guta, Wu Qimai, Zong Wang, Lou Room and others have all gone, no one can really question his judgment with Xi Yin on the battlefield, and in the hearts of many old people who still survive in the Jin Kingdom, Zong Han and Xi Yin's fist heart for Dajin has a bit of weight after all.

In this way, the delicate balance in Shangjing has been maintained, and the winner has not been decided for the entire month of October.

Of course, when it comes to details, the whole state of affairs can be summed up in much more than just a little description. From September to October, countless negotiations and fights appeared in Shangjing, because this time the heads of the Wanyan clan have the right to vote, some respected elders have also been invited to lobby around, lobbying failed, naturally there are threats and even murder to solve the problem, such a balance has twice almost broken due to loss of control, but Zong Han and Xi Yin are running in it, and every time at the moment of crisis, some key people are pulled to their side, pressing the situation, and more widely selling their "black flag threat theory".

If there is a team in Beijing that is good at action, or if something happens in Cloudsdale, Tang Minjie will have to take a risk. But the situation he faced was not ideal, although Lu Mingfang's position came here, he was not familiar with Lu Mingfang's intelligence network here, and under the policy of "going into hibernation", he actually didn't want to wake up the comrades here on a large scale.

After coming to Beijing for so long, there is only one trustworthy source of information, and out of prudence, the exchanges between the two sides are intermittent, and it is extremely difficult to get first-hand information. Of course, there is no squad anyway - it's a relief to think about it.

Leaving the alley of the civilian area here, when I entered the street, there was a car driven by a certain prince's family, and soldiers were clearing the road nearby. Tang Minjie and a group of people knelt on the side of the road, and when they looked up, it was Wanyan Zongfu's carriage hurrying away under the guarded by the soldiers, and they didn't know what was going to happen.

After this little episode, he got up and walked on, turning the street to the edge of a relatively secluded, snow-covered square. He walked around the neighborhood for a few moments, looking for suspicious signs, and after about half an hour the target in bloated gray came from the other side of the street, opened the door in front of a small simple courtyard, and entered the house.

Tang Minjie continued to wander around, and after another half an hour, he went to the door of the small courtyard and knocked on the door. The door opened immediately—the man in gray stood at the door, peeking out quietly—Tang Minjie flashed in, and the two walked to the house inside.

The woman dressed in gray was a woman who looked to be about thirty years old, with a dignified appearance and a small mole on the corner of her mouth. After entering the room with a charcoal fire, she took off her coat, picked up the kettle and poured two glasses of water, and only after Tang Minjie, who was cold enough, picked up a glass, she took another cup and took a sip.

"How's it going out there?" Tang Minjie's voice was slightly hoarse, and the chilblains were itchy and unbearable, so he couldn't help but gently tear the scabs on his hands.

"There's not much progress." The woman said, "What I can hear now is some irrelevant gossip below, the two sons and daughters of the family have received Zongbi's things and voted for Zonggan's side, Wanyan Zongpan is wooing Wanyan Zongyi, Wanyan Ahuli, these people, Sui Guogong and Mu Zongyi, I heard that they will arrive in Beijing in these two days, and when the time comes, all the heads of Wanyan's various branches will be here, but I heard in private that Zonggan's side has not yet received the most support, and there may be people who don't want them to enter the city too quickly." That's all...... Do you trust me? ”

When she said the last sentence, Tang Minjie, who was subconsciously leaning against the fire, was slightly stunned, looked over, and the woman's gaze also looked at him quietly. This woman's name is Cheng Min, she was saved by Lu Mingfang in the early years, but what she did in Shangjing was the skin and meat business in the goulan, she had collected a lot of information for Lu Mingfang in the past, and she was slowly developed. Although Lu Mingfang said that she was trustworthy, he was dead after all, and he had only met a few times now, and Tang Minjie was still vigilant after all.

After their eyes met for a moment, Tang Minjie tilted his head: "I believe in Lao Lu." ”

The woman nodded: "You can't bake the fire if you're frozen, stay away." Then he took the wooden basin in the house, scooped up the hot water, added some snow to it, and brought a towel to it.

"Sit down." She said, pushing Tang Minjie on the stool, "If you have these chilblains, don't worry about the fire, the more you roast, the worse it gets." You can't wash it with cold water or hot water, you can only wipe it slowly and warmly......"

As she spoke, she squatted there and gently wiped Tang Minjie's hands a few times, and then got up to wipe the chilblains and pus from his ears. The woman's movements are light and skillful, but they also seem firm, and at this time there is not much feeling of a woman who is smoky and flattering, but Tang Minjie is a little uncomfortable. When the woman had finished wiping her hands and ears, took out a small cloth bag from the side, and took out the small box inside, he asked, "What is this?" ”

"Whoever cures chilblains, smell it." She understood the vigilance in the other party's heart, and handed the thing over directly, Tang Minjie sniffed it, but naturally couldn't distinguish it clearly, only to see the other party say: "You have come here so many times, if I really voted for Jinren and wanted to arrest you, I would have been able to catch it a long time ago, right?" ”

Tang Minjie looked at her: "I left my hand behind, if something happens to me, you will definitely die." ”

"That's fine." The woman smiled calmly, took the medicine box directly, picked out the ointment inside, and began to give him medicine, "This thing is not good once or twice, it mainly depends on paying more attention to it." ”

After applying the medicine on her hands and ears, she put the basin on the ground, pulled up one of Tang Minjie's feet and was about to take off her shoes, Tang Minjie struggled: "My feet are fine." ”

"When you enter the door, you can see that your feet are itchy, the same as those on your hands and ears, and you don't need to see outside."

"I'll go back ...... myself"

Before Tang Minjie finished speaking, the other party had already pulled off the boots on his feet, and the room was suddenly filled with a stinky smell. There are all kinds of inconveniences in a foreign land, Tang Minjie has not even taken a bath for nearly a month, and the smell on his feet is even more indescribable. But the other party just moved his face back a little and slowly and carefully took off his socks.

Frostbite bleeds pus in shoes, and many times it will be knotted with socks, Tang Minjie felt a little embarrassed, but Cheng Min didn't care: "In Beijing for so many years, all I learned was to serve people, and you stinky men are like this." It's okay. ”

She took off Tang Minjie's shoes and socks, then soaked them in warm water for a while, and took out a piece of cloth to slowly scrub him. Tang Minjie remained vigilant in his heart: "You are very good at observation. ”

"If they hadn't learned to read words and how to find out information, they wouldn't have talked about many things." The woman sitting in front of her smiled slightly, "By the way, how did Lao Lu die?" ”

"I hurt him." Tang Minjie said, "He could have gone south alone, but I saved a woman over there and asked him to take care of him on the way south, but I didn't expect this woman to be targeted by the golden dog for several years......

When Tang Minjie said this, there was silence in the room for a moment, and the movements of the woman's hands did not stop, and only after a while did she ask: "Did you die happily?" ”

"Didn't get caught." Yes

"That's a good thing."

"You ...... with Old Lu"

"We're fine." The woman wiped his feet, drugged him, looked up and smiled, "I can't stain a hero like him." ”

“……”

Tang Minjie was speechless for a while, and after the woman gave him the medicine, she picked up the wooden basin and got up: "I can see that you are similar people, you are more vigilant than Lao Lu, and you are attentive from beginning to end." This is a good thing, you can do great things like this, and those who take it lightly are dead. Don't wear the socks yet, I'll find out if there are any rags and sew a new one for you. ”

A pair of socks has been worn for so long, and it is basically dirty, but Tang Minjie shook his head: "No need, it's not early, if there is no other important news, let's meet again in a few days." ”

The woman nodded: "That's not in a hurry, at least dry your feet." ”

The medicine was applied to his feet, which was very cool and comfortable, and Tang Minjie didn't want to leave immediately. Of course, on the other hand, physical comfort always made him feel a little uncomfortable and uneasy—he hated the feeling of comfort in the enemy's place.

When the woman poured water and came in, Tang Minjie said, "You ...... Why do you have to stay in that kind of place......"

The woman put down the wooden basin and replied with a natural expression: "I was taken captive when I was more than ten years old, and I stained my body with those beasts, and then I was lucky enough to not die, and by the time I met Lao Lu, I was already ...... It's been six or seven years in those days, and to be honest, I'm used to it. You also said that I will observe the words and feelings, and I can find out the news for Lao Lu, I think I am taking revenge. I hate in my heart, you know? ”

When she said this, her words were frank and she smiled, but Tang Minjie nodded slightly.

“…… Later, Lao Lu managed to get me the identity of a Bohai woman, and in Shangjing, I would not be bullied like a Han woman, but he also persuaded me, whether to go back to the south, but what can I do if I go back, half of my life here, everything, really go back, I only have heartache when I think about it. But staying here to inquire about the news, I knew that I was cutting flesh on the Jurchens, and I felt better when I thought about it. ”

She paused: "This courtyard is the original home of the Bohai people, they died unexpectedly, and I have a household registration, so I come here from time to time......"

At this point, a rapid gong suddenly sounded in the distance outside the house, and I didn't know what was happening. Tang Minjie's expression was shocked, and he was about to get up suddenly, and Cheng Min, who was opposite, pressed his hand: "I'll go out and have a look." ”

She put on her cloak and flashed out. Tang Minjie also quickly put on his shoes and socks, put on his hat, reached out to pick up a nearby firewood knife, and walked out of the door. The sound of gongs in the distant streets was rapid, but it was not aimed at the ambush here. He hid behind the courtyard gate and looked out, and the pedestrians on the road hurriedly walked back, and after a while, Cheng Min came back.

"Something's wrong." She whispered, but there was excitement in her eyes, "I heard that the army is moving outside, and the Tiger Ben army has gone to the city wall, maybe it is because they see that Sui Guogong and they are about to enter Beijing, and someone is going to make trouble!" ”

The heads of the various branches of the Wanyan clan did not all live in Shangjing, and after Wu Qimai's edict was officially announced, these people gathered on the side of Shangjing. And once the personnel arrive, as soon as the clan assembly opens, the ownership of the throne may be revealed, in this context, some people hope that they will arrive sooner, and some people hope that it will be later, it is not surprising. And it is in this kind of game that large-scale bloodshed may occur at any time, and then a great split within the entire Jin country will break out.

Tang Minjie came here, looking forward to such waves. He thought for a moment: "Can you still walk outside?" ”

"The army is under martial law, and it may be very conspicuous when there are few people. If you live far away, or have been interrogated......" Cheng Min frowned when he said this, and then said, "I think you should stay here for a while, anyway, it will be difficult for me to return, let's work together, if someone comes to the door, or if something really happens, it is good to have a response." You tell me. ”

She looked at Tang Minjie, and Tang Minjie hesitated for a moment. When he came to Shangjing, no one could believe it for a while, so he played some tricks and found a house from the black market to live temporarily, which was also to have a way out when dealing with Cheng Min. At present, although there is no large-scale search for Black Flag spies in Shangjing, other rumors are very tight, and they have been interrogated, and they don't know what will go wrong.

Thinking about it like this, I finally said, "Okay, I'm sorry to bother you." ”

Cheng Min looked at the shoes and socks he was wearing on his feet again, and smiled helplessly: "I'll find you some rags to make socks first, and then find something to eat." ”

It was dusk, the sky was cloudy, and it looked like it could snow at any moment. The two of them walked into the room, ready to wait patiently for the possible outcome of the night, and in the dim city, there were already a little lights began to light up.

“…… There is a saying that is rumored in the outside world nowadays...... The ownership of the next emperor of Jin was originally a matter between Zong Gan and Zong Han, but Wu Qimai's son Zong Pan was ambitious and had to ascend to the throne. Of course, Wu Qimai disagreed at first......"

In the outer city, the army walked through the streets through the snow, and the atmosphere had become solemn. In the small courtyard here, the lights in the room were flickering, and Cheng Min took out a needle and thread, sewed socks with rags, and told Tang Minjie the story about Wu Qimai.

This is the beginning of a long night......