It's July, the heat has subsided, and the weather is getting cooler. Shao An had just entered the capital, and before he could catch his breath, he went straight to the imperial city to resume his life. As soon as he got off the horse at the gate of the palace, he saw Sun Yi, the secretary of the ministry, coming out of it, so he greeted him and called, "Lord Sun." ”

When Sun Yi saw Shao An at first glance, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Junyi, you're finally back." In the days when you are not in the capital, the court is really treacherous. ”

Shao An heard this, but smiled silently.

Sun Yi continued: "I forgot to congratulate you on your promotion. This can be described as a step to the sky, directly promoted to the second grade. Moreover, among these six departments, except for the household department, it is the most expensive in the criminal department, which is gratifying. ”

Everyone knows that among the six departments, the Ministry of Officials is the most expensive. The so-called "officials are expensive and households are rich, the military department is military and the criminal department is mighty, the rite department is poor and the labor department is cheap." "It can be seen that those who are in power and those who are in charge of money are fat differences.

But when Sun Yi said this, Shao An pretended to be confused, and pushed the boat down the river and said, "Where is it." The six parts are all for the saint, how can there be a distinction between high and low. ”

"Having said that, who doesn't know that among the six departments, the most important thing is the household criminal soldiers. However...... "Sun Yi changed his words, "Although the left and right waiters are both positive and second-class, the left is greater than the right." That Feng Zhiyuan has always pressed you, and it may not be easy to get along with you in the future. ”

"When I was investigating the case with Lord Feng, I got along very well. There shouldn't be any friction in the future. ”

Sun Yi smiled, noncommittal, and changed the subject: "The northwest border affairs will be Jing, your brother is coming back soon." ”

Shao An nodded.

"What are you going to do about the amnesia?" Sun Yi asked with concern.

Mentioning this, Shao An's mood was a little heavy, and he was silent for a while.

Sun Yi knew that he was hesitating, so he stopped forcing him, "There is still some time before he comes back, if you need any help, but it doesn't matter." ”

"Your Excellency is kind, and the lower officials understand it. But let's let it be. Shao An excused himself, "Now I only hope that he will return safely, and I can't wait to go to the northwest to help him." I am in the capital, and my heart is at the border. ”

Sun Yi said: "If you go outside, you must first settle inside." The capital is peaceful, and the border can be peaceful. ”

"Fortunately, the internal troubles have been eliminated, as for the external troubles...... It's beyond the reach of the whip. Shao An sighed lightly, recalling the days when he first went to the battlefield with his brother in previous years......

※※※※※

In the summer of the nineteenth year of Yongkang, Xiou led 100,000 troops to invade the border pass. Su Jinmin, the king of An, was ordered to lead 80,000 troops and rushed to the border to resist the enemy.

On the eve of leaving, King An called Li Hongyi and An Er to the study and instructed them to pay attention to matters. Towards the end of the conversation, King An suddenly asked, "I'm about to go to the battlefield, I wonder if your two brothers are afraid?" ”

"Don't be afraid!" Li Hongyi said categorically.

An'er glanced at King An deeply, and said softly, "I'm afraid ......"

Listening to these two diametrically opposed answers, King An smiled and said: "Some people go to the battlefield to make meritorious contributions, and some people go to the battlefield just to survive. No matter what the purpose, whether we are afraid or not, there is only one way for us to go. ”

An'er was a little worried in her heart, and anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was a vicious battle, and she didn't want to send her to death. King Ke'an was weak, and he was forced by the Taizi Party and the Jin King Party at the same time, so he had to go to the battlefield.

However, Li Hongyi did not understand the government affairs, let alone whether it was a vicious war or not, and only wanted to make meritorious contributions. His eyes sparkled with longing, and his face showed a look of eagerness. Li Hongyi felt that his blood was about to boil, and he had finally been useful by practicing martial arts.

At this time, Chen Huaien pushed the door in and reported: "Lord Wang, King Jin is here." ”

King An knew very well the purpose of King Jin's coming, so he didn't leave the two brothers, "You go and say goodbye to the eighth child." Tomorrow at noon, if there is a delay, military law is ruthless! ”

King Jin was waiting in the back garden of King An's mansion, and when he saw them coming, he said with a little excitement: "Tomorrow you will go on an expedition, and you will have the last gathering tonight, but you must have a good time." ”

"Where to go? Cinema again? Li Hongyi asked. He is a martial artist, and he can't understand this play even more than An'er.

"You absolutely love to watch the drama you ordered, let's go, let's go, let......'s go," King Jin said while dragging Li Hongyi, and the three of them dragged into the theater.

Sure enough, this drama is what Li Hongyi likes to watch, it is all martial arts, what "Luo Cheng Called Guan", "Eight Hammers", "Single Knife Meeting"...... It's a joke, but it's appropriate.

On the stage, Wusheng sang the sentence "The silver gun is inserted in the saddle", which is a pride and dry clouds. An'er thought to herself: Maybe every man's heart is full of longing for this vast world. Together with his brothers, follow a hero to level the world and reward Ling Yunzhi with blood.

At the end of the song, everyone is gone, and the moment of separation still comes. But at this time, the three of them were ambitious, and they could not understand the meaning of going to the battlefield, and they did not understand the parting.

King Jin learned the lines in the play, and arched his hand: "I wish you a victorious start and a great defeat of the enemy." ”

Li Hongyi patted his chest and said, "That is necessary, I will definitely fight bravely to kill the enemy." When the time comes, when I come back, I can give swords, worship generals, and make meritorious deeds. Isn't it, An'er? ”

"Yes, yes, yes." An'er joked, "In the future, you will be crowned as a general, but don't forget my brother." ”

"Well, not necessarily." Li Hongyi deliberately ridiculed. An'er squinted at him, and the two fought again at the entrance of the theater.

During the chase and fighting, he suddenly heard a "bang", and the jade pendant on An'er's waist fell to the ground.

"Hey, what kind of ...... is this" King Jin's eyes were sharp, he picked it up and looked at it: "This jade pendant is so beautiful." ”

As soon as An'er touched the emptiness on her waist, she immediately reacted, and immediately went to grab the jade pendant picked up by King Jin, "That's mine!" ”

King Jin flashed, making An'er pounce, "Anyway, you're going to go to the battlefield, it's not good if you break it." Why don't you leave it to me for safekeeping? ”

An'er caress his forehead, I didn't expect King Jin to be so childlike, but although this jade is Lantian jade, the color is ordinary, and it is not very expensive. Seeing that King Jin couldn't put it down, he said, "Forget it, I'll give it to you." ”

Marching for March, they finally reached the border. As far as the eye can see, the yellow sand is long, as if you are in the golden sea, boundless. Li Hongyi and An'er were deeply shocked, and An'er remembered the sentence "The desert is lonely, and the sun sets on the long river." And what Li Hongyi thought of was "Huangsha wears gold armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be returned if it is not broken." ”

At the beginning of his military career, Li Hongyi showed his talent for fighting; His riding and archery and martial arts are all of the highest quality. And An'er seems to be powerless. It is said that An'er has always been competitive and competitive, but now she is deeply hit in the army and feels lost.

Later, An'er gave up on himself a little, and he relied on his own medical skills to ask King An to let him become a military doctor. King An didn't expect him to become a peerless general, so he agreed. Now An'er finally got rid of the miserable and painful martial arts career, and in the future, she only needs to follow the old military doctor every day to save the life and help the wounded.

After Li Hongyi learned the news, he immediately rushed into the military medical camp, and when he saw that An'er was pounding medicine, he immediately opened his mouth and asked, "You, you, what are you doing?" ”

An'er didn't bother to pay attention to him, and said casually: "Pound the medicine!" ”

"I've really become a military doctor. You don't have a fever, do you? Li Hongyi made a gesture to touch An'er's head, but An'er dodged him, so he hated the way that iron is not steel, "Do you understand that only by going to the battlefield can you have military merits, what is the use of you making medicine here?" ”

An'er stopped pounding the medicine and looked up at him, "In those days when I practiced martial arts, I couldn't even shoot arrows accurately, and I didn't make any progress." I think people still have to do what they are good at. As for military exploits, you have to do it. ”

But Li Hongyi still did not give up and persuaded: "Even if you are a military doctor now, you don't have to go to the battlefield." But at least learn the basics of life-saving. You see that those military advisors and staff members also have some martial arts foundation. ”

An'er said trickily: "Look at my head, this figure, it's not material for martial arts, so forget it." ”

Li Hongyi also knew that it was indeed difficult for him to practice martial arts, so he scratched his ears and cheeks and thought about it for a long time, and then he had an idea: "Why don't I teach you light skills." At least, uh, run fast when running for your life! ”

An'er: "......"

After several days of preparation, a big battle was about to begin, and the barracks were filled with a tense and busy atmosphere. At this time, Li Hongyi was the first lieutenant, and he was even more busy with his feet not touching the ground.

This post of lieutenant was selected by the army a few days ago when Li Hongyi was selected for the post of lieutenant, and because of his outstanding martial arts skills and his enthusiasm and generosity, he was recommended by everyone. The chief saw that he was very good at riding and shooting, and learned that he was from King An's mansion, so he was happy to be a favor.

King Ke'an seems to be noble in the army, but he is only the nominal commander. After all, he has no experience in leading troops, and he has to rely on the hussar general Gao Wei for this arrangement.

Gao Wei, whose character is heavy (zhong), has been guarding the customs here for many years and is an experienced veteran. His eyes were like torches, his body was burly, and his hair was gray. Therefore, he is only in his forties, and he looks older than his actual age.

Approaching the big war, Gao Wei was transferring troops and sending generals, King An listened carefully to his military orders to the generals, and said to Gao Wei after the generals ordered them to retreat: "The general's deployment is meticulous and rigorous, and it is not leaky." ”

"Passing the prize." Gao Wei's tone is steady, not arrogant, not impatient, neither humble nor arrogant.

"It's just that this king is a little worried." King An euphemistically proposed, "Is the information obtained by the general reliable?" ”

Gao Wei's face was solemn, and he said word by word: "Don't worry, the prince." ”

King An pursed his lips, weighed the pros and cons and said: "The big battle is imminent, and the generals are of the same heart." This king is leading the army for the first time, and he is afraid that he will not be competent, and everything depends on the general. ”

Gao Wei saw that although King An was a prince, he was very modest, and he did not command blindly before the battle, so he suddenly had a good feeling and respect for him.

And at this moment, the battle is about to break out.

※※※※※

"Did Liu Yongzhou see anyone before he died?" As soon as Shao An came to the Criminal Department, he didn't care about anything else, so he went to Feng Che first to inquire about the matter.

Feng Che looked at him meaningfully, "What do you mean by asking?" ”

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Shao An said bluntly: "Did Liu Yongzhou commit suicide?" ”

"After an autopsy, it was suicide. And before he died, no one visited him. After Liu Yongzhou's death, he immediately sent an experienced person to conduct an autopsy, and the prison visit records had already been checked.

Shao An questioned: "But don't you think this matter is strange?" Perhaps the visitor was in a high position and was not registered. ”

Feng Che said solemnly: "Then there are only officials above the second grade, or the emperor is poor." Lord Shao is so concerned about this matter, it is better to ask Dong Ji in the prison, he is a good book. ”

Shao An and Feng Che looked at each other and smiled, Dong Ji is indeed the biggest suspect.

Coming out of the room, Shao An turned his head to look at the little guy who had been waiting at the door for a long time, "Did you hear everything?" Your father killed himself. ”

The little guy raised his head sharply and said unconvinced: "That's also forced, I want to see Dong Ji." ”

Shao An shook his head helplessly, "It seems that you won't die if you don't see him." Anyway, I happened to have something to ask him. ”

The place where Dong Jiguan is in Tianzi No. 1 cell, but it happens to be the one where Liu Yongzhou is kept.

Shao An is now a member of the Criminal Department, so naturally he has been unimpeded all the way. Behind him is Liu Yongzhou's son, pretending to be a minor official of the Criminal Department, and he also blended in openly.

Shao An ordered the jailer to open the door and asked straight to the point: "You have been planning for a long time about collaborating with the enemy." Who set up the bureau in the first place? ”

"Concubine Shu, Lord Jiang." It doesn't hurt for Dong Ji to say it clearly, anyway, the original planner has long since died.

This answer was expected by Shao An, but he still didn't feel at ease and said: "King Jin ......"

"King Jin doesn't know, don't involve him."

Shao An finally relieved himself when he heard this, and asked again: "Then Liu Yongzhou, did he collaborate with the enemy?" ”

"Nope. But he was in the know. ”

Shao An looked sideways at the little official behind him slightly, and saw that the young man stood on the spot when he heard the words, looking incredulous. After all, if you don't report it, even if you don't die, you can't escape its responsibility.

"Last question, how did Liu Yongzhou die?"

“…… I'm dying. When answering this question, Dong Ji obviously hesitated, not as crisp as he had just answered.

"You! It's you! The person who had been silent next to him suddenly went crazy and wanted to fight Dong Ji. Shao An's eyes were quick, he turned around and hugged him, pushed him outside the prison door, and said in a low voice, "Do you want to attract the jailers?" He will be beheaded on the same day, and revenge is not at this time. ”

The young man looked at Dong Ji angrily, Shao An pulled and pulled, and finally dragged him away.

After they left, a person slowly walked out of the darkness, dressed in black and robes, hidden in the dark and couldn't be found at all.

Dong Ji said to the man in black: "Liu Yongzhou was forced to death by you." ”

"Yes and no. But thank you for helping to cover it up. The man in black said nonchalantly in thanks.

"Those who are dying are too lazy to know." Dong Ji revealed a trace of exhaustion, "Now that I have told you everything I know, I can leave with confidence." ”

The young man followed behind Shao An silently, depressed. He couldn't understand that his father in his eyes was honest and honest. But in Dong Ji's mouth, he became a traitor.

Shao An said indifferently: "No politician is clean, and your father is no exception. What kind of frame-up, what kind of revenge, it's all a joke. Hurry up and leave Chang'an and go home to live in peace. ”

"What about you? Are you clean? The boy asked stunned.

"Haha, of course it's not clean." Shao An patted the young man's shoulder, looking at the person in front of him who was so simple, he really shouldn't stay in the capital. Because Chang'an is such a wonderful place, it can make people fly to the top of the clouds in an instant; Chang'an is also such a desperate place, which can make people fall to the bottom immediately.

But the young man, before leaving, suddenly turned around and said to Shao An: "Shao An, one day, I will come back to you." Remember my name - Liu Ruqing. ”