On the ninth day of the first month, he needed to go to Chen Hongfan's banquet, and the county seat of Zaoyang County was waiting to be dealt with a lot of military and political affairs, but Zhao Dangshi, who was busy with his busy schedule, temporarily withdrew on the seventh day of the first month and went back to Fanhe City alone.

Everything is because of Fu Xunyu's letter.

Go back a few days. Niu Shoutong, a senior doctor in Zhao Ying, confirmed that Ma Guangyu had suffered from the relieving poison of Ma Nux before his death through the inquest of the bones that Ma Guangning carried. Then, Fu Xunyu analyzed a lot of information based on this fact, and questioned the real reason for Ma Guangyu's death. Ma Guangning recalled the past, his position was shaken, and he obeyed the arrangement, and went to Fanhecheng Prison with Fu Xunyu again to visit Ma Guangchun.

Fu Xunyu didn't show up at first, only let Ma Guangning talk to Ma Guangchun, and waited in the warehouse outside Shimen. After a while, I saw Ma Guangning come out with a blue face and bite his lip, and hurriedly greeted the inquiry. As expected, Ma Guangchun did only know about arsenic's frost, and he didn't know anything about Ma Guangyu's poison back then.

Although Ma Guangchun is known for his changes, he is a downright person, and there is no need to lie in the face of his own brother. Unbeknownst to him, his earlier speculation came true, and he was in the dark nine times out of ten. In this way, Ma Shouying was in cahoots with the Lu family, covering up people's eyes and ears to slow down the poison to stimulate Ma Guangyu, and taking the opportunity to provoke the love of the Ma family's brothers, and finally the trick of fratricidal flesh and blood came to fruition. In Ma Guangning's eyes, Ma Guangchun was deceived and lost his relatives, which can also be regarded as a victim, but Ma Guangchun doesn't think so.

"At that time, the eldest brother was half crazy, and the status and strength in the camp were equal, and Ma Shouying and I were on an equal footing. Ma Shouying must have been afraid that I would thoroughly investigate the cause of death, so he did not hesitate to take a few more detours and drag me into the water. Ma Guangchun's face was dead, staring straight at the few stalks in front of his feet, "I'm as stupid as a cow, I used people as a knife, hurt my relatives, and didn't even know the sins suffered by my eldest brother until now!" Alas, it's both stupid and brutal, it's better to be a real pig and a dog! ”

Ma Guangning hurriedly said: "This matter was planned by Ma Shouying and the Lu family, and such adulterers and adulteresses are the culprits. Why does the second brother take all the blame on himself! ”

Ma Guangchun shook his head and said: "In fact, after the death of the eldest brother, Ma Shouying married the Lu family. I felt something was wrong from then on. However, there was no turning back from the bow, and the more I thought about it, the more piercing it became. I didn't want to think about it anymore, and I was relieved that I had to put the 'overall situation' first, and others regarded me as devoting myself to the army and didn't care about anything else, thinking that I was not in love with the power stack, but I didn't know that I was really cowardly, and I could only use the military affairs to numb myself. In front of you, I am also silent, empty and wronged, only afraid of stabbing the basket, and no longer have the face to live as a human ......" Speaking of this, I sighed, "I can't escape the blame for the death of my eldest brother, and I am deceived by the villain, and it is even more wrong to make mistakes." Now there is only one death to pay for the blood debt! After that, he subconsciously went to find Guan San'er, but suddenly remembered that Guan San'er had been taken elsewhere, and beat his chest and sighed.

Ma Guangning was speechless, turned around and left without saying a word, no matter how Ma Guangchun called behind him, he turned a deaf ear.

After a brief explanation of the conversation with Fu Xunyu, Ma Guangning said with a sad face: "Although the matter is clear, my second brother's intention to die is more keen. What can I do? ”

Fu Xunyu thought for a while and said, "I'll go in with you." Don't open your mouth this time, I'll tell you. ”

Ma Guangning sighed and said, "Okay." ”

When the two returned to the prison, Ma Guangchun had his back to them, lying on his side facing the stone wall of the prison and sleeping. Before Fu Xunyu could speak, Ma Guangchun seemed to have long eyes in the back of his head, and said first: "If you guess correctly, you are the Mr. Fu?" ”

Fu Xunyu bowed and saluted, "General Ma, we met the day before yesterday." ”

Ma Guangchun said: "I have made up my mind, and I will never give up my camp to join Zhao Ying." Nothing more than death. Mr. Fu is convenient, raise his noble hand, and give me someone a happy one. ”

Fu Xunyu raised his hand to stop Ma Guangning, who was impulsive, and said with a smile: "General Ma will be wrong, Fu Mou is not here to persuade him to surrender, but to feel sorry for General Ma." ”

Ma Guangchun sneered: "Don't let your tongue go. One person does things and one person is responsible, and someone has resisted it with his life, isn't it okay? ”

Fu Xunyu said solemnly: "Life? It is natural for a person to pay for his life. But General Ma thinks that with just one life of yours, you can atone for all your sins? ”

Ma Guangchun's body was shocked, and he swallowed his anger and said, "What do you mean?" ”

Fu Xunyu said: "For example, if Brother Ling almost fell into the hands of Ma Shouying because of your mistakes before, if he really has three longs and two shorts, do you still think that you can compensate for the lives of two brothers with your life?" In the same way, the death of the eldest brother due to a mistake could have been regarded as a negligence, but in the future, he knew it without saying a word, and repeatedly concealed it, so that many patriarchs had to obey the orders of the traitor Ma Shouying, so that the family was ruined, is it not the fate of these people? He continued, "General Ma, because of you alone, countless people have suffered, and you don't want to make up for it but just want to die without asking about the world, isn't today's choice the same as pretending to be deaf and dumb to escape back then?" What a coward! ”

When Ma Guangchun heard this, he sighed lightly.

Fu Xunyu muttered: "The crime of committing murder with the hands of a sleeping man lies with the person holding the hand, not the sleeping person." On the other hand, although General Ma did not sleep, how different was he from the person in his dream? Speaking of this, he observed that Ma Guangchun's shoulders trembled slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Ma Shouying deceived the superiors and subordinates, used poisonous tricks to provoke your brothers to kill each other, and took your sister-in-law to occupy the camp, which is extremely sinful." The way of heaven is magnificent, if General Ma is a true hero, he should not retreat and sit back and watch such thieves live happily! "With that, he walked away.

A day later, Ma Guangchun fell.

and Zhao Dangshi returned to Fanhe City, three full days have passed since Ma Guangchun was released from prison.

The Fan River was trickling, Zhao Dangshi led his horse to wade through the water, and the three figures on the opposite bank stood side by side.

One of them is tall and thin, with deep facial features, and when he saw Zhao Dangshi, he came to salute first: "The villain Ma Guangchun, with his younger brother Ma Guangning and the family general Guan San'er, is waiting for the lord." "There was a bit of jerkiness in his speech.

"Hahaha, there is no need to be formal, the name of 'Xiao Mengqi' is very famous." Zhao Dangshi said with a smile, "Speaking of which, three years ago, I was still serving as a member of the Ma Army in the back camp, and I still have a friendship with Brother Ma. ”

Ma Guangchun hesitated for a moment, then squeezed out a smile and said, "I see, it's really a villain's luck." After that, he secretly felt a little embarrassed. Because since the death of Ma Guangyu, the Ma army that returned to the camp was led by Ma Guangchun, Zhao Dangshi is not only a hundred households of the Ma army, but it is said that it is the "friendship of the robe", but if you really think about it, it must be Ma Guangchun's subordinate. In just three years, the status of the two sides has changed, and no one can expect it.

Fortunately, Zhao Dangshi didn't have the heart to get entangled in this section, and he and Ma Guangchun stood up with their hands and said: "I have also heard what happened to Brother Ling. Brother Ling is really a good man, his reputation is far and wide, Ma Shouying is treacherous and despicable, and he is not worthy of the word 'old back'. The starting point of his remark is private virtue rather than public merit. In terms of private morality, Ma Shou should be despised by others. But in terms of public performance, in terms of governing the army and fighting, returning to the camp can actually stand out under the leadership of Ma Shouying, proud of the crowd, and Ma Guangyu is far inferior.

Of course, Ma Guangchun couldn't guess these details, and nodded: "The villain is deeply ashamed to help the abuse." ”

Zhao Dangshi said with a smile: "Shame is ashamed, people have done countless things in their lives, how can they have a clear conscience in everything?" There have been changes, and there is a great deal of goodness. Brother Ma should be framed for Ma Shouying, cast a big mistake, report and report, as long as he can kick back to the camp and capture the culprit, he can also comfort his brother's spirit in the sky. Bian Yan turned his head to look at him and said, "Brother Ling is a hero I respect, my Zhao Ying is uneven, get rid of traitors, and the enmity of Brother Ma is also the enmity of my Zhao Ying from now on." Those who offend my Zhao Ying will be punished even if they are far away, Brother Ma should have heard this sentence. ”

Ma Guangchun's eyes were hot, his mouth was spitting, but his throat was sandy: "How can the villain be so virtuous, can he inherit such a great favor from the lord." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "It's not my grace, it's Zhao Ying's grace." ”

When Ma Guangchun heard it, he only felt that it was meaningful, and he looked at the river and stood silently.

The next day, Zhao Dangshi left Fanhe City, accompanied by Zhou Wenhe and other guards, and there were six servants sent by He Kewei. They were accompanied by two groups of two, each in a carriage. On each carriage, there are all kinds of treasures, these are the gifts that Zhao Dangshi wants to bring to Xiangyang Mansion for a banquet. Zhao Ying's recent wars have been endless, and the expenses are very large, so it is terrible to be able to gather these things. Even Zhao Dangshi didn't know what method he used to get rare treasures that he had never even seen or heard of. But in private, Liu Xiaohong once reported He Kewei, saying that he often went in and out of the coach's office to make Ge Haishan's office secretly discussed, which was very suspicious. Thinking of the matter between He Kewei and Liu Weiming and He Shihui in the past, Zhao Dangshi kept an eye on it and called Ge Haishan to ask, Ge Haishan was honest and did not hide it, admitting that he had sent some coaches in the division to go out for He Kewei more than once to "do important business". From this, it can be seen that the channels of He Ke may not all be clean and pure. After the matter was clarified, Zhao Dangshi did not continue to investigate, but began to think about whether to expand some armed personnel for the internal affairs envoy.

The day of Chen Hongfan's banquet is approaching in a flash, and during the Double Ninth Festival in September, Zhao Dangshi arrived at the Chen family manor on the shore of Panxi Lake at noon. Xiong Wencan, who is sitting in Xiangyang, is close to the water, and I heard that he has lived in the manor mansion for two nights. In addition to him, there are many officials and celebrities in northern Chu and southern Henan, and there are many old faces like Zuo Menggeng and Lin Mingqiu. Unlike in the past, Zhao Dangshi's appearance this time caused a big commotion.

This time the two giant thieves of Hui and Cao were defeated, and Zhao Ying, the deer head shop, really made great contributions, and the first-class credit was almost certain. In addition, rumors such as Zhao Dangshi and the host Chen Hongfan Yi marrying Jin Lan, and Xiong Wencan, the protagonist of the banquet, are also very close, so it is logical that everyone will treat Zhao Dangshi differently. Zhao Dangshi naturally took advantage of this opportunity to make friends widely, and his image of being gentle and modest and knowledgeable and knowledgeable, which was very different from ordinary martial artists, further left a deep impression on others.

In the afternoon, after the guests arrived one after another, Chen Hongfan had already made arrangements and personally led the way, first took the guests to climb the Liuzi Mountain on the side of the Qiangxi Lake, and pushed Xiong Wencan as the leader, and prayed for blessings. After descending the mountain, the guests moved to the back of the manor's courtyard to enjoy the autumn chrysanthemum, and at the same time, several small servants presented Chongyang cake, chrysanthemum wine and other drinks and snacks for tasting. In the end, each leader made a delicate bag of dogwood to ward off disasters and drive away evil spirits. Every time he comes to Chen Hongfan's manor, Chen Hongfan can come up with fresh tricks, and he must make his friends full of fun.

At the end of the trip, the night is just low, and the feast officially begins. Countless lanterns were strung up and down the Chen family manor, illuminating the entire mansion as bright as day. Under the guidance of the maidservant, all the guests sat down for the first time, and it was not lively to push the cup and change the lamp. Surprisingly, there were many local high-ranking officials and powerful factions present, and Chen Hongfan insisted on persuading Zhao Dangshi to sit at the top. Zhao Dangshi resigned at first, but Xiong Wencan also spoke to persuade him, but Zhao Dangshi was afraid of being disrespectful, so he had to agree.

The banquet process is basically old-fashioned, lackluster, and the main tone is as Zhao Dangshi thinks, all around topics such as "Lord Xiong is in charge and can overcome thieves". Xiong Wencan, who had a sparse and bearded face, was obviously a little fluttering in the praise of the guests, and he was too strong to drink and fell asleep.

Unlike others, Zhao Dangshi came prepared to find Xiong Wencan to do something, and when he saw him sleeping, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and he was worried that the wine was also less tasteful, and the wine glass was hanging in his hand for a long time. Chen Hongfan approached him, walked through the noisy and chaotic drunken banquet, came to his side and asked, "Today's great joy, why is the virtuous brother worried?" ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed lightly: "Others think that if they win the battle, they will be over, but how do they know that for the people in my ranks, the aftermath has a long way to go." ”

Chen Hongfan saluted him and said: "The boat is naturally straight to the bridge, with the ability of a virtuous brother, no matter how difficult it is, it is not easy to solve?" "Patting his chest," besides, with my brother and Lord Xiong here, the virtuous brother has nothing to worry about. ”

Zhao Dangshi gave him a glass in return, and said with a forced smile: "With my brother's words, I will feel at ease." As he spoke, he raised his eyes and glanced at Xiong Wencan, who was sleeping at the desk, "I can't hide it, my younger brother came this time, and I want to ask my brother and Lord Xiong to help introduce two characters." These two people are very important to the younger brother. ”

Chen Hongfan said with a smile: "What kind of incurable disease did I provoke big heroes like Brother Xian to lock their eyebrows, it turned out to be a recommendation." As long as the virtuous brother says a word, the husband of the king who is close to the saint, and the elder brother will also help you pass the word. The so-called "husband Wang" in the words refers to Wang Chengen, the eunuch of the master of ceremonies and the eunuch Bingbi, who is now deeply favored by Emperor Chongzhen. He has some boasting here, after all, his career was blocked at the beginning, which was caused by his disagreement with Wang Chengen, but his mind can still be revealed.

Zhao Dangshi thanked: "Thank you brother for your righteousness!" ”

Chen Hongfan grinned and said: "With this virtuous brother, how can my brother not be righteous, why should he be polite." Suddenly, he said in a suppressed voice, "The promotion of the virtuous brother is imminent, and I have to rely on the virtuous brother to take care of it in the future." ”

Zhao Dangshi was shocked when he heard this, but he continued: "Lord Xiong revealed the news to me in private, but said that the virtuous brother will be appointed as the chief soldier in the near future. ”