With the emperor's "pass", everyone in the garden immediately stopped the original topic and stood up to greet them.

In this way, the topic of "Qiwu Old Monster" is over. No matter how shocked and revered he was before, he must pack up his mood at this moment and devote all his enthusiasm to the great event of King Rui's meritorious service.

Ruan Biyun was in a good mood, and hurriedly looked back at Ruan Qingzhi.

Sure enough, the previous state of the stars and the moon no longer existed. The large group of young masters and young officials each moved forward or retreated according to their identities, and Ruan Qingzhi, the "old monster of Qiwu", was forced to blend into the crowd, and he was not conspicuous at all.

"Sister......" Ruan Biyun finally smiled again and hurriedly walked over to Ruan Qingzhi.

Only when he took a step did he find that Ruan Qingzhi had followed everyone to look at the path ahead, his face was red with excitement, and there seemed to be stars shining in his eyes.

Ruan Biyun's footsteps immediately stopped, her heart slammed, and her face changed dramatically.

No, it's not right!

The arrival of King Rui stole all the limelight from the "Qiwu Old Monster", shouldn't this so-called sister be angry and lost? Why was she so excited and looking forward to it? There have been so many things before, if she is not afraid of King Rui, at least she should have hatred or disgust, right?

Ruan Bijun quickly thought of more. For example, Ruan Qingzhi's mysterious "backer" who can help her keep the night cold, escape the planting, and be safe and sound after several lawsuits.

Previously, Ruan Biyun suspected that the Queen Mother had changed her mind, but at this moment she had new suspicions.

The man who said that he would protect her for the rest of her life, why did he make mistakes one after another every time he encountered Ruan Qingzhi's affairs, and he never succeeded once? Why did she go out of Beijing to suppress the bandits when she needed it most, and missed the opportunity to trample Ruan Qingzhi to death in Jingzhao Yamen?

Could it be ......

Ruan Biyun was horrified.

At this time, Rui Wang Ling Xiao had walked in quickly surrounded by a large group of guards and eunuchs, walking in a tiger and in high spirits.

Many of the little girls present were flushed with excitement when they saw him, and they laughed incessantly.

Not because of the vigor of the dragon and the tiger, but because of the blue and purple on the face of His Royal Highness King Rui, and a large piece of gauze on the left cheek, which made his whole face look extremely funny.

Of course, the hardest person in the crowd who endured the smile was Ruan Qingzhi. She first grabbed the corners of her clothes with both hands, but then she felt that she still couldn't hold on, so she had to bite her lip fiercely, and the blood was bitten out or not. In desperation, she simply took two steps back and shrank behind the person, covering her face with her hands and squatting down to pant for breath.

There's really no way around it, it's all to blame for His Royal Highness King Rui, he really didn't live up to her expectations!

Pretty! It's so pretty!

At this moment, His Royal Highness King Rui, who is "good-looking", has already walked to the emperor and knelt down, and a set of salutes to congratulate the Double Ninth Festival is very thoughtful.

The emperor replied indiscriminately, and looked away from him after just one glance, indicating that he could not bear to look directly.

The queen still couldn't see it, and glanced majestically at the little girls who couldn't help laughing, and the strange voices in the crowd finally lowered a little.

The lack of green on Ling Xiao's face turned red, but it did not affect his whole person's momentum.

"Father," he said aloud, his tone cheerful: "Today's Double Ninth Festival, Erchen adds another joy to the palace: the gang of thieves and bandits who have looted merchants near Shangjing in recent days and caused many shops to run out of stock, and people inside and outside the city are panicking, have been captured by Erchen!" The people of Shangjing can finally return to a stable life! ”

This is indeed a great joy, the hundred officials were amazed when they heard this, and even more people from the Rui Wang faction took the opportunity to praise a few words, and the atmosphere suddenly returned to liveliness.

For a prince, the extermination of the mountain bandits was not a great achievement. It's just that the battles on the northwest border in recent years have been fought by King Li alone, and these princes who stayed in Shangjing have no chance to make meritorious contributions, so they can only do some work such as investigating and punishing corrupt officials and corrupt officials, transporting grain to help the victims, and so on. Therefore, King Rui exterminated a group of bandits today, which can already be regarded as a very important "martial art" among the "cultural and martial arts", and it is completely worthy of being praised and praised.

Of course, Ling Xiao himself knows this very well, so he has a lot of confidence, and the shame of being stripped naked and beaten a few days ago has been swept away.

The emperor was also very happy, and hurriedly ordered someone to help him stand up, blaming him and secretly appreciating: "You are injured, you should be recuperating in the mansion in peace, why do you take the risk of going out to do this!" If you tell your second brother and fifth brother about this, wouldn't you be ashamed of their face! ”

Ling Xiao hurriedly bowed his head and said humbly: "The second brother has cultivated the holy precepts for his father and the emperor brilliantly, and the fifth brother has also achieved some results in rectifying the rule of officials. ”

has merit but not merit, and once again won the praise of a group of old ministers.

Obviously, with this credit, the shame of being taken out of the Qinglou and beaten up before can be covered up.

Ruan Qingzhi finally laughed enough, quietly stood up and squeezed back to the front, holding a little girl's shoulder and began to watch the excitement.

Although King Rui's meritorious service was not very pleasant, these things had nothing to do with Ruan Qingzhi, she just needed to admire that face.

That face still glowed red with excitement at the moment. Ling Xiao spoke in detail about how many people he brought, how to kill into the cottage, how to fight viciously, how the other party surrendered, how much property was seized, and other big and small things, and the emperor and ministers also listened patiently and admired.

Finally, the emperor asked, "What happened to those bandits?" ”

Ling Xiao knelt down again, with a solemn expression: "Father, the son has something to ask for." ”

"But it doesn't hurt to say it." The emperor was kind.

Ling Xiao raised his head and said: "Erchen has interrogated carefully, that group of mountain bandits was forced by life at the beginning to fall into the grass, and they have always robbed the rich and helped the poor without hurting people, and they are not extremely evil. The sons saw that they were all honest and honest hot-blooded men, and they were willing to help them enter the military camp to serve the imperial court, so they asked their father for permission. ”

Hey?!

The ministers were surprised and discussed.

The Emperor also frowned. Suppressing bandits and bandits, and only when they are completely eliminated can they be regarded as bandits. Isn't it too child's play to help bandits enter the barracks without destroying them like this?

Of course, it is good to be a prince with benevolence, but if you are too benevolent, I am afraid that you will end up with a reputation for being a woman who is not benevolent!

The emperor was still hesitating, but Ling Xiao hurriedly added: "It's not that the sons are indecisive, it's really that gang of bandits are well-trained and brave, if they are killed like this, it would be a pity." ”

The emperor thought for a moment and smiled: "Wu'er, this is the heart of love!" Bring me the one who is the leader, and if it is true as you say, then it is up to you. ”

Ling Xiao was overjoyed.

He knew that as long as he had this sentence, he would be more than half of the success. As long as the bandit leader doesn't make any moths for a while, this thing will definitely be done.

When the time comes, he will have another team of cronies who are only loyal to him!

The bandit leader was soon brought in by the guards. It was a man who was swarthy and tall like an iron tower, and the rope on his body was tied strongly, which made people feel very safe to see.

When he arrived in front of the emperor, the guards told him to kneel, and he knelt down, very obedient.

The emperor looked at the man's face, and sure enough, he didn't look like some treacherous person, but the fierce aura was too heavy and intimidating.

If such a person can change his evil and return to the right and use it for the court, he is indeed a fierce general.

The emperor had already agreed to Ling Xiao's request in his heart, but since he had called someone in, he couldn't say anything without asking a few words. So he looked at the bandit leader and asked majestically, "Where are you from?" Why is the grass falling? ”

These two questions were asked a bit perfunctory, because Ling Xiao had already introduced them just now.

At this time, it was just a casual question, and there was no suspense in the answer, and the ministers also understood that there would be no surprise in the outcome of this matter.

However, as soon as the bandit leader spoke, it was an accident.

He said: "The name of the criminal minister is Wang You, he is from the Northwest Army, and he is a deputy general under the general account. ”

Immediately, there was a gasp in the garden.

Northwest Army, that's a thunderous name.

Not all troops stationed in the Northwest can be called the "Northwest Army". The real Northwest Army is a team personally trained by King Li, which has grown and become invincible over the years. It is said that all the soldiers in that team can be a hundred, and when they gather, they will form an army, and they will all be martial arts masters when they disperse, all the way from the northwest to the northeast and then turn back to the northwest to garrison, which makes the tribes in the north frightened.

So what's going on right now? The Northwest Army, which has become the waist pole of Southern Qi, appeared in Shangjing for the first time, and it turned out to be a bandit?

Is there a rebellion? Is there another war? Is Nanqi dying?

The emperor had already stood up excitedly, but the officials present suddenly felt weak under their feet, so they accidentally hulala and knelt down for a large part.

Ruan Qingzhi covered her mouth and retracted to the back of the crowd, her heart pounding like everyone else.

However, in addition to the same doubts as others, she has other conjectures.

King Rui went out of the city to suppress the bandits, and this matter was hidden from everyone, but Ye Han seemed to know everything about it. So, will this matter be ...... with him

Before Ruan Qingzhi could figure it out, the emperor had already shouted and asked, "Since he is a soldier from the northwest and a deputy general under King Li's account, why did he appear near Shangjing?" Why did the grass fall into the trap to rob the merchants?! ”

It turned out that the "Great Commander" in the mouth of the Northwest Army was His Royal Highness King Li, who died young.

King Li.

Ruan Qingzhi's heart beat faster.

The "bandit leader" Wang You leaned forward as if he wanted to kowtow, but the rope tied to his body restricted his movements. He had to keep his back straight, and shouted in a dumb voice: "Because, His Royal Highness King Li did not die in the enemy country to seek revenge......"

"Bold bandit!" Ling Xiao suddenly interrupted him with a scream, drew his sword at his waist and slashed at it.

A guard next to him immediately drew his sword and stopped his sword: "Your Highness, it is a felony to kill people without permission in front of the emperor!" ”

Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment, and the opportunity was missed, and two guards beside the emperor immediately rushed over and snatched the sword from his hand.

"Father, they ...... They are colluding with bandits......" Ling Xiao, who has always been very good at words, suddenly became a little incoherent.

The emperor glanced at him deeply, and the big eunuch next to him immediately "reminded" unhurriedly: "Your Royal Highness King Rui, the emperor is asking about the case, as a courtier, it is better not to intervene first." ”

Otherwise, it will inevitably be grabbed by others, saying that they are disrespectful and have different intentions.

Ling Xiao was so anxious that his forehead couldn't stop sweating, and he wanted to interject several times but didn't dare.

At this time, Wang You had already continued to say what he had said: "Our Northwest Army is guarding the border pass, and it is impossible for even an eagle of unknown origin to fly in, where is the enemy killer from in my Southern Qi territory!" This matter is clearly a conspiracy, and His Royal Highness King Li died at the hands of his own people! ”

The emperor stood blankly for a long time, and finally sat back heavily, and said in a dumb voice: "You go on!" ”

Wang You swallowed his saliva, and suddenly howled: "Your Majesty, we have been wronged, His Royal Highness King Li has been wronged!" His Royal Highness was ordered to return to Beijing to report on his work, and only two hundred of our brothers were with him, and he went to the vicinity of Luoyun Mountain to catch up with the fog, and the team was suddenly scattered by bandits...... His Royal Highness also wanted to eliminate harm for the people, and led us into the mountain, but we didn't expect that the mountain was full of traps, and there were countless archers hiding in the trees......"

A man like a black iron tower, with a thick voice, really shook the mountains when he cried.

But no one laughed at him at the moment. There were so many people in the garden, both old and young, who wanted to cry with him.

This kind of rough person is very good at telling stories, just a few words, and there are no details at all. Those who can listen can hear the thrill, grief, and despair of that day from his words.

What is it like to protect the soldiers who defend the country and have never died on the battlefield at the border pass, but they have to die in the homeland that they swear to defend?

Wang You cried for a while, and then whimpered again: "We were trapped in the forest from evening to noon the next day, and there were only more than 70 people left in the count, and the commander did not see anyone alive or dead, nor did he see the corpse......"

The Emperor calmly asked, "In that case, why don't you go back to Beijing and tell me, but instead fall into the grass near Shangjing?" ”

Wang You shook his head and threw out two tears, and said in a dumb voice: "Because several of our brothers heard the enemy speak in the forest, and they said, 'Your Highness wants to die, not live'!" Your Majesty, it's not that we don't dare to return to Beijing, we are afraid that if we die in Beijing without knowing it, His Royal Highness King Li's grievances will never have a chance to be revealed to the world! ”

The emperor was silent for a long time. Ling Xiao couldn't help but interject and reprimanded: "What nonsense! It is clear that your protector was ineffective and caused the tragic death of the third brother, and afterwards he fled in fear of crime and refused to return to Beijing! To this day, you are still talking nonsense in front of your father! Wang You, how could this king believe your nonsense! You people don't tell the truth, I don't know if you didn't start a rebellion and kill the third brother......"

Before he could finish speaking, Wang You had already spit out.

Of course, the spit didn't spit on Ling Xiao, but it was enough to make him angry.

So the guards next to him had to stop and persuade him, and Wang You's red eyes suddenly stared at him: "His Royal Highness King Rui, I haven't said it yet, are you planning not to recruit yourself?" ”

Ling Xiao naturally couldn't help jumping with anger, Wang You had already continued hatefully: "We have more than seventy brothers left, and without the Great Commander, we all know in our hearts that there is no way to live. We know who the enemy is, so even if we die, we will die in Shangjing! But His Royal Highness King Rui, why did the soldiers defending the city release their arrows when they heard our name? Our soldiers will be assassinated if they disguise themselves as ordinary people and sneak into the city, and if they are lucky enough to walk to the yamen of the military headquarters, they will be picked up as thieves, and they will be beaten to death with sticks without asking a word......"

He asked one after another, his tone becoming more and more stern. Many old ministers had already followed his words and cast their suspicious eyes on Ling Xiao.

At this time, Ling Xiao laughed instead: "So you want to say that the person who ambushed you halfway was arranged by this king?" The third brother was killed by this king? Those who infiltrated Shangjing and plotted against each other were also secretly eliminated by this king? ”

His relaxed attitude relieved most of the people present.

The emperor said with a gloomy face: "Wang You, without evidence or evidence, you must not talk nonsense!" ”

At this time, a soldier who had already relieved himself also reprimanded: "It's strange that you pretend to be civilians as soldiers and come to the military headquarters to talk nonsense without being killed!" ”

"Yes, we have no evidence. That's why your Royal Highness King Rui is so unscrupulous! Wang You stared at Ling Xiao, hatred surging.

Ling Xiao looked at him mockingly: "You don't have to say anything that is unfounded. Wang You, even if this king does not investigate your crime of robbing and deceiving this king for robbing and plundering merchants, you will have no way to survive because of your previous failure to protect the lord and your refusal to enter Beijing later! ”

His words were very pertinent, and many old ministers nodded and sighed secretly.

It's a pity, it's a pity.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Wang You suddenly jumped up on the spot and shouted: "Lao Tzu doesn't plan to want any way to live!" ”

The ropes that had been tied around his body had somehow scattered on the ground. The unrestrained figure appeared even taller, and several children cried out in fright on the spot.

The emperor subconsciously shrank back, and Ling Xiao immediately rushed over to block him, shouting loudly: "Escort!" ”

The guards immediately aimed their long knives at Wang You.

Wang You turned a blind eye, and as if no one was around, he reached out and tore off his clothes and fell to the ground.

He only wore a single shirt on his upper body, and when he untied it, those hideous scars were revealed in front of everyone.

The ladies in the audience screamed in unison, and the young girls scolded angrily and covered their eyes, running in a mess.

Ruan Qingzhi had to learn to cover his eyes at the right time, but secretly opened a finger and looked at Wang You's exposed shoulders.

Those scars were naturally not much to look at, and what Ruan Qingzhi noticed was a striking black dot on his left shoulder. It may be a scabbed scar, but what scar is just that round?

Wang You quickly answered her doubts. He turned back to the guard beside him and said, "I'm sorry for this little brother to help me dig out the arrow on my left shoulder." - His Royal Highness Rui Wang said that I have no evidence? My evidence is on my shoulders, don't deny it! ”

The guard next to him got the emperor's approval, and without hesitation, he dug a knife in Wang You's shoulder, and immediately an arrow fell to the ground with flesh and old blood scabs.

The guard stooped down and picked it up, holding it in both hands.

The big eunuch looked bloody and frightened, and hesitated to reach out to take it.

At this time, the blood on Wang You's shoulder had already flowed down in large strands, and the hole where the arrow had been dug out was like a hole, which was very terrifying.

Two little girls accidentally saw it and immediately started crying.

Ruan Qingzhi frowned, flicked his sleeves and walked out of the crowd and walked in front of Wang You: "Hey, you squat down, I'll stop the bleeding for you!" ”

Wang You lowered his head when he heard the movement, and saw that it was a little girl who was not as tall as his armpits, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

Ruan Qingzhi stretched his neck and looked at him with difficulty: "Did you hear that?" More than blood, you'll die! ”

Her expression was very serious, and Wang You subconsciously obeyed her orders and squatted down.

At this time, the arrow was finally sent to the emperor. The little eunuch carefully wiped the blood marks on it, and the dozens of intricate barbs on the arrow were clearly visible.

The emperor looked up at Ruan Qingzhi: "Perch...... Miss Ruan, what kind of injuries did that person have? ”

Ruan Qingzhi used a dagger to help Wang You clean it up, and said: "It's an old injury, I can't tell when it is, it's possible for a month or two." The inside is not very rotten, and it may have been drugged at the time, and it was deliberately left with an arrow that was not cleaned. There was only one new wound nearby, the one the guard had dug up just now. - So it's safe to assume that the arrows weren't newly put in. ”

Ling Xiao scolded sharply on the side: "What do you little girl know!" ”

Ruan Qingzhi squinted his eyes and looked at him,-for-tat: "I'm not as good as you when I kill people, and you're definitely not as good as me when I save people!" ”

After that, she no longer paid attention to Ling Xiao's blowing beard and glaring, but carefully cleaned up the blood scabs and a small amount of rotten flesh from Wang You's injury, sprinkled the hemostatic medicine she brought with her, and then picked up the single shirt that Wang You threw on the ground, tore it, and tied it up for him as a bandage.

Wang You felt embarrassed at first, but then saw that this little girl was quick with her hands and feet, her face was not red and her heart was not panicked, and she soon became calm.

After the wound was treated, the emperor had already turned the arrow over and over again to see it clearly.

This kind of barbed arrow, of course, is used so that people can't pull it out. If you insist on pulling it out, you have to tear off a large piece of belt meat.

It's just that this kind of arrow production is very troublesome, so it is not popular in the army, and is only used by some elite team archers to ensure that the arrows are not wasted.

Coincidentally, the emperor had seen this thing.

I remember that year when I was in distress during the hunt, it was the master in the Rui Wang's Mansion who came forward to kill the assassins, and it was this kind of arrow that was used at that time!

The emperor ignored the exclamations of the guards and grabbed the arrow in his hand, his face was gloomy, and he did not speak for a long time.

Ling Xiao knelt down with a puff and cried loudly: "Father, the son is wronged!" It's a conspiracy! These people are deliberately designing this game in order to frame their sons! Father......

At this time, one of the courtiers suddenly stood up and said in a loud voice: "Xia Guan remembers that he was lucky to see this kind of delicate arrow when he was hunting the year before last, and His Highness said that this thing is not easy to forge at that time, so after killing the assassins, they all pulled it out and recycled it for reuse, and there should be no loss outside, right?" ”

"Not necessarily!" Ling Xiao said coldly, "What can't those people with ulterior motives do?" No matter how rare an arrow is, it is not a precious thing, and this king knows that he needs to be guarded against theft from time to time, and he can't lose one! ”

At this point, the case is almost frozen. Wang You couldn't come up with more evidence to prove that the matter was done by King Rui, and Ling Xiao had no way to completely clear himself out.

Both sides are accumulating strength, and it depends on who can make a big move in the next moment.

After a moment of stalemate, Ling Xiao suddenly knelt on the ground and cried: "Third brother, ......"