In the year after Guo Shuang's death, several things happened on Youbei Third Road.

On the one hand, Guo Yunsong, the king of Zhongshan, had just experienced the pain of losing his son, so that his old illness relapsed, and he could hardly go out and walk, and he rarely spoke. Fortunately, because the imperial physician Sun Baizhu often came to diagnose and treat the prescription, this sick body and bones actually survived the winter.

Second, the Great Shamanic Elder Bagh, on the grounds that his successor Shaman Lin was worried about his whereabouts, announced that he would temporarily take the position of the Great Shaman, and announced that the Shamanism would begin to accept the management of the clan government. However, shamanic shamans usually walk in the wilderness of the deep mountains and old forests, and have always been alone. In addition, the inheritance of the shamanic religion is a single lineage of teachers and disciples, and it pays attention to heart-to-heart teaching, and there are no strict doctrinal rules, so it has not caused any waves.

Of these three, Shen Gui became the only disciple of Wu Chengfeng, the elder of the beggar gang, who was ragged every day, begging along the street with a group of beggars. At the beginning, the merchants and people in Fengjing City still felt very fresh when they looked at it. Whenever Shen returned to beg, he would also give a lot of silver, and the beggars and Shen Gui were also happy to accept all the orders. As the days go by, as soon as the freshness passes, you will become accustomed to it. When mentioning Shen Gui, it is just to remind his children not to be useless to him.

Fourth, Qi Yan and Qi Hui sent letters to the Zhongshan Palace. Qi Yan followed Chu Zhi to Nankang, the richest country in the Huayu Continent. And Qi Hui went to Beiyan, the country with the longest history. The three brothers were together when they were children, and they were in different places at this time. Fortunately, the postal route was still smooth, and it was not difficult to exchange letters between them.

On this day, after the dispersal of the dynasty.

Emperor Xuande Yan Hunt returned to the middle of the Dongnuan Pavilion and sat in front of the window, looking at the city tower in the distance, speechless for a long time. Li Qing, the head of the inner court who was waiting beside him, was directing the little eunuch behind him to put refreshments and fresh fruits.

"Let's talk about it, as long as the three roads in our Youbei are out of winter, they are no different from Nankang and Beiyan, right?" Emperor Xuande didn't look back, and his voice was just enough for Li Qing to hear.

"Yes, but the minions still like the climate of our secluded north, the four seasons are extraordinarily distinct, and you can taste the changes of each season in more detail." Li Qing first tried refreshments and fruits, in response to the emperor's questioning.

"But I've only been in Youbei for three generations, after all, it's not as thick as Beiyan's foundation, and it's not as full as Nankang's treasury......"

"Your Majesty, this is the advantage of my Youbei Third Road. Thinking about Beiyan, although he has always claimed to be orthodox in the Huayu Mainland, the national atmosphere is turbid and old. Even if you change the dynasty, you won't change back in a few years, it's just a change of soup and not a change of medicine; And that Nankang is even more ridiculous, what will a group of peddlers and businessmen who chase stinks and strive for profit do? ”

At this point, Li Qing paused, raised his eyes slightly, and saw that Emperor Xuande was still looking out the window, so he quickly lowered his head and continued:

"On the other hand, although I have only experienced three generations, the slave thinks that just as the sun rises in the east, the three kings are also ............"

"Okay, okay, I'm a little tired, you can step down. When I got out of this door, I first went to the Imperial Horse Prison and asked Lu Xiangyin to come to see me. ”

"Yes." Li Qing didn't say anything more, kowtowed, and retreated backwards step by step from the gate of the Dongnuan Pavilion. When he came to the door, the afternoon sun was shining on him. Under the warmth of the afterglow of the sunset, I don't know where in the body, there was a little bit of cold air. Li Qing shuddered, and his gaze became complicated and cold.

The palace in the north is not big, and Li Qing slowly walked out of the inner palace along the vermilion wall and came to the gate of the courtyard of the imperial horse supervisor. Whether it is the rivers and lakes or the court, from Dongyou to Zhongshan to Guanbei, the Imperial Horse Prison is extremely famous. At present, this small courtyard of the Imperial Horse Prison looks a little dilapidated from the outside. Li Qing gritted his teeth, muttered a few words to himself, then put on an enthusiastic appearance, and stepped forward to pat the door knocker.

"Knock...... Boom"

The knocker made two crisp sounds, and there was no sound inside. Li Qing stood outside the door and waited a little apprehensively, but he didn't knock on the door again to urge.

About half a pillar of incense, the mottled black lacquer door, with a 'creak' sound, separated a gap, and a huge head drilled out of the gap.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Li? You're a rare guest, I haven't seen you in a few days. How have you been doing lately? Although it is spring now, as the old saying goes, this spring covers autumn frost. Although you are busy serving the emperor on weekdays, you have to wear more clothes yourself, of course, you have to ask the emperor to wear more, if you freeze your body.................."

"I still have a purpose...... Why don't we wait until the decree is passed on, let's talk about it? ”

"Hey, you said it earlier, I thought you were visiting the door today. You also know that we are the Imperial Horse Supervisor, except for horses on weekdays, there are only me and Master Lu, this Master Lu is tight-mouthed and doesn't like to talk, but I usually like to chat with people, you said that I have nothing to do every day, and I can't find a partner who can chat with me, this person is really ........."

"Is Supervisor Lu here?" Li Qing frowned, but still reluctantly asked the fat man with a smile.

"Ah, where else can we go. You see I'm so fat, my master is getting old. It's just over the cold ............ in the legs and feet in the winter."

"Then I went back and said that Li Qing came to pass on the eunuch Lu with His Majesty's decree."

"Hey, hey, Your Majesty's business is a serious matter, let's do business first and then talk about idle days, when it comes to this day, I also see that it is almost dark. Otherwise, Mr. Li, after you finish the imperial mission, you will leave us with this meal, and I will go back to ............"

The little fat man muttered as he walked into the courtyard with his legs. This door only opened a gap. Li Qing stood outside the door, gritting his teeth with hatred.

It didn't take long for the little fat man to return to the gate again, Li Qing saw the red palm prints on his face at a glance, the little fat man's eyes were red, and he said aggrievedly: "Please also ask the senior brother to redeem himself for being rude." I haven't been here to serve Master for a long time, so I only know that you are Manager Li, but I don't know that you are still my senior brother. Master has already punished you just now, and you can chat with Master in a while, and I'll go to the kitchen and add another meat dish for you as reparation......"

Li Qing saw that the little fat man looked aggrieved, and he was apologizing to himself with red eyes, and the gloom in his chest was swept away: "It's me who didn't make it clear, and I can't blame you." Now, lead me to Supervisor Lu. ”

The chief manager, Li Qing, was originally just a little eunuch who served in the official room, Lu Xiangyin happened to pass by the official room a few years ago, and saw him being bullied by other eunuchs, and felt that this stubborn and unyielding little eunuch was very interesting, so he secretly came to see him being bullied and relieved of his boredom. There are a total of eleven eunuchs in the official room, one chief eunuch, and ten rough envoys, and Li Qing is the youngest and the weakest. Although Xiao Li Qing has developed a sharp skill for various reasons, he can't stand the amount of seven or eight people. This Li Qing began to brush countless Gong buckets every day before dawn, and when he faced Gong buckets all day long, he naturally couldn't eat, and his body became thinner and thinner. Lu Xiangyin observed for a few months and found that although Xiao Li Qing was a person with six incomplete roots, he was talented and tenacious, so he directly asked him from the chief cabinet to come over and arrange for him to be trained by his side.

Within a few years, Li Qing, who was already smart and tenacious, now has Lu Xiangyin's teaching and help, and naturally rises to the top in the inner palace. From the most ordinary little eunuch, he has become the head of a four-grade official, and he has won the favor of Emperor Xuande. The people in the palace all discussed privately, saying that Li Qing was the successor that Emperor Xuande prepared for Lu Xiangyin.

Li Qing, who has a fourth-grade official body, didn't feel like anything at first. But after staying by the emperor's side for a long time, coupled with the complimentary eunuchs and palace maids around him, he also faintly had the idea of competing with Lu Xiangyin. In this way, Li Qing no longer refused to bow his head and admit that he was small, and the 'master' who used to be one by one has also become Master Lu and Supervisor Lu.

"Master Lu, how are you doing lately? I've wanted to come to see you for a long time, but I'm busy serving the emperor, and I don't have time to spare. But today, when I see this child serving you, I am relieved. If you have anything to do in the future, just ask this child to come with a message. ”

Li Qing walked into the main hall and stood in front of Lu Xiangyin. The two of them sat and stood together, looking at each other, looking up at Li Qing, Lu Xiangyin, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, did not speak, just looked carefully, this thin disciple. Li Qing was a little angry by this slightly loving gaze, and finally couldn't hold back and opened his mouth first.

When Lu Xiangyin heard Li Qing speak, he also took over with a smile: "Mr. Li is polite to you." Although you and I have some old friends, they are also old things and need not be mentioned again. You should be here today on business, right? We're still public before private, don't you think? ”

"That's what you're saying. Your Majesty ordered me to come to summon you to meet you at the Dongnuan Pavilion. ”

Li Qing saw that Lu Xiangyin opened his mouth and broke it, so it was not easy to delay the time, so he explained his intention along the water. Lu Xiangyin's expression remained unchanged after hearing this, and he stood up and said:

"Since His Majesty summoned me, I'm afraid there will be no time for small talk. In the future, if the manager has free time, he will come here to sit again. Lu Xiangyin shouted out the window again: "Little Liuzi, come." I gave Mr. Li a bag of dry goods delivered the day before yesterday and brought them back. ”

"Division...... Supervisor Lu, I can't imagine that you still remember...... "This Li Qing's father was originally the head of the forest farm in the mountains, and he made a living by logging trees in the mountains. One winter, after the forest was opened, he was told by the shaman that the mountain god should not be invited by everyone to open the forest this year, and he needed to rest the forest for a year. But at that time, Xiao Li Qing was seriously ill and bedridden, and he urgently needed him to make money and grab medicine. So Li Qing's father secretly came to the mountains and forests at night, wanting to secretly cut down the wood god selected by the shaman this year, prove to the forest farm workers that it was safe, and let everyone follow him to start work. But no one expected that Father Lin, who had been working for decades, was directly slapped to death by this felled wood god tree for some reason, and it was not until the fourth day that he was found by the workers who came to look for him.

When the shaman who stopped the logging heard this, he only sighed. With the help of everyone and the shaman, after the Li family completed the funeral of Lin's father, they cured Xiao Li Qing's illness. But now the Li family has lost its pillars, leaving only a blind mother and a pair of younger siblings. There was no way, Li Qing, who was the eldest brother, gritted his teeth, so he had to castrate himself into the palace to exchange for silver.

Since Lu Xiangyin knew his life experience, every time he had his birthday, he would make him a table of mountain goods seats. Li Qing didn't expect that even though he could feel that the two of them were already a little alienated from each other, Lu Xiangyin was still thinking about himself, and couldn't help but think of those old things, and took the cloth bag handed by Xiao Liuzi with sentimentality, and walked back to his small courtyard with a slight stagger.

On this side, Lu Xiangyin slowly walked to the Dongnuan Pavilion, stood outside the door with his fingers lightly, and said:

"Slave Lu Xiangyin is late, please atone for your sins."

"Come on, come on, Supervisor Lu fast forward. This Li Qing is also really, knowing that his master's legs and feet are not good, he will not get a sedan chair for you to sit on, and he is really unable to do things. Emperor Xuande's voice in the house was from far to near, and he had already walked to the door.

Emperor Xuande pushed open the door, stretched out his hands and bent down to help Lu Xiangyin, who was kneeling on the ground, and looked at his complexion left and right, and then took his hand and walked into the house.

Lu Xiangyin was pressed to sit down at the desk, and Emperor Xuande himself opened the window and looked around.

"Your Majesty, don't be nervous, there's no one around."

Lu Xiangyin spoke, and Emperor Xuande let out a sigh of relief.

"Is the Guo family's job clean??"

"The old slave personally did it, and then he also did some external injuries"

"Absolutely clean?"

"Since this great shaman has not returned to Beijing, it is absolutely clean."

"That's good. I have invited you here today to discuss something with you......"