In the fourth year of Xianqing (659 A.D.), the day of Ding Mao (21st) in the fourth month of summer, the hour was five quarters.

Wu Kang was wearing a green robe with a tuanhua flower, an isosceles trapezoidal martial arts on his head, and a thousand cattle knives on his back. The right side of the bag is hung with a reckoning bag, the left side is hung with an iron horizontal knife, and a short obstacle knife is hung below. The Tang Dynasty four-style war knife, only the Mo knife is not worn, which resembles a humanoid weapon.

Leave the left and right houses and follow the spacious side streets to the right and left houses. Passing through the provinces of Zhongshu, the guards came head-on: two thousand cattle to prepare, two to prepare, sixteen guards, sixteen guards.

Stop on the side of the road and wait, and when the team arrives, the captain shouts to stop. Wu Kang put on a smiling face and walked in front of the captain, his words were gentle and soft, but there was no doubt: "Shenqing will go to Weifang to hand over, and then go home to take care of Mrs., I will be on duty for you." ”

Cui Shenqing suddenly had a bitter face, nodded sullenly, handed out the patrol battle, and walked towards the guard fang. Wu Kang scoffed, this little rabbit cub, it's time to loosen his skin again. Glancing at the guards, he winked at the deputy captain, raised his right hand high, and led the team forward.

Shenqing is twenty-four years old, the two are of the same age, and Wu Kang is three months long. He is Cui Yixuan's sixth son, Xiaoqing's own brother, and his brother-in-law. For the old Cui Shouxiao for three years, he brought his family to defect and lived in Xiuzhenfang. Mei Niang got the news and arranged for the right leader to leave and right the government, and the official position was to prepare for the left and right.

The arrival of the brother-in-law was warmly welcomed by Wu Kang, and the daughter-in-law's violent temper was finally shared. Recently, I have been in a good mood, and the fox hunt operation has been progressing smoothly and smoothly. The crown prince washed Ma Wei Ji Fang, supervised the imperial history Li Chao, and was imprisoned by the Ministry of Punishment, and Xu Jingzong was the chief judge of the Zhongshu Order.

Lao Xu played the true character of a traitor, Wei Jifang was unbearable, and committed suicide by hanging a beam yesterday. Fortunately, he was found in time, and was rescued by the prison officer of the Criminal Department and took away the hanging belt. Thinking of this, hating iron does not make steel. Lao Xu, who has always been shrewd, suddenly became stupid, and he must be reminded.

According to the patrol route, enter the right Yanming Gate and come to the outside of Zhongshu Province. Signaling the team to stop, observing through the door, the familiar Xu Fat Man was in a lonely daze. Jiezhan handed it to Xu Zisui, squinted his eyes and whispered: "Brother Zisui is tired to lead the team, I will say a few words to Xu Zhongshu." ”

Xu Zisui gladly accepted and asked the lower officials to drink, but Wu Kang nodded decisively and watched them leave. Both of them are good wines, and their relationship is relatively close, and he is the second son of Xu Yushi. His daughter is even more powerful, and she will marry the poet fairy Li Bai in the future and have a son and a daughter.

walked into Zhongshu Province, and when he got behind Xu Jingzong, he covered his mouth and coughed a few times. When he turned around, he bowed down and clenched his fists, smiling: "Qianniu prepares for Wukang, see Uncle Xu." My uncle's back is lonely, so I came to find out, I don't know why I am sad? ”

Xu Jingzong gestured for exemption, sighed and said, "Virtuous nephew, why do you want to ask knowingly? Ji Fang attempted to hang himself, he was the prince washing horses, and the influence was too bad. Yesterday the saint summoned him, and his words were full of rebuke, and the uncle was anxious. ”

The sage's rebuke is not because of Wei Jifang, but because you are dull. Wu Kang rolled his eyes slightly, and said with a sense of concern: "The prince's close minister, a high-ranking official of the fifth grade, hanged himself because of forming a party, which is difficult to convince. The little nephew secretly thought that Wei Jifang's self-hanging, a big conspiracy was hidden behind it, and he wanted to keep some secrets. ”

Xu Jingzong was disdainful, and soon the fat trembled violently, and his feet couldn't help but stumble. Wu Kang hurriedly helped him, was grabbed by his right hand, and went straight to the southwest of Zhongshu Province. All the way, I came to the Southwest Courtyard and ordered someone to guard the gate.

Walk to the innermost room, close all the doors, and stare at Wu Kang with cross-eyed. For half an hour, he lowered his voice and said: "Do you know that in July of the second year of Yonghui, Li Hongtai, a native of Luoyang, reported Wuji for rebellion. The sage didn't ask, and directly ordered Qianniuwei to behead him and abandon the city. ”

There is such a thing, and in the end, Yu Zhining advised, and Li Hongtai was beheaded after the autumn. But at this time and at that time, Li Jiu at that time urgently needed the eldest grandson Wuji to help him stabilize the throne. And at this moment, Li Jiu regarded him as an enemy and wanted to kill him a long time ago.

Wu Kang bowed his head, took a few breaths, and changed the topic: "From the former Sui to our dynasty, five generations of emperors have spared no effort to destroy Goguryeo. Wu Kangcai is a shallow learner, and he can't find out the clues, so he asked his uncle to solve his doubts. ”

Xu Jingzong was stunned, and was discussing Mowgli, what is Goguryeo. I didn't want to think about it, so I said: "Goguryeo has many generals, the territory is full of subway mines, the border is close to the grassland, and there is a source of war horses, which can be called a trouble for the heart." No matter which emperor he is, he will be regarded as a fierce opponent and must be destroyed as soon as possible. ”

After finishing speaking, he sat on the Taishi chair, pointed to the high chair opposite, and motioned to sit down and speak. Wu Kang untied the Qianniu knife, sat down with the knife and smiled: "Uncle is reasonable, the existence of Goguryeo is a threat to the Tang Dynasty. In a word, on the side of the couch, how can you allow others to snore? ”

Xu Jingzong bowed his head, his eyes flashed with cunning, and he understood the meaning of the words. The dormant eldest grandson Wuji is a jackal hiding in the shadows, a sharp blade hanging above his head. Only by completely eradicating it can we completely feel at ease and kill the eldest grandson Wuji, the old man dreams of it.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Wu Kang smacked his lips and said straight to the point: "Wuji colluded with Ji Fang, framed loyal ministers and close relatives, tried to regain power, and then rebelled. Yesterday's conspiracy was revealed, and Ji Fang chose to commit suicide in fear of crime in order to protect his innocence. ”

Lao Xu put his hands on his long hair, did not be stunned, and did not beat around the bush, and said chiseledly: "The purpose of the change is to let the old man go to face the saint and report the rebellion." Back to the question just now, how can you guarantee that you will not follow in the footsteps of Hongtai? If the fox is not caught, he will make a fuss, and if the saint is disgusted, I will lose my official position and dismiss the knight. ”

Damn old fox, you are a saint, you can't lose your position. My guarantee is useless, I guess in your heart, I also want to report the rebellion, but I hesitate. And my job is to help you make up your mind and start this political storm.

Seeing that the white jade paperweight was exquisite, he played with it in his hand, and said in a strange manner: "On the Bingchen day of this month, the prince's wife Yu Zhining was promoted to the prince's young master. Avoid the left servant of his Shangshu shooting, and still the same three products under the door of the Chinese book. Promote the fictitious title and remove the real post, may I ask Uncle Xu, what does this mean? ”

Xu Jingzong turned a deaf ear, took away the jade paperweight, and carefully wiped it. Re-placed the bookcase, and complained: "This is mutton fat jade, which was given to me by the queen, and it is worth more than 800 yuan." If you break it, it doesn't matter if your uncle is there, the queen will definitely beat you. ”

The old fox didn't accept the call, and Wu Kang was unhurried: "If the saint wants to move without permission, he needs the two of them to shut up, Li Tao must shut up, and Yu Zhining can't keep it." Exempting Shangshu from shooting his left servant was a warning to him, if he didn't know the current affairs, he would lose more official positions, or even be demoted from Chang'an. ”

Forced Xu Jingzong to look at him, and said with chiseled words: "Wei Jifang and Li Chao's case, the sage asked you to preside over the trial, just to let you take the opportunity to stretch Sun Wuji into the water." The warning to Yu Zhining was the first political signal to Uncle Xu. But it's a pity that my uncle didn't catch it, so to speak, you didn't get the holy will out of it. ”

took the paperweight again, continued to play with it, and said coldly: "On the second ugly day of this month, Xu Yushi, the waiter of the Yellow Gate, added the three products under the same Zhongshu Gate, and the new prime minister appeared. He is a native of Anlu, Anzhou, not Guanlongmen, and has a dirty relationship with Wuji. This is given by the saint, the second political signal, you still haven't caught it. ”

Xu Jingzong got up again, took back the white jade paperweight, and still kept wiping, but his fingers trembled slightly. Wu Kang rubbed his hands and said lightly: "Yesterday, the sage reprimanded, not because Wei Jifang committed suicide, because you are not doing things well. This is the third signal, if you ignore it again, wait for your uncle..."

The implication is self-evident. Wu Kang stretched out his hand, took back the jade paperweight from his stiff palm, and said to himself: "The sage has set up the chess game, but the chess pieces are not clear, it's really bad." Just like before the expedition, the treasure knife suddenly rusted, no matter how valuable it is, I will give it up decisively, and my life will be in danger. ”

After a long silence, Lao Xu sat down dejectedly, and his fat was trembling. He frowned, and said in great confusion: "The matter is big, if there is a change, I will lose my position." What the change is just saying, is it the queen's order, or is it self-made? To tell you the truth, without the support of the queen, I would not dare to act rashly. ”

Wu Kang smiled dumbly, looked him in the eyes, and said loudly: "Whether the queen knows or not has nothing to do with the overall situation, I let her stay out of the matter." So Uncle Xu, if you die of this heart, she won't express any opinion. ”

Xu Jingzong was silent again, pursed his lips and said lightly: "Wuji has been the prime minister for thirty years, the eldest grandson's family is a behemoth, and the old man is really afraid." Even if the saints support it, it is not foolproof. I need help, at least Xu Yushi, preferably Xin Maojiang. ”

Wu Kang shook his head decisively, put the paperweight in place, and then gave a booster shot: "The day before yesterday, I saw that the yard was empty, so I had a whim and planted a few poplars. Unexpectedly, Mrs. got angry, picked up a broom and beat me, and hit me with a mouse. Finally, order the slave and maid to pull out all the poplars. May I ask Uncle Xu, why is this? ”

Lao Xu said lightly: "Madame is right, if it is my junior, I will plant poplars in the courtyard and break his legs." During the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasty, Xiao Tong, the son of Zhaoming, compiled the "Selected Writings of Zhaoming". Contains nineteen Chinese poems, including one "The Day of the Departed", do you know what has changed? ”

Wu Kang nodded and recited softly: "Those who go are getting sparse, and those who are alive are getting closer." Out of the Guo Gate to look directly, but see the mound and the grave. The ancient tomb plough is the field, and the pine and cypress are the salary. Poplar is sad and windy, and Xiao Xiaochou kills. Thinking about returning to his hometown, there is no reason to return to the Tao. ”

Xu Jingzong smiled lightly: "Poplar is sad, Xiao Xiaochou kills." Since the Southern Liang, the poplar tree has represented death and graves. Many elegiac eulogies, with poplars to express mourning, I am especially prosperous. Plant aspens at home and turn your home into a grave, and your wife will definitely beat you. ”

Wu Kang nodded again and again, you are very knowledgeable, and suddenly pretended to be surprised: "No, uncle, I visited the queen last month, and found many poplar trees in the garden of Xianchi Palace. Mei Niang once told me that last year, the salty pond forest was drained, and Sun Tang, the supervisor of the Forestry Department, was responsible for restoring the garden. ”

In less than five seconds, Lao Xu got up suddenly, his face full of incredulity, and his eyes locked on Wu Kang. First show a light smile, then laugh, and finally look up to the sky and laugh wildly. Dancing for a while, he pushed down the wooden chair, picked up the white jade paperweight, and pulled his sleeves out in his arms.

Wu Kang was unhurried, put the paperweight into the calculation bag, slapped off his big fat hand, and the sword was behind his back. Lao Xu didn't care, opened the door and ran away, his body trembling. ran to the Zhongshu Hall and instructed the Zhongshu History to invite Li Tao and Yu Zhining, Xu Yuanshi and Xin Maojiang to gather in the Yizheng Hall.

Instructed the people of Zhongshu to find the people of Taiji Palace to report the news, and respectfully invite the saint to come. He pulled Wukang's sleeve again, and said impatiently: "Change it and go with me, the eldest grandson Wuji rebelled, and Baiyang is the evidence." Success or failure is today, and you are the main witness, and you cannot stay out of it. ”

Wu Kang happily agreed, striding behind him, his smile becoming more and more weird. Walk through the Taiji Palace, enter the Zuo Yanming Gate, and come to the Menxia Province. Lao Xu entered the council hall, his face was extremely flushed, and he kept rubbing his fat hands, and it was estimated that he had climaxed.

Only by killing Mowgli can he sit back and relax, and he can be as stable as Mount Tai. Li Tao faded out of politics, the sage was disgusted with Zhining, and the rest of the people were not afraid. In the future, no one in the entire court can shake him, and no one can surpass him.

Wu Kang is a thousand cow guards, and he can't enter the council hall, so he closes the door of the palace casually and stands at the door to guard. In about half an hour, the patrol appeared, it was its own small detachment. After turning his eyes a few times, he saw that there was no one around, so he took out a white jade paperweight and blocked them from going.

In his hand, Sexu said softly: "I'm sorry Brother Zisui, I have some official business, and I can't accompany you to eat and drink." Today I am the east, so I bother you, and exchange the paperweight for wine money. After the handover of the lower office, he led the brothers to Pingkangfang to live happily. ”

The guards were not in a chaotic formation, all of them were happy, and they squeezed their eyebrows at him. Xu Zisui shook his head and reminded in a low voice: "I don't know what has changed, this is mutton fat white jade, which is worth more than 800 yuan." You hurry up and put it away, today I will be the east, and I will be responsible for the wine money. ”

Wu Kang pushed it over again, and said with a lot of money: "I said that I am the east, and you can't break the bank." This white jade paperweight is tonight's wine money, so take it from my brother. If you don't want to go, after forty or fifty years, ask your good son-in-law to write me a few poems. ”

Xu Zisui couldn't help smacking his tongue, and when he heard the footsteps outside the hospital, he quickly put away the paperweight and led the guards away. I kept complaining in my heart, and it was strange to talk about it, I haven't become a relative yet, where is my daughter and son-in-law. Forty or fifty years, can you not know the prophet?

It was Master Xu Yu, who saw Xu Zisui and glared at him a few times. Chong Wukang nodded and hurriedly entered the council hall. In about half an hour, General Xin Mao and Yu Zhining came, Xin Mao nodded kindly, and Yu Zhining ignored it.

Wu Kang smiled bitterly, to be honest, he admired Lao Yu very much, similar to Wei Zheng, they were both upright officials. He advised Li Chengqian several times, angered his grandson, and secretly sent assassins to assassinate him. After Yu Zhining learned about it, he simply lay down on the mat and rested his head on the loess outside the mat. The Assassin couldn't bear to do it, so he was spared.

But it's a pity that he represents the Guan Longmen valve and is the target of Li Jiu's purge. If you pretend to be deaf and dumb, you can stay for a few more years. As long as you intercede, you will definitely be removed from your post or even demoted from Chang'an.

continued to wait boringly, and after about half an hour, Li Tao appeared leisurely. Walking in all directions, he passed by Wu Kang's side, slowly tilted his head, and cast a weird smile. It is estimated that this old guy is happy in his heart, and with his cunning, he must know it. The eldest grandson Wuji is gone, and he can sit back and relax, as long as the children and grandchildren do not rebel, they can ensure prosperity for several generations.

After another quarter of an hour, Li Jiu appeared in front of him, and Li Yang was escorted. It is estimated that the entire palace is in his hands, and it will only appear when the people are together. Wu Kang stepped forward to salute, but listened to a faint order: Aiqing entered the palace to guard.

Guarding a woolen line, the old guy inside, except for the big guy Li Tao, no one can beat you. After complaining, he opened the door of the hall, and behind Li Jiu, he only had eyes and no mouth. Everyone saluted and went to the inner hall together, each looking for a seat. Wu Kang stood at the side, his body as tall as a pine.

Xu Jingzong made a brilliant debut, and according to Wu Kang's words, he threw a bombshell: "Your Majesty, Ji Fang wants to be with Wuji, frame the loyal ministers' relatives, make the power return to Wuji, and wait for the opportunity to plot a rebellion." Today's rebellion happened, Ji Fang committed suicide in fear of crime, please Your Majesty to investigate. ”

In an instant, the needle drop could be heard, Li Tao was calm, and the rest were dumbfounded. Xu Yushi and Xin Maojiang soon returned to normal; Yu Zhining was stunned for a moment, his lips trembled three times, and finally chose his mouth. Wu Kang secretly rejoiced, you have always behaved well, continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Li Jiu suddenly got up, his face was full of incredulity, and then he was shocked: "What is the truth of this, what Xu Qing said is true?" My uncle was provoked by the villain, he may be suspicious of me, he may have complained, how can he get to the point of rebellion? ”

When everyone heard this, they all knew it, and Yu Zhining closed his eyes in pain. This interrogative sentence, which has been characterized as a case, is a major case of rebellion. Wu Kang secretly complained, as expected, a bastard with a black belly. The implication of his words is to guide his subordinates to jump out, change the question mark into a sentence, and turn the question into a certainty.

Xu Jingzong, the old fritter, would not let him down, and immediately reported loudly: "After careful investigation by the minister, the evidence has been conclusive, and after repeated investigation, the counter-case has been revealed." To this day, His Majesty is still suspicious, and I am afraid that it will not be the blessing of the community. ”

The question turned into a certainty, Li Jiu cried loudly, and beat his chest for a while: "My family is unfortunate, why do my relatives repeatedly have different aspirations?" In previous years, Princess Gaoyang colluded with Fang Yi's love to rebel, and today Uncle Yuan is the same. I am ashamed of the people of the world, if this matter is true, how should I deal with it? ”

The prime minister all got up and stopped His Majesty from self-harm, you take care of the dragon's body. Wu Kang had a feeling that it was not Li Jiu behind him, but Liu Bei of Shu State. In terms of the degree of blackness, they are the best between, and they are both the best in ancient and modern times. What he said just now was to close the coffin, and directly asked how to deal with it, and perfectly grasped the rhythm.

Lao Xu was also stunned, it was so smooth, I would have been on it if I had known this. After thinking about it for a few breaths, he replied loudly: "It is impossible to succeed in betraying the stinky child and rebelling against the woman." Wuji assisted the first emperor, sought to win the whole world, and the world obeyed his wisdom; has been the prime minister for 30 years, and the world is afraid of his authority; If there is a rebellion, who will Your Majesty send to stop it? ”

Li Jiu didn't speak, he still cried, Lao Xu continued: "Zongmiao manifests, the emperor is evil, because of trivial things, he gets a big rape, and the world celebrates." The minister was very worried, Wuji learned that Ji Fang had committed suicide, lest the matter be exposed, he raised his arms in a hurry, and the same evil quickly gathered, and he must be worried about the temple! ”

Everyone remained silent, watching their noses and noses, watching the performance of the monarch and ministers. Wu Kang was convinced, Lao Xu was erudite and talented, and his words were deeply moving. If the expectations are not bad, and the truth is finished, it's time to put the facts on the table, right?

As expected, Lao Xu continued: "The former Sui Yu Wenshu was trusted by Emperor Yang and married to the government. When Yuwen was killed, he was in charge of the forbidden army, and the river was in turmoil overnight, and those who did not obey were killed first, and the ministers also suffered. Su Wei and Pei Ju and others are all looking forward, lest they get into trouble. The Sui room is extinguished day and night, and the past is not far away, may Your Majesty decide. ”

What Lao Xu said is true, there is such a thing. His father, Xu Shanxin, was killed by Yu Wenhua during the coup d'état in Jiangdu. He pleaded and pleaded, but his life was saved. first voted for the Wagang Army, and then voted for Li Shimin, became a bachelor of the Qin Mansion, and began to rise to the top.

Everyone was still silent, and Li Jiu was still crying, quite heartbroken. After a long time, the crying gradually stopped, and the voice was choked: "I can't believe it, that's my maternal uncle, why did you participate in the rebellion?" Xu Aiqing continued to interrogate, found real evidence, and reported again tomorrow. ”

Seeing that the overall situation has been decided, Xu Jingzong is beautiful, and the evidence is already there. It can not only block the mouths of courtiers, but also block the mouths of all people, and it will not attract criticism. Quietly glanced at Wu Kang, cast a grateful gaze, and then looked at Li Jiu, patted his chest and replied: "Don't wait for tomorrow, the evidence is conclusive, please Your Majesty..."

Suddenly, hearing the banging sound, everyone's hearts trembled, Li Jiu slapped the table, and angrily reprimanded Xu Jingzong: "I will let you try again, find conclusive evidence, and report again tomorrow." ”

After speaking, he left in tears, leaving everyone in a daze. About three minutes, Li Tao was the first to leave, and everyone followed, leaving only Xu Jingzong at a loss. Wu Kang frowned lightly, Li Jiu wanted to clean up Wuji, he could start now, why wait until tomorrow? What kind of medicine is he selling in his stuffy gourd?