Chang'an City.

In a very inconspicuous inn, Xun Zhi sat at the window and tasted tea, the tea was not a good tea, just the cheapest tea provided in the inn, the clothes on his body had not been changed for a long time, and the silver in his pocket was about to run out, but he still made himself look very personable, just like when he was famous in Beijing with a poem and a seven unique essays, however, this is only the dignity that he thought he had been preserved.

The prince's side has cut off all contact, and all the people exposed to the East Palace have been eliminated, and there is no one left, and the traces left by the pavilion elder Mu Zhaotong in this world have become more and more faint, and there are few people left.

Cut off contact with the prince, the most direct reaction is to lose the financial route, even the Jiangnan Weaving Mansion is panicked, the Tingwei Mansion, the Criminal Department, the Ministry of Officials, and the officials of the three departments are stationed in the Jiangnan Weaving Mansion, who dares to contact him at this time.

Xun Zhi has been living very casually and casually all these years, because he is not short of money, the queen has never treated him badly, and later Mu Zhaotong has never treated him badly, even Xun Zhi himself thinks that even if he achieves nothing in his life, he will have no worries about food and clothing, where did he think that how long Ge Lao has been dead, he has been so down.

The tea is very bitter and not delicious, but he is still tasting it one bite at a time, as if he can taste the flavors of life from this bad tea.

There was a knock on the door, and after waiting for a while, Xun Zhi got up to open the door, and the shopkeeper of the inn came up with a plate of food, which looked a little rough white rice, and a plate of vinegared cabbage, according to the price of Chang'an City, these two things add up to a few dollars.

"Distinguished guest."

The shopkeeper smiled a little embarrassedly: "If it's convenient for you, we should settle some money for the hotel." ”

Xun Zhi took the food and nodded: "Wait a minute." ”

He went back, rummaged through the money bag, chose a smaller one from the only two remaining nails, returned to the door and handed it to the shopkeeper: "First settle some knots for you, I came to Chang'an to collect debts, and they promised me to send the silver in two days, and then settle it for you together." ”

The shopkeeper looked at the silver beans and couldn't help sighing: "It's okay, you use it slowly, and I'll come up and take the plate away in a while." ”

"Thank you."

Xun Zhi bowed, and the shopkeeper sighed and went downstairs.

Xun Zhi returned to the room, washed his hands seriously, sat down at the table, looked at the meal that was so simple that he felt a little pitiful for a long time, and then picked up the chopsticks, sat straight, and still maintained the posture of a scholar.

Just ate two bites, there was a knock on the door again, Xun Zhi still waited for a while, and after making sure that the knock was a secret signal for contact, there was a little joy on his face, he stood up suddenly, thought about it, took a cloth to cover the food on the table, and then tidied up the clothes that were already dirty and full of wrinkles, and walked to the door.

The door was opened, and there was a young man standing outside the door, looking to be in his twenties.

"Mr. Xun Zhi."

The young man outside the door bowed, saw Xun Zhi's clothes, the beard on his face, and after a moment of silence, he opened the bag behind him, took out the money bag from inside, divided half of the money inside and handed it to Xun Zhi: "I know to leave at this time, I'm sorry Mr. and I'm sorry for the elder Ge, but sir, the general trend has gone...... The people of the Tianzi Department don't need to be removed by the imperial court, the prince is already doing it, at this time and that time, when the elder pavilion is there, we are beautiful, and now, even life is unsustainable, these silver is not much, if Mr. has any plans, it should be Mr. Leaving Chang'an City. ”

Xun Zhi looked at the broken silver, thinking that even one of the Tianzi killers in charge of the queen was so downtrodden, losing all their backing, they were dead and fleeing, and there were few people left.

"Sir, listen to my advice and leave Chang'an early."

The young man clenched his fists and bowed again: "Take care, sir." ”

Xun Zhi looked at the broken silver in his hand and shook his head: "You can use the silver on the road with you, and go to a place far away from Chang'an City." ”

"Mine is enough, sir...... Buy a dress. ”

The young man strode away, walked to the top of the stairs, and turned back: "If you don't dislike it, or if you don't have a place to go, why don't you go back to my hometown with me...... My hometown is in Suiyuan County, Lianshan Road, I left when I was young, and I haven't been back for almost 20 years, I vaguely remember that there is a mulberry garden in the west of the village, and I think if I can, go back and rent it. ”

Xun Zhi asked, "What's your name?" ”

"Name?"

The young man shook his head: "Where do you remember your name, I entered Desong Temple when I was four or five years old, and now it has been nineteen years, and I have always used the Taoist name...... The name is not important, and the road number is rejuvenated, and it is not important. ”

He looked at Xun Zhi and asked, "Does Mr. have a place to go?" Do you want to go with me? ”

"No...... Not necessarily. ”

Xun Zhi shook his head blankly.

Huan Ran Daoist sighed again, said Mr. take care, and then walked downstairs, just arrived at the staircase, a young man in a cloth robe was walking up, looked at Huan Ran Daoren, and then looked at Xun Zhi, and suddenly smiled: "It turned out to be the same mourning dog." ”

Huan Ran Daoren's face changed, and his hand subconsciously touched his bag, and there was a dagger hidden in his bag, and he would not be so strict when he went out of the city, even if he found that he only said that he was going out of the gate for self-defense, the city gate guard would not be too embarrassed.

"Who are you?"

Xun asked directly.

"Me? Mr. Xun Zhi has seen me, why, can't he recognize me? ”

The smile on the young man's voice disgusted Xun Zhi, it was a naked and undisguised mockery.

"Su Qifan?!"

Xun Zhi suddenly recognized it.

He does have a relationship with this person, but it has been too long, so long that he has completely ignored it, at that time, this person was still an official in the imperial court, and he was giving a lecture to the prince Li Changze, once at someone else's dinner, Xun Zhi and Su Qifan met once, this Su Qifan should be forty years old, but he was born with tender face, and he looked less than thirty years old.

"Mr. Xun Zhi, it doesn't seem to be doing well?"

Su Qifan stepped upstairs and glanced at the Taoist of Huan Ran: "Are you from Desongguan?" ”

Huan Ran Daoren shook his head: "It has nothing to do with you." ”

Su Qifan said with a smile: "After the elder left Chang'an, at least hundreds of people lived on my help, if you are a member of the Tianzi Division, then every copper coin you have spent in the past two years is mine, what does it mean that it has nothing to do with me?" ”

"Su Qifan, what do you want to do?"

Xun asked directly.

"Mr. Xun Zhi is not going to invite me in to sit down?"

Su Qifan walked around Xun Zhi and walked into the small guest room as he spoke, looked around after entering the door, and then sighed: "Mr. Xun Zhi, you used to be the guest of the queen's mother, the prince's teacher, even the elders of the pavilion call you the best in the world, look at ......"

He stretched out his hand to lift the cloth covering the table, the plate of cabbage was fried in lard, in such a cold weather, there was no fire in the house, the dish quickly became cold, and the cabbage was wrapped in a layer of white greasy, and it looked shabby.

"Sir, you are really frugal."

Su Qifan sat down and pointed to Huan Randao, who subconsciously followed to the door: "Close the door." ”

Xun Zhi and Huan Ran Daoren glanced at each other, entered the door, and closed the door.

Su Qifan put the package he was carrying on the table, and when he heard the sound was heavy, he opened the package, and it was full of gold, at least a few hundred taels.

"You are a person from the Tianzi Branch, the people of the Tianzi Branch are priceless, if you want to find a place to retire, take half of the gold from here, it is considered severance pay, the matter handed over to me by the elder of the pavilion, I always have to have a beginning and an end, although I think it is a pity that you have this ability, but everyone has their own ambitions, I don't force it."

He glanced at Xun Zhi: "The remaining half of the gold Mr. Xun Zhi can take away, find a place to be a teacher at will, and he will not live too hard." ”

Xun Zhi shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, I understand." ”

"Qinggao."

Su Qifan said with a smile: "The silver that the elder took from the Jiangnan Weaving Mansion and the silver from the hands of those South Vietnamese people in Pingyue Road have all been spent, and they have already been spent, and they have been spent long ago to use to rebel in Pingyue Dao...... Others don't say it, the life of the people in the Tianzi Department in the past two years, and the money spent by Mr. Xun Zhi in the past few years, are all provided by my Qifan firm. ”

Xun Zhi frowned: "What do you want to say." ”

"Simple."

Su Qifan asked, "Does Mr. Xun Zhi know my identity?" ”

Xun Zhi replied: "The senior apprentice of the elder of the pavilion was once known as the three great talents of the elder of the pavilion, but you left the imperial court early and went to do business. ”

"That's one of them."

Su Qifan said: "I went to business because I knew that Mu Zhaotong would not be able to achieve a big deal, and he would have to affect me in the end, so it is better to quit the court early, and it is much more comfortable to be a rich man than to be a death row prisoner...... But I need Mu Zhaotong, so I haven't cut off contact, so I said, you mentioned that I am Mu Zhaotong's protégé, that is one of the identities, I also have an identity, I am the steward of Mu Zhaotong's underground money, so my business will flourish, of course, this is not all, but also thanks to my third identity. ”

"What?"

Huan Ran Taoist asked curiously.

"Black warriors."

As soon as these three words came out, the faces of Xun Zhi and Huanran Daoren changed at the same time.

"Since I said it, I'm not afraid that you will know, and I am not afraid that you will do it, I am not short of money, not only because of Mu Zhaotong, but also because of the support of the Black Martial Empire behind me."

Su Qifan got up and said while pacing: "This is not a particularly surprising thing, you Ning people can send people to Heiwu, Heiwu can naturally send people to Ningguo, my life was already doomed when I was six years old, at that time I had to start learning the language of the Ning people Ning culture, at the age of fourteen, I was quietly sent to Ningguo Liaobei Province, a rich family adopted me, I am very competitive, twenty-four years old Jinshi and first, that year is also a coincidence, Mu Zhaotong to the first assistant university scholar as the main examination of the imperial examination, I successfully worshiped his disciples. ”

"If nothing else, I will follow the plan and be an official in the Ningguo Imperial Court, because my ability will naturally be appreciated, plus Mu Zhaotong's liking for me, I myself think that I can be a squire when I am forty years old, and if I am lucky, I can be a scholar at the age of forty-five, is it fun? I, a Bohai man who was taken away by the black warriors since I was a child, has become a high-ranking official in Ningguo, and I think it is wonderful myself. ”

"There is a person named Ye Yunsan under the emperor, who went deep into the black martial arts and became a close confidant of the Emperor Khan, I have to say that I am not as good as him, I am afraid of death...... Since I could see Mu Zhaotong's thoughts, I had no choice but to retreat first. ”

Su Qifan looked at Xun Zhi: "I know that the two of you are not afraid of death, but what is the point of death?" You are Ning people, you do something and don't do anything, I don't force it, if you believe me and go to Northern Xinjiang with me, I won't let you betray the Daning army, I just want to kill Shen Leng, the two of you know Shen Leng so well, after you arrive in Northern Xinjiang, you will definitely make a difference. ”

Su Qifan looked at Xun Zhi and said something that was fatal to Xun Zhi.

"His Majesty the Khan also knows the name of Mr. Xun Zhi, Ning Guo does not want Mr., I don't know the talent of Mr., His Majesty the Khan said, Mr. can go to Heiwu, the government of a country, order the Khan Emperor, and the person who makes the order is the prime minister, and the Khan Emperor feels that the talent of Mr. can be the prime minister of Heiwu."

There was something in Xun Zhi's eyes that was fleeting.

"No way!"

Huan Ran Daoist suddenly shouted: "Mr. Xun Zhi, don't forget that you are a Ning person, and I am also a Ning person, don't become a lackey of the black martial arts!" ”

Xun Zhi turned his head to look at him blankly, and Huan Ran Daoist stepped forward and grabbed Xun Zhi's hand: "Sir, you have to think clearly, there is a fight between the Ning people, it is the Ning people's business, but if you go to Heiwu, you will be a traitor to Daning, a lackey of Heiwu, sir." ”

Bang!

A black shadow outside the door smashed through the door, and at the moment when the Huanran Daoist turned around, the knife in his hand poked into the heart of the Huanran Daoist, Xun Zhi subconsciously retreated, and then found that it was the innkeeper who killed the Huanran Daoist with a knife.

Su Qifan shrugged his shoulders: "Look, there will always be stupid people." ”

Huan Ran Daoist fell to the ground, grabbing Xun Zhi's ankle with his hand: "Mr. Xun Zhi, don't you ...... Wrong choice. ”

Xun retreated violently, and his hand fell weakly on the floor.