After capturing the city of Wengzhou, General Yan Lao did not rush to return to the court, but sent fast horses to the imperial court, asking the imperial court to send civil servants to govern the place, while reorganizing the soldiers and horses, and at the same time sending several teams to clean up the remnants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Late that night, the heavy knocker on the door of Cai Sanye's Mansion was gently knocked.

The sleepy-eyed butler opened the door of the house a thin crack and looked at the uninvited guest curiously.

The man was dressed in rags, with a big hat buttoned on his head, and his hat hung low, so that he could not see his face at all. This person is a thief, not a twist and look around.

"Who are you?" The butler asked.

The man raised his right index finger to his lips, looked around nervously, and pushed the butler away without saying a word, and squeezed in through the crack in the door.

The housekeeper was very annoyed, and was about to scold loudly, when the person quickly took off his hat and said in a low voice: "I'm looking for the third master." ”

The housekeeper opened his mouth and said, "Xu ...... Xu Tianshi, why are you? The man hurriedly made a quick gesture to shut him up.

The housekeeper hurriedly shut up and hurried towards the inner house. After a while, Cai Sanye put on his clothes, walked out in a panic, and said in a low voice: "Heavenly Master is suffering, come with me." ”

Cai Sanye took the lantern from the butler's hand, glanced at the butler, and instructed: "Go and buy some wine and food, don't alarm outsiders." Then he raised the lantern, waved his hand and made a gesture of please, and led Xu Tianshi to an inconspicuous hut in the back house.

Cai Sanye put down the lantern, pushed the square table in the middle of the room aside, and raised his hand to lift the wooden board, revealing a black hole.

Xu Tianshi followed closely behind Cai Sanye, went down the steps, and when his feet stepped on the flat ground again, his front suddenly opened up.

After a while, the housekeeper brought steaming wine and food, and the third master lit the candle flame to illuminate the cellar.

Xu Tianshi, who had been hungry for a long time, stared at the wine and food with his eyes, and he didn't care about being polite, he sat down, grabbed a whole roast chicken, opened his mouth and swallowed it in his stomach.

"Slow down, slow down, Heavenly Master don't be impatient, I have enough wine and meat here!" While speaking, Cai Sanye also sat down, picked up the wine jug and poured wine into Xu Tianshi's wine bowl.

Almost swallowed half of the roast chicken, Xu Tianshi raised his head and said with tears in his eyes: "Third Master, you have walked the rivers and lakes for many years, and you are so old in doing things, the Heavenly Father Holy Venerable has returned to heaven, my Taiping Heavenly Land has collapsed and disappeared, but you have not been affected by the war here, which is commendable!" ”。

Cai Sanye picked up two wine bowls, handed one to Xu Tianshi, and said with a smile while brushing his beard: "There are eggs under the nest?" I'm just catching my breath. Brother, where have you been hiding these days, I am very worried. ”

Half a roast chicken as the base, a few bowls of soju in the stomach, Xu Tianshi was glorious again, he shook his head bitterly and smiled: "Hiding in Tibet, it's hard to say." This Heavenly Master thought about it, pinched his fingers, and the third master was the safest place to stay. ”

Cai Sanye picked up the wine bowl, took a sip, squinted his eyes slightly and smiled: "How can the Heavenly Master say this?" ”。

Xu Tianshi took a few mouthfuls of vegetables, picked up a rabbit leg, and swallowed it three times and five divided by two, then raised his hand and wiped the oil flowers on the corner of his mouth, raised his head and said: "There are three reasons: First, you and my brother have a lifelong friendship, and they helped each other in the past, and they are very close to each other. Second, now that the gates of the city are closed, and it is impossible to search everywhere, it is impossible to get out of the city, but it is indeed the safest under the noses of the enemy, and the so-called darkness under the lamp is also; Third, I'm not afraid that the third master will be unhappy, you and I know the roots, to put it bluntly, it is a grasshopper on a rope, if you have the heart to tie me up and go to the government to ask for merit and reward, it is equivalent to digging your own grave. Yes and no? ”。

Cai Sanye nodded again and again: "Master Xu Tianshi is really clever, and every sentence is reasonable. However, I, Cai, have been walking the rivers and lakes for many years, and I will never do such dirty things as betraying friends and seeking glory. ”

As he spoke, holding the wine bowl with both hands, Xu Tianshi hurriedly picked up his own wine bowl on the table, touched it hard, and the two looked at each other and smiled after drinking.

The next day, Xu Tianshi woke up from his dream, and the fear he had suffered for many days was swept away, and his stomach was no longer hungry.

He got up and found that the wine and food had already been prepared in front of him, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed, and said in his heart: It seems that this move is the right move, and after a while, the city gate will cancel the blockade and check, and ask for some gold and silver from the third master of this dish, forgive him for not daring not to give, and from then on he will be far away, and he can be at ease in the second half of his life, and live some fairy-like days.

Just as Xu Tianshi threw off his arms and feasted, Cai Sanye was in the barracks of the New Army for the Protectorate, kneeling at the feet of General Yan and talking, foaming at the mouth.

"Xiaomin, I hate the Taiping bandits, and the one-eyed demon who claims to be the reincarnation of Thor has caused my family to be ruined! My daughter, whom I regarded as a treasure, was snatched alive by him, and I committed suicide not long ago! Since then, I have been eager to pick up his bones and eat his flesh, and I can't get rid of the hatred in my heart. ”

Taking a breath, Cai Sanye continued: "The old general came to suppress the bandits with the heroes of the Heavenly Dynasty, which is really very happy, and I was happy that I didn't close my eyes for a few days, so I poured all my wealth and bought off the thief generals who guarded the city gate to help me with the help of the king of Qi." ”

General Yan stroked his silver beard in his hand, bowed his head slightly, and said: "The old man is dedicated to my great Qi country, which is admirable, I have played the saint, and I will definitely reward you heavily." ”。

The third master of the dish bowed and expressed his deep gratitude. Raising his head, he continued: "There is another thing, last night I met a beggar in rags outside the door, and when I saw that his appearance was suspicious, I placed him in my house. Under the light, I found out that this person was actually the second person of the Taiping bandits, the dog-headed military master Xu Tianshi. In order to prevent him from escaping again, I have ordered someone to poison his food, thinking that the thief has already died at this time, and I beg the commander to send someone back with me to verify his identity. It can be regarded as a bad breath in the old man's chest! ”。

Old General Yan stood up and said in surprise: "Oh, if it's really that thief, you can be regarded as a miracle!" Come, follow this old man to his house to find out."

More than a dozen military academies followed Cai Sanye back to his mansion, but saw a withered corpse lying on a straw mat in the courtyard, and after careful identification, it was indeed the fugitive Xu Tianshi.

After thanking the military academy, they carried Xu Tianshi's body and left satisfied.

Soon after, the Great Qi Sage issued a decree to give the third master of the dish the title of "Conscience Layman", and issued a fortune every year according to the level of the six-grade official, and set up a horse stone in front of the house. To put it bluntly, it is a barricade that the emperor personally allowed to be erected privately. Civil officials must get off the sedan chair before arriving at the gate of the house, and military attachés must dismount and walk when they pass this place. If you build a small pavilion to support two crossbars, it is equivalent to a modern highway toll station, which is a good deal to make a profit without losing money.

(To be continued in this chapter)