Anping County is located in the south of Xuancheng forty miles, camped on a hill, the terrain is just to the north can see the capital, and to the west can hold the main road into Beijing, the strategic location is excellent, and the Ping'an army here is the prince's subordinate army, which shows the trust of Emperor Liang to the prince. According to the horse's footsteps, the distance of forty miles did not take a few hours at all, and the king of Ling at this time was obviously much more relaxed than when he had received the decree out of the city the day before. It's been almost half a day, and King Ling's twenty-person investigation team has only arrived outside the Ping'an military camp.

After receiving the report from the guards, the commander of the Ping'an Army, Zhou Xunliang, strode out of the camp tent, and kneeled on one knee to salute outside the King of Ling, "The last general will see His Royal Highness the King of Ling!" ”

King Ling got off the horse with a smile, stepped forward to help Zhou Xunliang up, looked at the commander of the Ping An Army who was wearing armor and was not confused but was a head taller than himself, and then said warmly: "Commander Zhou doesn't have to make such a big gift, this king is here to investigate the case this time", after speaking, King Ling deliberately left his eyes on Zhou Xunliang's face for a long time. In fact, King Ling did not expect badly, Zhou Xunliang had indeed gotten the news, and he only got the news an hour earlier than King Ling's arrival, if it wasn't for King Ling's deliberate delay on the way, I am afraid that he has not received the prince's secret letter at this time. However, at this moment, Zhou Xunliang still pretended to be surprised and asked, "The last general doesn't understand what His Highness means!" ”

King Ling had expected that Zhou Xunliang would definitely have such a reaction, so he took Zhou Xunliang's hand, "Commander Zhou, let's talk in detail in the tent." ”

After entering the camp, King Ling Wanyan refused the request to sit down, but chose to sit down, and told the murder that happened in Xuancheng straight to the point, and then quietly observed Zhou Xunliang's reaction.

"Can you let the last general see the rank card?"

"That's nature."

King Ling nodded to his subordinates, and immediately someone handed Zhou Xunliang two rank cards. Picking up the two rank plates, the size of a half-palm and a slightly mottled texture, the three convex words "Ping An Army" were clearly engraved. "Li Sheng, Dong Bi?" Although Zhou Xunliang received the prince's notice early, because of the rush of time, he did not know the specific situation of the whole incident, and he couldn't help palpitating when he saw the rank card in his army at this moment.

"It seems that Commander Zhou has recognized his subordinates?" King Ling took a sip of tea gently, the tea in the army was far from that in his own mansion, but he didn't care at all, what he really cared about was Zhou Xunliang's reaction. "First, as the two of them are Ping'an military captains, their military positions are neither big nor small, and they left the army without authorization, and Commander Zhou didn't know? Second, during the New Year's Festival, no army is allowed to enter Beijing without a purpose, and as soldiers, how should Commander Zhou explain such an arrogant behavior? The two questions, each like a needle, pierced into Zhou Xun's conscience.

Zhou Xunliang suddenly left his seat and knelt down and said: "Back to Your Highness, there is indeed a dereliction of duty in this matter, however, the last general absolutely does not know what happened, and I hope that His Highness will be aware of it, if there is any concealment in the end, I am willing to apologize for my guilt!" When he said this, Zhou Xunliang's forehead had already begun to ooze a dense layer of sweat.

King Ling put on a smiling face, "Commander Zhou is serious, this king is also ordered to investigate, this time I naturally came to hope that Commander Zhou can cooperate with this king to investigate the case." The king still believes that Commander Zhou has nothing to do with the murder....... However, there is no doubt that these two people are lieutenant colonels and lieutenants of the Ping An Army, and Commander Zhou is afraid that this crime of dereliction of duty will not be escaped. However, then again, whether this crime of dereliction of duty can be light or severe, whether it is light or serious, it all depends on Commander Zhou's own actions. ”

The corners of Zhou Xunliang's mouth twitched slightly, and his eyes rolled a few times, "What Your Highness said is that the last general should fully cooperate with His Highness!" These two people are undoubtedly in our army, they should have been punished and confined at this time, but I didn't expect them to appear in the capital! ”

"Oh? Confinement? What's going on? ”

"It happened four days ago, that day because the next day is the New Year's Day, and there is a corresponding ceremony in the army, and a drinking party was held in the army at noon that day, but I didn't expect the two to fight because they drank too much, but they fought with each other, and then they drew swords against each other, and the last general punished them into confinement, but until this time, no one came to report that there was a problem with the confinement room?"

"Four days before the New Year's Festival, so coincidental? Commander Zhou, we have to go to the confinement room to have a look! ”

When Zhou Xunliang took King Ling to the punishment field located in the rear of the army, it was just time for dinner, and I saw a soldier carrying a food basket to the confinement room located in the middle of the punishment field, which was a few rooms locked by a heavy iron door, only at the bottom of the iron door there was an entrance for delivering food, it was conceivable that it must be dark inside. When the soldier placed the food box in the feed opening under the iron door, it was evident that a hand was reaching out to grab the food box and drag it into the house.

"Open the door!" After Zhou Xunliang roared, the two iron doors were slowly opened. There was one person inside, and when they turned their heads, everyone except King Ling was stunned, because these were two unfamiliar faces, not Li Xi and Dong Bi at all! Seeing Zhou Xunliang appear in front of them, the two immediately knew that they had been recognized, so they knelt down in a panic, trembling and begging, "Commander, let's ...... We are also forced....... Please let us go! ”

Zhou Xunliang's face was a little distorted, and he asked fiercely, "Who are you!" ”

"We ..... It's the ....... of the Fourth Rank."

"What the hell is going on, tell me quickly!"

"Yes, yes, it was Captain Li who asked us to do this!"

"Yes, and Captain Dong, they threatened the two of us, saying that if we don't cooperate, we will ..... Just ......"

"That's it! Make it clear to me! ”

"Just tell the commander about our private hiding of military salaries, and the commander, we did hide ten taels of silver, but we also hid ten taels of silver, there is really nothing else!"

"I'm not asking you this, I'm asking you how you stole the beams and changed the pillars!"

"We don't know, it's the day before the New Year's Day, Captain Li and Captain Dong asked us to replace them and lock them up, we didn't understand it at first, but then we saw them fight at the drinking party, and then they were ordered to lock you up!" One finished speaking, and the other continued: "That same night, the two of us came in and replaced the two captains, and before they left, they said that we should pretend to be for three days, and after three days they would come back to exchange for us, so that the matter of our private military pay would be kept secret, and we would not mention anything else, and we really didn't know anything else!" ”

"This king has basically understood, it seems that these two captains have already conspired, pretending to do it at the drinking party, the purpose is to be locked in a confinement room, and then threaten these two soldiers as stand-ins, they ran to the capital, and then they were killed. I understand what happened before, Commander Zhou! ”

Zhou Xunliang nodded towards King Ling, and said to his subordinates: "Take these two people into custody and wait for them to be released!" ”

"Yes!" A couple of big men dragged down the two soldiers who had been shaken into a sieve.

"It is the last general's negligence, and the last general is willing to bear the punishment!" Zhou Xunliang pleaded guilty to King Ling.

"Hey, Commander Zhou, it's too early to say punishment, this king still needs Commander Zhou to make the merit for the crime!"

Zhou Xunliang, who lowered his head, flashed a trace of strangeness in his eyes, after all, he has been in the army for many years, and his joy and anger are still at home, and there is no change in expression on the surface, but he still looks like he knows his mistakes and repents, but in his heart, he quickly analyzes the strategy: even if he is derelict in his duty to let the two captains enter the capital during the New Year's Festival, this matter cannot be counted as much of a fault, and for him, the commander, it is at most a punishment, but King Ling's sentence "will be punished" Obviously, he has elevated his dereliction of duty to the level of criminal responsibility.

"His Royal Highness King Ling was ordered to investigate the case, and the victim is a member of our army, Zhou Xunliang should fully cooperate with His Royal Highness King Ling!"

"Okay, Commander Zhou can have a heart, it doesn't have to be like this." King Ling held Zhou Xunliang's arm with both hands and performed a military salute, "At present, I also hope that Commander Zhou can show all the household registration and military registration books of these two people to this king." ”

"Yes, Your Highness will go back to the camp first, and the last general will let someone get it immediately!"

In Zhou Xunliang's tent, the subordinates brought by King Ling checked the military register page by page. Liang Guo's military register will record each soldier's household registration, military history, and military rank in detail, and you can accurately grasp the ins and outs of a soldier by checking the military register. King Ling sat on the side, drinking tea while observing Zhou Xunliang's expression.

"Back to Your Highness, I found it!"

"Bring it!"

King Ling flipped through one of the military registration books in his hand, and found that Li Xi and Dong Bi were not only from Pingzhou, but also from the same Wolong County, both of them were not confused, the two were lieutenants of the Xuanjia Army ten years ago, but they were transferred to the Ping'an Army three years ago, and their military achievements in the army for thirteen years were mediocre, so they are only a school captain. King Ling looked at the military registration book, squinted his eyes and asked, "Commander Zhou, judging from this military registration book, since these two people have always served in the Xuanjia Army before, why did they suddenly come under your command?" ”

Zhou Xunliang replied: "Three years ago, the emperor gave the prince a special army, so he established the Ping An Army, and the last general was ordered to organize the army, on the one hand, recruiting troops, and on the other hand, transferring generals with the rank of captain and above to several major legions, and it was at that time that the two of them were recruited to the Ping An Army. ”

Zhou Xunliang's words sounded reasonable, and King Ling was also aware of the establishment of the prince's subordinate army three years ago, "So how did these two behave in the Ping An Army?" Since he has ten years of military experience in the Xuanjia Army, I think the two of them should strictly abide by military discipline, after all, my fourth brother is known for his strict management of the army. ”

"What His Royal Highness the King of Ling said is that the reputation of His Royal Highness King Yu's Xuanjia Army is unknown to anyone in my Great Liang Army? The two of them have always strictly abided by military discipline in our army, never made mistakes, and are quite military-minded in the army....... Except, of course, for the trouble at the previous drinking party. Zhou Xunliang replied while not forgetting to secretly sarcastically mock King Ling, as the prince's henchman, he naturally knew the entanglement between King Yu and King Ling.

Sure enough, King Ling's eyebrows furrowed, and then he unfolded, as if he didn't hear anything in Zhou Xunliang's words at all, and said directly: "If according to what Commander Zhou said, then their performance at the drinking party is simply a performance for everyone to see, in order to be able to sneak into the imperial capital during the New Year's Festival." But what exactly are they doing this for? Why was he killed in the inn? ”

"This ......."

Zhou Xunliang was speechless for a while, and King Ling smiled and said: "Commander Zhou only needs to lead this peace army for the prince, as for the investigation of the case, this king will naturally do it." King Ling choked Zhou Xunliang back.

"Take the king to their tent!"

Ever since the two were confined, the bunks in their tents had been empty, and no one paid much attention. King Ling walked into the tent and found that the bunks of the two were actually opposite.

"Search well!"

"Yes!"

King Ling's subordinates began to rummage through the cabinets in the two bunks, in fact, it didn't take much time, because the bunks of the two were too simple, except for a wooden bed, there was only a half-person high wooden cabinet, a few people overturned the cabinet and poured out all the things inside, at this moment a booklet slipped to the feet of King Ling, he picked it up, the book on the cover was "The Art of War", casually flipped through it, and a folded paper fell out of the book, and it turned out to be a portrait. The portrait is painted with a red cross.

"Who is this?"

King Ling looked at the figure in the portrait, and it looked like a man, but his face was white and beardless, and he looked a little like a woman. Zhou Xunliang came over to take a look, and immediately widened his eyes, not for anything else, because he recognized the person in the painting.

"Commander Zhou, can you recognize this person?"

"It's ....... If the last general is not mistaken, it should be Pingzhou and Dengzhou Prefecture Mu Lu Yan Association! ”

"Oh? This king has heard of this person, but has he found anything else? The second half of the sentence was addressed to King Ling's subordinates.

"Back to Your Highness, there is nothing else to discover!"

"Well, this first day is not considered to be without progress, don't you say, Commander Zhou?"

"Returning to His Royal Highness the Prince" The butler of the prince's mansion handed the foot ring removed from the pigeon's feet to the prince when he was in charge of the lamp, and the prince took it and knocked it lightly, and a roll of paper like the thickness of a needle fell out of the foot ring, and only a few words after opening it, "King Ling found a portrait of the Lu family".

"What's going on?" The prince frowned, "Lao Qi went to investigate the case, how did he find Lu Yanhui's head?" This Zhou Xunliang is also really, what can't be explained clearly! ”

"Your Royal Highness, Commander Zhou must be subject to His Royal Highness King Ling, so he can't explain the matter in detail, Commander Zhou is His Royal Highness's henchman, how can His Royal Highness King Ling not know, on the one hand, he is investigating the case, and on the other hand, he must have monitored Commander Zhou." The housekeeper and the old slave are still low-browed.

"That's right, I didn't expect it when I was in a hurry, but then again, what does this case have to do with Lu Yan?"

"Your Royal Highness the Prince, the old slave always thinks that we have to prepare early!"

"I also understand that Lao Qi has coveted my position in the East Palace for a long time, even if he wants to take the opportunity to deal with me, but this case has nothing to do with me at all, what can he do with me?"

"The old slave doesn't understand, the old slave only thinks that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had better find a few ministers to discuss, and on the other hand, Lord Lu also learned about it."

"Well, that's right, immediately fly the pigeon and pass the book to Lu Yanhui!"

At this time, Lu Yanhui was in a rage, and he was so angry that he stomped his feet in the mansion he set up at the junction of Dengzhou and Pingzhou, and he blushed with excitement, decorating his originally fair face with a beautiful appearance.

"How can this be true? How dare a school lieutenant kill someone in my realm! And killed my son! Lu Yanhui has a black hair tied up tall, but he leaves a strand of hair on the left and right sides of his forehead, he is only five feet tall, and his waist is slender, not only does he look like a woman, but his roaring voice is also very similar to that of a woman, if he is not familiar with him, he would think that it is a woman who is playing a temper in his boudoir.

"I'm afraid that this person is tired of life, and he dares to provoke his father-in-law!" It was Lu Yanhui's other righteous son who spoke, called Sheng Yi, who was five big and three thick, with a beard on his face, green tendons on his arms, and a huge Adam's apple swaying up and down his neck with the action of speaking.

Lu Yanhui accepted three righteous sons, except for Zhang Shisan, who was stabbed by Xuan Shaoning before, and this Sheng Yi in front of him, there was also a feather fan in his hand, a long shirt, and the appearance of a weak scholar, in terms of appearance, it was too ordinary, and there were no characteristics worth talking about at all.

"The father-in-law is angry, and he is angry with his body, but he can't draw it." The scholar persuaded.

"Ziqian, usually you have the most ideas, how do you say I want to avenge Thirteen?"

The man named Fang Ziqian said quietly: "That captain dared to kill the third brother, he would definitely die, but how could he be the only one who is now like this?" ”

Sheng Yi immediately interjected: "The meaning of the second brother reminds me, that's right, those mountain pioneers in Pingzhou also took the opportunity to make trouble that day, otherwise how could the third brother have so many subordinates in the hands of the school captain who died tragically!" ”

"The eldest brother is right, father-in-law, the third brother's hatred is not only the captain who has to bear, but also those Diao people!" Fang Ziqian retracted the fan and reminded.

Lu Yanhui clenched his fists, "That's right, these Pingzhou Diao people, the prince was merciful and didn't kill them all, and now they dare to make trouble, then don't blame me for being ruthless!" ”

"Father-in-law, this is an opportunity, we can take advantage of this incident to suppress these Diao people in one fell swoop to the point where they will never turn over, and at the same time avenge the third brother!" Fang Ziqian said compassionately.

"Tell me how?"

"We Can Emulate the Hung Gate Feast"