On this day, Li Jiang's young children turned old, held a banquet in Xijing's left-behind mansion, Li Mao made a special trip to the house to congratulate, drank two glasses of wine, because he heard that there was an important military situation, he said goodbye and returned to the west of the city staff office, when passing by the southwest corner of Buzheng Fang, he saw a little girl wearing a red jacket wearing flowers under the autumn tree with yellow leaves, the girl was about ten years old, standing alone on the side of the street, looking at her forehead was full, her cheeks were plump, and her red cherry mouth seemed to be dripping water.

Li Mao only glanced at it, then stopped and asked Xi Xiangling to ask. Xi Xiangling arrived in front of the girl, half-knelt down, and said a lot to her, before the girl was willing to come to the car, Ying Ying bowed, asked the elder how he was, and then hung her head and waited for the question.

Li Mao saw that she knew books and etiquette, and liked it even more, so he asked in the car: "Who are you a little lady, why are you alone on the street, your parents and brothers?" ”

The girl replied: "My parents died early, I lived with my uncle since I was a child, and I came to Chang'an to join my relatives due to the disaster in my hometown. The girl's eyes were slightly red when she said this, but she couldn't hold back and didn't cry.

Li Mao said to Xi Xiangling: "You send someone to take her to find it, and then buy her something to eat." ”

The girl thanked Li Mao, respectfully let Li Mao go on the side of the road, and let Li Mao and his party pass. After the carriage, Li Mao was a little relieved, so he stretched out his head and called Xi Xiangling and said, "If you can't find it, take her back." ”

When he arrived at the staff office, he handled several urgent matters with Chang Mucang, Hu Nanxiang, Li Deyu, Xie Biao, and Xia Ren, and said to Li Deyu: "Your Majesty has not returned from the East Hunt, and Wen Rao is only willing to recruit talents, and is unwilling to take care of things. He also said to Xie Biao: "Wen Rao recruits talents, we are not good at waiting to eat ready-made, you are most familiar with the officials, you must urge the officials of all ministries to move, and you can't slack off." Xie Biao said: "The Son of Heaven is in Luoyang, Xijing is left behind, and the chief seal officials of the twenty-four divisions are all in Luoyang. ”

Li Mao asked Li Deyu for his opinion, and Li Deyu said: "It's more appropriate to ask for instructions on small things or everything, it's just more cumbersome, you can't miss big things, and even if you miss it, it doesn't matter the overall situation." If you are afraid of delay, you will give an order in the name of the Marshal of Soldiers and Horses, and you will obey the power in a hurry, and the deputy generalissimo has the right to cheapen. ”

Li Mao said: "This is reasonable, it will not delay the big event, and it will not neglect the Eastern Capital." Good. ”

Xie Biao arched his hand and said: "Wen Rao Gaojian, I have served you." ”

Li Jiang understood his situation very well, and after opening the government and staying in Xijing, he hurriedly helped Li Mao to collect all kinds of talents, unite the powerful in Beijing, and retreat was not pragmatic.

The real power of the military and government in Guanzhong gradually fell into the hands of Li Deyu and Xie Biao, one of them was in charge of finance, and the other was in charge of personnel. Li Mao's remarks positioned the roles of the two in the future new dynasty, which is of far-reaching significance.

At this time, the staff office received a military report from Qian Duoduo, and learned that he had successfully arrived at Shenxian Mountain, eighty miles southwest of Luoyang, and set up an ambush in the river valley to capture the outpost of the three hundred Xuanwu Army, and did not leak the news.

Li Mao was overjoyed and said to Chang Mucang and others: "Duoduo is becoming more and more capable, and this time I will definitely be able to scare Han Gongwu and Zhu Kerong a lot." Everyone laughed, and then they dispersed.

Li Mao returned to Chongrenfang, Xi Xiangling came to report, did not help the girl find her uncle, he speculated that eighty percent of the year was not good, and the uncle could not afford to support his niece, so he brought her into Chang'an, and left her on the side of the street for some reason, waiting for someone to adopt, so that she could have a way to live. In the year of great calamity, the poor people sell their children and daughters, and there are not a few people who leave people on the street or in front of the houses of the rich and noble, waiting for others to adopt them.

Li Mao ordered to bring the girl and asked her name, and replied Qing Yuqiu, Li Mao said: "What a beautiful name, you must be from a scholarly family." Qing Yuqiu said: "My surname is Qing, and on the day my mother gave birth to me, it happened to be raining outside the window, and it was early autumn, so I had this name." Neither of my parents had ever studied, and my uncle was not very literate. ”

Xi Xiangling was afraid that Li Mao would not understand what a hundred family meals were, so he hurriedly explained: "His uncle is a small businessman, carrying the merchant to go from door to door, as the saying goes, eating a hundred family meals." ”

Li Mao nodded and said, "You can stay in peace first, and let Uncle Xiangling continue to help you find your uncle." ”

Qing Yuqiu thanked Li Mao and went with Xi Xiangling.

Li Mao called Qin Fengmian again and said: "Luoyang reported that it was going to carry out a big operation, I have seen the plan, it is very risky but it is worth a try, you send more people over." Qin Fengmian said: "There is a force looming in Luoyang recently, with great energy, but I can't figure out his details, I suspect that it is related to the nine surnames, is this operation temporarily postponed?" Li Mao said: "I'm afraid it's too late, it's okay to move, let's lure the snake out of the hole." ”

……

At dawn, Tian Qian came out of a wine shop in the south of Luoyang City, the mist had not yet dissipated, and there was no one in sight on an empty bluestone street.

Although the whole Luoyang City is not as soaked in power and fame as Chang'an City, it is also by no means the simplicity and simplicity of ordinary counties, and the air here is full of luxury, decadence, struggle and despair, without the slightest hint of hope.

Tian Qian was followed by two middle-aged men, both of whom were good at picking one in case, lean and low-key.

Although the guards signaled that the surroundings were safe, Tian Qian still carefully scanned the surroundings, her eyes were sharp and cold, and finally, she looked at the gray and cold sky, put away the folding fan in her hand, and walked towards a black oilcloth carriage parked on the corner of the street.

Walking to the middle of the street, she could no longer take a step, and across the street, under the elm tree, in the mist, stood face to face with a thin old man, his eyes shining like wolf eyes. She heard two more muffled noises behind her, and the two good ones who picked one fell to the cold bluestone slab without warning, never to get up again.

The old man stepped out of the shadows and said politely, "My master wants to invite his wife to a cup of tea. ”

Tian Qian pointed behind him with the folding fan in his hand: "This is your master's hospitality?" ”

The old man still replied politely: "It's a matter of confidentiality, I don't want too many people to know, as long as the lady cooperates, the old man will make sure that they are safe." ”

After the old man finished speaking, the black oil cloth carriage parked at the corner of the street squeaked over, the car was still Tian Qi's car, but the driver had changed. The old man lifted the curtain and bowed down to make a gesture of invitation, with a very respectful attitude.

Tian Qian put away the folding fan and got into the car without saying a word.

After a cup of tea, an early riser rescued two middle-aged guards lying on the cold stone street, the two looked at each other speechlessly, but their hearts were shocked: there was such a person in Luoyang City, and he could cut them off the horse with a slight wave of his hand. The two thanked the vendor, and rescued the unconscious coachman in the bush on the street corner, and the three of them looked at each other and smiled bitterly, and lamented in unison: "There are people outside the people, and a mountain is higher than a mountain." ”

After the three of them discussed, they decided to report to Chen Shu, who was lurking in Luoyang.

Chen Shu secretly came to Luoyang and secretly helped Tian Qi, Tian Qian herself didn't know, but the three henchmen around her knew it. Chen Shu got the report, nodded silently, and said to the three of them: "I already know about this matter, the three of you should not show up for the time being, strictly keep the secret, and do not leak it." ”

The three of them went as promised, Chen Shu thought about this matter carefully, and decided to talk to the nine surnames, in Luoyang, there were not one or two who wanted to attack Tian Qi, but the only one who could succeed was the nine surnames.

At noon on the third day after Tian Qian was abducted, Chen Shu personally waited outside the north gate of Yanqing Fang by Luoshui to greet Tian Qian, and the two got into the same carriage, the black curtain hung low, and the outside could not see the inside of the car, and the inside of the car could not see the outside, and the two sat opposite each other, but they did not say a word to talk. The car turned south, went out of Luoyang City from Yongtongmen, and traveled more than ten miles to the northeast, stopping on the Luohe River embankment, located in the suburbs, and there was no one around.

The two got out of the car and continued to walk in a tacit understanding, while the guard and the coachman remained where they were.

There was a willow forest on the river embankment in front, and a canopy boat was moored under the tree, and a captain waved his hand to Chen Shu.

Tian Qian stopped, looked at the white sails on the river, and asked Chen Shu: "What is this, I was kicked out?" ”

Chen Shu said in a businesslike tone: "They have been operating Heluo for nearly a hundred years, with lush branches and deep roots, and it is difficult for latecomers to compete with them. ”

Tian Qian said: "I don't like to hear words like 'although defeated, but still honored', defeat is defeat, I admit defeat." They have been running Heluo for a hundred years, and they are deeply rooted, but it may not be that the branches are luxuriant, otherwise we would not know anything about them. ”

Chen Shu said: "In the Yuanhe period, King Yan instructed me to keep an eye on them and touch their details, I failed King Yan, and it is still difficult to fathom their depth to this day." Tian Qian also learned from Chen Shu's tone and said: "They have been operating Heluo for nearly a hundred years, with lush branches and deep roots, and it is difficult for latecomers to compete with them, and you are still glorious even if you are defeated." ”

Chen Shu smiled reluctantly, and arched his hand: "They want to continue to maintain the current chaotic situation, and they don't want King Yan to come to Luoyang, I deduce that they still have moves, please Madame return to Xijing quickly, and remind King Yan to be careful." ”

Tian Qian unfolded the folding fan, fanned it on his cuffs, put away the folding fan, and walked down the embankment without saying a word.

On the way, Tian Qian sighed again, and said leisurely: "I thought that there were only a few heroes in the world, but I didn't expect that the real strength has actually been lurking in the shadows. Compared with the nine surnames, the people who are jumping on the table now are just clowns who are not in the stream. By the way, what did you promise them, and they were willing to let me go. ”

Chen Shu said: "Before leaving, King Yan instructed that he could give them some benefits, and I told them that if they help the Taishi, Heluo will be peaceful in an instant, and everyone in the world will have benefits." If the Kwantung princes are funded, the Heluo war will drag on for a long time, and it will inevitably be in ruins. You can be everywhere, behind the scenes, and control everything, but without people, you're nothing. ”

Tian Qian said: "Your words may not be able to convince them. ”

Chen Shu said: "I also thought I couldn't, but they still agreed, just asked for a month to transfer the goods, and a month later, the army attacked the city, and they no longer interfered." In the future, if the army is short of food after entering the city, they can supply it at a reasonable price, and if they are short of money, they can also hang the account first. ”

Tian Qian said: "Do you believe these words? ”

Chen Shu smiled and said: "I don't care about this, as long as Mrs. can return safely, everything is easy to say." ”

Tian Qian smiled faintly and didn't say anything, Li Mao has always been very fond of Chen Shu, and she was not allowed to ask about a mess of things under Chen Shu's name, although she was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to disobey. This is the first time that the two have faced each other head-to-head, and although it is only to the point, each has left an indelible impression on the other.

Tian Xuan's sharpness, strength, aggressiveness, and even some arrogance and unreasonableness were deeply understood by Chen Shu.

Chen Shu's low-key perseverance, flexibility and pragmatism, and the calculation of the city government also impressed Tian Qian and did not dare to underestimate him.

The two carefully kept their distance and courtesy, cherished each other like friends, and waved goodbye.