At the beginning, in the twenty-seventh year of Wuwei, Ding Chou, Taizong succeeded to the throne, Gaozu abdicated, respected as the emperor, and Gaozu was still there, and the edict continued to use the name of Wuwei.

At the end of the year, hundreds of officials wrote to ask for a change in the year name to show the sainthood, and Taizong allowed it.

――"Yongshi - Taizong Benji"

In the first year of Longsheng, on the seventh day of the first month, the snow was sunny at the beginning, the cold was very, before the fifteenth, all industries stopped, and there were few pedestrians on the road. A small wild shop next to the official road is a wine flag exhibition, the shopkeeper Hu San added a few pieces of charcoal to the stove, listlessly leaning on the counter to nap, this New Year is very smooth, since the King of Qi in Zezhou after the victory, Zezhou has no obvious external troubles, from all over the hometown of travelers in an endless stream, his business is excellent, I was going to wait until next spring to repair this dilapidated shop, who knew that the first day of the first day to go to the casino to play, the gambling god Bodhisattva refused to bless, lost most of the silver taels, the wife went back to her parents' house in a fit of anger, Hu San regretted it, but he couldn't pull his face to pick his wife back, so he had to open the business ahead of schedule with a sad face, hoping to meet a few generous guests, or earn a few taels of silver, so as to please his wife.

He was drowsy from the fire, when suddenly there was a loud sound of horses' hooves in his ears, Hu San's spirit was shocked, and he didn't care about the cold wind that came through his bones, he pushed open the door of the store and looked out, only to see the snow flying in the north, and twelve knights escorting a carriage running. Hu San looked desperately, and in a short time, those people were already close to a few miles away, one of them rode out of the crowd, quickly whipped his horse, and in an instant Pegasus arrived in front of the door, and the knight on the horse pointed at Hu San with a horse whip and asked, "Is there any good wine, are there idlers in the store?" ”

Hu San said flatteringly: "Rest assured, the wine in the small shop is famous, strong and mellow, there are no guests in the store, even a young man has gone back for the New Year, the small shop is clean and warm, the uncle has walked far away in this cold day, you might as well come in and have a few glasses, keep you comfortable." ”

The knight in the black coat took off his hood, revealing a resolute and fierce face, he turned over and dismounted, ignored Hu San, walked towards the store, stood at the door, and saw that it was very spacious, although the tables and chairs were simple, but they were quite clean, nodded with satisfaction, and said: "My family is going to be sharpened here, you have to serve well." ”

Hu San's eyes are very sharp, as early as when the knight turned over and dismounted, he had already seen clearly that under the big coat was a well-textured black riding suit, the upper body was wearing exquisite black soft armor, and he wore a horizontal knife at his waist, just looking at the scabbard to know that it was not ordinary, plus the combat boots on his feet, he didn't need to ask to know that this was a general in the army, and then he heard that he had an adult to serve well, Hu San was very happy, and he came to be a dignitary, so as long as he served thoughtfully, the silver money would not be less. He said very neatly: "Master General, the stable behind the shop is very wide, the grass is all good, the villain goes to build a stove, and the horses of the master will not be cold." ”

The knight waved his hand and said, "Go quickly, and bring up all the good wine and meat in a moment." ”

At this time, the other people had already arrived, and the knight walked quickly to the front of the carriage and reported: "My lord, you can sharpen it inside, please show it." ”

A clear voice came from inside the carriage and said, "The journey is hard, we will rest for an hour, but we can't drink too much wine." The knights shouted their promises and turned over and dismounted. One of the knights threw down the bloody game from his horse and said, "Shopkeeper, we will cook the horses ourselves, and you can carefully cook a few side dishes from these pheasants and rabbits, and bring them to my lord." Hu San agreed again and again.

At this time, the young man in Tsing Yi who was driving the carriage jumped out of the car, and then lifted the curtain and picked up a scholar in Tsing Yi. The two entered the store under the guidance of Hu Sandiligently, and chose a leeward and warm table to sit down. And those knights quickly led the horses in the carriage and the mounts of those knights to the stable, without Hu San's interference, and even the forage was taken by themselves. Then one knight was left to guard the stable, and the other knights entered the shop, and after saluting the scholar in Tsing Yi, they scattered and sat down.

Hu San moved very fast, at this time, the prepared bacon flatbread and soju had been placed on the table, Hu San was so busy that he was sweating, but he couldn't help but be happy when he saw that the generals who were guarding were full of satisfaction. After a while, Hu San made a few side dishes with the game brought by the guests and brought them to the table of the scholar in Tsing Yi, and when he peeked at it, he saw that the scholar in Tsing Yi had a slightly red face, as if he had drunk a few glasses of wine, but the bacon he sent him had hardly moved. And the wine he drank was not the spirits in his store, I don't know when, there was a blue and white porcelain altar on the table, and a simple wine jar that looked like jade and not jade, I don't know what material, and it was filled with clear blue wine. In addition, there is also a food box, which contains some exquisite snacks, and the food box is covered with thick fur, and the pastries seem to be steaming hot.

Hu San put the game on the table, and the young man in Tsing Yi who was sitting on the side took out a silver bowl and chopsticks from another box beside him, put it in front of the scholar, tasted each dish, and then said, "Childe, please use it." ”

The scholar in Tsing Yi just started to eat, Hu San was dumbfounded, although he was also well-informed, but after all, he was just guarding a small no shop, and he had never seen this kind of pomp.

After being busy for most of the hour, Hu San finally became free, and those knights had already swept away the wine and meat, and then drank the wine and chatted in a low voice. And the scholar in Tsing Yi after eating, he picked up a book and looked fascinated, Hu San knew that these people probably had to rest for half an hour, so he hurriedly went to bring two jars of wine, one of which seemed to be the head of the knight shook his head, and said: "No need, if you are drunk, it will be difficult to hurry, you fill our wine bags." As he spoke, he threw a wine bag onto the table, and the other knights untied their wine bags and put them on the table. Hu San calculated while pouring wine that each wine bag could hold at least two catties of wine, just counting today's wine and meat, it was already a big business. After loading, Hu San counted, but there were only eleven wine bags, and he couldn't help but peek at the strangeness in his heart, it turned out that there was a knight who sat in the corner at the beginning, and did not sit with other knights, Hu San almost ignored him, and after paying attention, he realized that the person was actually a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, and the wine jug on the table was untouched, and it was actually not a drop of wine. Hu San wondered in his heart, the north is cold, everyone loves spirits, why doesn't this young knight drink alcohol, and after a few more glances, the young knight seemed to notice his gaze and looked at him coldly. Hu San only felt a huge shock in his heart, the young man's expression was cold, and his eyes were even more murderous, although Hu San was not a soldier, he had also struggled in the war for many years, that kind of gaze he understood very well, it was a kind of gaze with bitter hatred and crazy murderous intentions.

I slowly drank the light wine, too mellow liquor I can't afford to bear, it's a little ashamed, a few days ago I thought that my father's death is coming, I want to pay tribute to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, but who knows that before the trip, the court came to the envoys, rewarding the three armies, and I, the prison army, naturally can't get out. It was easy to pass the New Year, and I had time, and I didn't care that it was less than fifteen, so I took Xiaoshunzi and a few guards to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. His Royal Highness King Qi also wanted to accompany me to have a look, but I politely refused. Looking at the lonely figure in the dark corner, my heart was bitter, but unfortunately, it was a simple sacrifice to my deceased father, and I couldn't help but be scheming, this time I deliberately brought Ling Duan to give him a chance to escape.

After the upheaval a few days ago, after Li Hu was forcibly taken away by King Qi's subordinates, Ling Duan became like this, silent, cold and hateful, but I was helpless about this matter, I couldn't deliberately let him see any clerical information, so it was easy for idiots to know that there was a trick in it, only this method would let Ling Duan know the fact that Quartz's old department was all wiped out, so that when he returned to the Northern Han Dynasty and cooperated with other things, he would think of the possibility of Quartz's "betrayal", which was a very important move in my plan, This is essential evidence to eradicate quartz.

Among the generals under Long Tingfei's command, Su Dingluan and Tan Ji are dead, only Quartz and Duan Invincible remain, I decided to target Quartz, because Duan Invincible is good at guarding and acting cautiously, he must be a shrewd person, and for the shrewd subordinates, the superior can be relied on, but it is difficult to trust, coupled with the information we have obtained, Quartz is indeed Long Tingfei's favorite general, in this way, dealing with Quartz is not only a distraction between Long Tingfei's henchmen, but also the betrayal of his cronies will also be a more serious blow to Long Tingfei's confidence. For this reason, I can't take care of Ling Duan's mood anymore.

Looking at Ling Duan, I suddenly remembered Tan Ji in my heart, King Qi once copied a song sung by Tan Ji when he was dying to me, I chanted again and again, thinking of Tan Ji's life, I couldn't help but sigh deeply, although this song is too sad and melancholy, but it is also written with painstaking efforts. After chanting it in his heart, he suddenly stood up and walked out of the store.

Hu Yanshou, who was in charge of guarding Jiang Zhe, got up in surprise and was about to ask, but then Xiao Shunzi, who came out, waved his hand and said, "Childe, just go out to take a breath, you don't have to follow." Although he said this, Hu Yanshou still beckoned another guard to go out. Ling Duan's heart moved, and he also got up and followed, he knew that although Jiang Zhe was quite kind to him, those guards were very wary of him, so he stood far away, watching Jiang Zhe standing in the snow, looking at the sky with his hands in his hands, not knowing what to think again. Ling Duan touched the short Ge on his waist, and his hatred was deeper, but he could only wait forbearantly.

At this time, Jiang Zhe suddenly sang loudly:

"The heavens are unkind, and the earth is unkind, so I am at this time. The road is dangerous, and the people are in exile and mourn together. Separated from the yellow artemisia branches, withered leaves and dry leaves, accumulating white bones and knife marks and arrow scars. The snow is full of snow and the heart is cold, and the strong man is bloody and deep. The sun is dark, the wind is sad, and the sound is everywhere, and the clouds and mountains are not visible. Thousands of miles are fluctuating and involuntary, and I don't think about my homeland day and night. The four seas are uneven, and the people hate it. Although I live in peace, I often sigh. It is from the saint Xi who has done many injustices, and there are many people who complain about me in the remnants of the country and the country, and I do not want to return to the south in life, and I should be buried on the bank of the Chu River when I die. ”

Ling Duan listened attentively, although some sentences were not well understood, but he could also feel the sadness and pain revealed in the song, when he heard the two sentences "I have done many injustices from the Holy Monarch, and there are many people who complain about me in the cruel family and the country", Ling Duan couldn't help but cry, thinking of the general and his former comrades, thinking of Li Hu, who was so straightforward and confused, the hatred in his heart almost made him no longer tolerate the thin back standing in front, reaching out to touch the short ge, his eyes revealed the sky-high killing intent, or, just risk his life, Even dying here is better than being so painful.

Just when Ling Duan's mind was about to be confused, there was a sudden ethereal sound of the piano in the wilderness, if there was nothing, the sound of the piano was loud, wonderful in the world, Qingyue was passionate and faintly with melancholy sadness, hatred was heavy, although the sound of the piano was weak, but it was endless, everyone could hear it clearly, I don't know when, there were snowflakes floating in the air again, the sound of the piano gradually approached, and the more and more sad tune made the whole world seem to be filled with a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

At this time, the other guards also stepped out of the wild shop, vigilantly looking in the direction where the sound of the piano came from, but everyone was a warrior on the battlefield with a heart like stone, so naturally they would not be moved by the sound of the piano, but they all showed a vigilant look from their eyes.

Xiao Shunzi frowned slightly, he could hear that the sound of the piano contained a deep internal force, the person who played the piano was not only proficient in music, but also a master of the house, he naturally would not be moved by the sound of the piano, but he looked at Jiang Zhe worriedly, Jiang Zhe did not know martial arts, but just one glance, Xiao Shunzi breathed a sigh of relief. Although Jiang Zhe doesn't know martial arts, he listens to the piano purely with appreciation, and he will not be swayed by the music.

I listened intently to the sound of the piano, and sighed intently, I can also play the piano, but it is coarse but not refined, if I play this tune, it will be difficult to gather in several places, but the person must be subtle in the fingering, and he turned up naturally, although I am not a music and rhythm everyone, the four words of the eye master and low can almost summarize my ability in the music, and I can also hear that this person who plays the piano is really a saint in the world. However, the emphasis on the qin music is to be happy but not lewd, sad but not sad, this person is too sad in the piano, and the demons are born because of it, which is a little bad.

Everyone was in no way, only Ling Duan had a miserable background, his dear brother and the most respected general died on the battlefield, his new friends were killed again, he stooped down to the enemy as an attendant, his heart was already depressed and resentful, and he was provoked to the evil in his heart again, at this moment he was confused by the sound of the piano, his mind gradually became confused, his eyes were red, his face was hideous, and suddenly he swooped down on the thin figure of cyan.

His appearance had already fallen into Hu Yanshou's eyes, and he was easily stopped, Ling Duan was like a mad tiger, regardless of it, he tried his best to kill, but Hu Yanshou was a first-class master in the Tiger Guard, how could Ling Duan be his opponent, if it weren't for Ling Duan's sacrifice of his life to attack, I was afraid that he would have been defeated long ago.

Hearing the sound of the blades colliding, I didn't have the heart to listen to the piano anymore, I glanced back, and at a glance I saw that Ling Duan was seized by the sound of the piano, which was not something I expected, frowning slightly, I ordered: "Xiao Shunzi restrain Ling Duan, let the two guards go to see who played the piano and caused the trouble, and brought him here." ”

Xiao Shunzi's body is like an illusory figure, Zhang Xu space seems to pass by in one step, taking over Ling Duan's attack for Hu Yanshou, pointing in front of Ling Duan's forehead, the cold true qi turned into thousands of threads and submerged into Ling Duan's body, Ling Duan staggered back, fell to the ground, his eyes became clear, he looked at the short Ge in his hand in horror and Hu Yanshou who was holding a knife and looked at him coldly, and understood what had happened, although he had a murderous intention, he was not a fool who was reckless, he knew that assassinating Jiang Zhe was an unrealistic fantasy, and he was just looking for an opportunity to escape, Seeing such a scene, I couldn't help but be shocked.

Ling Duan naturally knew such a situation, I was afraid that he would be executed on the spot, although his stubbornness and arrogance made him unwilling to beg for life, but people who did not have the heart of greed for life, Ling Duan was miserable in his heart, knelt on the ground, and said in a low voice: "Sinners offend adults, ask for forgiveness." After that, he said no more.

I know Ling Duan's temperament, and this sentence of plea is already very difficult for him, not to mention that I have no intention of killing him, but I can't let him realize this, so I deliberately showed hesitation.

Ling Duan could see the expression on Jiang Zhe's face, but if he begged hard, it would not be something he could do, so he simply lowered his head and waited for the man to give the order to kill him. At this time, he heard a long sigh, and then a gentle voice came from his ear: "Ling Duan, you have followed General Tan for many years, and the demons in your heart are too heavy, I know that you still have residual hatred for me in your heart, and you are confused by the sound of the piano, Jiang does not blame you, but you must not commit it again, if you do this again, I will kill you." ”

Ling Duan's heart was relieved, and he said in his heart, it is rare to have the opportunity to leave the Yongjun camp this time, if it is possible, I will definitely escape, and naturally I will not do it again. He said respectfully: "Ling Duan obeys the order and does not dare to do it again." Only then did he stand up and look up, only to see that the tiger guards looked at him with even more cold eyes, but he didn't pay attention to it, but just stepped aside. At this moment, a carriage came in the distance, and the sound of the piano that was still lingering just now also stopped abruptly, and on both sides of the carriage were the guards who had just gone to find the person who played the harp, and they escorted the carriage to the left and right. Ling Duan was also curious, and after looking carefully, he didn't know who could play such a piano sound.

It was an ordinary carriage, it seemed to be just used by ordinary travelers, and it was driven by a half-hundred-year-old man, with a thin appearance and eyes like lightning, and he knew that he had not weak martial arts at first sight. When the carriage approached, the old man got out of the car and stood respectfully on the side, the curtain of the carriage was raised, and a girl in a purple suit with a sword jumped out of the carriage, and then stretched out her hand to help a handsome young man with sword eyebrows and starry eyes, this young man was wearing a dark black mink fur, with a precious sword hanging from his waist, and his bearing was gentle and noble, and his expression was calm, and he knew that he was not an ordinary traveler at first sight.

One of the guards led the three of them slowly, while the other walked a few steps briskly and said, "Lord Qiqi, the person who plays the piano has been brought." ”

The young man stepped forward and said, "The grass people Gao Yan came to see the adults, I don't know what to call the grass people?" ”

I admired this young man for a long time, handsome appearance, slender and upright figure, noble and elegant bearing, courteous and thoughtful and slightly reserved manners, this young man is definitely a child of a family, I don't want to slack off, smiled: "In Xia Jiang Zhe, in the wilderness heard Gao Gongzi caressing the qin, only to feel that the sound of the piano is like a heavenly sound, so that the heart is relaxed, so invite the son to come, the guards are reckless, or make the son frightened, Zhe on behalf of the two of them to the son to ask for sin, I don't know why the son came to Zezhou, if there is anything difficult, Zhe Xi is the superintendent of the Zezhou battalion, or he can serve. ”

The young man's eyes flashed with a hint of imperceptible brilliance, and said: "The grass people are frightened, I don't know if it is the princess of Ningguo Changle, the marquis of Chu is here, the marquis of Jiang is famous all over the world, and the grass people are the people of Goryeo, and they came to the Central Plains by fate. ”

I sighed: "I see, although Goryeo is a foreign domain, but never from the Central Plains, although the Central Plains war over the years, but there are still envoys to the Heavenly Dynasty, Zhe in the Southern Chu for the Hanlin, has for the Chongwen Palace to sort out the old documents, with the Yuan three years, that is, Zhenyuan ten years, Goryeo envoys into the court, but unfortunately encountered a strong wind, had to go to Hangzhou landing, then for the Southern Chu Wu Emperor Zhao Shi stayed. Dayong Wuwei six years, your country also sent an envoy to Chang'an Jin, but unfortunately the Central Plains was in a scuffle at that time, the envoy Jin Guimin was harmed by the princes on the way back to China, for this court sent troops to quell the chaos, bloodshed and drifted, in order to repay this hatred, but unfortunately since then, there is no envoy to your country to make a pilgrimage, it is a pity. ”

The young man's eyes flashed with amazement, and he said: "The Hou Ye really knows a lot about the affairs of our country, Jin Chengcheng is the ancestor of the grass people, and the news of his martyrdom has been transmitted back to his country. Since then, piracy in the East China Sea has been rampant, and the waterways between our country and the Central Plains have been almost cut off, and it is impossible to enter the upper kingdom. It was not until a few years ago that the sea lanes were opened and our country resumed trade with the Central Plains. The grass people have long admired the cultural relics of the Central Plains, so they went to Binzhou with the ship, originally wanted to follow the footprints of their ancestors, traversed the famous mountains and rivers of the Central Plains, but the paper got to finally feel shallow, the grass people went the wrong way, mistakenly entered Qinzhou, because of the two countries exchanged troops, had to be detained for more than a year, fortunately the month ago your country was victorious, Qinzhou was defeated, eager to expand the army and rearm, the grass people took advantage of the gap to steal away from Qinzhou, over the mountains and mountains, many days of hard work, and finally entered Zezhou, so the land is still under military management, and the grass people are from Qinzhou, in order to avoid being suspected, so they bought a carriage and prepared to enter the inland of the Central Plains, I didn't expect to meet Hou Ye here, although this matter was a little difficult to explain, but the grass people didn't dare to hide it, and asked Hou Ye to know it. ”

I was surprised in my heart, looking at this person carefully, I can't see that there is Goryeo blood in appearance, but the Goryeo nobles are very sinicized, which is also ordinary, and his eyes fell on the old servant and maid behind him, if he is really a Goryeo, then his person should be able to see the truth or falsehood, and raise his hand to beckon the old servant and maid to step forward. In Goryeo, he asked the girl, "Is what your master said true?" ”

When I was in Binzhou, I once covered up my true face and negotiated business with the rich businessmen of Goryeo, so I still know some Goryeo language, and it can be regarded as a correct word, the beautiful girl's eyes flashed with surprise, and blurted out: "It is the truth." It was really used in Goryeo, and as soon as the words came out, the girl came to her senses, and changed to the Central Plains dialect: "The slave master, detaining Qinzhou, has to be a last resort, and I ask the Hou Ye to forgive me." She spoke fairly smoothly, but her accent was a little weird, but fortunately her voice was crisp and beautiful, and it didn't sound harsh.

I smiled slightly and said, "The girl's Chinese language is very good. Don't know what to call it? The girl's face turned red and said: "Slave maid Jinzhi, because the son loves the classics and cultural relics of the Central Plains, the slave maid has changed to speak Chinese for many years, but the slave maid is stupid, the accent is difficult to change, and the Hou Ye laughs." ”

My eyes fell on the old servant, although the old servant was a servant, but his bearing was also extraordinary, he just said: "Old slave Cui Jiucheng, Chinese can only be listened to and not spoken, please forgive me." He replied in Goryeo, in a fluent and unhurried tone.

I said in my heart, although it is not difficult to find two retinues who are proficient in Goryeo, but these two people are obviously not from the Central Plains, so it seems that the identity of this Gao Yan should not be in doubt, but even so, it is better to let them leave Zezhou like this, it is better to keep them in Zezhou for a while, and wait until they are confirmed that there is no problem. And this Gao Yan's bearing is extraordinary, wouldn't it be a pity if such a character misses it and can't make friends. Thinking of this, I said apologetically: "Jiang assisted His Royal Highness King Qi to guard Zezhou, everything must not be careless, Gao Gongzi is a distinguished guest of Goryeo, Zezhou is now in chaos, Jiang is inconvenient to let Gongzi come and go freely, I am afraid that there will be accidents, and there will be damage to the face of King Qi, if Gao Gongzi does not give up, you might as well stay in Zezhou for a period of time, and when the spring flowers bloom, the road is smooth, and then it is not too late to go to the Central Plains, I see that Gongzi has outstanding character, if he is appreciated by His Royal Highness, Gongzi can come and go freely in Dayong, is it not good to be embarrassed everywhere." ”

A hint of discoloration flashed in Gao Yan's eyes, but he bowed his head vigilantly to avoid Jiang Zhe's gaze, and after a while, he said, "Master Hou is kind, Gao Yan dares to disobey his fate." ”

I said happily: "I should have immediately invited Mr. Gao to rest in the army, but Jiang Mou intended to go to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple to worship his father, if Mr. Gao was willing, could he go with him, if Mr. Gao wanted to rest in a hurry, I should send my subordinates to send Mr. to the barracks." ”

Gao Yan said: "The grass people are also people who have nothing to do, since the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple has this name, there must be many Buddha statues, there must be a place for lingering, the grass people love the scenery and cultural relics, if the Hou Ye does not feel troublesome, Gao Yan is willing to go to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple with the Hou Ye." ”

I smiled and said, "That's very good, Zhejian Gongzi's carriage is simple, and Zhesuo's carriage is wide and comfortable, so please take it with me." ”

Gao Yan seemed a little surprised, and said after a while: "Thank you Lord Hou for your kindness, Gao Yan obeyed his fate." ”

At this time, the tiger guard had already prepared the carriage, and I asked Gao Yan to get into my carriage, Gao Yan was very knowledgeable, and without waiting for us to say more, he untied his sword and handed it to the maid to send back to his carriage. I then sat up, but this time Xiao Shunzi didn't drive, he also followed, a stranger rode with me, he naturally won't rest assured, Hu Yanshou personally whipped up. The maid, Jin Zhi, took the piano bag from their carriage and sat into the carriage at my signal.

The carriage I had brought from Binzhou had long since been destroyed in the war, and this one, which had only recently been delivered, was more spacious than the other one, and the four of us still felt very comfortable and spacious as they sat in it. The carriage is divided into two rooms, the back is a soft couch, there is a cabinet under the bed to place items, the front room is fixed on both sides of the brocade stool, the middle of the table, but it is iron, covered with snow-white brocade, the bottom of the cup plate on the table is made of magnets, placed on the table will not slide. At the moment, in addition to the tea set, there are only some books on the table.

In order to resist the severe cold, the carriage was covered with cashmere blankets everywhere, and the fur was sealed tightly all around, except for the windows on both sides that were not blocked for light, and there were soft furs everywhere when touched, but the windows were made of translucent glass, which would not let the cold wind invade, and the brass stove under the table made the carriage warm and not chilly at all. However, Gao Yan didn't seem to be surprised, it seems that his identity is not simple.