On the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the fifteenth year of Hongwei, on the second day of Beiwuwei's return to the camp, there was heavy snowfall.

The study of Huang Tingzhi, the first assistant of the cabinet, was full of carbon stoves, and the old man who was over seventy years old was holding a teacup and snorting, and a young man with a frown on his side was the seventh son of the emperor, Zhao Yang, the king of Liao.

"Grandpa, do you want to meet that Xu Rui?"

Zhao Yang thought about it for a long time and still didn't come to a conclusion, so he simply asked Huang Tingzhi directly.

Huang Tingzhi put down the teacup, looked at him with a smile, and asked, "Why do you want to see it, and why don't you see it?" ”

Zhao Yang said: "Father's hint yesterday is very clear, that is, to let a few princes meet this Xu Rui, but the grandson doesn't know what he means.

Now Xu Rui seems to be just a martial artist, but he is already the target of the court, and his father is unclear, if he is too involved with him, he can't tell whether it is a blessing or a curse. ”

When Huang Tingzhi heard this, he nodded with satisfaction, put the teacup in his hand on the bookcase, and said with a smile: "At a young age, it is commendable that the prince can see the court situation so thoroughly, but have you ever thought about it, where is the key to the problem?" ”

"The crux of the matter?"

Zhao Yang hesitated slightly and shook his head.

Huang Tingzhi said: "The saint is a great talent, he only has the world in his eyes, no personal feelings, no matter who he is, no matter what he does, he is just a tool to dominate the world." ”

Zhao Yang was stunned: "You mean that Xu Rui is also a tool of his father?" ”

Huang Tingzhi nodded and said: "The genius of the saint lies in the fact that it is difficult for ordinary people to guess his thoughts, and even if they guess, they are powerless to change, just like in this civil and military dispute, everyone thinks that the saint has lost patience with the generals who are too big to lose."

No one has ever thought that whether it is civil or military, internal or external, all of them are one or the other, and the whole body will be affected by one hair, even if the saint wants to raise a butcher's knife against the generals, how can he let the civilian forces take the opportunity to become bigger?

The saint first borrowed the defeat of Jingyang to provoke a civil and military dispute, disposed of the original military forces in one fell swoop, and then backhanded and supported new military generals to balance the civilian officials.

The new generals are too weak and rely on the Holy God everywhere, and with the support of the Holy Lord, a new balance is formed between the civil and military forces, and the battle will quickly subside.

Once the civil and military factions stop fighting and unite with the outside world, the voice of the "old ancestor" in the inner court will naturally be suppressed, which is a serial plan to kill three birds with one stone. ”

"So the father deliberately praised Xu Rui this time, but he actually meant something?"

Zhao Yang gradually understood what Huang Tingzhi meant.

"Not bad!"

Huang Tingzhi said: "The saint has never been targeted, and every piece of relaxation has a deep meaning, and now he deliberately pushed Xu Rui, a nobody, to the front of the stage.

Since His Majesty has hinted, the prince naturally can't turn a blind eye, but the prince is right, the son of a daughter can't sit down, it's better to hurry at this time, and wait until the situation is a little clearer to see Xu Rui. ”

Zhao Yang nodded, tapped lightly on the bookcase and said, "Grandpa is right, let the prince go to the troubled waters first, and try the depth!" ”

Jingwu Marquis Mansion.

"Young Master, Young Master!"

An Ge woke up the sleepy-eyed Xu Rui, and said hurriedly: "Young master, I heard people say that the Yang family opened the mourning hall early this morning, and the old general Liu Yi and Liu have already come to worship, and I didn't see your shadow, so I asked the Yang family steward why didn't you come to guard the spirit, those damn stewards reversed right and wrong and said that you ...... Say you...... Hey......"

Xu Rui rubbed his hazy sleepy eyes, waved his hand and said, "There is no need to say those disgusting words, where is General Liu now?" ”

An Ge said: "It is said that the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies has urgent military affairs and has already gone back." ”

Xu Rui nodded: "I can't go to my father-in-law's funeral, and I'll go over as soon as I tidy up a little." ”

Just when Xu Rui was dressed and dressed, there were already many guests coming to the lobby of the Jingwu Marquis Mansion, but there were not many prominent ones, most of them were just Yang Weiyuan's old days.

Jingyang was defeated, and the commanders of the Sixth Route Army all died in front of the battle, but except for Yang Weiyuan, the other five people did not escape heavy punishment, so that many people could not understand the emperor's attitude and did not dare to come to worship.

Mrs. Yang was dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling in front of the ranking, she is now over forty years old, the wind and frost of the years have blown her figure fat, her eyebrows and eyes are relaxed, but her upright facial features can still vaguely see a little bit of her former beauty.

The memorial post was sent out early yesterday morning, and there were fewer people to worship than expected, and Mrs. Yang's face was very gloomy, and the people on the side did not dare to approach.

Yang Weiyuan's eldest son, Yang Huaizhen, yawned lately, walked into the mourning hall casually, greeted the guests casually, and finally sat down next to Mrs. Yang.

Mrs. Yang was angry, and lowered her voice and said, "Your father, you have sunrise funeral, why are you here now?" ”

Yang Huaizhen said: "My son was oversad last night and overslept. ”

Mrs. Yang snorted coldly: "What nonsense? Did you gamble again last night? ”

Yang Huaizhen said with a sneering expression: "Mother, the second and third children didn't come, why don't you stare at them?" ”

Mrs. Yang said angrily: "You are the son-in-law of the family, how can you compare with them?" The son doesn't teach, the father is at fault, and when the dead ghost is alive, he only knows how to run to the barracks, and see what has become of the three of you? ”

Yang Huaizhen pouted: "It's not because you forced my father to come back if he didn't come back......"

"What did you say?"

"No, isn't my son here now?"

"What's the use of coming? This time your father died on the battlefield, the court has not issued an order for you to attack the lord, the three of you are not angry, if there is no longer this title, how will our family gain a foothold in Daxing City in the future? ”

Yang Huaizhen spread his hands and said, "What can I do about this?" ”

Mrs. Yang snorted coldly: "Naturally, I can't count on you, but you have to behave well for me these days, so that those uncles and uncles can take a good look, so that my mother can beg them to talk to you." ”

Yang Huaizhen nodded helplessly, and suddenly he seemed to remember something, and frowned and said to Mrs. Yang: "By the way, mother, last night my son listened to Tang Shangshu's little son from the Ministry of Officials, and now many people in Daxing City are very interested in Xu Rui, could it be that wild seed?" ”

Mrs. Yang was slightly stunned, and a thick resentment appeared on her face.

"How many years has this mourning star lived in our house for nothing? Now that you are killing your father again, you must not let him come to ruin our family's affairs again! ”

Yang Huaizhen rolled his eyes: "Just him?" What can it be bad? ”

Mrs. Yang snorted coldly: "He is naturally a waste, but the three of you didn't join the army with your father, and those uncles and uncles are closer to that waste, you must know that human affection is limited, if everyone speaks for him, regardless of your life or death, your title will be suspended." ”

"Is it that serious?"

"Can my mother still lie to you?"

"That's to be on his guard."

Yang Huaizhen's face finally became gloomy, and Mrs. Yang looked mean.

"Xu Zuoling, are you here?"

"Xu Zuoling, how are you doing today?"

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the mourning hall, and Mrs. Yang and Yang Zhenye suddenly turned around, only to see Xu Rui appear on the mourning hall.

Even if he came, many of the people who came to pay tribute today were from Beiwuwei, and they were in awe of Xu Rui, and when they saw him coming, they immediately surrounded him and greeted him eagerly.

"Why did this wild seed come about?"

"How can this mourning star be so familiar with several adults?"

Mrs. Yang and Yang Huaizhen exclaimed at the same time, and the two glanced at each other, and their faces suddenly changed.

Xu Rui greeted everyone, Liang Tongfang whispered behind him to explain the rules, and seeing that he was not wearing mourning clothes, he waved his hand and asked his own soldiers to find one.

Neither of them realized that this scene was a different thing in the eyes of others.

Liang Tongfang, a dignified commander of the third grade, was like a follower in front of Xu Rui, and what was even more exaggerated was that all the generals of Beiwuwei looked like a matter of course, and none of them showed a strange expression, which made the guests outside Beiwuwei not surprised?

For a while, many people whispered to the guests who came, who is this childish and handsome young man?

Just when everyone was surprised, Mrs. Yang gritted her teeth, walked up to Xu Rui angrily with Yang Huaizhen, and said viciously: "Xu Rui! Who asked you to come? ”

Xu Rui saw the evil deeds of these two people, although he was very unfamiliar in his heart, he recognized their identities almost immediately, and said deeply: "Child Xu Rui, I have seen my mother and brother. ”

"Who is your mistress? Who is your brother? You dead star, why don't you get out of here quickly?! ”

Mrs. Yang didn't leave a trace of affection and shouted in front of everyone.

The faces of several Northern Wuwei generals who were originally surrounding Xu Rui froze, and they subconsciously looked at Xu Rui, neither to leave nor to stay, and they were extremely embarrassed.

Xu Rui didn't have a trace of gloom on his face, and bowed deeply and said: "Mastermother, the child has offended you somewhere, I am here to accompany you, today is the funeral of the father-in-law, and the child only wants to keep the spirit of the father-in-law." ”

Seeing that Xu Rui was not angry, Liang Tongfang breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly persuaded: "Yes, madam, Xu Rui is young, if something is wrong, please bear with me, today is a big day for the funeral of the handsome, don't be angry......"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was forced back by Mrs. Yang's cold eyes.

"General Liang, my husband rescued you from the thief's den, and for 20 years, you have been supported and treated without any mistreatment, and now that your husband has just left, you have helped outsiders to bully our orphans and widows, what is the reason?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Yang whimpered and cried, and several generals who wanted to be peacemakers were stunned and in a dilemma.

Liang Tongfang's face turned even red, he was originally the most righteous person, but now he is said to be ungrateful, wolf-hearted, and naturally shocked and angry in his heart, but he can't refute it.

First, Mrs. Yang is a female streamer, and she is playing tricks, how can a group of rough men in the army reason with her?

Second, Yang Weiyuan and his wife have never been on good terms, and most of the generals in the army have a bad impression of her, but after all, she is Yang Weiyuan's widow, and the Yang family is now the biggest with her, what she says is the voice of the Yang family, even if she is reasonable, who can she go to?

"It's the Dead Star!"

Perhaps thinking that the scene was not embarrassing enough, Mrs. Yang pointed at Xu Rui and shouted hoarsely.

"You have a mother and no father, your husband treats you as his own, raised you since he was a child, and there has never been a shortage of food and drink, but you killed your husband on the battlefield!

Aren't you your husband's personal guard? Why did you come back alive, but your husband died on the battlefield? In front of so many people today, do you dare to pat your chest and say that your husband's death has nothing to do with you? ”

The boss died, but the guards survived, which was a miracle on the battlefield, and then Mrs. Yang cried, which immediately aroused everyone's interest.

The generals from Beiwuwei naturally knew the truth, but the generals outside Beiwuwei frowned one after another, and their eyes were full of suspicion when they looked at Xu Rui.

When Mrs. Yang saw that someone was on her side, she immediately made a lot of noise, and grabbed Xu Rui's collar and tore it back and forth.

Xu Rui let her pinch and pinch with an expressionless face, and her thin body flung around with Mrs. Yang's fat arms.

The solemn mourning hall suddenly became a mess, and the scene was out of control for a while, and several generals of the Northern Wuwei couldn't stand it anymore, and surrounded them like seven aunts and eight aunts to persuade them.

Xu Rui has always been haunted by Yang Weiyuan's death in his heart, thinking that he killed his father-in-law, and Mrs. Yang's words just hit his sore spot.

But even if there is no such knot, Xu Rui will not resist, because there is no point in presenting facts and reasoning with a person who intends to harm you.

"Little Marquis, let's go, today is the day of the funeral of the handsome, and there must be no more chaos, otherwise the handsome will not feel at ease!"

Several generals of Beiwuwei finally pulled Xu Rui out of Mrs. Yang's clutches, and Liang Tongfang saw that the woman was becoming more and more fierce, so he hurriedly persuaded Xu Rui to leave, and all the generals nodded in agreement.

And Mrs. Yang was dragged by a few men and looked like a crazy tiger, still shouting to herself: "Dog, you killed your husband, and you dare to pretend to come to worship, the Yang family can tolerate it, and God can't tolerate you!" Get out, get out of here, get out of here, the farther away the better! ”

Seeing that the situation was out of control, Xu Rui sighed deeply, bowed deeply towards Yang Weiyuan's ranking, and then resolutely turned around and walked towards the outside of the mourning hall, leaving Mrs. Yang to roll around alone.

Several generals of Beiwuwei were very angry, and they were afraid that Xu Rui would be wronged in his heart, so they chased him all the way out, and the other guests surrounded Mrs. Yang to comfort him again and again, and a good memorial immediately became distinct.

"Little Hou Ye, women are like this, you must not take it to heart, wait for a few days Lao Liang to talk and make peace, and it will be fine."

"Yes, yes, Xu Zuoling doesn't have to be sad."

Liang Tongfang followed behind Xu Rui all the way to comfort, and the generals nodded in agreement.

Xu Rui waved his hand, signaling that everyone didn't need to talk about it, and then said lightly: "Thank you for your concern, Xu Rui just wants to guard the spirit of his father-in-law and do his filial piety, as long as there is a spirit in his heart, where is not the same guard?" ”

As he spoke, he suddenly lifted his robe, and knelt in the snow in the direction of the mourning hall.

The snow was blowing, and it only took a few breaths to paint him white, and the cold wind kept pouring into his neck, and less than a stick of incense made his lips purple.

However, even though he was shivering with cold, Xu Rui's body was still motionless and kneeling straight.

Liang Tongfang and the generals of the Northern Martial Arts looked at Xu Rui silently, and they were all shocked.

A good sentence "As long as there is a spirit in the heart, is it not the same in that?" What a frank and man, a good boldness that is not shocked.

The rough men in the army don't care about any rules, it is Xu Rui's simple true temperament that can move people's hearts more.

This is the backbone of Hou Ye!

Master Hou, you have a successor, you can rest assured!

Looking at Xu Rui's thin but determined figure, Liang Tongfang sighed in his heart, and unconsciously wet his eyes.

At this moment, the doorman outside the Hou Mansion suddenly shouted: "The family welcomes the guests, Prince Yu and Prince Su have arrived!" ”

This voice was suddenly like a thunderclap, and the chaotic mourning hall instantly fell silent.