Kong Sizhen arrived in Guilin with the green monkeys, and it was April of the eleventh year of Kangxi. Because of taking the waterway, this road went around a big circle, first along the canal south to Guangling, at the Guazhou ferry to change the big ship to go up the river, through Wuhu, Jiujiang, Wuchang, Yueyang, until Chongqing abandoned the boat and landed. Then go south, and gradually enter the Hengduan Mountains, there are thousands of high cliffs on the left, and there are flowing clouds and rapids on the right; The old trees in the deep valley are intertwined with roots, and the branches and vines are entangled; The moss-covered stone paths are green and dense; Occasionally, passing through the cave water waterfall, I feel that the twilight is dark, like a tiger roaring ape, and the roaring sound is heartfelt. The scenery of the water and mountains has changed the desolate bearing of the north, and the beauty has a gloomy and melancholy style. When did the green monkeys who grew up on the Jianghuai Plain experience this? The horse did not ride along the way, but only let go of the feet and ran back and forth, from time to time let out a surprised exclamation:

"Oh my mother! Whoever wants to fall from here with one foot unsteady will not be able to ride the clouds - heh! Why is the water down there so dark and dreary? ”

"Green monkey, get on the horse, you're going to be tired of running like this." Kong Sizhen smiled, "This is called Wujiang!" Actually, the water is not black, the mountain is too high, and the water is so deep that it will naturally be dark when you look at it—do you see that little black hole in the woods on the other side of the mountain? ”

The green monkey put his hand on the pergola and looked at it, and really saw a small hole in the middle of the cliff disappearing in the swaying bushes, so he said: "Well, I see!" Kong Sizhen smiled: "Good boy, good eyesight!" If you had chased me back then, I wouldn't have escaped for my life - my godmother and I had escaped the pursuers there. ”

"How old were you then?" The green monkey got on his horse and asked.

"Five."

"You have such a good memory!" "I just remember that I didn't wear pants when I was five years old. ”

Kong Sizhen didn't answer, her eyes looked at the mountains in the distance, and she let out a long sigh in her heart. On the fourth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of Shunzhi, Guilin City was broken by Li Dingguo, his father Kong Youde drank a sword and killed himself, and the nurse escaped at night with her, and it was like yesterday, how could she forget? Kong Sizhen thought about it, and when she turned around and saw that the green monkey was still looking at it stupidly, she said, "Green monkey, what are you thinking?" ”

"I'm thinking," said the green monkey, "China is so big, and I don't know so much!" ”

Kong Sizhen glanced back at Sun Yanling, who was looking left and right, and an inexplicable worry hit her heart, although her husband was obedient to her, but she always felt an invisible sense of separation, and when she thought about it, she couldn't find fault with anything. Even Dai Liangchen, the clothed servant who had followed his father for many years, felt a lot stranger. Now the two capitals of Guangxi with troops, Ma Xiong and Sun Yanling are good friends, but they have irreversible friendships with Wu Sangui's grandson Wu Shicong, Wang Yongnian is loyal to the imperial court, but he is not convinced by Sun Yanling, how to mediate?

Just thinking about it, the green monkey suddenly said: "Four princesses! ”

"Hmm," Kong Sizhen woke up and asked, "What rare things have you seen again?" ”

"It's not a rare thing - why do I look at the forehead as if he has changed people these days?" The green monkey said, "After Chongqing Mansion, I want to be happy when I walk!" ”

"Oh-" Kong Sizhen was stunned, in the past few days, the place where he felt that it was getting more and more wrong turned out to be here! Thinking about it, he brought the horse closer to the green monkey, and said gently: "It's like this when people get home soon—good boy, you are so clever, I like you very much, don't call me a princess, but also call me aunt?" I will take care of you like Yun Niang. "Well, too!" The green monkey bit her lip and tilted her head for a while, and said, "My aunt is from Xiangma, and she is willing to kill people and set fire to me, you are Miss Qianjinkuo, are you successful?" Kong Sizhen smiled happily: "Do you think I won't kill people and set fires?" Just as he was about to say that, Sun Yanling and Dai Liangchen and several generals rushed past him, laughing and chasing a panicked rabbit with a whip. Kong Sizhen frowned and shouted loudly: "Trillium! ”

Sun Yanling immediately grabbed the reins, dismounted and said with a smile: "Princess, what are your orders?" He still had a deferential look on his face.

"You are the general of the Shangzhu State with an army of 60,000," Kong Sizhen said, "You should hold the point!" ”

"Yes!" Sun Yanling smiled and said, "I'm almost home, I'm a little forgetful." Kong Sizhen took a sip with a smile, and called Dai Liangchen Shen Yu again: "Wait for your master to walk well." The more I look at you these days, the less authentic you are, and I will treat you carefully when I go to Guilin! ”

Kong Sizhen's hidden worries are reasonable, in fact, they are much more serious than she thought. Guilin garrison Wang Yongnian and Ma Xiong are both unified, and because of the uneven distribution of salaries, they have turned their faces. Wang Yongnian's department in the west of the city and Ma Xiong's department in the south of the city did not suffer a day without causing trouble. Sun Yanling's own thirteen military horses were all suppressed by Yan Chaogang and Xu Minzhen, although they would not cause chaos, they did not dare to easily intervene in the battle between the two divisions of the horse king. Jin Guangzu, the governor of Guangxi, was still a happy old minister, favoring Ma Xiong; Ma Xiongzhen, the governor of Guangxi, was Xiong Cixu's protégé and protected Wang Yongnian; The two sides are also incompatible, and it is rumored that Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi have revised their tables and asked for the withdrawal of the domain, and the situation is even more chaotic. Soldiers took advantage of the chaos to go out of the camp to loot and commit adultery. Jin Guangzu captured more than 20 soldiers under Wang Yongnian who went out to do evil; Ma Xiongzhen also arrested dozens of Ma Xiong's soldiers, but they didn't dare to send them down - because the soldiers were all Sun Yanling's, and both of him were empty officials of the frontier, afraid of provoking a mutiny. The forces of all parties are criss-crossed, and they are eyeing each other, so Sun Yanling was busy as soon as he came back, and it was rare to settle down for half a month, informing the superintendent, summoning people to discuss matters, disposing of the backlog of cases, and mediating the relationship between various ministries...... actually put Kong Sizhen aside.

On this day, after dinner, the sky gradually became overcast, the thick clouds pressed low, covering the sky and the earth in a dark, and the wind blew the big sycamore and kapok trees in the courtyard to shake uneasily. Seeing that the heavy rain was coming, Kong Sizhen saw that Sun Yanling was about to go out after picking up two mouthfuls of rice, so he stopped him: "Yanling, go out again?" ”

"How?" Sun Yanling stood, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and smiled, "I haven't been with you for a few days, are you bored?" I have to stabilize the situation here first - the Geng and Shang families are going to withdraw their domains, and we can't be stable here! When the weather is better, I'll play with you again - there are good scenery here, what Duxiu Peak, Diecai Mountain, Elephant Trunk Mountain, Seven Star Rock ......"

"I don't want to listen to this." Kong Sizhen said, "I want to meet with the generals, you can call me together." Sun Yanling smiled and said, "Are you worried about their little things?" It doesn't matter, I can handle it! My princess Chitose, you are rich and honorable! Kong Sizhen shook the folding fan and said with a smile: "I don't have that blessing - you want to offer me as a bodhisattva?" Don't forget, I'm the lord of Dingnan, and I also have an official! ”

"Yes, yes!" Sun Yanling grimaced, salivated and said with a smile, "Your Excellency the first-class guard, if you have no other orders, I will go first." Ma Xiongzhen and Jin Guangzu are all waiting for the discussion! Kong Sizhen nodded and said, "It's nothing, don't you bring a few people?" Sun Yanling said with a smile: "I won't bring anyone with me, Dai Liangchen and they are all waiting here, just tell them if there is anything." ”

Sun Yanling said and went. When it was just handed over, it was completely dark, and it was raining outside, and it was sprinkled on the sycamore leaves and plantain leaves for a while, and it made a loud sound; A thief's wind struck sharply, blowing the window sash open and close, and lifted the curtains high. Kong Sizhen suddenly felt a burst of panic and loneliness, and when she was about to close the window, she heard a chaotic sound in the rain, and the green monkey was drenched, running in barefoot, panting: "Auntie, what kind of fucking day is this, just say it!" Kong Sizhen smiled: "Don't go in and change your clothes yet!" Where did you go wild, drenched like a chicken? ”

"Auntie," the green monkey changed her clothes and sneezed out, buttoning her buttons and said, "There are two people outside who want to see you, but the person at the door blocked it, saying that they will wait for the master to come back and report it!" ”

"Who is it?" Anger rose sharply in Kong Sizhen's heart.

"One in his thirties, short, with black bean eyes; The other one is in his fifties, and he says what is Fu-"

"Fu Honglie!" Kong Sizhen's body trembled. She has fully understood that she really wants to offer herself here as a bodhisattva! She stood up, walked to the window and shouted, "Who are the generals?" ”

"The minions are here!" Someone in the rain replied, Kong Sizhen saw that he was also his own clothed servant, called Liu Chunliang, and said: "Go to the door to spread the word, please Master Fu and they come in!" Liu Chunliang hurriedly bowed down and said: "Back to the master's words, Dai Tou'er said, the visitor has to see the ...... first"

"Fart!" Kong Sizhen said sharply, "Dai Liangchen is your father?" Tell the door, if you dare to interfere with my guests, you will be killed immediately! After saying that, he closed the window with a "bang" and sat down to make up his mind.

"Xiaguan He Zhiming and Fu Honglie see the princess Chitose!" After a while, I heard someone outside the door report loudly. Kong Sizhen had already gotten up to greet him, and when he saw that these two people were about to salute again, he said, "Excuse me from this salute, sit down quickly—isn't this Lord He from the Yungui Division of the Ministry of War?" When did you come to Guilin? ”

"Xiaguan He Zhiming, I went to Guizhou on a business trip, and I came here by a special detour, and I have been here for seven days, and I want to see the princess alone, but I have not been able to do so." He Zhiming raised his face as he spoke, and it was really two black bean eyes, which were so bright and aggressive. Kong Sizhen had long heard Wei Dongting tell the story of him assisting Wu Liuyi, the commander of the Nine Gates, to kill the generals and enter the Ao Mansion alone to lobby, and he was an extremely shrewd and capable person, so he smiled and said: "You are the official of the Ministry of War, and you are rewarded with the rank of squire, why is it difficult to see me?" ”

Fu Honglie smiled: "It's not difficult to see you, but it's difficult to see you alone." Tonight, they ate and talked with Wu Shicong and Wang Shirong in Juxian Tower, and took advantage of the time to ask to see the princess, some words are not enough for outsiders. ”

"What Juxian Building? What Wu Shicong, Wang Shirong? Kong Sizhen jumped up in shock.

"Sit down, princess!" He Zhiming smiled and said to Fu Honglie: "How? The princess really didn't know! As he spoke, he bowed and smiled: "There are some things that the princess will understand in the future, but the lower officials are here for another thing-" He took out a piece of scrap paper from his sleeve and handed it to Kong Sizhen, saying: "This is a blood letter, please take a look at the princess!" ”

Kong Sizhen took a page of bloodstained scraps of paper, shuddered in his heart, and said to the green monkey standing aside: "You go to the door and look at it!" ”

There are not many words on the paper, but there is a lot of blood:

Asking for the grace of heaven to clear the death of Wu Liuyi, Wu Huang wept blood.

The blood book has turned purple. He Zhiming stepped forward and turned over the paper, and the handwriting on it seemed to be in his mind:

Cheng Wu Tie beggar's letter Cai Shigong's "Luo Jiang Resentment" poem:

Fame, wind and moon, two things, day camp......

The words below are gone. He Zhiming explained: "This is written by Mr. Wu to Wu Junmen in the eighth year of Kangxi. ”

Kong Sizhen didn't speak, her face was stone-carved and expressionless.

The rain outside was heavier, and a bright flash of brush illuminated the inside and outside of the house, followed by a roar like a rock-shattering roar. Kong Sizhen's face was as pale as paper, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Wu Junmen originally died unexpectedly?" This, which is from ...... Where ......"

"Wu Gongzi and his nurse are now in my house, and the two school captains who escaped are also with me." Fu Honglie sighed, "It's a pity that a generation of good generals died at the hands of villains in vain!" He Zhiming remembered the feelings of his colleagues back then, and he was already in tears.

"Who killed Wu Liuyi?" Kong Sizhen thought about her own situation, sad, excited, and a little scared.

"Shang Zhixin, as well as Guizhi's Ma Xiong and Dai Liangchen!" Fu Honglie said without hesitation. He Zhiming's eyes flashed next to him, and he added: "And Wang Shirong who is eating wine with his forehead tonight!" Fu Honglie shook his head and said: "That's not necessarily, He Jun is not suspicious of being too heavy, Wang Shirong was not present, there are witnesses." ”

He Zhiming sneered: "This person is delicate and elegant, looks like a beautiful woman, versatile, even Brother Honglie loves him very much, and he doesn't know his evil." I can conclude that he must be the mastermind of killing Wu Junmen—sooner or later you will have to suffer from him!" ”

Kong Sizhen didn't pay attention to their dispute, this situation came too suddenly, and she couldn't accept and digest it for a while. Ma Xiong and Dai Liangchen are both people around him, how can they be taken lightly? When she pondered, she stood up and pulled out the sword hanging on the wall, gently tapped it with her thin white fingers, made a clanging sound, and turned her face to He Zhiming and said: "Of course I believe your words, but Wu Liuyi is a very difficult person to mess with, how can he easily let people die-this matter is not trivial!" ”

"According to the nurse, they first used slow-hair poison and planned to slowly kill Wu Junmen." Fu Honglie said, "I was afraid that the saint would receive a report of Wu Liuyi's illness and send the imperial doctor Xingye to treat him, so he had to do this poison - after Wu Junmen found out about the plan at the banquet, he drew his sword and killed twelve palace guards in a row, and also cut Ma Xiong's face and legs——"

"Bring your ID card!" Kong Sizhen was already furious, and said sharply, "I'm going to ask this case in Guilin!" ”

"No, no!" He Zhiming leaned back and shook his hand and said, "We are not here to sue, we just want to explain the truth to the princess alone, please take more precautions and pay attention carefully!" O princess! Although there are many old people in front of the tent, they are no longer the hearts of the deceased. Even if this matter is applied to the imperial court, I am afraid that it will not be released, not to mention that you are in danger, let alone intervene in this case, once it causes drastic changes, the stake is not small! ”

"I ask the princess to plan for the worst." Fu Honglie said, "Xiaguan has secretly trained three thousand militia to prepare for emergencies, in case something happens, the princess can go to Xiaguan for a temporary ......."

Without waiting for Fu Honglie to finish speaking, Kong Sizhen suddenly laughed loudly: "The two of you really treat me as ordinary women!" If Guangxi is not a dangerous place, what does the Holy Lord want me to come back for? There are more than 60,000 people in the three armies, and they have been married to my father for decades, Ma Xiong doesn't want to think about it, kill me Kong Sizhen, and his army will be in chaos first! I am in Guangxi for a day, even if they rebel, they can't deal with the court with all their strength - Master Fu, rest assured to go back to train the soldiers, when you can use it, I will look for you; Lord He, you go back to Beijing and bring me a secret fold, and I will ask Master Fu to adjust a little military salary. ”

"Good!" He Zhiming's eyes flashed, "Please ask the princess to write a fold!" ”

"Green Monkey!" Kong Sizhen's face sank suddenly, "Spread the word to Liu Chunliang, and ask Dai Liangchen to come over with the generals of the Baoyi family!" Saying that, he smiled at Fu Honglie and He Zhiming, and Fu He glanced at each other, not knowing what this unfathomable young woman was going to do.

Thirty or forty generals braved the rain to come to the main hall, Dai Liangchen walked in, looked at the two strangers uneasily, and beat Qian'er knelt down and said: "The slave Dai Liangchen led the family slave Liu Chunliang and other forty-three people to come over and knock on the master!" Dozens of coated minions knelt on the ground with the crows.

"Go ahead!" Kong Sizhen's eyes stared at Dai Liangchen like a sword, and he waited coldly for a long time: "What a Dai Liangchen, a good slave trained by our Kong family!" Good work you do! ”

"I don't know what the minions did wrong......"

"Huh?" Kong Sizhen smiled coldly, put up his hands behind his back and looked at Dai Liangchen, who was trembling all over, "Let me ask you, where did the scar on Ma Xiong's face come from, and what happened to his leg?" ”

"Princess!" Dai Liangchen was suddenly shocked in his heart, and said in a panic, "I heard that it was from a horse...... Fell down and was ...... by bamboo stubble"

"Okay, you won't tell the truth?" Kong Sizhen cut off Dai Liangchen, leaned over to look at his terrifyingly deformed face, and asked with a smile, "You are the slave of my family, do you remember how Bao'er died in front of you?" ”

"Yes...... It is to put it in the burnt ...... The red-hot iron cage ......"

"Well, good memory!" Kong Sizhen smiled and instructed Liu Chunliang: "Set up a fire!" Then he said to the frightened green monkey, "Don't you like to watch murder and arson?" Auntie will show you new tricks! Although Fu Honglie and He Zhiming next to him were silent, seeing that Kong Sizhen's family law was so fierce, they also felt chills in their hearts.

"No!" Dai Liangchen's face was like ashes, he screamed silently, and hurriedly climbed a few steps and knelt in front of Kong Sizhen's feet, "No, master!" They forced me to do that...... I didn't hurt Wu Junmen's fingers...... Ask the master to be merciful, to be merciful! ”

"Which master of Ma Junmen is you?" Kong Sizhen's face was expressionless, and he threw a dagger over with a clang, "Wu Junmen is a feudal official of the imperial court, and he was ordered to go to Guangzhou to contain the three feudatories, and he was killed by you rats in just a month after he took office, so how can I save you-for the sake of your many years of service to me, let you break it yourself!" ”

"Thank you, princess!" Dai Liangchen felt that he had been pardoned for being tortured by the fire cage at this time, so he grabbed the dagger without hesitation, and was about to stab it down as soon as he leaned back.

"Slow!" He Zhiming waved his hand to stop Dai Liangchen, and smiled at Sizhen: "Princess, I will ask for a favor for Liangchen." Although he is innocent of death, he is not the mastermind after all, how about the princess open the net, show grace outside the law, and allow him to make meritorious contributions? ”

"Well," Kong Sizhen admired He Zhiming's cleverness, but pretended to be pondering, and said after a while: "Look at Mr. He's face, send your dog's head first." These coaters will serve as my guards from tonight onwards, and they will still be led by you, do you hear? ”

"Chirp!" Dai Liangchen sweated profusely and soaked his heavy clothes, and said in a loud voice, "Thank you for the grace of the master not to kill, thank you for the grace of Mr. He for saving!" ”

"Take me to Juxian Tower!" Kong Sizhen commanded coldly.

The banquet on the Juxian Tower was already ruined, and Sun Yanling didn't know that there had been a "mutiny" in the house. Wu Shicong, Ma Xiong, Liu Lianming, Wang Shirong and more than a dozen military generals are now drunk and elegant. Xu Minzhen, who was guarding downstairs, saw Kong Sizhen coming majestically with a group of guards, and hurriedly bowed down and said with a smile: "The forehead master is above, and there is no woman-"

"!" Kong Sizhen pushed Xu Minzhen over, then tiptoed upstairs, stopped in the corridor, and looked in through the gauze fan. Sun Yanling was drunkenly half-lying on the bamboo chair, and beside him was a handsome young scholar whimpering and playing a flute accompaniment, Ma Xiong raised his scarred face and sang in an uneven voice:

The fierce wind of the king, the clouds are heavy in the four seas. Qianqiu Xiang feathers have blood on his neck, but he can only sigh that Wujiang hates heavily, and it is difficult to dye red. dissipated the heroic spirit, and there was no reason to go to Jiangdong to be a ghost. The wanderers of the later generations of the empty religion are afraid of the blue water!

After singing, a group of people laughed and persuaded them to drink. Kong Sizhen was surprised how Ma Xiong, who was born in the army, could make up such an elegant tune, but he heard Sun Yanling smile and said: "Shirong, listen, what kind of flavor do you sing your tune, it's better than Fang Cai Shicong to sing it!" Grab a big glass and punish the drink! ”

Wang Shirong handed the flute to Sun Yanling, and smiled shyly: "Yanling, you will accompani, and I will sing a paragraph to help Yaxing!" He spoke softly and softly, sounding like a girl. Kong Sizhen outside couldn't help but secretly wonder: Could this person be the mastermind who killed Wu Liuyi? While he was thinking, the sound of the flute whimpered again, and Wang Shirong sang softly with the beat of the flute:

The cool breeze and autumn moon cut off the leaves of the Han family. A piece of north, a piece of south, and a piece of things to go! Help the sick body, climb the dangerous building, empty to the good night, the grass and trees are tormented, and the candle is extinguished - the slave is sick from the heart, why should Lang force the slave to choke on the medicine? When the jar is broken, I am afraid that there will be a shortage of gold!

He sang in a straight voice, coughed twice, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and flushed his face. Wu Shicong hurriedly came over and said, "Shirong, isn't your illness well yet?" A few days ago, I wrote to my uncle in the Geng family, asking him to get some more good white fungus. That thing is the best way to nourish the lungs and clear the fire-" Before he could finish his words, he was cut off, because Kong Sizhen had already pushed the door in, and He Zhiming next to him stared at Wu Shicong and the weak Wang Shirong with a sarcastic look. The green monkey flickered and looked at the people in the room curiously with big eyes, but Dai Liangchen behind him looked embarrassed, his eyes looked at the corner of the wall without squeaking.

"Princess!" Everyone was startled, and then knelt down again, "—I didn't know that the princess was coming, begging for forgiveness!" ”

"You're guests." Kong Sizhen said to Wu Shicong and Wang Shirong, "It's late at night, and Mr. Wang is sick again, please go to the post house to rest first." Chunliang - send off! ”

After they went out in a daze, Kong Sizhen turned his face to Sun Yanling and said: "General Shangzhuguo, Guangxi has been a border area since ancient times, the mountains and rivers are dangerous, Fujian and Guangdong are controlled in the east, Guizhou and Yunnan in the west, and Miao Yao is miscellaneous, this is not the time for feasting. I have been commanded to come here to guard the town, hoping that you will cherish and love yourself, and help me succeed. ”

Although the words were polite, everyone could hear that it was announcing the collection of military power. When the officers and soldiers below heard this, they were sincerely frightened in their hearts, and they all said again and again: "But the princess's order is to listen!" ”

"That's good!" Kong Sizhen smiled, "You are for me, I will naturally be for you, you are still your Shangzhu Kingdom!" You are at your command, but—" she muttered, "the movement of the army, the deposition of the soldiers, and the deliberations and meetings with the governors, and the vassals of the neighboring provinces, are to be discussed, and I must present them to the court at any time. Let's work together to do a good job in Guilin, and it's better to have less contact with those messy people! ”

"Chirp ......"

"Tomorrow, I will gather more than 1,000 generals of the three armies in Xingyuan, one is that I want to meet them, and the other is to declare the emperor's holy decree - Trillium, let's go back together!"

"Wow!"