In a few moments, a middle-aged man in his thirties stepped into Lie Cuixuan with four long casual smiles. He held a long folding fan in his hand as an arch on his chest, and said to Wu Sangui, who was sitting in the center: "The old master of Wuhua Mountain has come to visit Ping Xibo!" ”

No one spoke. Wu Sangui only rolled his eyes at this rich and noble man, and took a sip of tea from his cup as if nothing happened. The visitor smiled awkwardly, picked a seat nearby, lifted the back placket, lifted the front robe, sat opposite each other with a big grin, and looked at Wu Sangui without showing weakness.

"You're presumptuous. Do you know what this place is? After a while, Wu Sangui opened his mouth word by word, "Who are you immortals, traveling to my Wuhua Mountain?" ”

"I'll tell you as soon as I walk in the door! Well, let's elaborate on it again. The person who came opened the folding fan with a "bang", closed it again, and said with a smile: "No, the real name is Zhu Cijiong, the pseudonym is Yang Qilong, the dragon vein sent by Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, and the third prince of Emperor Chongzhen - Wuhua Mountain here, this is my old thing, there is no transfer deed, and there is no transaction document, when the surname is Wu, I have to ask for advice!" ”

"You're not a little daring!" Shang Zhixin interjected with his eyes and said, "It's clear that he is a person who deceives the world and sells dog skin plasters!" As soon as he spoke, there was a burst of laughter in the study.

"You're Shang Zhixin." Yang Qilong said loudly, "Your old man is still happy, but he is a deputy general, and my third-class slave is also more noble than you!" ”

"Noble?" Shang Zhixin smiled coldly, picked up the name thorn that had just been thrown in from the table, and said contemptuously, "It is really unheard of that there are people in the world who don't even know the arts and sciences and dare to call themselves 'noble'!" ”

Yang Qilong pouted and smiled, and said: "Although I met you Shang Zhixin for the first time, I have admired your 'knowledge' for a long time - excuse me, how do you know that I don't understand literature and science?" ”

Shang Zhixin said strangely: "Even if this name thorn is taken as an example, how can there be a word true - according to yourself, you are a noble Tianhuang noble, the king of Pingxi was once the earl of the former Ming Dynasty, and he belongs to the monarch and minister, where does the word 'year' on this thorn come from?" Well? Shang Zhixin smiled coldly, and then pointed to the "dependent" and asked: "Let's talk about the word 'dependent' - your surname is Zhu, his surname is Wu, where do you come from?" The word 'classmate' is also ridiculous," Shang Zhixin couldn't help laughing, "Pingxi Wang was born in the military, and he is from the ancestral Yin family, where did he come from?" The word 'brother' is even more nonsense - the king of Pingxi is over the age of six, and he is only thirty years old, if you want to call the son a grandson......" Speaking of this, Lie Cuixuan was already laughing.

Yang Qilong opened his eyes and looked at Shang Zhixin in amazement, according to his talent and knowledge, it was not difficult to refute Shang Zhixin, but he was no longer willing to do so, he needed to spare energy to rethink this person, why there was such a big difference from the information he received. Yang Qilong quickly recovered his demeanor, and said with a faint smile: "You only know how to chew words, but you don't know how to adapt to the times!" I am a king and a minister, and I am a great and a nobleman, and I am reluctant to follow the vulgar stream, which is wonderful, how can I know that the idle generation! ”

When Wu Sangui heard this, Gege smiled and said, "No matter who you are, since you are here, please sit here and talk!" ”

Yang Qilong didn't speak, nor did he sit down, he only gently dusted off his robe, stilted his legs, and leaned back slightly.

Liu Xuanchu sat on the opposite side, constantly looking at this uninvited guest with his eyes, and his heart was flooded with folk anecdotes about the "third prince of Zhu": some said that Chongzhen killed the prince and princess in the palace one after another when he was in danger, some said that the nurse escaped from the Forbidden City with the third prince in her arms, and it is also said that the nurse used her bag to hide from the pursuing Qing soldiers, but sacrificed her own flesh and blood...... He was a little surprised by Yang Qilong's sudden appearance. He was not afraid that the person who came was the real third prince of Zhu, but he was afraid that the governor of Yunnan, Bian Sanyuan, would play some tricks and send people to test it. After pondering for a long time, Liu Xuanchu took the opportunity to interject and asked: "Since you are the prince of the previous dynasty, do you have a certificate?" ”

Yang Qilong smiled and handed over the folding fan in his hand. Liu Xuanchu took a rough look and handed it to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui received it and found it very heavy, opened it and looked at it, only to find that it was a stainless steel bone fan. This fan was originally a weapon, and a poem was written on the fan:

The river is blue, who plays the jade flute on the river? The boat is sent to Xiaoxiang passengers. The reed flowers are thousands of miles of frost and moon white, and the color of the wounded line is clear, and the Ming Dynasty is separated by the mountains.

Wu Sangui has seen a lot of Chongzhen's handwriting, so he knows that it is indeed genuine at a glance. He also has a lot of such objects in his house, but he has not touched them for many years for fear of arousing the uneasiness of his conscience. After playing for a long time, Sangui still returned the fan to Yang Qilong, and smiled slyly: "This word has neither a title nor a payment, and it is a work of predecessors, even if it is the imperial pen of the first emperor, it is not enough to rely on." - I've got half a box here! ”

"I forgive you for not being trustworthy," Yang Qilong carefully took out a hard-skinned gold satin fold from his arms, held it in both hands, put it on the table, and brushed it with his hand before pushing it to Wu Sangui: "Ping Xibo might as well take a look at this." ”

"Jade!" Wu Sangui's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly held them up with both hands and examined them carefully, only to see that it was written:

Zhu Cijiong, the biological mother of Concubine Qin, was born in Chuxiu Palace in March of the 14th year of Chongzhen. Wen Po Liu Wang, deacons and eunuchs Li Zengyun and Guo An were present. Jiaodong Factory, Jinyiwei and Qinfei each keep one copy and file it according to the regulations.

The jade seal with Chongzhen on the bottom "retired to the same day" - although it has been thirty years, the cinnabar imprint is still bright red. There is no doubt about it now, the person who came is indeed the third prince of Zhu!

Wu Sangui's hands trembled a little, his head was also a little dizzy, and he returned the jade to the third prince of Zhu in a daze, and suddenly his face changed, and he said: "The descendants of the first emperor have all returned to heaven, the descendants of the Zhu family have long been dead, and it is common for the relics of the first emperor to fall into the hands of people with different surnames. ”

"Hahahaha!" Yang Qilong was stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly, "Ping Xibo, how short the knowledge is!" Where will the descendants of my Zhu family be slaughtered? My ancestor Emperor Hongwu has passed down 17 times since he ascended the throne, and he has been crowned all over the kings in the world's famous cities and counties, and his descendants have been innumerable in the past 200 years! Only Nanyang Mansion, the former residence of the Tang King, and the descendants of the surname Zhu have more than 15,000 people. You said that the descendants of the first emperor were all dead, and Zhu was sitting opposite! He sighed and said, "The deafest people in the world are the ones who pretend to be deaf, the dumbest people who are dumb, and the most stupid people who pretend to be stupid—if I hadn't seen you in danger, how would I have entered your unpredictable place with the body of a daughter!" "If there is no one next to the third prince of Zhu, his mouth is like a hanging river, and he is gushing endlessly. Geng Jingzhong and Shang Zhixin above, Hu Guozhu, Xia Guoxiang and others below all did not change color, only Liu Xuanchu sat firmly and remained silent.

"Really?" Wu Sangui pretended to be puzzled, and said with a smile, "Wu is on the throne today, has a heavy army, and sits in a big town, which is the southwest barrier of the imperial court. The emperor treats me like flesh and blood, fame, and noble titles, what else is there to pretend to be deaf and dumb, pretend to be demented and dumb? ”

"Yo! It's so enviable! The third prince of Zhu sneered at each other in a sarcastic tone, "The quality is already extremely high, the lord is extremely expensive, and the court has nowhere to give, so the 'three feudatories' are inscribed on the pillar of the court and the corpse is blessed day and night, and the resourceful Wu Yingxiong is offered in the Xuanwu Gate!" A few of you are gathered here to discuss how to serve the Qing court! ”

"Bold!" Wu Sangui was furious, slapped his palm on the case, and the pen and inkstone bowl jumped high, "Slow to say that you may not be true, even if you are really the third prince of Zhu, what about it?" I am now the king of Pingxi! Since ancient times, there are no two days, no two people, a country rises, a country dies, and there is a Taoist saint to replace it, which is justified! Even Emperor Chongzhen came in person, but it was just a small people under my rule - committing rebellion and slandering today, the sin is unforgivable, come! ”

"In!" The guards rushed in and thundered in agreement, "Please give the order of the prince!" ”

"Take it!"

This time it became sudden, and the third prince of Zhu was gently lifted by the next seat of the pillar, and threw it into the arms of the two guards, and was caught with both hands behind his back. When the four personal entourages of the third prince of Zhu saw that their master was taken, they shouted and flashed their blades to take Wu Sangui directly, but they were protected by the Huangfu Baozhu who was guarding in front of them with a sword. Some of the more than a dozen guards went to support Liu Xuanchu, some protected Geng Jingzhong and Shang Zhixin, and some fought with their blades.

But the battle soon became clear. Although the martial arts of these people led by the third prince of Zhu were very high, Wu Sangui's guards were also extremely brave, after all, they were outnumbered, and they were soon forced out of Lie Cuixuan. Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Zhixin calmly sat in front of the Xuan to watch the battle under the escort of the pillar.

Xia Guo saw that the four entourages of the third prince of Zhu were fighting desperately under the siege of more than ten people, so he paced to the third prince of Zhu and said: "Tell them to stop, otherwise, they will stab you with a knife!" ”

Although the third prince Zhu was captured, he still had a look of arrogance, and at this time, under the sword cross, he only sneered slightly, and said: "Death, the husband is duty!" What are you doing with this ugly look! After that, he shouted: "Shangxian, you go, there is nothing to blame!" As soon as the words fell, the man named Shang Xian arched his hands and said loudly: "Young master, take care, let's go for the time being." Wu Sangui, if you dare to touch a single hair of my young master, I will call you Wuhua Mountain to turn into a sea of fire immediately! With that, the four retinues rose into the air among the swords and broke out of the encirclement. Huangfu Baozhu shouted: "I'll leave again if I win!" As he spoke, he was about to fight with his sword down the steps, but he was pulled by Liu Xuanchu, who was sitting on the side, and gasped and said: "General, you don't understand the things here, you just protect the prince." ”

"What do you say now?" Wu Sangui saw that the four entourages calmly went down the mountain, and they didn't let people chase after him, so he turned his face and asked the third prince of Zhu, "Do you dare to be rude?" ”

Yang Qilong turned his face and groaned:

The old wood is rooted in Panxi, and the color is a thousand feet of frost and clothes.

Once in charge of Kexing East Park, the jackdaw will return without branches.

After chanting, he said: "I know the will of heaven, I know you the will, that's it, how can there be him?" ”

"Take it down!" Wu Sangui commanded with a blushing face.

"Uncle," Geng Jingzhong looked at the back of the third prince Zhu in the distance, and said contemplatively, "This person is not easy to deal with, it is useless to stay in Wuhua Mountain, and killing or letting go will arouse the suspicion of the imperial court." ”

"I think it's good to kill it," Hu Guozhu said, "This is a matter of death without proof, and the court will not turn against the prince for this idea." Shang Zhixin smiled at Yahuazi: "But I'm going to be in prison, don't let him escape." ”

"What do you see, Mr. Xuanchu?" Wu Sangui smiled, turned his face and asked Liu Xuanchu again.

"The prince already has a fixed opinion in his heart," Liu Xuanchu said, "why ask again?" ”

"Huh?"

"The prince's performance of 'catching and releasing Cao' is not bad," Liu Xuan smiled when he saw that there were no outsiders at the beginning, "Even the third prince of Zhu can see it, but Brother Hu Ren is honestly kept in the dark!" ”

Wu Sangui's heart couldn't help but sink, his mind was so clearly seen by this sick man, he really couldn't help but admire his scheming work. He lit a hookah, snorted and smoked a few puffs, spit out the smoke and said, "Mr. Liu is indeed a confidant, while this surnamed Zhu is here, you can make friends with him, and the two virtuous nephews can also talk to him." ”

"What's 'while he's here'?" Bao Zhu fell into the fog for five miles, and asked in surprise, "Can he escape from my Wuhua Mountain?" ”

"Let him go in three days!" Wu Sangui said with a smile, "Just ask Mr. Hu to do this errand - but to do it beautifully, even the people in us think that it is best for him to die of illness." ”

"There are too many eyes and ears, so I can only do this." Liu Xuanchu saw that Huangfu Baozhu and Hu Guozhu were still at a loss, and chuckled and said, "What's not to understand about this!" It's better for this person to live than to die, and it's ......better to let him go than to be imprisoned," Wu Sangui laughed and continued: "Keep him to make trouble in Beijing to find Kangxi's bad luck." Look what he can do to withdraw the feudal domain! ”

Wu Sangui gritted his teeth and raised his head, the afterglow of the setting sun reflected on Wuhua Mountain, coating the treetops, roofs, and places where the mountains meet the sky with a layer of rose purple. After a long silence, he burst out a few words from between his teeth: "Wait and see!" ”

Kangxi and his entourage have been away from Beijing for seven days after the "golden cicada shedding its shell" in Tanzhe Temple, which is the first time he has been on patrol since he took office. The granddaughter-in-law and a Su Mala aunt who led the hair to practice, took two incense cars, and Wei Dongting and Lang Qi took twenty-five or six guards, all of whom rode horses in green clothes and small hats and casual clothes, very much like the appearance of the princes and dependents of the princes in Beijing going out of the city to enter the incense. Mu Zixu and the two big guards only sent them to Tanzhe Temple for a "suburban sacrifice", and then swaggered to escort Kongluan Yu back to Da Nei, but they also did it tightly.

After leaving Beijing, Kangxi ordered Wei Dongting to call the front station, and the inn where he stayed every day was pre-booked, and he stayed at night. Kangxi rode a green horse, pretended to be a young man, and drove slowly with the Empress Dowager. Thanks to Wei Dongting's tireless work, he booked a store for the night in front, and then Pegasus came back to meet the car and drove forward together, and all the food supplies, arming, and guards were arranged in an orderly manner. Therefore, even the Empress Dowager did not feel the pain of the journey.

At that time, it was early spring, and as soon as the car entered Taihang, it was immediately cold. When Kangxi sat on the green horse and put his hand on the pergola and looked up, a mountain lane winded into the distance, and the royal horse fed with egg mix every day slipped step by step, hissing white gas in his nose. The mountains on both sides of the road are covered with snow, and the thorns, hawthorns, chestnuts, wild peaches, apricots, and wild cherries stand tall one by one, and the snow drifts like gray mist on the snow slopes, and the fine snow drifts under the feet like smoke and dust blown by the strong wind of the mountain pass. Seeing that the march was slow, Kangxi and the guards all dismounted, pulled the bridles, and pushed the sedan forward step by step. Suddenly, the car in front stopped, and the Empress Dowager lifted the sedan curtain and leaned over and asked, "Emperor, it's very cold, are you tired?" Get in the car and sit with us. ”

Kangxi's face was red from the cold, he held a whip in one hand and put the other hand to his mouth, listening to the empress dowager ask himself, he raised the horse whip in his hand with great interest, and said with a smile: "Your old man just sits, and his grandson is neither cold nor tired." Look at this situation, it is about to snow, and the grandson is about to enjoy the scenery of 'Snow Hugging Lan Guan Horse Forward'! ”

The Empress Dowager looked up at the sky, and when she saw the clouds and clouds, the wind was strong, and she said worriedly: "I'm afraid I'm going to go slower." "It doesn't matter," Kangxi said with a smile, "I can't go to Fanzhi County tonight, I will stay with my grandmother in a small shop in Shahebao, Xiao Weizi is more thoughtful than us." ”

After a while, the snow fell one after another. First, the fine beads are crushed, and the more they fall, the more fierce they become. But I saw thousands of flowers flying wildly, Qiongyu colorful, flying in the wind in balls. The ancients said that "the snowflakes of Yanshan Mountain are as big as a seat", but they don't know that the snow in this Taihang Mountain is "collapsing" and falling, muddy, vast, and the universe is wrapped in a chaotic mess. Looking out, the mountains are also hazy, the trees are faint, the roads are confused, and the rivers are vast, no wonder a high-roller like Li Qinglian has to "draw his sword and look around" for him. Kangxi grew up in the palace since he was a child, and he couldn't go in and out of the inner city, where had he seen such a spectacular scene? He danced happily, and while stepping forward in the snow, he turned around and asked the wolf: "Do you still remember the poem I wrote when I drank and enjoyed the snow with Mr. Wu on the winter solstice in Baiyunguan Mountain on the winter solstice the year before last?" ”

The wolf hurriedly smiled and said: "The master's good poems, how can the slave forget them?" As he spoke, he groaned:

The snow and frost are scattered, and the dawn is full of villages.

Why should it be blown all over Zou Yang's law, but the world is cold.

"It's hard for you to remember so clearly." Kangxi praised, "At that time, the worship was not removed, and I was not in the mood, this poem was not very imposing, what is 'just and misty'?" How much is it like here and now? Later, Li Yunqing Hanlin made a poem, which contained "snowflakes want to fall together, and spring is also the same as the wax exhibition", at that time, I felt that it was noble, and I had the demeanor of Hanyuan, and I praised a few words. At this point, it seems small. It's a pity that Mr. Wu is talented, if he can get here, I don't know what good poems he will make! Wolf Eyes listened and hurriedly said: "What the master said is very true, Mr. Wu has the wind of Qinglian, but it is a pity that his fortune is not good, and he cannot serve the master often." ”

While talking, Wei Dongting was covered in snow, came down from the mountain road head-on, and said with a smile while saluting Kangxi: "The master is so interested, he still refuses to get on the car with such a big snow - the front inn has been arranged, and he will live in Shahe Fort tonight, but unfortunately he booked a little late, and the store is already occupied, and it is not good to drive people out." ”

"It's a shame that you'll come back!" The wolf smiled and said, "I'm talking poetry with my master, and my master is still talking about Mr. Wu!" ”

"Fang Cai's words, the minions also heard it." Wei Dongting said with a smile, "Brother Wolf's words are a bit reasonable, Lord Xiong also said to the minions, if Mr. Wu is in the world of the Warring States, he may be able to Shu Zhi, and now in the prosperous world, he is proud of his talents, not the atmosphere of the king." ”

"Oh?" Kangxi stood still, hesitated for a moment before moving forward again, "Xiong Cixu also sees it this way?" ”

Wei Dongting and Wolf Eyes both have a very good relationship with Wu Ciyou, and they always probe Kangxi's intentions, and when they heard this, they couldn't figure out what he meant for a while, and they didn't dare to reply when they looked at each other. Kangxi stepped on the snow, made a squeaky sound, and said in thought: "This is not right. The theory of good fortune is limited to the common people and mediocre husbands, and the king and the prime minister are in charge of the handle of creation, and they also say so, that is, they do not know the destiny of heaven. If the emperor also said that his subordinates are blessed and who are weak, will he not yield all the talents of the world? Xiong Ci's knowledge is good, and he won't not understand this. When he says this, you will know that you will tell me, or you are still speculating! Mr. Wu's fault is that he denigrates science too much, where does Xiong Cixu know the deep meaning of letting him return to the mountain! Joke, how can a master like Mr. Wu not use it? ”

"Slaves learn to be shallow and ugly, how do they know that the sky is wise and wise!" Wolf Eye was happy in his heart, and hurriedly said, "Even sages like Lord Xiong and Master Suo may not be able to understand the deep meaning of the master. Wei Dongting was afraid that the wolf would finish what he had heard, and he was also busy: "What do the minions know, the master's temple is far away!" ”

Kangxi couldn't help but laugh secretly when he heard this, and when he saw that the snow was getting heavier and heavier, he held Wei Dongting's shoulder with his hand and walked up the mountain step by step.