The first heavy snow in the eleventh year of Kangxi was falling quietly. First, there were snow grains like broken rice, and then they swirled leisurely like goose feathers, dressing the entire capital into a silver Qionglou Yuyu, dazzling to the eye.

Zhou Peigong and Xiao Zuo hadn't seen each other for a long time, and when he came to Rotten Noodles Hutong to visit Ah Zuo again, he couldn't help but be surprised. After several inquiries, I finally got the truth. After the two broke up, her father died soon after, and her brother went to Heilongjiang to dig ginseng, but he was not at home. As a last resort, she sold herself with a straw sign on her head and buried the elderly. After that, the neighbors never knew her whereabouts again...... Zhou Peigong only felt dizzy, his legs seemed to be filled with lead, and he dragged his heavy steps back to the patrol yamen in the snow, standing beside the stone lion more than one person tall in a daze. The street was covered with more than an inch of snow, and the melted snow on his head was dripping down his neck, and he seemed to be completely unconscious.

"Pei Gong, I can't find you everywhere, why are you standing here?"

Zhou Peigong suddenly heard someone talking, and came to his senses with a thrill, and saw that it was Tuhai who rode out of the side door, and hurriedly changed his appearance and smiled: "I went out to see the snow scene, and I came back late, and I saw that the snow at the entrance of the yamen smelled like 'no one swept the snow in the ancient temple', so I was stunned - at this hour, where is the military gate going?" ”

"Give your horse to Lord Zhou." Tu Hai turned back to a Goshha and said, and then turned his face to Zhou Pei and said fairly, "There is a decree from the saint, summon us, hurry up!" Let's go slowly, and tell them to send it later! ”

Zhou Peigong got on his horse, looked around a little dazedly, loosened the reins gently, and the two mounts marched slowly surrounded by a dozen goshkhas. Zhou Peigong collected his mind at this time and breathed a sigh of relief silently.

"What, this time again, I got nothing?" Tu Hai immediately turned his face and smiled, "It's strange that such a big living person can still be lost, tomorrow I will ask Shuntianfu to help you check it!" ”

Zhou Peigong nodded and said, "Junmen, I am sorry for you." However, I don't want to publicize it. Tu Hai smiled: "You are such a strange person, you can't let go of your heart all day long, and you don't ask people to help; This Azo is also very strange, not only because he is in love with you, but also knows that you are an official here, why don't you even bring a letter? Zhou Peigong smiled bitterly: "Don't misunderstand the military gate, it's true that Ah Zuo is kind to me, and it can't be said that I have personal feelings, I am now, I don't want to watch her be poor." ”

"Confidant!" Tuhai said, "The grace of dripping water should be reciprocated with a spring, this is the true color of a husband." If she doesn't come to see you, maybe there is something unspeakable, so I have to inquire carefully. Zhou Peigong nodded, and asked again, "What's the matter with the Holy Lord calling in so late?" Tu Hai shook his head and said: "I don't know, it's always a matter of Gyeonggi defense, I heard that Wu Yingxiong and Yang Qilong are hooked up, maybe they will be killed on a large scale!" ”

Zhou Peigong grabbed the reins, looked up and thought about it, and said with a smile: "No, if Yang Qilong did what they did, he should have taken them a long time ago, and he didn't move them for so long because he was afraid that they would be too deeply connected with Wu Yingxiong." If it is pulled out, Wu Yingxiong is guilty of slashing, and he will really be punished, and he is afraid that he will make a truth for Wu Sangui - what the master thinks about is always deeper than ordinary people! However, it was a risky move. ”

The two said that before they knew it, they had reached the outside of the noon gate, and Goshha, who had given Zhou Peigong a robe, chased after him in the snow and dust. At the door of the right fold, Xiong Cixu, Mingzhu and Suo Etu were already waiting, and when they saw them coming, Suo Etu complained: "Lord Tu, it's a shame that your brother is still a general, and he is ordered to enter the court, so he will come sooner or later!" If we do not wait for you, but go in of ourselves, and the Holy One asks you, what shall we say? Mingzhu smiled and said: "Anyway, the emperor is still in the Qinzheng Palace and has not returned to the Heart Cultivation Palace, so we might as well hand over the sign and wait there." Saying that, the five of them handed the sign in, and sure enough, Kangxi hadn't come back yet, so he knelt down and waited under the Danqi according to his rank. Suo Etu smiled and whispered: "Lao Tu, I blamed you by mistake, you can still stomp your feet outside the noon gate to keep warm, this is good, it's frozen!" Xiong Cilu knelt upright, turned around and glanced at it, and everyone stopped talking.

"Mai Gai three quilts, head pillow bun to sleep - Huang Jing said it well!" About half a meal, I heard Kangxi's voice coming from outside the weeping flower door of the Heart Cultivation Palace. He laughed and seemed very happy. Zhang Wanqiang took the lead, and Huang Jing and another eunuch marched in the snow with Kangxi's arms on the left and right. Kangxi saw the five of them kneeling in the snow and kowtowing to greet them, and said with a smile: "It's snowing, let's skip it!" Xiong Cixu is old, and he will be exempted from this gift in the future - this snow is falling well, well, this is not snow, it is noodles, it is white noodles! ”

Maybe they were infected by Kangxi's emotions, or maybe they entered the hall from the snowy patio, and the five of them felt a burst of warmth on their bodies. Seeing that the sky was already dark, Kangxi called for the palm candle again and again, and at the same time ordered the guards Wei Dongting, Wolf Blind, Donkey, and Mu Zixu to go to the corridor to pay the difference, and ordered Xiong Cixu and other five people to sit on the chairs one after another, pointing to a stack of documents more than two feet high on the dragon case and said with a smile: "Since I ascended the throne, I have never accumulated so many case files, and there are all the head rite department, the criminal department, the military department, and the household department. How about our monarch sit with him all night? I can't finish it, and I'll do it tomorrow night! ”

Xiong Cilu smiled when he heard this: "It is good for the emperor to be diligent in government, but it is not a big deal to accumulate such a few case files. You might as well let the ministers read it first, write down the reason, approve the abridgement, and the master will save much effort when you read it again. The master just sleeps peacefully, and tomorrow morning the five watchmen and the ministers will alarm the holy car when they are done. ”

Kangxi smiled, didn't answer, and took a copy for review. Zhou Peigong rolled up his sleeves and sharpened the ink to prepare for the reputation. The four of them glanced at each other, and each took a copy back to their seats. The palace maid who held the lamp added another big candle in front of everyone, and Kangxi added two more palace lamps behind him than others. The hall fell silent for a moment, and only the sound of turning paper was heard.

Around the end of the second watch, the five people were approved separately. Xiong Cilu, Mingzhu, Suo Etu and Tuhai got up lightly one after another, and quietly sent the case file back to its original place. Kangxi handed over his approval to Zhou Peigong, and said with a smile, "It's time for you to be busy, let them sleep for a while, and then ask them to come together if I have any doubts!" As he spoke, he took all the ministers' approvals to his desk and looked at them one by one.

The hall fell silent again, only Kangxi and Zhou Peigong kept looking at each other and writing with one hand. How dare the other four "fake sleep", sitting on the side and looking at Kangxi. Everyone was very moved in their hearts, Kangxi's diligence had long been heard from the eunuchs, and he had felt it on weekdays, but he didn't expect that he would be so meticulous. Xiong Cixu couldn't help but secretly think: "Even Zulong and Tang Taizong, the two most diligent emperors, may not be able to work hard to govern so far!" ”

The snow was still falling unhurriedly, covering the hundred-year-old hall layer after layer like cotton dropping. This kind of night is the easiest to reminisce about the past. Wei Dongting stood under the corridor, looking at the white sky, and suddenly remembered Wu Ciyou. It was a night like this, dark and cold, but autumn, with a drizzle. Wei Dongting read the Book of Changes and asked for advice on the principle of mutual restraint in gossip, but Wu Ciyou refused to teach, and said with a smile: "Although Xiong Dongyuan and I often disagree, we are like-minded on this point. What you are asking about is the 'easy' of the artist, not the 'easy' of Confucianism, I think it is better not to understand it - to establish the foundation of loyalty and filial piety for the affairs of the courtiers, and to be diligent and prudent; Those who are the fathers of the monarch must take the heart of the world as their heart. Otherwise, as soon as something happens, he will act a number of tricks, stick to the honor and disgrace of the ego, avoid evil and seek good fortune, and move and retreat, in this way, who cares about the affairs of the country? "This scene in the hall in front of you, if Mr. Wu is also there, it would be great! Four years have passed since the incident, and Wu Ciyou's words and his voice are still in my eyes. "The sand path wanders the ancient Yellow River, where is the wanderer tonight?" This is a poem that Wu Ciyou gave to Mingzhu when he was leaving, and it really became more and more bitter the more he chewed it...... The Zhou Peigong in front of him, I heard that he was also recommended by Mr. Wu, and he is indeed a pillar of talent. Although Mr. Wu is on the rivers and lakes, his heart is concerned about the affairs of the court. Wei Dongting was thinking wildly, when he suddenly heard Kangxi in the hall say:

"Zhili's case is decided. I'll forgive him, Mingzhu. ”

"Long live the mercy." Mingzhu replied, "But according to the facts of the case, Cui Duping entered the house with a knife at night, so he injured the landlord, and should have been sentenced to the crime of abandoning the city. After a little hesitation, Kangxi smiled and said: "This landlord surnamed Zhang is very hateful, it was originally a renamed place, and it is so fierce to seize the tenant!" The Cui family has such a filial daughter, which is really commendable. Let's take it lightly! Mingzhu smiled: "Slaves can only be judged according to the law, but long live benevolence, you can be gracious." ”

Kangxi sighed when he heard this: "That's it, the next special purpose: to be punished on the spot for three days - the old one is over seventy years old, the younger one is only eight years old, punish one person and take two lives, although it is beyond reproach in the law, it is too reasonable!" ”

After saying this, there was no sound again. After a while, Wei Dongting listened to Xiong Cixu say slowly: "They were flooded there and flooded all the way in autumn. ”

"Tell the household department to go and give relief." Kangxi yawned sleepily, "Let's see if you can exempt the food there?" ”

"Long live the words," this was Zhou Peigong's voice, "The case file that the slave copied tonight has already been exempted from money and grain in seven prefectures, and it is a medium-sized province, and it is not appropriate to be too lenient in front of the slave to see this kind of thing." ”

Kangxi didn't squeak when he heard it, it seemed that he was very conflicted in his heart, took a sip of tea, and then said: "I'm not selling fame, I can't wait for a few warehouses of grain to fall from the sky!" But seeing that the spring famine is coming, the people must have something to satisfy their hunger, and if they have food, they will have the law, otherwise, there will be even greater chaos - the people cannot be offended! ”

Because in the dead of night, these conversations between monarchs and ministers were clearly heard by Wei Dongting and the others who were on duty outside the hall, and Wei Dongting's heart couldn't help but feel hot. A fierce gust of cold wind blew on his face, blowing him shivering, Fang wanted to enter the east chamber to get a few cloaks to put on the brothers, suddenly saw a figure on the roof of the west corridor flashed, "poof" fell to the ground, prostrate on the snow motionless, Wei Dongting was covered in sweat and hair stood upside down, and shouted:

"Take it! A bold thief, he dared to enter the palace to assassinate! ”

The guards were suddenly startled, and with a "brush" sound, they all drew their swords. The donkey jumped to the courtyard with an arrow step, ready to fight, and the wolf and Mu Zixu jumped up the steps to seal the temple door, shouting: "Don't panic, there are servants and other escorts!" The dozen or so guards guarding the door of the weeping flower had already slammed the door shut, and entered with their blades, protecting the Heart Cultivation Hall tightly, staring closely at the assassin who was lying on the ground and not moving.

The six Kangxi monarchs and ministers were discussing lively, and when they heard the change outside the hall, they jumped up in shock. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was the first time that such a thing had happened in the depths of the palace, and Kangxi was also shocked, and his heart was beating suddenly. After a while, hearing that there was no movement outside, he slowly paced towards the outside of the hall, Xiong Cilu and Suo Etu hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade them, and Mingzhu, Tuhai and Zhou Peigong hurriedly took a step forward to hide in front of Kangxi. The person who came down from the house kept lying still, and at this time, he saw Kangxi come out, knelt on the snow and kowtowed repeatedly, and shouted: "Long live!" As soon as the assassin raised his head, Zhou Peigong was shocked, it turned out to be an acquaintance! Kangxi exclaimed in surprise:

"Baozhu, it's you who stabbed me!"

When everyone heard this, they were even more stunned, wondering how Kangxi would know this assassin. Wei Dongting was shocked, and only then did he recognize the warrior who was playing chess in Wu Yingxiong's mansion. The walls of the palace are high and the courtyard is deep, the guards are like forests, and it is snowing, he can actually sneak here!

Baozhu's face was pale, he stalked for a long time, "wow" and cried loudly, took out the sharp blade in his arms, the darts in his sleeve, the velvet rope, and the grappling hook and threw them on the ground, and said: "Huangfu Baozhu is a seven-foot man in vain, he has eyes but no beads, he doesn't know the holy monarch, he mistakenly voted for the nest, served the thief, and no longer has the face to live in the world!" As he spoke, he leaned back and lowered his sword, "Today I am willing to kill myself in front of the car to warn the latecomers!" ”

"Slow!" Kangxi shouted, "I still have words, it's not too late for you to die after listening!" As he spoke, he preached sentence by sentence: "Lu Huai is a martyr for thousands of years by killing himself with a horizontal sword, but what is the benefit of Yu Jin's great cause?" - Xiaobai does not remember the hatred of shooting hooks, and he became the head of the five tyrants; Yingbu was once a minister of the enemy country, and once he returned to Gaozu, he became famous through the ages; Liu Xiu's twenty-eight generals are mostly bandits, and the image of Lingyan Yuntai will be admired by future generations! ”

These allusions, Kangxi spoke clearly and concisely, the sentences were shocking, and the words were loud, even a well-educated person like Xiong Cixu secretly praised: This is like the king of Yidi, in a hurry, the words are so sharp! Kangxi said again: "Although I am not as good as the ancient sage, how can I not know the truth of these truths? - Rise up the strong men, rise up the strong men! - If you have a hair of Mr. Huangfu, cut it! ”

Baozhu was sent by Wu Yingxiong to steal the gold medal arrow of the Qianqing Palace, and he already had the silver medal given by the third prince of Zhu, and with this thing, he could go back to Yunnan unimpeded. But Wu Yingxiong never dreamed that the Baozhu, who had saved Wu Sangui in the mouth of the tiger, had changed greatly in his mood and when he left Wuhua Mountain. Having spent time with Wu Ciyou twice in Yanzhou Mansion, Baozhu had sensed that something was wrong with him. Scholars with such good conduct are generally Han Chinese, although they have been tortured, they are loyal to Kangxi without two thoughts, why is this? At the beginning, he always took Wu Ciyou as the emperor's teacher ** to explain himself, but all the way down, not only scholars, but also mountain and wild woodcutters and dealers, and they all privately praised Kangxi's virtue and politics, and his benefactor Wu Sangui was like shit and no one paid attention to him. Baozhu was even more puzzled in his heart: Did his bird stand on the wrong branch? When he saw Kangxi in Wu Mansion that day, he was impressed by the charm of this young emperor.

He came to steal the arrows without success. According to Wu Yingxiong's instructions, he went to the Qianqing Palace first, but the guards there were very tightly guarded, and the candles were bright inside and out. He sneaked into the Heart Nourishing Hall again, and he had been listening to it on the roof for more than an hour.

Kangxi took care of the government and politics day and night, and even the energetic middle-aged courtiers felt unbearable. He had heard about Kangxi's diligence before, but when he saw it with his own eyes tonight, he knew that it was indeed not a lie. If he can't steal the arrow, he planned to go back first, and then listen to Kangxi Junchen discuss Cui Duping's case, and discuss famine relief, Kangxi is concerned about the people's illness and people's injuries everywhere - where can the people find such an emperor again? He lay on the stone roof and thought a lot. Wu Sangui was in Wuhua Mountain, when the wine was hot, he poured a large plate of pearls and jade, boxes of gold and silver into the ground, and let the singers and guards scramble, and he and his concubines applauded and laughed beside him, compared with Kangxi, even pigs and dogs are not as good! Bao Zhu is really remorseful: he promised to be a bandit, and he still regarded himself as a countryman, and when he thought of this, he felt ashamed of himself, so he had the idea of imitating Lu Huai and killing himself - die here silently!

Kangxi's words of thunder and lightning made Baozhu speechless. He had no choice but to sigh, abandon his sword, kneel on the ground with his hands behind his back, and begged: "Please Brother Dongting come over and tie up my brother!" ”

Wei Dongting was really full of emotion at this time, put away the sword, and slowly stepped forward to use the rope.

"Huchen retreat!" Kangxi said sharply, personally walked down the steps, held the pillar with both hands, and walked into the hall step by step with his hand. Baozhu had already burst into tears, gently breaking free from Kangxi's hand, just sobbing and unable to say a word.

Xiong Cilu was still a little suspicious, but at this time, he was also moved, and sat aside and said softly: "Mr. Huangfu, you have to think about the emperor's words, before you die today, although you can be regarded as sacrificing your life for righteousness, but the culprit is all evil, and the root cause of the world has not been eliminated. ”

"That's what my lord said." Baozhu said in a trembling voice. He had been in a nightmare for tonight's actions, but when he woke up and looked around in confusion, an inexplicable pathos hit his heart, and he couldn't help but roll down two lines of tears.

"You don't want to fall in love with Wu Sangui's kindness." Kangxi seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and said with a smile, "His hypocrisy and hypocrisy can only buy the hearts of the brave and bloody, and those who are truly virtuous will not be deceived forever!" He's just a walking corpse who only buys people's hearts with money, beauty, and small favors! A few days ago in Wu Mansion, as soon as I saw you, I felt sorry for you! ”

These words sounded sincere and sincere to Baozhu, and they were more cordial and warm than what Kangxi said eagerly when he had just drawn a knife to kill himself. A sour and sweet current of heat surged in Baozhu's heart, and the ice and snow outside seemed to have melted away from the hall full of warm currents.

"Long live the words of the ministers, all of them have been taken to heart." As soon as he returned to reality, Baozhu was a little embarrassed, and sighed and said, "Life is like chess, just like the game between Mr. Zhou and Wu Yingxiong, and it took several times to see the truth." Today, the emperor has a word, and he is better than me to protect the pillar and think hard for the rest of my life - but what should I do now? ”

Kangxi stroked his chin, looked at the lamp Yan'er and pondered: "It's not good for you to stay in the capital, if I keep you by my side, it will be easy to arouse Wu Sangui's mouth, it is better to give you an errand to avoid it, in the future on the battlefield - I don't mean the battlefield where Wu Sangui used troops - there will be more places to use you!" ”

"Congratulations on another general!" Mingzhu said with a smile on his face, "But according to the minion, it is better for Mr. Huangfu to go back, with him in that mansion, he will not do errands, there is always one more person there, and we can also take care of it." ”

Kangxi didn't expect this, but he knew that Baozhu was very favored by the Wu family, and it was too embarrassing to do such a errand. Xiong Cixu asked Wei Dongting: "Huchen, has tonight's incident been publicized?" ”

"Nope." Wei Dongting said, "The door was sealed at the beginning, and there was no action inside......

"I'll go back!" Baozhu was heartbroken, gritted his teeth and said, "Baozhu has no work, what do you use to serve the master?" Looking at Wu Yingxiong's meaning and the next move, the emperor has someone in front of him. I heard that many of the eunuchs are from Zhong Saburo Xiangtang, and some of them have hooked hands with Wu Yingxiong, and the emperor must be careful when he drinks, eats, and moves! ”

This letter is what Kangxi is most concerned about, and Xiao Maozi didn't inquire about it. Hearing Baozhu's letter, Kangxi couldn't help but shudder, and the more he felt that Mingzhu's words were reasonable, he said, "Okay, you can go back." If you feel embarrassed, don't do it, it's not necessary, don't report it, if you have something urgent, look for Wei Dongting! With that, he turned around and entered the West Pavilion, took out a gold medal arrow from a gold lacquer box, and said with a smile, "Didn't you come to steal this object?" You can't go back empty-handed—take it! ”

"Long live thanks!" Seeing that Kangxi treated each other so sincerely, Baozhu burst into tears, took the arrow with both hands, kowtowed and got up and said, "So, the criminal is gone!" He turned around and strode out of the hall, twisted his body, and a swallow pierced through the clouds and disappeared silently into the snow mist. This superb light body kung fu shocked everyone's jaw-dropping.

"Zhang Wanqiang!" Kangxi said loudly.

"The minions are here!"

"Is Huang Jing here?"

"He's on leave."

"Beware! The eunuchs and palace people present tonight have all confessed, and those who dare to leak out, hum! ”

"Wow-"