Su Qin rode a big horse, traveled all the way west, walked for more than ten days, and came to Kunsai.

Kunsai was still occupied by the Wei people. Su Qin paid the tariffs, crossed the customs and continued to travel westward, walked for another two days, and finally set foot on the Hangu Ancient Road.

Su Qin's chariot walked along the narrow mountain road between the two mountains, walked for two hours, and his eyes lit up, and he saw a huge stone erected not far in front of him, and wrote "Qin Boundary" on it.

Su Qin jumped off the carriage and looked at it, but saw that the mountains on both sides were towering, and there was only a winding valley road in the middle. As far as the eye can see, it is the Hangu Gate built by Zhou Chen according to the topography in the Spring and Autumn Period. Looking at this mountain road, it can be said that "one man is a pass, and ten thousand people are not open".

For a while, Su Qin sighed: "Such a majestic pass, even if there are thousands of troops and horses, how can it be displayed?" ”

Su Qin urged the horse to come to the front of the gate and saw dozens of guards lined up on both sides of the huge gate. There are two passages in the door, one side enters the customs and the other side exits. There is a large flow of people waiting to cross the border into Qin, and they are being checked one by one and paying customs duties.

Su Qin lined up and saw an old man standing beside him, and arched his hand: "May I ask my husband, how to pay taxes?" ”

The old man gave his hand back: "If you return to the guest officer, a single person will receive 30 Qin coins, and if there are carriages and horses, 80 Qin coins." If it is a merchant's trade, it is equivalent to the actual price of Qindi, and it is ten to one. "Take a look at his carriage and horses," as far as the guest officer is concerned, he should pay eighty Qin coins. ”

Su Qin asked: "If you don't have Qin coins in your later life, how can you pay them?" ”

The old man pointed to a house next to him: "There is a currency exchange office, which can be exchanged for Qin coins." ”

Su Qin looked up, and saw that there was a currency house next to him, so he thanked his father-in-law, walked over, took out a gold from his sleeve, and exchanged it for one hundred Qin coins.

Su Qin drove to the checkpoint, and a customs lieutenant looked Su Qin up and down: "The guest officer is a scholar who has entered Qin?" ”

Su Qin said: "Luoyang scholar Su Qin has seen Guan Pawn!" As he spoke, he took out eighty Qin coins and presented them to Guan Wei with both hands.

Guan Wei did not reach out to take it, but wrote down the words "Luoyang Shizi Su Qin" on a bamboo scroll, and wrote the date and hour. After writing, I asked Su Qin to draw a charge.

Su Qin drew a pass, and Guan Wei said: "Suzi, you can pass the test!" ”

Su Qin raised the Qin coin in his hand and said in a daze: "This tariff..."

Guan Wei pointed to the wall next to him: "Suzi, please look!" ”

Su Qin turned his head to see that there was an example on the wall, with a line of big characters written on it: "Qin Gong's edict, anyone who enters Qin Shizi will not pay taxes!" ”

Guan Wei rubbed it again, stretched out his arm, made a gesture of invitation, and said with a smile: "Hangu Guan Wei respectfully invites Su Zi to enter Qin!" ”

Su Qin thanked Guan Wei and drove through the card.

After walking more than a dozen steps out of the customs, Su Qin reined in the horse's head, turned his head to stare at the example, and praised: "Duke Qin's heart to seek talent is so subtle that it is regarded as a big deal!" ”

With this good impression, Su Qin's mood was extremely clear, and he firmly believed that he had made the right move.

Su Qin whipped the horse, and that night, rushed to Hucheng to find an inn to stay.

On this night, the north wind blew and the weather suddenly became colder. Walking down in front, it is the Yin Jin at the foot of Huashan Mountain, the road is still rugged, once it snows, you can't move at all. Su Qin was in a hurry, got up early, and set off before dawn. Rushed to Yin Jin, the sky was not dark. Yin Jin has changed back to Ning Qin. Beyond Ning Qin, it is Wucheng, and it is still a mountain road. Su Qin looked at the weather, worried about the snow, and saw that the horsepower was acceptable, so he continued to travel west along the mountain road, planning to stay in Wucheng at night.

After walking for more than ten miles, the heavy snow really fell, and the wind was like a knife, swishing straight into the neck. The wind wrapped in snowflakes, one after another, overwhelming, after a while, the whole mountain field was white, and it was impossible to distinguish where the road was and where the hurdle was.

Su Qin walked for a while, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the road.

Su Qin was afraid of falling into the ravine, jumped out of the carriage, and led the way in front, walking very slowly. After a while, it began to get dark. Su Qin didn't dare to continue walking, and wanted to turn back to Ning Qin, but it was too late. Su Qin was anxious, and deeply regretted that he insisted on going his own way, and fell into a situation where he couldn't find a village in front of him or a store in the back, it was difficult to advance and retreat, and it was even more dangerous if he didn't advance or retreat. Don't say it's lonely in the wilderness, even the wind and snow at the moment are enough for him to bear.

At this moment, a fork in the road appeared in front of it, but there was no sign next to it. Su Qin looked at the two roads carefully, they were almost wide and narrow, and they were all covered with a layer of snow, and he couldn't tell which was the main road and which was the fork. Su Qin hesitated, in such weather, once he made a mistake, the consequences would be unimaginable. Su Qin stationed at the crossing of the horse road, looked here, looked there, and still couldn't decide which way to go.

Su Qin was in a hurry, and saw a person walking towards him along a mountain road, covered with snowflakes and wrapped in a turban on his head. Su Qin was overjoyed, and hurriedly caught up, and saw a half-grown girl when he got closer, and it seemed to be a nearby mountain dweller.

Su Qin bowed down and said, "May I ask the girl, if you want to go to Wucheng next, which way should you go?" ”

The little girl also waved and pointed to the one she was walking: "The guest wants to go to Wucheng, so he should take this one." ”

Su Qin gave his hand again: "Thank you, girl!" ”

The little girl looked him up and down and asked with a smile, "The guest is not from this place, is he?" ”

"If you go back to the girl, you are from Luoyang in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and you want to go to Xianyang."

"This place is more than 20 miles away from Wucheng, the sky is already dark, and there is a slope in front of it. The guest is both alive and dead, and he is alone in the snowy night, but he is afraid..."

"Alas," Su Qin sighed, "I should have rested in Ningqin, but I thought that the weather was bad, in case of snow, I was afraid of delaying the trip, so I was greedy for the road and wanted to rush to Wucheng in the dark." I heard that in the past Wucheng, there was no big slope, who would have thought that this heavy snow would come! ”

The little girl pointed to another fork in the road: "The little girl lives in the village in front of her, if the official does not dislike it, you can go to the little woman's house for a while, and wait until tomorrow at dawn, and the official will not be too late to leave." ”

Su Qin saluted again and again: "Miss Xie take it in!" ”

Su Qin asked the little girl to get in the car and lead the way, and soon arrived at a village.

The little girl lives in a large compound at the head of the village. An old man stood on a high slope in front of the door, looking into the distance. The little girl asked Su Qin to stop the carriage, jumped off the carriage, and shouted, "Grandpa! ”

The old man didn't expect her to be in the carriage, and said happily: "It's been so long for you to come back, grandpa can't rest assured, he's looking at you here!" ”

"Grandpa, watch me bring someone back!" The little girl threw herself into the old man's arms and pointed to the carriageway.

Su Qin had already gotten out of the car, took a step forward, and waved his hand at the old man: "Su Qin has seen the old man in the late life. ”

The old man looked at Su Qin, and saw that he was tall and richly dressed, and he knew that he was not an ordinary person, so he pushed the little girl away and returned the salute: "The mountain people have seen officials. ”

Su Qin gave his hand again: "Uncle, that's the case, he was a scholar in Luoyang in his later life, and he wanted to go to Xianyang to make a living, passing by here, it was late, the wind and snow were heavy, and he was in an embarrassing situation. Wansheng is nowhere to go, and when he met this kind girl, he came with her, wanted to spend the night, and asked his father-in-law for permission. ”

The little girl grabbed her husband and said coquettishly: "Grandpa, I invited this guest to come!" ”

Su Qin arched his hand again: "Don't worry, old man, I will get up tomorrow morning, and I will go in a hurry." Tonight's accommodation is cost, and the late students should pay according to the rules of the inn. ”

The old man's face sank: "What did the guest say!" Guests from outside the customs, that is, VIPs, old and poor homes, please can't be invited, what is the money to talk about? He turned to the little girl again, "Qiuguo, a noble person is coming, calling your father to welcome guests!" ”

The little girl named Qiuguo glanced at Su Qin proudly, and ran into the courtyard gate jumping and jumping.

The old man turned to Su Qin and said, "Guest, please come to the cold house!" ”

Su Qin replied: "Late life thank you for taking it in!" ”

As he spoke, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps in the courtyard, and Qiu Guo and a man with only one arm hurriedly walked out, followed by four or five children.

The man smiled at Su Qin, but he didn't see any courtesy, walked straight to the horse, and drove the carriage and horse into the firewood. Su Qin wanted to see the courtesy, but seeing that the man was so real, he had to smile and walk into the courtyard with his father-in-law.

The one-armed man unloaded the cart and led the horse to the backyard stable.

As soon as he arrived in the courtyard, the old man shouted at the stove room: "Damn, there are rare guests from outside, kill a chicken, slaughter a duck, open the altar wine, and fry a few good dishes!" ”

Hearing that a woman in the stove room promised "I know", the old man turned to Su Qin and said with a smile: "Guest, please in the middle hall!" ”

Su Qin walked into the middle hall with the old man, sat down with the guest and host, and said: "I took the liberty of disturbing in my later life, but the old man not only did not blame, but was so gracious, this..."

"You're welcome," the old man returned the salute, "The rules of the old Qin people, but whenever a visitor from afar comes to the cold house, he must kill chickens and stew ducks, and catch the wind and wash the dust." The guests are from outside, they are rare guests, and they are in a hurry, and they are already lazy! ”

Within half an hour, two young women came in with wine and food, and the one-armed man settled the carriage and horses, and also walked in, and the three of them ate and drank food and wine, and talked about family life. From the conversation, Su Qin learned that this village is called Xiaoqin Village, and most of the residents are surnamed Qin, and when the Yin and Jin Dynasty were not recovered, the village was close to the Yin and Jin Dynasty, which was considered the border of the Qin State, and there was always a garrison, so the road in front of the village was built widely. Now that even Hangu has become the Qin State, it is deserted here, and it is rare for guests to come. This is the first heavy snow in winter, according to the old Qin people, it is called Xixue, Su Qin happened to come at this time, it is really happy, in this family, it is a big deal. The old man's name is Qin Laochuan, and the one-armed man is called Qin Dachuan.

Su Qin and Qin Laochuan talked speculatively, and they were greedy for a few more glasses of wine. After eating and drinking, Qin Dachuan led him to a house, which was a bath bucket, and hot water had already been poured. Qiu Guo walked over, put in a few clean clothes, and closed the door. Su Qin finished bathing, put on his clothes, and Qiuguo, who was waiting outside, led him into a side room, where there was a hot kang burning, and there was no trace of chill in the warmth.

Su Qin extinguished the oil lamp and got into the bed. These days, he has been on the road, and he has walked mostly on mountain roads, so Su Qin is really tired. After eating enough wine this night, and taking a hot bath beautifully, there was no discomfort in the whole body, lying on the kang, and after a while, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Su Qin pushed open the door and saw that the snow in the courtyard was already half a foot thick, the old man, Qiu Guo and three young women were shoveling snow outside the courtyard gate, and Qin Dachuan was repairing a wheelbarrow with his only arm. A few children were happy and noisy in the courtyard building snowmen.

Seeing Su Qin, Da Chuan raised his one-arm and beckoned, "Master Su, did you sleep well last night?" ”

Su Qin nodded: "I slept very well." "Take a few steps ahead and watch him work.

Because it was daytime, Su Qin took a look at it, it was a solid family, and asked casually: "Brother Dachuan, look at your family, life is really good, you are a big family in the village, right?" ”

Qin Dachuan shook his head: "How can it?" We Qin people, every family is like this, far from the big family. ”

"From this point of view, you Qin people are rich."

Qin Dachuan laughed a few times, buried himself in making a living again. He tied another thick rope to the wheelbarrow and tried to tie a knot. Since he only had one arm, he tried several times, but he didn't succeed, so he smiled bitterly at Su Qin: "Alas, it's not convenient to do anything with one less arm." ”

Su Qin walked over and tied the knot in just a few clicks.

"Hey, Su Gongzi's knot is tied well, I didn't expect you, a rich boy, to do this?" Okawa looked at his fine clothes with a look of surprise.

"Hehe," Su Qin smiled awkwardly, his gaze fell on his lost arm, and he moved away from the topic, "Brother Dachuan, why don't you have that arm?" ”

Qin Dachuan smiled bitterly: "Six years ago, I let the Wei people cut it." ”

"Six years ago? In this way, Brother Qin participated in the Hexi War? ”

"Of course!" The one-armed man said in a proud tone, "The three of us brothers, all gone!" ”

"Three brothers?" Su Qin was stunned.

"I'm Okawa, and my two brothers are called Erchuan and Sanchuan!"

"Didn't Qin Fa draw one out of four, why did all three of you brothers go?"

"It's one out of four," Okawa explained, "and it's the second brother in my family." But the damned Wei people have occupied my Hexi for sixty years, and the Duke of Qin wants to take it back, and the old Qin people are not unhappy. I heard that there were not enough soldiers, and the Duke of Qin called on the Qin people to volunteer to serve, and my third brother and I competed, and the old father said, don't fight, if you want to go, you all go. And just like that, all three of us went. ”

"Oh, I see." Su Qin said, "What about your two brothers? ”

The one-armed man was saddened, and said for a while: "They have been martyred!" ”

"Oh?" Su Qin was stunned, "Dare to ask Brother Qin, how did they die for the country?" ”

"The men from more than a dozen villages within a radius formed a thousand-man team, formed in Shang Jun's middle army, and followed Shang Jun closely. On the day of the war, we happily killed a day, which was really enjoyable. Don't hide it, sir, I alone will kill seven damned Wei people, and for each one killed, I will cut off his left ear, so that I can ask for a reward after the battle. ”

"How do you ask for a reward?" Su Qin asked.

"Receive the reward with the law," Qin Dachuan paused slightly, "Kill the three enemies, and be promoted to the first level." On the day of the war, my three brothers killed a total of fifteen Wei people, and they should have been promoted to the fifth level, but they didn't admit it, and in the early morning of the next day, when we were sleeping soundly, Wei dogs attacked and killed us by surprise, and our thousand-person team bore the brunt, and few survived. When the two younger brothers were dying, one had just woken up, and the other was still in a dream. I heard that the movement was wrong, turned over and raised my sword, and as soon as I got out of the tent, I was slashed by the Wei people. I didn't have time to dodge, I instinctively took my arm to block it, but when I heard a 'pop', my arm was gone, and I fainted in pain. "Well, when I woke up again, I was lying on the couch, and the doctor was administering medicine." Of course, the seven Wei ears hanging in the tent can no longer be found. ”

"Brother Qin regrets it?"

"Regrets?" Qin Dachuan glanced at him, "Do you regret it or the old Qin?" ”

"According to what Brother Qin said, the old Qin people like to fight?"

Qin Dachuan thought for a moment and shook his head: "Who likes to fight?" Carrying a gun on the battlefield is a helpless thing. ”

"Since you don't like it, why doesn't Brother Qin regret it?"

"Dislike and regret are two different things. Born as a boy of Qin, Qin has a war, how can he dodge? ”

Su Qin was stunned: "According to Brother Qin, the old Qin people are willing to fight for the country?" ”

The one-armed man did not answer, but slowly looked at the green mountains in the distance, and sang softly:

How can you say that you have no clothes? with the Son.

Wang Yuxingshi, repair my spear.

Enmity with the Son.

⋯⋯⋯⋯

Qin Dachuan had a deep voice and sang very devotedly.

Su Qin was greatly touched and sang with him:

How can you say that you have no clothes? With the Son.

Wang Yuxingshi, repair my spear halberd.

Work with the son!

How can you say that you have no clothes? with the Son.

Wang Yuxingshi, repair my armor soldiers.

Walk with the son.

"Don't hide it from the guests," Qin Dachuan stopped chanting, "If you say you regret it, you will only regret one thing in the next place, that is, you failed to die on the battlefield in a dignified manner, but let the damned Wei people plot an arm in a daze!" ”

Su Qin was deeply moved, and said: "Knowing righteousness and being brave!" Qin has such a people who fight to the death, if they don't mess up, how can the nations be enemies? ”

Su Qin was thinking to himself, Qin Dachuan's eyes were half-narrowed, he looked at the distant mountains, and sighed sentimentally, as if he was talking to himself, and seemed to be saying to him: "Alas, it's a pity, all the stick boys, dead, all dead, all died in the early morning of that day." For the rest, there are widows in every family, and the girl doesn't say that finding a good husband is difficult to find someone like me who lacks arms and legs! ”

Qin Dachuan was feeling sad, and Qiuguo walked up to Su Qin with a basin of hot water: "Sir, please wash." ”

Su Qin took the basin and looked at her fixedly. Because the wind stopped and the snow stopped, Qiuguo didn't wear a headscarf, and it was in the daytime, Su Qin saw it clearly, Xiao Qiuguo had clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and his appearance was lovely, although his figure was thin and childish, he was already in the development period, his small chest was slightly erect, and he began to enter the age of Sichun.

Thinking of the several young women who ate and served last night, two of them should be from the Erchuan and Sanchuan families, and they were widowed at a young age, and then thought that if such a lovely girl was difficult to find even a good young man, Su Qin couldn't help but feel sad.

Since getting the guidance of Hanquanzi in Zhongnan Mountain, Hui Wengong is like standing on the top of Mount Tai to look at the world, his eyes are wide open, and his eyes are no longer limited to the three kingdoms of Wei, Zhao and Han at the door of his home, but he has gone further, focusing on the Qi State in Shandong, close to the sea, and the Chu State across the mountains and rivers. To this end, Hui Wengong put half of the black eagles in the Black Eagle Terrace and spread them widely in various cities of Qi and Chu, forming a huge spy network to keep a close eye on every move of these two countries. Huiwen Gong specially instructed that the eyes of the black eagle should not only stare at the palace, but also observe the courtiers and the people, but if there is a disturbance, there will be a secret fold and rush to it.

Commanding this huge network is Gongzi Hua. After Gongzihua received the secret report every day, he went to the coarse and the fine, and the false and the true, and if it was critical, he immediately submitted it to Hui Wengong, and if it was not important, he would make a statement.

In the morning, as soon as the sky was bright, Gongzihua hurried to the palace and went straight to the imperial study.

Huiwen Gong is still washing in the harem. The ministers knew that there was something important, so they went inside to report it, and Huiwen Gong hurried over.

Gongzihua presented a secret fold, which had not yet been opened, and it was Chen Zhen's.

Huiwen Gong dismantled and looked: "The Yue people will be exhausted in food and grass, and they have become trapped beasts." The Chu people surround but do not annihilate, the old cat plays with the mouse..."

"What an old cat playing with mice!" Huiwen Gongzhen shouted, "Chen Aiqing's writing, the more you write, the more brilliant it becomes!" ”

"Hehehe," Gongzi Hua Le said, "To be honest, when Chen Zhen came to vote, Brother Jun used him, and the younger brother didn't figure it out for a while." Now it seems that the king has used the right person. From the sleeve felt out of a secret fold, "Your Excellency, please see, this is a secret fold specially written by Shangqing's personal guards to his younger brother, and the report said that Shangqing is grateful for Jun's grace and plans for the monarch wholeheartedly, without a trace of external care." ”

Hui Wengong glanced at the secret fold and smiled slightly: "You are only half right, the other half is, he is also planning for himself." "Eyes turned to Chen Zhen's twists and turns, "Right now, the King of Chu reuses Zhang Yi, and Zhaoyang also admires Zhang Yi, he obeys his words, and Zhang Yi's affairs are not suitable for quick drawing..." He turned to Gongzihua again, "You can send more people to keep an eye on Zhang Yi, and tell Chen Zhen to drive him away, don't hurt his life!" ”

"Brother Chen understands, your lord is keeping Qingshan!"

Hui Wengong smiled: "It's good to understand, let's do it!" "Turn to the ministers," summon Gongsun Yan, Gongzi Ji, Sima Cuo, and Gan Mao to meet him! ”

"Command!"

After the two withdrew, Huiwen Gong thought for a while, approached the territory of the nations, and stared at the territory of Chu and Yue for a long time.

As far as the eye can see, the state of Chu is like a huge carpet, firmly buckled on the map. The world is big, all in Chudi. In contrast, Han, Wei, Zhao, and Qi are nothing more than the land of projectiles. Even if Yan and Qin combined, they are only one-fifth of it. Han Quanzi regards Chu as the head of the top three in the world, which is really discerning. The land of Chu is already so vast, if it is destroyed again...

Hui Wengong didn't dare to think about it anymore, his brows were twisted into two pimples, and he didn't even hear the voice of the ministers coming in to report to several important ministers. The ministers waited for a while, and then said again, and Huiwen Gong came back to his senses: "Xuan! ”

Gongsun Yan, Gongzi Ji, Sima Cuo, and Gan Mao entered the four mermaids.

After the monarch and ministers finished the ceremony, Duke Huiwen also led them to the front of the territory, pointed to the map and said slowly: "Ladies and gentlemen, you have all seen that in the past few months, the countries outside the border have taken a few chess pieces in a row. First, the Yue people Chen Bing Langya, gathering momentum to attack Qi, Qi people were waiting for the battle, and then the Chu people attacked the Song Dynasty, and the Wei people did not go to save the Song, but went on an expedition to Xiangcheng; The Chu people abandoned the Song Dynasty to save them, and Wei and Chu confronted each other. Just when the Qi people were preparing for war, the Yue people turned around again, abandoned Qi to attack Chu, and were trapped by Chu, which was really a good chess game! ”

The four important ministers looked at the territory without blinking. The four of them were already familiar with these situations, but they didn't know what the meaning of Hui Wengong suddenly summoned them and reiterated the matter, so they reviewed the plan while trying out their intentions.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Hui Wengong moved his gaze from the map and swept towards the ministers, "The countries outside the border have made strange moves, and the moves have been unexpected, making the world dizzy and dumbfounded. The widow pondered for a long time, and the more he pondered, the more he felt that there was a mystery, but where the magic was, the widow had not fully understood. I have invited you here today to borrow your heads. Everyone casually says, what to talk about! ”

The ministers looked at each other, and none of them wanted to speak first.

Hui Wengong sneered: "Why, it's all dumb!" Just like usual, speak freely! ”

Still silent.

"Wow, you don't say it, the widow only has a point!" Hui Wengong's gaze fell on Gongsun Yan, "Gongsun Aiqing, what do you think?" ”

Gongsun Yan hugged his fists and said: "The minister thinks that the dispute between the countries outside the border originated from the dispute in Sishang. ”

"Well, that's good," Hui Wengong nodded in praise, "just tell me how Sishang fought?" ”

"Returning to the king," Gongsun Yan looked at the territory and pointed to a small country in Sishang, "The Sishang countries are located between Qi, Wei, Chu, Yue, Han, and Zhao. Six years ago, the king of Wei sent troops to attack the guards, but he was disrespectful to the Duke of Wei, and he really wanted to take the opportunity to destroy the guards. Qi, Han, and Zhao sent troops to rescue the guards, which was called a righteous act, but they were really greedy, and no one wanted Wei to swallow this fat alone..."

Without waiting for Gongsun Yan to finish speaking, Sima Cuo hurriedly asked: "Surabaya is far away in Lu and Song, and it has nothing to do with the defense of the country, why does Da Liangzao talk about the defense of the country?" ”

"The national lieutenant doesn't know," Gongsun Yan said with a smile, "I'm talking about Sishang, not Surabaya." Speaking of Sishang today, it refers to more than ten countries in this area, not a few small countries such as Lu, Song, Teng, and Xue! ”

"Hehehe," Sima Cuo also laughed, "It's the lower officials who are ignorant!" ”

Gongsun Yan continued: "The countries of Sishang are small and weak, but they have been able to protect the country so far, all because the big countries do not give in to each other, and no one can swallow it alone. The Sishang countries, the Song country has the largest territory, and Song Gongyan is a thorn in the head, so he sees this, so no one relies on it, and only lives his own life. The Chu people called the Qi people, the Qi people called the Wei people, and the Wei people called the Chu people, and there were no dangers for more than ten years. As for the rumors that Song Gong shot the Heavenly Whip Day, they were all excuses made by the big powers to defeat him. The Duke of Song must have been held hostage by the King of Wei and brokered by the Song people's Hui Shi. The king of Wei got into trouble because of the matter of claiming the king, and this strategy was nothing more than an attempt to disturb the world and confuse the public. ”

Huiwen Gong nodded again and again: "Gongsun Aiqing, go on!" ”

"Chu invaded the Song Dynasty a few years ago, and it failed because of the assistance of the Qi people. This time, the Yue people attacked Qi, Qi was too busy to take care of himself, and the Chu people thought it was a godsend, and they attacked the Song Dynasty again, but the Wei people came to the rescue again. The Chu people expected that Wei would send troops, so they were prepared, but what they didn't expect was that the Yue people would take advantage of the fire to rob again..."

Seeing that Gongsun Yan blindly narrated it like this, without talking about the point, Huiwen Gong frowned slightly, and interrupted him: "Gongsun Aiqing, these widows have seen it. What the widow wants to ask is, what is the mystery behind these moves? If it's a good move, what's the point? ”

"The wonder is that the Wei people save Song."

"Well," Hui Wengong nodded, "The Wei people saved the Song Dynasty, and they didn't go to the Song Kingdom, but went to Xiangcheng, which should be considered a wonderful move." Glancing at the ministers, "Ladies and gentlemen, do you know who played this chess?" ”

Sima said wrongly: "It must be Pang Juan!" ”

"No, no, no," Hui Wengong shook his head again and again, "Judging from the chess style, this chess is definitely not played by Pang Juan!" ”

Gongsun Yan was stunned and said, "How can the king know about it? ”

"If it is Pang Juan, the Wei army will go to the Song State, first cut off Suishui, trap the Chu people north of Suishui, and then fight a decisive battle with it."

"Your Majesty!" Gongsun Yan pondered for a while, and was not without admiration, "If it's not Pang Juan, who else will it be?" ”

"It's Pang Juan's senior brother Sun Bin!" Huiwen Gong asserted, "After this person entered Wei, he first let Wei people return a large number of people, which was a big deal for me, and this is another attack on him, playing with Zhaoyang in the palm of his hand, making the Chu people tired of running for their lives, losing troops and losing ground." Today, it seems that this person's talent is far higher than Pang Juan! ”

The ministers nodded their heads.

"However, as far as these few wonderful moves are concerned," Huiwen Gong looked at the ministers, and the words changed, "Although the Wei people saved the Song Dynasty was wonderful, it was not the best. Ladies and gentlemen, do you know what the best trick is? ”

Seeing that the ministers looked at each other, Hui Wengong paused word by word: "The Yue people attack Chu!" ”

The crowd was even more amazed.

"The Yue people attacked Chu?" Childe was stunned, and suddenly realized, "Yes, the Yue people attack Chu, it is indeed a wonderful move." The Yue people don't know the Qi people, but they know the Chu people. What the Chu people are short of is what the Yue people are good at. Chu is full of water, but there is no boat division, and the Yue people are invincible in the world, and they can run rampant in Chu. The Chu people are trapped in Ba and Shu in the west, trapped in Qin in the northwest, and the northeast is fighting with the Wei State, the middle abdomen is the emptiest. ”

"What the doctor said is very true!" Sima Cuo was very impressed, "The more people go to Chu, if you enter the realm of no one, within a few months, you have already attacked Yunmengze and approached Yingdu." If it weren't for Qu Kuo's Northwest Army to come back in time, the Wu disaster would have been repeated. ”

Huiwen Gong ignored it and looked directly at Gongsun Yan: "Gongsun Aiqing, do you think so too?" ”

"Returning to the king," Gongsun Yan pondered, "whether the Yue people attacked Chu is a good move, and where the magic is, the minister can't see it at the moment." The strange thing is that the Yue people drove straight in, and the Chu people did not add fortifications, not to mention, they seemed to collapse at the touch of a button, and did not see any resistance. Only when the Yue people forcibly crossed the Han River, the Chu people had a dispute, and the two sides played offensive and defensive battles with each other, and saw casualties to each other. In addition, there was no vicious war between Yue and Chu. According to the minister's view, no matter how empty the hinterland of the Chu people is, it will never be as vulnerable as this. ”

Hui Wengong nodded again and again, his expression excited: "What Aiqing said is reasonable, keep talking!" ”

The minister thought that there were only two possibilities for this situation: first, the Chu people still remembered the Wu disaster back then, and were afraid of the Yue people, so they fled from the wind; The second is that the Chu people have other plans. ”

"What's the plan?" Hui Wengong leaned over and asked.

Gongsun Yan hesitated: "The minister has not thought through yet. The minister thought that the Chu people were very likely to mediate with the Yue people and fight on behalf of the Yue people, or they were waiting for the opportunity to conspire with the Yue people and attack the Yue people! ”

Seeing that Gongsun Yan was about to get to the point, but he swam away again, Huiwen Gong was very disappointed, paused slightly, and glanced at the ministers: "The widow just said that the Yue people attacked Chu is a wonderful move, but where is the magic of it, you haven't said it yet." ”

The ministers looked at each other again.

"Wonderful!" Hui Wen Gonggu was intoxicated, "Wonderful, this chess is really wonderful!" ”

"Dare to ask your lord," Childe asked, "What's the trick of this?" ”

"If you can guess who this son is, you will know where the mystery is."

"Your Majesty," Gan Mao suddenly realized, "the minister guessed that this chess must have been played by the Wei people, in order to divert attention. ”

Hui Wengong shook his head.

Sima made a mistake and shot a few cases: "Your Majesty, the last general knows, this chess must be played by Qi people!" The king of Yue fought Qi, aiming to take revenge on the old Goujian. The Qi people were afraid of the Yue Ren Boat Master, so they came up with this plan and blamed others! ”

Huiwen Gong shook his head again, and his gaze slowly turned to Gongsun Yan: "Can't Gongsun Aiqing see it?" ”

Gongsun Yan pondered: "It can't be the Chu people, right?" ”

Hui Wengong nodded slightly.

"Chu people?" All the ministers were shocked, "This is impossible!" ”

Hui Wengong smiled slightly: "It may not be possible, you will go back, think about it, when you will figure it out, and then report to the widow." ”

The ministers glanced at each other and said, "The ministers are leaving!" ”

After everyone withdrew, Hui Wengong sat in the imperial study for a while, sighed lightly, and shouted, "Someone is coming." ”

The minister was anxious: "The minister is here!" ”

"Revival Temple!"

In the col of Zhongnan Mountain, the cold spring is still "bubbling" outward. As the weather turned colder, the spring was no longer cold, but warm. In the pool below the spring, the water vapor is steaming. Next to the waterhole is the ear room, where Lin Xiangu is meditating with a few young junior brothers and sisters.

Behind the transept is the thatched hall of Hanquanzi.

Han Quanzi sat in the hall, and Zhu Yuan knocked: "Disciple slender knock to see Mr." ”

Han Quanzi bowed slightly: "Slender, sit down!" ”

Zhu Yuan thanked him, changed his knees to sitting, briefly described the national situation of the world, and finally said: "In the past two years, the situation in the world has changed so much, all because of Pang Juan, Sun Bin, and Zhang Yi. The disciple found out that these three were all studying under the Guigu Master of Yunmeng Mountain. ”

Han Quanzi closed his eyes for a moment, nodded and said, "If Senior Brother moves his heart of compassion, the world may be saved!" ”

"Sir," Zhuyuan looked at Han Quanzi suspiciously, "Why didn't Uncle Shi care about the world before?" ”

"Well," Hanquanzi sighed softly, "it's a long story. After the ancestor Guan Yin followed his ancestor Lao Dan into Zhongnan Mountain, he tried to find his ancestor in vain, so he had to make grass here and participate in the Taoist realm. However, the first teacher consulted for a lifetime, but never attained enlightenment. On the day of the immortal's departure, the ancestor deeply regretted it, and invited your teacher and uncle as a teacher, and earnestly advised: 'The most important thing in life is to obtain the Tao, and to practice hard for the teacher for decades, although there is an understanding, but it has not been obtained. As the saying goes, the work is self-contained, and the fruit is ripe. The teacher's skill has not yet arrived, the fruit is not ripe, the pedicle has fallen, and the Tao has been missed. Heaven and earth are long, and life is short. The two of you still have a lot of time, and you can't slack off every day. If you succeed, you will live up to your hard work. Don't go into details, you two are so self-conscious, and you can go for the teacher! 'Words, just under the noses of our brothers, the first master closed his eyes and concentrated, his body shrank smaller and smaller, and in an instant turned into a cloud of mist, drifting away, I saw the two of us dumbfounded, and it took a long time to realize that the first teacher had turned into anger and left, and then the sorrow came from it, and the burial of the first master was on the back mountain, which is the place where you worship every year. ”

After listening to the past story of the patriarch's anger, Zhuyuan listened to it thrillingly, and it took a long time to come back to his senses, and he realized: "The disciple understands, the master of Guigu must follow the teacher's instructions, and devote himself to the road of enlightenment, and have no mind to ask the world." ”

"You're right," Han Quanzi continued to speak, "Your master's cultivation is far better than that of a teacher, so he can better understand the regrets of his ancestors. After the first teacher went, your master and the teacher guarded the mound together, and after three years, your master suddenly said goodbye to the teacher, saying that he was traveling all over the world, and he never returned. Later, I learned from the mouth of Xianyou Liezi that your master went to Yunmeng Mountain, practiced penance in the stone cave, and had great enlightenment. What the master said is that the world is long, life is short, and your master deeply feels that time is short, and for decades, he has been bent on cultivating and never giving apprentices. A few years ago, Liezi came again, saying that there was one more boy next to your uncle, and that the teacher knew that your uncle had not yet attained the Tao, and this was a relay of disciples. As for your uncle, who suddenly asked about the suffering of the world, and accepted secular disciples, it was really unexpected for the teacher, and I thought that your uncle was touched by something, so he asked about the suffering to save the world. ”

"Uncle Shi came out, and the result is extraordinary," Zhu Yuan was not without admiration, "As far as the disciples know at the moment, several disciples of Uncle Shi are stronger than one another, and it has only been a few years since they came out of the mountain, and the kingdom of heaven is already under their control." ”

Han Quanzi didn't answer, closed his eyes and thought for a while, then raised his head and asked: "You just mentioned Pang Juan, Sun Bin and Zhang Yi, these are only three people, and it is said that there are five people!" ”

Zhu Yuan was shocked: "How can Mr. tell that they are five people?" ”

"Tao gives birth to one, yin and yang in life, yin and yang give birth to five elements, and the five elements are mutually reinforced, and the world is born. If the senior brother comes out, he will accept five people, so that the five will sharpen each other, restrain each other, and complement each other. ”

"Sir, God counts." Zhu Yuan was more and more convinced, "According to the disciple's visit, in addition to the boy, the master really accepted five other people, as for who the remaining two are, whether they are out of the mountain, and where they are after leaving the mountain, it is unknown at the moment." ”

Han Quanzi closed his eyes and intently entered the fugue for a long time, then opened his eyes and said, "One of them is about to come to Xianyang." ”

"Coming to Xianyang?" Zhuyuan's eyes widened.

"Yes." Han Quanzi nodded slightly, "You can visit this person." If Qin Gong gets the help of this person, the great cause may be accomplished. ”

"The disciple respectfully obeys the teacher's instructions."

Accompanied by his personal ministers, Duke Huiwen slowly walked to the palace of the former monarch and filial piety, the Fuxing Palace. Since the filial piety left, this palace has been guarded by the filial piety of the old ministers, except for the Huiwen prince, few people come.

Before the two of them arrived, they saw the old minister of filial piety kneeling outside.

Huiwen Gong was very puzzled, and was about to ask him when the old minister knocked: "The old slave knocks to see the king!" ”

Hui Wengong picked him up: "Why is the old man kneeling here?" ”

"The old slave is waiting for you."

"Waiting for the widow?" Huiwen Gong was taken aback, "How do you know that the widow is coming?" ”

"Back to the king," said the old minister, "in the early hours of the morning, the old slave saw the first king in the blindness, and the first king asked the old slave to stay outside the door, saying that the king was coming. The old slave didn't dare to disobey the order, and stayed here all the time, and the king really came. ”

"You've been keeping watch from morning to this hour?"

"Exactly."

Huiwen Gong took a long breath, carried the old minister into the palace, knelt down in front of the filial piety prince's spiritual seat, bowed a few times, and ordered everyone to retreat, leaving only the old minister.

"Old man," Hui Wengong looked at the old minister, "what else did the ancestor say to you?" ”

"The ancestor also said: 'You said to Si'er, don't forget what the widow has explained!' ”

"What else?" Hui Wengong asked urgently.

The old minister shook his head.

Huiwen Gong thought for a while, and instructed the old minister: "Please keep the old man outside the door, and the widow should be quiet for a while." ”

The old minister got up and withdrew, walked to the door, covered the palace door with his backhand, and guarded the door.

Hui Wengong bowed to the spiritual seat three more times, got up and walked to Xiaogong's couch, closed his eyes, and stroked the couch with both hands, as if Xiaogong was still on the couch. After kneeling for a while, Hui Wengong got up and walked to the secret room, opened the door of the secret room, took out the stone box, placed it on several cases, opened it gently, and looked at a few lines of text on the stone box in a daze: "The number of weeks is eight hundred, and it is completely black; The emperor is in the world, and the four seas are salty. Old Dan. ”

Huiwengong's ears sounded the voice of filial piety: "The number of weeks is eight hundred, which means that the Zhou room should have eight hundred years of luck." The red and black are out, which means that the luck of the Zhou room should be exhausted, and the great Qin should be prosperous... Zhou is fire, and the national color is red; Qin is the virtue of water, and the national color is black. Heaven created things, so that the five elements are restrained, those who gram gold must be fire, and those who overcome fire must be water, which is to Shang for the Zhou Dynasty, and Zhou will eventually be replaced by Qin. This is called 'black out'. The number of weeks is 800, and now it is more than 700. In other words, in less than a hundred years, the number of Zhou room qi should be exhausted. The kingdom of heaven can replace the solipsistic Great Qin of the Zhou Chamber. This is not my will, it is really the will of God... Ancestors and ancestors can only rely on you..."

Hui Wengong bowed to the stone box three times in a row, and muttered a confession: "What the monarch commanded, the sons and daughters dare not forget one day." Entrusted by the mandate of heaven, the sons dare not have a day to contradict each other, but... "burst into tears," although the sons have hearts, but they are weak in virtue and weak in their own hands, and it is difficult to sing alone, so I implore the ancestors, implore the ancestors and the ancestors in the spirit of the sky, and protect the sons and daughters to meet the talents of the great sages, and the sons will bow and do their best to meet the mandate of heaven. After saying that, he bowed to the stone box a few more times, closed it, put it back into the secret room, locked the door of the secret room, walked to the hall and sat down, and called softly, "Someone! ”

The old minister and the minister both walked in: "The minister is here!" ”

Hui Wengong looked at the minister: "Please see Mr. Zhu in the imperial study!" ”

The minister said: "Mr. Zhu is not in Xianyang. ”

"Oh?" Hui Wengong was stunned, "How do you know that he is not in Xianyang?" ”

"Yesterday, the minister had a trivial matter to ask Mr. for advice, Mr. Jia said, Mr. Zhu is not here for the time being, and he wants the minister to go back in two days, and the minister knows that Mr. Zhu is not in Xianyang."

Hui Wengong pondered for a while: "Spread the decree, when Mr. Zhu comes back, let him meet him when he comes!" ”

"Command!"

Three days later, Zhuyuan came back from Zhongnan Mountain, and there were already palace people waiting here. After Zhuyuan finished washing, changed his clothes, entered the palace with the palace people, was introduced into the imperial study by the ministers, and knocked: "Slender knock to see the king!" ”

"Sir, don't be formal!" Huiwen Gong helped him sit in front of the guest seat, and he also sat down with the chairman, and said, "Yingsi has been bored these days, so I specially invite Mr. to come over and talk." ”

Zhu Yuan returned the salute: "Why is the king bored?" ”

"Alas," Hui Wengong sighed lightly, "Don't hide it, sir, the monarch's father has a businessman, and he will become a great business." Ying Si is not talented, and he wants to emulate his father and achieve something, but looking around, there is no one who is comparable to the talent of Shang Jun. There is no great sage in the court, it is difficult to call Yingsi a lonely palm! ”

Zhu Yuan stared at Hui Wengong with two eyes, and smiled: "Isn't Da Liangzao a great talent?" ”

"Gongsun Aiqing is a talent," Huiwen Gong smiled back, "but he is not a talent." Ying Siyuan thought that Gongsun Aiqing could represent Shangjun, but he didn't want to come down in a few years, and he was quite unexpected! ”

Zhu Yuan nodded: "Time has passed, talented people have come out in large numbers, and there are many heroes, and nowadays it is not said that it is a great good creation, even if Shang Jun is reincarnated, I am afraid that he will fall behind." ”

"What the gentleman said is very true," Hui Wengong echoed, "If it were not for Pang Juan and Sun Bin and Gongsun Aiqing's talents, they might be able to shock the nations." After a pause, "Excuse me, sir, is there a newcomer on Donglai Street?" ”

As soon as the king's recruitment order came out, scholars from all over the world flocked to it, and in just a few years, Xianyang Donglai Street was already famous all over the world, comparable to Qi Guoji. As far as the slender knows, all the inns on the street are full, many of them are scholars, and there are still new people arriving every day, and the supply of rooms is in short supply. ”

Huiwen Gong was overjoyed, and hugged his fists and thanked: "This is all thanks to Mr.'s strategy, thank you!" ”

Zhuyuan returned the courtesy: "The gentleman is thirsty for virtue, and he uses virtue appropriately, which is the fruit of nature." ”

"Excuse me, sir, can you have a talent that can be used recently?"

"It's a little use, but it's not a big use."

"Don't hide it, sir," Hui Wengong and Pan confessed, "The situation in the countries is changing, and talents are coming out, and Yingsi is a little anxious." This time, Mr. was invited to ask Mr. to open his eyes and quickly become a talented person. ”

"Slender and powerful."

"I heard that Mr. has recently returned to Hanquan, but is there such a thing?"

"The slender has just returned from the mountains, and he immediately came up to see you."

"Oh!" Hui Wengong's face was happy, "Mr. is here, I must have seen the predecessor of Hanquan?" ”

"The family teacher asks the slender to greet you."

"Seniors are a little bit of a trick?"

"The family teacher asked the slender to be handed over to the king," Zhuyuan hugged his fist, "The family teacher has been watching the sky at night recently, and the purple qi is coming from the east, when there is a great sage going to Qin, it may be used for the king." ”

"Great!" Hui Wengong's eyes lit up, and he got up and shook his way to the ground in the direction of Zhongnan Mountain, "Senior Hanquan, Yingsi is polite!" ”

After leaving Xiaoqin Village, Su Qin traveled all the way west, and within a few days, he had arrived in Xianyang.

Su Qin saw all the way, regardless of the folk customs, folk customs, are different from the Shandong countries, although it has not yet reached the road under the rule of Qi people, but the people are solid, the law and order are good, and the night is not closed. Su Qin knew that the Qin law was harsh, so when he passed by Wucheng, he specially bought several volumes of "Qin Law", read it all the way to Xianyang, and read the "Book of Shang Jun" given by Mr. Parting several times, and combined with what he saw and heard, he already knew the general trend of the Qin State, and was confident that he would go to Qin this time, and he would play the right game.

When Su Qin's car slowly drove into the Xianyang City Gate, it was almost dusk.

Not long after entering the door, Su Qin looked at an old man, drank his horse, jumped down and said, "May I ask my uncle, how to walk Donglai Street?" ”

The old man also gave a salute: "The official can keep moving forward, walk through the three arrows, turn left, turn right again, see a big road, and go down to Miyagi." Donglai Street is on the left side of Miyagi. ”

Su Qin thanked the old man and drove away.

Looking at the cars and horses that were fading away, the old man shook his head and sighed softly: "Alas, it's another one." Wealth makes people crazy! ”

According to the old man's instructions, Su Qin didn't take much trouble, and really came to Donglai Street.

It was dark and windy. On both sides of the street are inns, all of which are bright and green, and the figures are longing. Su Qin was overjoyed, starting from the most marginal family, and asked more than ten families in a row, all of which were full.

Su Qin gasped. He had long heard that there were many scholars from all over the world who went to Qin, but to this extent, it shocked him. Although there are thousands of students in the Jixia School Palace, most of them are students who go to study with admiration, and there are only hundreds of scholars who have really learned something, and there are only a dozen people who can be called Mr. Jixia. This Donglai Street is different, all those who go to Qin are all well-educated people, or at least have a skill, and travel thousands of miles to get here, all of them come to seek a career.

Su Qin asked more than ten families, and saw that when he walked to the end of the street, none of them allowed him.

Su Qin was really anxious. It's getting late, if you can't find a place to live, in this Xianyang City, there are no friends, no acquaintances, he is so tall and big, with fine clothes, if he sleeps on the streets, won't he become a laughing stock?

Su Qin was in a hurry, and saw a lintel in front of him, looked up, and wrote "Yunlai Inn", the façade was quite magnificent, and the front and back occupied more than 20 zhang of the street, and he knew that it was a big store without asking much. It was dinner time now, Su Qin drove over and saw that there were many people in the store, and it was known that it was full.

Su Qin sighed lightly, no need to ask again, and was about to go to the next house, Xiao Er greeted him, glanced at him, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. is here to stay in the hotel?" ”

"Exactly!" Su Qin nodded again and again, and said, "May I ask Xiao Er, is there a room available in your store?" ”

"Mr. is in a hurry," Xiao Er looked at Su Qin's carriage and clothes again, and said politely, "Our store just vacated a vacant room yesterday, and it is quite neat, I wonder if Mr. is willing to live?" ”

Su Qin was overjoyed: "Yes, yes!" ”

Xiao Er shouted a little guy, led the carriage and horse to the backyard, led Su Qinjing into the store, and said to the shopkeeper behind the counter: "The vacated house, this gentleman is willing to live!" ”

The shopkeeper glanced at Su Qin, nodded, and said with a fist: "Mr. Honorable name, who is the person?" ”

"Under the surname Su Qin, a person from Luoyang."

The shopkeeper took the note and said politely: "Suzi, please come with me!" ”

Su Qin followed him to the backyard, rounded a few corners, and walked into the small courtyard: "That's it!" "Push open the courtyard door," Suzi, please see, this is a hall, you can meet guests. This is the study room, where you can read and write. This is the bedroom, the cubicle can be bathed, and there is a hot water supply in the morning and evening. All the furnishings in the room, although not the best, are also among the best in Xianyang City. ”

Su Qin took a look at it, and it was luxurious. Thinking that he came from a humble background and had an uncertain future, but lived in such a big and good place, his heart trembled slightly, and he casually asked, "How about the cost?" ”

"Is Suzi staying for a long time, or for a short time?"

Su Qin hesitated: "This is difficult to say. ”

"Well," the shopkeeper nodded in response, "that's true, all the scholars who come here, some live in forty months, some live for half a year, and some live for three or five years, and there is really no one who is accurate." In general, we pay on a monthly basis. Less than a month is considered a full moon. This into the yard is the best set in the store, the monthly package is four taels of gold, and the meal is extra. My guest officer is a great talent, and he will definitely soar in the future, especially minus one gold, even if he makes a friend, he will have a good reliance in the future. ”

Su Qin was stunned, but thought that once it was used, these few gold would be nothing, and besides that, there was really nowhere to live, so he was heartbroken and said, "Thank you." That's it. ”

The shopkeeper also said: "Please pay five taels in advance." ”

Su Qin took out five gold cakes from the bag and handed them to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper inspected it, and saw that it was a large Zhou pure gold, and then checked it in his hand, and shouted outside: "Someone!" ”

It just so happened that Xiao Er came over with Su Qin's package and responded, "The villain is here!" ”

"Wait for the guests to stay, see what the guests need, and do it together."

Xiao Er agreed, put down the package, and said to Su Qin: "Sir, please!" ”

After everything was settled, Su Qin walked to the front hall with Xiao Er with great interest, looking for a seat to sit down. There were about 20 people in the hall, and there was no need to ask any more, all of them were scholars from all over the world.

However, as soon as Su Qin sat down, he felt a strange atmosphere. The whole dining room was silent, and the eyes of most of the scholars showed sadness. Not to mention, all eyes shot at Su Qin in surprise, as if he was a monster.

This atmosphere made Su Qin extremely uncomfortable. Su Qin thought for a moment, and suddenly realized that he was not wearing the right clothes. It's cold outside, and there's nothing to say about the clothes and brocades. Everyone has entered the house, and he is still dressed like this, which is obviously inappropriate. Not to mention, the room was warm, and it couldn't be seen when he first came in, but his body was hot for a while, and Su Qin felt that the sweat came out.

Su Qin found the reason, got up and entered the room, took off his coat, changed into a thin set of clothes, and looked in front of the mirror, convinced that there was nothing unusual, and returned to the hall again.

However, the scholars did not change their attitude because he had changed his attire, and they still stared at him with sad faces and surprised eyes, just like Fang Cai.

Su Qin was stunned. Obviously, the attitude of the scholars had nothing to do with his attire.

Su Qin thought for a moment, decided to use movement to control the quiet, so he straightened his clothes and shouted: "Xiao Er, come with two dishes, one meat and one vegetable." Another pot of hot wine with ginger and shallots! ”

Xiao Er responded with a "good look" and turned away.

After a while, Xiao Er brought two hot dishes, a pot of hot wine, and two wine lords, and put them on several cases. Su Qin washed the wine jue with wine, and poured wine in a pot.

When Su Qin did all this, his movements were very slow, and every move he made showed his unique concentration. Sure enough, it didn't take long for a scholar in his thirties to pac over, sit opposite Su Qin, and shout at Xiao Er: "Two side dishes and a pot of hot wine!" ”

Su Qin smiled at him, filled the other lord with a few points, and said with a fist: "This benevolent brother, if you can afford to be below, how about drinking with Su Qin?" ”

The scholar also returned the salute with his fists cupped: "It's better to be respectful than to obey your orders." Under the surname Jia, the name is Sheren, and he came to defend the country. Where is Brother Su from? ”

Su Qin picked up the wine lord: "It's the Zhou people below, come to Luoyang." Brother Jia, please! ”

Jia Sheren picked up the wine lord and touched Su Qin lightly: "Brother Su, please!" ”

The two of them raised their necks at the same time and drank it all.

However, the surrounding atmosphere did not change slightly because of this. The twenty or so scholars sitting in the hall were still like Fang Cai, looking at Su Qin with sad and strange eyes, and he felt furious in his heart.

Su Qin glanced at the scholars and asked in a low voice, "May I ask Brother Jia, what's wrong with them?" ”

"Alas," the Jasher man sighed lightly, "Brother Su doesn't know, a big incident has just happened here!" ”

"Oh?" Su Qin exclaimed, "What's the big deal?" ”

"The night before yesterday," said Jasher slowly, "there was a brother who could not understand for a moment, and he had gone to find impermanence, and he had hanged himself, and he hung himself in the courtyard where he lived, and hung himself on the old locust tree in the courtyard. Everyone saw him off yesterday, and he hasn't recovered yet. ”

"Oh, I see!" Su Qin let out a sigh, "Dare to ask Brother Jia, what is the matter with that benevolent brother?" ”

Jasheren smiled bitterly: "No reason, I just can't think about it for a while." ”

Su Qin suddenly realized something, and gasped: "So, the one who lived in the courtyard was his?" ”

"Exactly," Jia Sheren nodded, "that brother is surnamed Wu, his name is Qin, he is from the Song Kingdom, and he lives in Brother Su's courtyard. Brother Wu Ren came last winter, and the day he stayed at the hotel, just like today, it was a cold day, it was also at dusk, and it was also a tall car and a big horse, and he was dressed in brocade. It is said that Brother Wu was confident in what he had learned, and sold all the property in his family, and went to Qin with his ambition to get it. After a moment, he sighed lightly, "Alas, a year has passed, Brother Wu Ren couldn't think about it for a while, patted his ass and left." Seeing Brother Su's appearance, it was exactly the same as the day Brother Wu first came, so everyone was stunned. He smiled bitterly again, "Brother Su, there are always many coincidences in the world, aren't they?" ”

Every word of Jia Sheren's words seemed to be specially spoken to Su Qin.

Su Qin's heart was shocked, he quickly calmed down, smiled slightly, and raised his head: "Brother Jia, there are not only coincidences in the world, but also miracles!" Come, this lord is for the benevolent brother who can't think of it for a while! ”

The Jasher people also raised their heads and said: "Brother Su is extraordinary! Okay, for Brother Wu Ren! ”

In the Qin Palace, in the imperial study, the prince hurriedly walked in and knocked: "The minister knocks to see the king!" ”

Hui Wengong stretched out his hand and said, "Aiqing is exempt, look at the seat!" ”

Gongzi got up and sat down, and looked up at Duke Huiwen: "Your Excellency urgently summons your ministers, what do you command?" ”

Hui Wengong smiled slightly: "Is there a rumor on Donglai Street?" ”

"The younger brother is about to repay the king," Gongzi frowned, "At night the day before yesterday, a scholar from Song Land hanged himself!" ”

"Oh?" Hui Wengong smiled and looked gloomy, "Tell me about it!" ”

"This person's surname is Wu Mingqin, although he is full of wealth, but his views are pedantic and impractical, and he is a typical bookworm. Mo said that Mr. Jia, even if he was in the preliminary evaluation, he was not approved. ”

"If that's the case, then arrange for him to be a copywriter. This person can't do big things, he should always do it by copying and writing, so let him have something to eat! ”

Mr. Jia said the same thing. The younger brother arranged for him to go to the school to copy books, but he only went for one day and never went again. Later, I heard that he had always thought that he was born with great talent, and he refused to do such a trivial thing as copying and writing. ”

"Alas," Hui Wengong sighed lightly, "to read to this point is to read to death." What's the future? ”

"The courtiers have paid for the burial. As for the money that this person owed to the inn, it was also paid by the official fee. ”

"That's very good. Qin is remote, and the scholars are willing to come, that is, they are kind to Qin, whether they are available or not, they must not hurt their minds. ”

"The gentleman's forgiving heart can feel the heavens and the earth!"

"The widow has summoned you to-day," Huiwen said to the truth, "but it is another matter. When I got up this morning, the widow had a dream that the bird flew from the east. The widow asked someone to analyze it, saying that there was a Coats who went to Qin. There is really a master who goes to Qin, which is my great Qin's luck. Brother Disease, this matter is very important, and the widow has entrusted it to you! ”

"Brother Jun rest assured, my brother will do his best to search!"

A stone's throw westward from the inn is the Hero's Residence. The Jasher people stepped into the mansion of the hero's house and turned into a small courtyard.

In the living room, Zhu Yuan sat on the ground with his eyes slightly closed.

Jia Sheren sat down on the opposite seat: "Senior Brother Qiqi, this new person, named Su Qin, seems to be good. ”

"Oh," Zhuyuan didn't raise his eyelids, "how is it good?" ”

"The body is steady, the spirit is steady, and the heart is steady. Approaching him, he could feel an awe-inspiring righteousness. ”

Zhu Yuan pondered for a while, and looked up at the Jiashe people: "That is the case, it should be this person." ”

"But..."

"Say it!"

"This person is tall and big, and he is dressed in fine clothes, but he is suspicious. If you are a great sage, you shouldn't be so cheesy. ”

Zhuyuan frowned slightly, closed his eyes for a moment, and raised his head again: "That's it, you can go and meet him again." If it's cheesy, that's it. If it is good, you can set up an altar for him, and whether he has the ability or not, the altar will tell for itself. "Well, I hope this person is the person Mr. said." If this is the case, we will be able to do a big thing, and we will go back to the mountain and continue our practice. ”

The Jasheren nodded.

After saying goodbye to the Jia Sheren, Su Qin settled the account with Xiao Er and returned to the room. Xu was so tired that Su Qin didn't wash, so he lay down on the couch and went to bed early.

Lying down for a while, Su Qin tossed and turned, thinking about the words of the Jasher people in his heart. After tossing and turning, Su Qin simply got up, put on his coat, walked to the living room, and sat down in front of a few cases. After sitting for a while, Su Qin unconsciously looked up at the window and couldn't help but shiver. Su Qin got up, walked quickly to the window, and opened the curtains.

Outside the window, the moonlight is clear. There is still the remnant snow of a few days ago in the cold part of the courtyard. The snow reflects the moonlight, which is extraordinarily bright. A little in the middle of the courtyard, a bare old locust tree stood silently in the cold wind. A thick stick large enough to hold the weight of one person is placed across the waist. There is no doubt that the benevolent brother named Wu Qin must have hung on that branch and walked on the road of no return.

Looking at the branch, Su Qin had goosebumps all over his body, his brows were furrowed, and he kept pacing in the hall, and the voice of the Jashe people sounded in his ears: "Seeing Brother Su's appearance just now, it was exactly the same as when Brother Wu first came, so everyone was stunned... Brother Su, there are always many coincidences in the world, right?" ”

Su Qin paced to the window again, looked at the locust tree and pondered for a while, and said to himself: "Brother Jia is right, this matter is really a coincidence. As soon as he Wu Qin walked on the front foot, I Su Qin arrived on the back foot, as if it had been discussed in advance; I searched for dozens of inns and a huge Donglai Street, but I could only live in the room where he once lived, as if it was fate; When Wu Qin came, it was also winter, and he was also a tall cart and a big horse, and he was also dressed in brocade, and he was also selling his land and making a desperate bet, as if he was a person with me; His name is Wu Qin, and my name is Su Qin; 'Wu' is homophonic to 'Wu', 'Su' is homophonic to 'Shu', one is 'Wu Qin', the other is 'Shu Qin', both have the meaning of having nothing to do with 'Qin'..."

Thinking of this, Su Qin's heart sank, and he said to himself: "With so many coincidences, is it a warning from God?" ”

Su Qin slowly calmed down, returned to the front, sat upright, closed his eyes slightly, and entered meditation.

When he got up the next morning, Su Qin was already calm.

Hearing the increasing number of people outside, Su Qin slowly opened his eyes, stood up, walked to the window again, and looked at the locust tree outside and the branch that hanged Wu Qin, his brows were completely stretched, and his face showed fortitude and confidence.

After Su Qin finished washing, someone knocked on the door.

Seeing that it was a Jia Sheren, Su Qin said, "I've seen Brother Jia below." ”

Jia Sheren replied: "Sheren came uninvited, there is a disturbance to Brother Su." ”

"Brother Jia is polite." Su Qin said with a smile, "When I first arrived, I had two lives, and I had to meet Brother Jia, so it was a blessing, why bother?" He stretched out his hand again, "Brother Jia, please!" ”

"Brother Su, please first!"

The two walked into the hall side by side, and sat down as guests.

The Jia Sheren looked at Su Qin and said meaningfully, "Brother Su, did you sleep well last night?" ”

Su Qin smiled slightly, it was a response.

"Well," Jia Sheren looked around and said with a smile, "Brother Wu Ren was also like this when he was here, why don't Brother Su change a little to drive away bad luck." ”

"There is only righteousness here, and there is no bad luck below." Su Qin smiled again, pointing to the locust tree outside, "May I ask Brother Jia, the one who took Brother Wu Ren's life, but that branch?" ”

The Jasher man followed his gesture and saw the thick branch. Looking back at Su Qin, seeing that he was up and down, not only could he not find any frustration, but he was overflowing with a wave of righteousness, and he couldn't help but be in awe, hugged his fists and said: "What Brother Su said is good, and I also feel a sense of righteousness below." If Brother Wu Ren had such a mind as Brother Su, there would not have been such an ending. ”

Su Qin also hugged his fist: "Brother Xie Jia's praise!" Dare to ask Brother Jia, when have you been here? ”

The Jasher man sighed: "Alas, it is more than two years!" ”

"Oh?" Su Qin was stunned, "Brother Guanjia talks, when he is a talented person, why hasn't he been reused?" ”

The Jasher people smiled bitterly: "Everyone who comes here says that they are talented, and they are also below. came in the arms, who wants bad luck, so far has not been used by the king. In the past two years, the heart of seeking a career has died. ”

Su Qin was stunned again: "The world is so big, it is not used here, why doesn't Brother Jia go elsewhere?" ”

"Where is it not the same? Besides," the Jasher man smirked, "there's still a little bit of a life to make here!" ”

"Oh?" Su Qin felt very curious, "Dare to ask Brother Jia, what kind of livelihood do you make?" ”

Jasheren smiled: "Small business, not worth mentioning. After a pause, "However, this business may be related to Brother Su, I wonder if Brother Su is interested?" ”

Su Qin also laughed: "Since it is related to Zaixia, Zai must be interested!" ”

The Jasheren arched his hand: "Brother Su is interested, you can go to a place with the Sheren." ”

Su Qin also bowed his hand: "It's better to be respectful than to obey!" Brother Jia, please! ”

"Brother Su, please!"

The two went out, walked a hundred steps along Donglai Street, and stopped in front of a gate.

Jia Sheren pointed to the door and said, "Brother Su, this is it." ”

Su Qin looked up and saw the three golden words "Hero's Residence" written on the lintel, and praised: "Good name!" He turned to the Jashe, "Brother Jia's livelihood is here." ”

The Jasheren stretched out his hand and saluted: "Brother Su, please come in!" ”

The two walked into the courtyard gate and saw that it was empty, and there was no "hero". Su Qin was amazed, and the Jiashe people led him to a courtyard, where the words "On the Political Forum" were written on the courtyard door.

Su Qin looked at the three words: "Brother Jia, what do you mean by this?" ”

"Brother Su went in and took a look, everything was clear."

Su Qin smiled slightly, and stepped in.

Inside is a hall. The hall is very large, can accommodate hundreds of people, directly opposite the door is a pulpit, directly opposite the pulpit is four seats, in front of each table table. After that, there were many rows of seats, and there were no one and a few cases. Looking like that, it seems to be used to watch ancient dramas.

After looking at it for a while, Su Qin realized something, nodded and said, "These are the three words on the courtyard door." Last year, under Qi Guoji, I saw this kind of decoration, but it was not about politics, but about world knowledge. Presumably, this altar is used for scholars to discuss politics. ”

"Exactly." Jasher replied, "This is the famous political arena on Donglai Street, where all the scholars of the world can speak freely and talk about the politics of the world. ”

"Listening to this tone, this altar was opened by Brother Jia?"

"Brother Su is lifted up." Jasher smiled and said, "Do you look like someone who can open an altar?" ”

"Real people don't show their faces." Su Qin smiled back, "This altar was not opened by Brother Jia, why did Fang Cai say that it was his own livelihood?" ”

"It's a long story," Jia Sheren smiled bitterly, "After the Duke of Qin succeeded to the throne, he opened up his way widely, and the scholars of all countries came one after another. However, Qin was narrow and had limited ranks, so not all scholars had to be expelled. Besides, among the scholars who went to Qin, there were many people who were indiscriminate, and it was difficult to distinguish between good and bad for a while. As a result, some scholars who had stayed here for a long time and were not used for expulsion, because they were familiar with the political arena of the Qin State, wandered around among the scholars, providing convenience for those new scholars, and over time, they actually formed a business. This inn was originally used to receive scholars, and the shopkeeper saw that this business was good, so he stopped picking up customers, changed the whole store, set up this altar, and became the owner of the altar, and the business was booming. In the next is not talented, by the altar owner to look at, specially hired as a judge, by the way to solicit guests. ”

"It's no wonder this person is so enthusiastic, I see!" Su Qin muttered in his heart, frowned, raised his head and asked, "Dare to ask Brother Jia, how did you do this business?" ”

The Jasheren pointed to the wooden altar in front of him: "Brother Su, please see, it's the pulpit." Anyone who is new may open the altar. When the altar was opened, he stood there to discuss the political proposition and answer questions. He pointed to the four seats under the altar, "This is the judging seat, no matter who it is, once the altar is opened, whether his political proposition can be said to be the heart of the Duke of Qin, and if he likes, how much rank he can get, it is all judged by these people." Don't hide it from Brother Su, since the altar was set up, their judgments are rarely inaccurate! ”

"Oh?" Su Qin was surprised, "Is there such a god?" ”

"Of course God!" Jasheren laughed, "If not, who would pay to open an altar here?" ”

Su Qin smiled slightly: "Since it is so effective, why are your judgments not reused?" ”

The Jashe people smiled bitterly: "It's all like below, there is no wealth and wealth." Otherwise, why do those fortune tellers always point out good luck and evil for others? ”

"Well, that's right."

The Jasher pointed to the seats at the back: "These are the auditoriums, and once someone opens the altar, there are scholars who come to listen, and the more people listen, the more enthusiastic the argument becomes, indicating that the altar opener has more weight." Even if he can't be used in Qin, the scholars will spread his reputation far and wide to other countries. ”

Su Qin glanced around and turned to Jia Sheren: "May I ask Brother Jia, where is the altar master?" ”

Jia Sheren stretched out his hand and pointed at Zhu Yuan, who was sitting with his eyes closed in the distance: "That's the person, Mr. Zhu." ”

Su Qin gathered his eyes and looked over, and saw that the person was immortal, sitting like a rock, and he must be an ordinary businessman, and his heart suddenly became clear, and he concluded that this altar must be set up by Qin Gong, and Mr. Zhu, as well as the Jia She person in front of him, must also be Qin Gong's confidant. The Jasherites tried him several times, and brought him here, but they wanted to test his depth. It seems that if you want to see the Duke of Qin, this altar is a must.

Thinking of this, Su Qin smiled, hugged his fists and said, "Ask Brother Jia again, if you open an altar, how much gold is needed?" ”

"Three-tain-two."

Su Qin smiled bitterly and said casually: "If you are a poor scholar and you don't have three taels of gold in your hand, you can't open the altar." ”

"It is possible to open an altar without money, but there is a prerequisite that the person must make a request in advance, and one of the judges will introduce the altar owner to the altar owner, and the altar will be the main person. As long as he passes through the appearance of the altar, he can open the altar, but the opening fee is not three taels, but six taels. ”

Su Qin was surprised: "Why is this? ”

"If this person finally finds it, he can pay the opening fee with a fortune. If it can't be used, the loss will go to the store! ”

Su Qin nodded again and again: "Well, this is fair." ”

Jia Sheren looked at Su Qin expectantly: "Dare to ask Brother Su, would you like to open an altar here?" ”

Su Qin had already made up his mind, took out three pieces of gold from his sleeve, and handed them to Jia Sheren: "Please ask Brother Jia to report to the altar owner and open an altar for the next one." ”

"Brother Xie Su lifted." The Jasheren took the three pieces of gold and bowed, "Please wait for a while, Brother Su, and report to the altar master in the next place!" ”

Jia Sheren hurriedly walked to Zhuyuan, put three pieces of gold cakes on the case, and said: "Report to Mr. Zhu, Luoyang scholar Su Qin asks to open the altar!" ”

Zhu Yuan returned a salute and glanced at Su Qin from a distance: "Please tell Su Zi that the altar will be opened when Shen Shen is in the future." ”

The Jasheren returned to Su Qin and said, "The altar master instructed that after today, Shen Shi will open the altar for Su Zi." Time is running out, Brother Su can go back for the time being and prepare a little. ”

Su Qin smiled slightly, and said, "Su Qin farewell!" ”

"Brother Su, slow down!" The Jasher people stepped forward and said, "Can you tell me who Brother Su is learning from and what he is learning, but there are fellow disciples who are governing in the world, and it is good to spread it in the next." ”

Su Qin thought for a moment and said with a smile: "There is nothing to preach, just say that it is Su Qin, who is from Luoyang, and that is enough." ”

I remembered it in the next. Brother Su go slowly! ”

After that day, just before the time came, someone on Donglai Street was walking and beating the gong, shouting: "Open the altar!" On the political arena, the altar is open! The person who opened the altar was Su Qin, a famous man of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a native of Luoyang. Luoyang Suzi is world-classified, and Zhou Tianzi personally gave him a car. Scholars, please come and open your eyes! Open the altar! On the opening of the political arena——"

The time has not passed, the time is approaching, and the gong sound is louder. Many scholars came out of different inns, in twos and threes, and there were many discussions, merging into the "Hero's House", entering the political arena, and each looking for a seat to sit down.

Gongsun Yan and Gongziji, dressed as scholars, stood on the street, looking at the gong beaters who were getting closer. Gongsun Yan was pulled over by Gongzi Jiqiang. After Gongzi came out of the Qin Palace, he was worried about the great sage and talent that Qin Gong said, and immediately came to Donglai Street to investigate, but he was afraid that he would be clumsy and unable to distinguish the virtuous and foolish, so he deliberately pulled Gongsun Yan and let him come too. Before the investigation began, he came across the opening altar.

"Su Qin from Luoyang?" Childe listened for a while, then turned his head to look at Gongsun Yan, "Brother Gongsun has ever heard of this person?" ”

Gongsun Yan shook his head.

Childe looked at the sun: "The time has come, anyway, there is nothing to do, why don't we join in the fun." ”

Gongsun Yan smiled slightly: "Since I was dragged by the sick son, I learned to listen to the respect." ”

Gongsun Yan followed Gongzi into the Heroes' House, and saw that the political arena was already full of scholars. Last night, Su Qin's high-speed car swaggered through the street, and he happened to live in Wu Qin's house where he had just hanged, which in itself constituted a gimmick and became a hot topic of rumors on the street. This time Su Qin opened the altar, and the scholars naturally rushed to see Su Qin's true face to see how capable he was.

The scholars were gossiping, and the hall was very noisy. Gongzi lowered his mouth, walked to a corner with Gongsun Yan, and sat down on the ground. After a while, more scholars arrived, and more than a dozen rows of seats could not sit down, so the latecomers had to stand behind, surrounded by black pressure in a semicircle.

Looking at this scene, Gongsun Yan sighed: "Do you remember when you first came to Qin? ”

Childe laughed.

Gongsun Yan looked at the tip of a house barely exposed in the distance: "If I am not mistaken, the house where I live should be the house." Time passes, it has been a few years in the blink of an eye, the year before last I heard that the bamboo shopkeeper changed the inn to the political arena, I wanted to come and see it in the morning, but there was always redundancy, and today I finally opened my eyes. ”

"It's very interesting," Childe laughed, "you can hear any kind of sound, sometimes you want to laugh, sometimes you can't even laugh." ”

"It seems that the sick boy is a regular customer."

Childe nodded quickly and pointed to Zhuyuan who walked out on the side: "Look, Mr. Zhu is here." At the moment, he is not a shopkeeper, but an altar owner. ”

Gongsun Yan never figured out the details of Zhuyuan, but he felt that Qin Gong was extremely respectful to him, and smiled back: "Hehehe, Mr. Zhu can do business!" ”

"It's not just about doing business," Gongzi Ji also laughed, "Mr. Zhu is full of articles, but also writes well, knows everything about astronomy and geography, and the city is very deep, at least he can be a royal historian." ”

"Oh?" Gongsun Yan was shocked, "Since he has such a great talent, wouldn't it be a pity that the king only let him open this restaurant here?" ”

"This is the king's intention." Childe lowered his voice, "A few years ago, I mentioned this matter to the king, and the king said that this person is of great use. When he asked how to use it greatly, the king commanded him to open an altar here and invite him to be the master of the altar. In accordance with the order, the hero's residence was changed to a forum, and Mr. Zhu became the altar owner. ”

"I see!" Gongsun Yan suddenly realized, "This altar is called Mr. Zhu, and it is actually manipulated by the doctor, but the real altar owner is the king." ”

"It's a last resort." Gongzi smiled bitterly, "There are people who go to Qin every day, and the good and bad are uneven, and there is no such altar, how can you screen out the talents who can be used?" ”

"Well," Gongsun Yanda was impressed, "The king is always superior to others!" ”

Gongzi was about to respond, when he suddenly heard a gong, raised his head and said, "Brother Gongsun, Su Zi is about to open the altar!" ”

As soon as the words fell, another gong sounded, and the whole hall fell silent.

The altar owner Zhu Yuan walked up to the altar and announced loudly: "Gentlemen, the time has come, and the altar of politics is open!" ”

The gong sounded for the third time, and Zhuyuan stretched out his hand to make an invitation: "There are four judges, please!" ”

The side door opened, and the four judges appeared in order, taking their seats in the first row. The Jashes were among them.

Another gong sounded, and Zhuyuan was polite again: "Please open the altar today, Luoyang celebrity Su Qin, to discuss politics!" ”