The early dynasty in the imperial court was underway, and hundreds of civil and military officials were on both sides of the main hall, discussing state affairs, discussing different opinions, and Cao Jixiang hurriedly ran outside the palace and reported loudly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, good news." ”

Ming Yingzong shouted: "Above the court, how can you be allowed to make noise, it is really presumptuous." ”

Cao Jixiang bowed to the ground, his heart sank, and he said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the old slave received news that the little prince is in the Xiaoyao Palace. ”

Ming Yingzong asked, "What kind of place is Xiaoyao Palace?" ”

Cao Jixiang said: "Back to the emperor, Xiaoyao Palace is a relatively powerful sect in the rivers and lakes. ”

Ming Yingzong said: "Since this is the case, send an army to destroy him." ”

Cao Jixiang said: "No, the emperor, the prince is still in their hands, if the army passes, won't it hurt the prince." ”

Ming Yingzong asked, "Then what do you say you should do?" ”

Cao Jixiang said: "Let the old slave take the people of Dongchang to the rivers and lakes in disguise, this news has spread all over the rivers and lakes, I believe that many sects will go to arrest the prince, the old slave I will come to a big encirclement and suppression, wipe them all out, and welcome back His Royal Highness the prince, this is a double win, what do you think, the emperor." ”

Ming Yingzong said with a smile: "Cao Aiqing really has the means, okay, this matter will be handed over to you, I will wait for your good news, if the matter is done, I will make you a first-class duke." ”

Cao Jixiang said, hurriedly thanked him, and said, "The old slave thanks the master Longen." ”

Cao Jixiang came to Dongchang, prepared to order troops, and shouted: "He Tianshu, you take two thousand men and horses, secretly go to Xiaoyao Palace to ambush along the way, if there are people in the rivers and lakes who go to Xiaoyao Palace, don't stop them, let them go, and when they are almost done, we are cleaning up the mess." Chen Yu, you take 2,000 men and horses to ambush around each sect, and when these people leave the mountain gate, you will bring their lair to me. ”

He Tianshu only felt that Cao Jixiang's move was a little inappropriate, and asked at the moment: "Gonggong Cao, our trip is a secret operation, we must try to avoid the sight of the people in the rivers and lakes, if we take 2,000 people, such a vast army, is it too conspicuous, it is estimated that it has been discovered before we arrived at the location." ”

Cao Jixiang also felt that he didn't think about it, and asked: "What you said also makes sense, so in your opinion, what should we do?" ”

He Tianshu said: "The team should be reduced, and then set off in batches, so that all the soldiers disguised as ordinary people, placed in the rivers and lakes, and guarded along the way to the Xiaoyao Palace, or pretended to be people passing by in business, or pretended to be people who set up stalls to do business, so that they would not be discovered, and they could also secretly monitor the every move of each sect." ”

Cao Jixiang smiled: "Okay, it's really a good plan, just do what you say." ”

He Tianshu led all the way to the people, all changed into the clothes of the common people, took advantage of the dark night to come to the Xiaoyao Palace on the road to pass, had been prepared in advance, dismissed the owners who had originally opened the door to do business, each gave money, let them go to a safe place to live temporarily, and then come back to do business, the people of Jinyiwei were all seated in the right seats, pretending to be doing business, laymen really can't see that these are fake, business as usual, everything is going on normally, He Tianshu is pretending to be a scholar who is about to enter Beijing to take the exam, carrying a bookshelf, put on a student hat, came to the town, closely watched the passers-by, this will come to the baked cake shop, find a place with the best sight, that is, against the street, a table on the very edge, where you can see pedestrians coming and going on three sides, sat down, and then Xiao Er came over and asked: "Objectively eat something." ”

He Tianshu looked around and said loudly: "Bring me two steamed buns and a pot of hot tea." ”

Then he whispered, "Is there anyone who can pass by?" ”

Xiao Er had a smile on his face, and on the surface, he looked like he was answering objectively, and he couldn't tell that it was an exchange between his superiors and subordinates, so he said in a low voice at the moment: "If you go back to Manager He, you haven't found any suspicious people yet." ”

He Tianshu nodded, waved his hand, and Xiao Er retreated into the kitchen, ready to eat and drink.

He Tianshu waited for a whole day, but he didn't see anyone on the rivers and lakes passing by, he wondered in his heart, and said to himself: "What an important person this little prince is, who doesn't want to catch the people in the rivers and lakes, do they have other routes to the Xiaoyao Palace, who will leave this nearest road and go to the far road." ”

He Tianshu was so suspicious that he couldn't figure it out when he reflected on it. The day passed in suspicion.

Night soon fell, He Tianshu as the head of the Jinyi Guard, quite experienced, has been on the battlefield many times, commanded many long battles, once fought with the Koreans, applied a lot of tactics in the book of war, at the moment, still know how to do this, the current analysis, it is very likely that these Jianghu people, during the day, are afraid of being discovered, ambushed, so they have to wait until the night to act, so remind Jinyiwei that they are not allowed to doze off at night, we will pretend to be the people, and the Jianghu people can also pretend, so we must pay attention to very individuals.

He Tianshu lives on the highest floor of an inn in the center of the whole town, on the third floor, this room, with windows on all sides, is a single house, located on the second floor, where you can see all the characters coming and going, sitting in front of the window and staring carefully, taking out a piece of paper from his arms, putting it on the table, opening it, only to see that there is a list of various sects written on it, on it: Hongyan Sect, Yin Yang Gate, Xiaoshan Sect, Yunling Village, Liaodong Gang, Dongying Palace, and several other big factions in the rivers and lakes, He Tianshu said to himself:" These sects have not moved yet, and I want to make sure that each of them has passed before I can make a move, so that I can strike at them in one fell swoop. ”

Three more ten, with a few bangs, everyone has reached the most difficult time, it is the drowsiness is getting thicker, many guards upstairs have reached the time to relax, but I can hear the sound of horses' hooves floating in the west of the town, the guards suddenly convulsed, secretly looked in that direction, only to see a few people riding horses over there, followed by dozens of men, no need to analyze, it must be one of the rivers and lakes. He Tianshu also heard the voice, looked down from the pavilion window, and saw the central horseman, about forty or fifty years old, with a steel knife on his waist, with a little beard, wearing black, on the left hand side was a young man, with a sword behind him, wrapped very tightly, it looked like a sword, this person had a good appearance, on the right hand side was a beautiful woman, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with two eyes as graceful as Tan Qingshui, and then came to the door of the central inn, held the reins with both hands, and said: "Uncle, there is an inn here, We'll rest here for the night, and we'll be on our way tomorrow. ”

The old man nodded and said, "It's okay, everyone is tired." ”

The young man next to him immediately dismounted, came to the door, knocked on the door and shouted, "Shop, we live in the store, open the door quickly." ”

They screamed several times, but they didn't respond, and the others were so surprised. Just because there is no order from He Tianshu, none of these subordinates dare to open the door and let them in, and He Tianshu saw it on the opposite floor at the moment, so anxious, if he doesn't open the door again, he is afraid of arousing suspicion, but he can't think of any way for the time being, and he will not be able to go through.

Immediately, the woman said curiously: "Why do people open the door, are they all asleep, or there is no one in the store." ”

The old man in the center got off the horse, came to the door in person, knocked twice in a row, and said kindly: "Shopkeeper, don't be afraid, we are not bad people, just passing guests, there is nowhere to go late at night, borrow a night, and leave at dawn." ”

He Tianshu hurriedly went downstairs, ran to the front of the group, and said in a low voice: "Don't call a few brothers, they won't open the door." ”

The old man looked back at him, only to see that it was a weak scholar, and he didn't think much about it, and asked, "What's going on?" ”

He Tianshu said: "Recently, I heard that there are often wicked people here, so the people here will not open the door to anyone at night, if you don't dislike it, just live here with me." ”

The old man said: "I'm so sorry to disturb your rest, I guess you are going to Beijing to catch the exam." ”

He Tianshu smiled: "When you meet, you are friends, don't be polite, come with me." ”

Everyone couldn't resist He Tianshu's repeated invitations, so they followed.

He Tianshu led everyone to the house and said with a smile: "A few of you will sleep here today, and I am on the second floor." ”

The old man looked around the room, only to see that there were two beds, four chairs, a table, and nothing else, more than 30 people, living here, it was really crowded, but it was rare for people to be kind, and thanked him at the moment, saying: "Thank you Childe, dare to ask Childe how to call him." ”

He Tianshu arched his hand and said: "Student Li Youqi, this is polite. ”

The old man straightened up and arched his hand: "In Xia Xuekui, from Xuejiazhuang, Hebei." ”

Then you pointed to the woman next to her and said, "This is my niece, He Manning." ”

The man here stepped forward and said, "Down, Fan Zixi, thank you for staying overnight in Brother Tai, and thank you in advance." ”

After listening to the introduction of the three of them, He Tianshu knew who they were, but at the moment he could only pretend not to know, and said with a smile: "It turns out that they are all characters on the rivers and lakes, and I forgive you for the crime of not knowing." ”

Xue Kui smiled: "Where, where, you are not from the rivers and lakes, you don't know us, of course." ”

He Manning blinked his eyes and asked very innocently: "Brother Li, characters from the rivers and lakes often appear here, why are you here alone, aren't you afraid?" He Tianshu said in his heart: "If you are really a scholar, who dares to live from now on, just because I am in disguise." ”

At the moment, I was asked this question suddenly, muttered for a moment, and then smiled: "At first, I didn't know, but I lived here, and I heard about it, but unfortunately, it's too late, and it's too late to switch to another place. ”

He Manning chuckled and said, "Brother Li is really interesting, he is really a scholar, he doesn't understand the affairs of the rivers and lakes, you must know that night is the time when bad guys haunt." He Tianshu was frightened and said, "Miss He, don't be frightened, as long as you are not bad people." ”

Fan Zixi said with a smile: "Brother Li don't have to worry, we are all good citizens, you can rest assured." He Tianshu smiled: "In this case, I won't disturb your rest below, I'll go upstairs, please take care of yourself." ”

Xue Kui watched He Tianshu go upstairs, there was always a strange feeling, some possible things kept flashing in his mind, Fan Zixi saw that Xue Kui was slightly thoughtful in his heart, and asked, "Master, what are you thinking." ”

Xue Kui was interrupted by his question, held his beard, and said: "I see this Li Youqi, he doesn't look like a scholar, you see that he walks lightly and speaks sonorously, although he lowers his voice, he can also hear the purity of his internal strength, but I don't know why he looks like a scholar." ”

He Manning said: "I don't think his appearance is like that of the new candidates. ”

Fan Zixi asked: "Master, we live in his house now, if he is an enemy, then we are within his control, we must be careful." ”

Xue Kui said in a deep voice: "Well, lock the window and door, if he wants to sneak a surprise attack, only he can come down from the second alone, and the others will not be so easy to enter." ”

Fan Zixi said: "Master, you can rest in peace, I am here to guard and ensure that nothing goes wrong." ”

He Manning smiled: "Brother Fan, I've worked hard for you tonight." ”

Fan Zixi looked at He Manning and smiled with concern, and said, "Manning, you go to sleep with Master, with me guarding you, you won't lose a single hair." ”

He Manning smiled: "Then it's hard for you." With that, he walked to the bedside, made up the futon, and got ready for bed.

He Tianshu was upstairs, staring carefully at the group of people downstairs, seeing that they hadn't turned off the lights for a long time, he didn't know what they were discussing, and he couldn't go down, and he didn't dare to come close to listen, knowing that Xue Kuinai was a good player in the world, and when he got closer, he would definitely be discovered by him, so it was better to be careful.

Suddenly, he heard a noisy voice outside, He Tianshu hurriedly blew out the candles, hid in the corner, and looked secretly, only to see the northwest, five or six horses galloping over, and immediately five men were all dressed in black, holding long knives in their hands, came to the door of the inn, and shouted for the first person: "Shopkeeper, open the door quickly, I'll stay later." ”

This voice passed, and no one inside responded.

The man said again: "Did the people inside hear it, open the door quickly." ”

Again, no one answered. He Tianshu was in a hurry, if he didn't open the door again, these men would have to crash in. ”

The voice did not fall, and sure enough, the first man, flew out, kicked through the door, and then several people hugged in one after another, came inside, walked carefully, it was dark and no one could be seen, a man took out a fire fold, lit it, everything in the house came into view, and several men raised their vigilance.

He Tianshu was shocked, complained again and again, and said to himself: "Oh, it's bad, my whereabouts are about to be exposed, what should I do." ”

A few men walked to the counter, there was a disguised brocade guard hidden in it, only to hear the footsteps getting closer and closer, these are the people on the rivers and lakes, and found that someone was hiding here, and it was the dark sky, and in this case, he would definitely do it, and the person in the counter at the moment, without waiting for those men to find out, came to the first strike, suddenly kicked over the counter, rushed out, showed the guy, slashed with a knife, several men were stunned, hurriedly retreated, and the brocade guards hidden on the second floor also appeared one after another, surrounding the five big men in the core, The two sides did not answer, they shot and fought, the silence of the night suddenly shook the sky, the two sides were short to each other, ping pong, playing sharply, after a while, someone broke out of the window, and a closer look was the brocade guard.

The sound of the fight on the opposite side alarmed Xue Kui and the others downstairs here, Xue Kui immediately raised the knife and went to the window, and the rest of the people fell down, Xue Kui doubted: "When I called the door just now, that Li Youqi said that he didn't dare to open the door, how could there be a master inside, this Li Youqi seems to have a problem." ”

At the moment, he whispered to Fan Zixi and said, "Zixi, above." ”

Fan Zixi understood, flashed his sword, and quietly stomped upstairs. He Tianshu heard that someone was coming up downstairs, and knew that his identity was revealed, so he hurriedly hid by the stairs, drew his sword, and waited for the person who came up. Fan Zixi walked up cautiously, his eyes kept looking around, compared to the second floor, the sword had already been horizontal in front of his chest, ready to defend, one foot just stepped on the second floor, only to see a white light flash in front of him, knowing that it was a sword, hurriedly leaned back, so that his sword to block, only to hear the sound of "bell", sparks in front of him, and then rolled on the ground, slipped into the house, got up and stood still, and said coldly: "Li Youqi, who are you, what are you doing in ambush here." He Tianshu saw that the matter had been revealed, and there was no need to hide it, so he smiled and said: "Brother Fan is so alert, if it weren't for the appearance of those big men, I believe you wouldn't have doubted me." ”

Fan Zixi said: "I have long been suspicious of you, but I didn't come to you when the time came." ”

He Tianshu said: "It doesn't hurt to tell you today, I am He Tianshu, the head of the imperial court Jinyi Guard, on the order of Gonggong Cao, I will be here to be a hero from all walks of life, only let you go, but don't let you go back, all of them were caught in Dongchang, but unfortunately you were found out today, it is not a big deal, but you suffered a few days earlier." ”

Fan Zixi said angrily: "It turned out to be the eagle dog of the imperial court, and today I will take your head and eliminate harm for my fellow people in the rivers and lakes." ”

After saying that, the sword in his hand flew out, straight to He Tianshu's heart, and in the dark night, he saw a white light flying like a meteor, He Tianshu's body flashed, the sword blocked, and then flew forward, and came out with his left hand to hit Fan Zixi, this palm speed is not slow, full of strength, Fan Zixi shot back. The two of them came back and forth, but after three or five together, He Tianshu did not attack, gradually retreated to the window, shook a move, went down the window, jumped to the ground, and then waved his hand, many archers appeared on the roofs on both sides, and thousands of arrows were fired together, like a downpour, flying towards this side of the building, Fan Zixi hurriedly went downstairs and notified Xue Kui and others to dodge.

Xue Kui saw the countless arrow rain, and gave an order, saying, "Everyone be careful, use the wall and table as cover." ”

There were a lot of people in the house, but the room was very small, and there were few walls and tables, and suddenly the pot exploded in the house, and those who hid slowly were shot dead on the spot, Fan Zixi hurriedly came to He Manning's side, covering her to a safe position, showing great concern, for fear that she would be hurt. At the moment, he said: "Manning, are you okay?" ”

He Manning calmed down the sudden danger just now, smiled slightly, and said, "I'm fine, you have to be careful." ”

The arrow rain stopped suddenly, only to hear He Tianshu shouting outside: "Master Xue Zhuang, you still don't want to resist fearlessly, surrender to the court, I guarantee that you will be crowned an official and enter the knighthood." ”

Fan Zixi scolded at the window: "Fart, there is no good thing in the imperial court, we would rather die than surrender." ”

He Tianshu said: "Master Xuezhuang, why don't you speak, but let a small one answer, can't you be the master." ”

Xue Kui sneered: "Manager He, I, Xue, am not a person who likes to be an official, so you better not bother with time and effort." ”

He Tianshu said angrily: "Xue Kui, I have good words to persuade you, but if you don't listen, if my men and horses attack it, then you will be burned, and you will regret it." ”

Xue Kui sneered: "Big husband, standing up to the sky and the earth, there is just death, there is no need to say more." ”

He Tianshu said: "Okay, I'll see how long you can last." ”