On the second day of the 1,000th year of the Xianglong Era, that is, the first day after the day of Longyan, on the second day of January, scattered snowflakes drifted in the sky, announcing the beginning of the snow season and the arrival of real winter. In terms of climate, this is actually unusual. Although winter is supposed to be the season of snowflakes, the first day of the new year is Dragon Yen Day, and after every Dragon Yen Day in the past, the climate is very warm, and winter becomes less like winter and more like late autumn, when the rice and wheat on the ground will grow at a very fast rate, and then the boxers will usher in a winter harvest. Every three to four generations, boxers receive an incredible miracle. However, after this New Year's centennial festival, the boxers knew that the winter harvest was impossible, and they were the lucky generation to catch this centennial festival, but they were also the most unfortunate generation in history, they caught the centennial festival but failed to witness the miracle. They don't even know why this is happening, and no one can explain it for them.

No one can explain it to me either. Menco thought gloomily.

Before he drove out of the city gate, he saw early in the morning that the soldiers sent by the royal court were posting all over the city that Long Jun had written by himself. The content of the notice copied by the ministers of state was to the effect that on the day of the dragon's face, the dragon god was dissatisfied with the weakening of the dragon worship religion during the reign of the two dragon kings in the past few decades, causing the dragon worship religion to reach the lowest point in history since the 642nd year of the Xianglong era, so he refused to attend the centennial ceremony of the dragon face day, so that the new dragon monarch will unify the dragon worship doctrine and revive the momentum of the dragon worship, in order to satisfy the dragon god in the shortest possible time. Regarding this unfortunate incident, the Cabinet has also prepared a face-to-face public announcement, which will be held at Shenmu Square at the time of the day's tree.

In Changqiu Town, about thirty dragon steps away from the dragon, the news of the royal capital has not yet been delivered in time. As usual, the craftsmen in the workshop got up from their covers early in the morning and started their busy day. Recently, there have not been many orders from the Rich Chamber of Commerce and other chambers of commerce, but orders from the royal court have skyrocketed, and most of them are for the production of weapons and equipment. Judging from the time limit requirements and the quantity, the craftsmen of Changqiu Town were suspicious that a war was coming. But no matter what happens in the future, the work of the moment still has to be driven out, and whoever pays for these things anyway is a business, and the craftsmen need it. The big workshops had a direct connection with the chamber of commerce and the royal court, while the small workshops took over sporadic and less important work from the big workshops, and in fact the less profitable part. The craftsmen of the small workshops are accustomed to this pattern, which they cannot change, and there is no point in complaining, they can still make money, although it is less than that of the big workshops, but it is enough to maintain the life and the operation of the workshop, and it is also good.

Zhang Yi's workshop is a small workshop, in the east of the town, this workshop, including him, has a total of five craftsmen, mainly making steel tools. Yesterday, Zhang Yi announced the suspension of work to his four craftsmen, saying that they were sick and could not cope with the urgent order from the royal court, so in order not to delay the craftsmen in making money, they each gave them a sum of money, and let them try their luck in other workshops to see if any of them were in urgent need of manpower. Zhang Yi has indeed not been very "comfortable" in the past few days, and the four craftsmen naturally also saw it, they must be very worried that they will miss this big order from the royal court, so that they will not be able to earn a little scraps from the mouth of the big workshop. However, their boss was a good man and simply let them go to other homes to make a living. So the four of them are very grateful, these days, such a good boss is not easy to find, Wang Ting's big order is sent over, there are many workshops that lack manpower, and they don't have to worry about finding a new owner. So they blessed their old club and went their separate ways.

Zhang Yi's workshop was suspended, which is not a big deal. But it must also be news in the town, and it was enough to spread last night, and everyone in the town knew that Zhang Yi was not feeling well and was sick. As they already know, Zhang Yi has a powerful friend who often comes to visit these days. Menke knew the life of the poor very well, and although he was a nobleman, he did not live much better than the poor when he was a child. Craftsmen are tired all their lives, doing physical work, and it is common for the body to not be able to survive, everyone has seen a lot, many workshops are closed for this reason, and craftsmen have recruited other workshops in the past, but Changqiu Town is a town famous for forging processing, and the workshop façade here always needs skilled craftsmen. People don't feel sorry for Zhang Yi, on the one hand, this kind of thing is commonplace, and on the other hand, they know that Menke, a powerful friend, drove a luxurious carriage and sent a lot of gifts. If the work is stopped, it will stop work, what can it be? Even if the work is stopped, there will be no loss, and it is estimated that the town will be very envious of Zhang Yi.

Thinking of this, Menke felt a bitterness in his mouth.

The luxurious carriage he was sitting in was running very conspicuously in Changqiu Town, and he was running on the roads in the town at the moment, and he didn't know how many pairs of eyes were looking out through the window lattice. It is to let them all see that on the first day of this snowflake, I came here to visit my old friend, and our relationship is so good, even if the old friend becomes a blacksmith, I will take care of him, and I will take him back to Nanshui in the future.

In fact, this matter is a little unfair to Zhang Yi. He didn't know what his old friend thought, and he didn't give the slightest room for refusal anyway. He had never asked Zhang Yi to do anything for him so unkindly, and he felt sorry in his heart, although Zhang Yi did not ask him to explain. This simple blacksmith is obedient by nature and trusts his friends. Since his friend made such a request, he didn't ask much, and when he needed to know, he would know that now his friend was a powerful man, and he was still a lowly craftsman.

I had to do it. Old friend, you'll understand.

The carriage drove up to Zhang Yi's workshop and stopped. It was a simple stone house, made of unevenly polished bluestone, with a sloping roof covered with layers of brown bricks, and a red brick chimney that had been smoked black. Due to the long-term high temperature smoking, the exterior wall was also dyed an old gray black, and another gray chimney protruded obliquely from the gray and black stones, and the chimney did not move at all due to the shutdown. The chimney was connected to a extinguished furnace inside, and its current owner was afraid that he did not forge any iron tools.

Menke stepped out of the carriage and walked around a jet-black anvil and a stained leather rack to the dilapidated wooden door. In front of the door was a rectangular iron trough full of dark brown pieces of iron and some charred firewood, and a few discarded horseshoes were scattered on the ground, and a shovel with a missing handle, and all around it was a black mud stained with oil, and there were pits, and specks of fresh snow, and in two days it might be a white patch of snow. A lot of things will be covered up then.

Menke knocked on the door, knocked first, then knocked three times quickly, and shouted: "Zhang Yi, open the door." After a moment, a man opened the door slowly. The man appeared to be tall and strong, but he was tired and weak because of his illness. Zhang Yi took him into the house, and the attendant followed him with a large bag of things, leaving the coachman to wait outside, and the coachman put his hands into the woolen sleeves of his cotton coat and shrunk into the carriage.

As soon as he entered the house, Menke closed the door and stood by the window and looked out for a while. A few days ago, a thin layer of paper was pasted on the glass of this window, so that the inside could not be seen from the outside, but the inside could vaguely see the general situation outside.

Zhang Yi was in his early thirties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a messy beard, which looked like he had not been repaired for a long time, his face was black and dirty, and the brownish-yellow skin on his hands was very rough, and his complexion was a little darker than that of Menke, revealing a red, which was caused by a long time of hammering by the stove. He wore a linen cotton coat with a collar and a corset, and his collar and cuffs showed unkempt hair, and he looked sick and weak.

"My lord, did you sleep well last night, did you take all the medicine on time?" Menke asked with concern, his voice very low.

"Thanks to the Prince, everything is fine. Zhang Yi also seemed to be lacking in breath when he spoke, but there was a grateful look on his face.

The room was very simplely furned, the walls were painted white, the color was freshly painted, and a few new rattan chairs with thick fur were scattered on the brown hard mud floor, and one of the rattan chairs had a burning charcoal stove next to it, and a red flame was burning in it, making the small room warm. The other furnishings were a shabby wooden table, two willow cabinets, one high and one low, and then a large bed with new velvet cushions and a folded embroidered quilt, and a wooden crate stacked with charcoal for heating by the door. Originally, as a craftsman who rested at sunrise and sunset, most of the day was spent working, and staying in the room was basically sleeping, and if there was no woman at home to clean up, the room layout was mostly very casual, and few blacksmiths would pursue cleanliness and tidiness anyway.

Menke and Zhang Yi each sat on a rattan chair, Menyue lifted the wooden table in front of the two of them and set it up, opened the package they brought, took out two bottles of soju, two silver cups, and two pairs of bowls and chopsticks, and put them on the table, and then a few packets of warm dishes, all wrapped in oiled paper, which were hidden in a special incubator before, and spread out on the table, and there was no need for dishes to serve them. In a few moments, a sumptuous feast was placed on the wooden table, and the dishes were beautifully prepared, which seemed very incommensurate with the old wooden table.

"My lord, this lizard mutton is very helpful for you to recuperate, I specially got it from the chef of the Inner Palace, as well as this pine cone venison and black pepper scallops, they are very delicious, I made them myself, my lord, you must eat them all." Otherwise, I'm sorry for my busy early morning. Menke looked at the table of dishes, showing a little anticipation and a hint of pride. Those who have tasted his craft know that he is an excellent chef, he has always thought that he is no worse than the imperial chef, or even better, and he has tried most of the many dishes in the kitchen of the inner palace, and he does not think there is anything special. If he hadn't become a colt, he would have been able to work in the imperial kitchen, and the king would have been pleased with him.

Zhang Yi smiled, his weak body made him laugh without making a sound, but his brows furrowed, looking a little painful. "Then the prince and I must work together to destroy this powerful opponent. I can't do it alone. ”

"Talk less, talk less, eat more. This wine is an authentic 'fire', taken out of the imperial kitchen of the Inner Palace, a little worse than the pot hut in Shenmu Square, but it is also very good, I know that you love to drink, this weather is cold, and it can also warm up the body, but you can't drink too much at once. You know all of this, so I won't say more. Come, let's have a toast first!" Menyue poured a glass of wine for each of them while Menke spoke.

Zhang Yi raised the silver cup and toasted, and said in a low voice: "The second princess, the third princess and the prince have taken care of me and helped, I don't know how to repay it, so I have to drink and eat according to the prince's wishes, so that you can feel at ease." He smiled weakly again.

"The two princesses have been taught by you, and they have not forgotten it for a moment, and these are all things we should do. Menke reached out and patted Zhang Yi's shoulder gently, "You are a true hero, if my child is a boy, I must make him a person like you." ”

"It seems that the second princess is pregnant with a child, this is a great thing, congratulations to the prince, give birth to a noble son early. Zhang Yi's expression soothed a lot, and it seemed that this made him feel very happy.

Menke was a little embarrassed and said, "Not yet." But last night, after I told Su Yun about you, Su Yun finally agreed to conceive a child. It's rare for her to be happy, and it's all because of you, my lord, if I hadn't heard your good news, I wouldn't want to be a father, and I don't know when I would be able to get my wish. ”

"It's good that the second princess is happy, she is the most docile person in the world, and she has suffered too much since she was a child. When the first king was alive, he told me several times that he had finally found a good husband for his daughter, and the only thing he was worried about was the third princess. ”

"Father...... Falsely praised. Menke sighed, a sad look on his face. He has fulfilled his wish to make his family glorious again in this life, and in addition to thanking his wife, he must also thank Nioh. The marriage of the third princess Long Qinglian has always been a headache for Nioh, and no one knows when she will be able to marry and become a wife.

"How is the eldest princess now?" Zhang Yi asked with concern.

"Now only the third princess can visit her, and we are not allowed, alas. Menke sighed, "I heard that the third prince of the Moro Kingdom also has visitation rights, he has lived in the Golden Castle for a while, and he wants to have some friendship with the eldest princess, and I think he has more hope of going to the prison than we do." ”

"What about the little princess, has the prince seen her?"

"The little princess can't see anyone at the moment, not even the third princess can't see her. Ever since he was ...... in the Hall of Seven After being caught, it was as if she had disappeared. I've heard that she voluntarily renounced her right to the throne, but no one can hear her say it with their own ears, and we're very worried about what happened to her. Menke tried his best to control his emotions, but when Zhang Yi asked about this kind of thing, he couldn't help but answer. But what is the good answer to this kind of thing, it is all the result of some panic.

"I don't think the little princess will be in any danger, probably under house arrest. The usurper would not dare to do anything to her, all he wanted was inheritance. He must have exchanged the eldest princess's lenient punishment for the little princess's abandonment. The muscles on Zhang Yi's face twitched, "Prince, I am temporarily living here to recuperate, and it will not take long for my body to recover, but you know what I think in my heart." The question that bothered me is now the only one you can answer for me. ”

Menke smiled reluctantly, "My lord, first take care of your body with peace of mind, and when you recover, you will naturally know, now let's not talk about those things, eat more meat, come!" As he spoke, he took a large piece of venison and put it in Zhang Yi's bowl.

Zhang Yi put the meat in his mouth and took a few bites silently, his expression looking painful.

"My lord, is your wound still painful? Menyue, quickly bring the medicine. ”

Zhang Yi shook his hand, "No, no." Prince, the wound does not hurt. You've been reluctant to tell me, and the more that's the case, the more I think I've guessed the truth. ”

Menke hung his head, not knowing what to say for a while. Zhang Yi wanted an answer, but his wife told him not to mention it until Zhang Yi's injuries healed. Every time he comes, he is most afraid of Zhang Yi asking, Zhang Yi did not make it clear the first few times, but one day, he will mention it. He had been vague a few times, and this time he was afraid that it would be difficult to confuse it.

"I know that the princesses must have repeatedly told the prince that there are some things that I cannot tell me for fear of affecting my injuries. But these worries are unnecessary, and you know I'm not a fragile person. I endured more than a dozen punishments in the dungeon, but none of them made me bow my head. I have not broken my oath, and I am worthy of who I am and of the position that the king gave me. Zhang Yi held on to the handle of the rattan chair with his hand and slowly stood up, his movements were slow, but he had strength, "Prince, please forgive me for my offense." I beg you, in the name of the chief protector of the former king, the first warrior of the kingdom, to tell me the name of the man who was tortured in my place. ”

No answer was heard, and the prince was silent. Zhang Yi asked word by word: "Is he Xiaozhi?"

Menko didn't look up, he had never felt so heavy on his neck. He didn't answer, but he waited, how long could he delay, and what was the use of delaying? He had already guessed.

Menke nodded slightly. He had witnessed the execution that day, and the cruel way of death had made him tremble for the rest of his life, my God, how could anyone have devised such a punishment! He was not familiar with the fourteen-year-old peasant child, but he knew how important that child was to the person in front of him, and what a blow and what a great pain his death would cause to the person in front of him! This kind of pain cannot be relieved for a lifetime. Because he couldn't have lived, his rebirth was exchanged for Xiao Zhi's death!

That night, Princess Six-Fingered planned the show. Xiao Zhi was hidden by her early in the morning, and she disguised him as a eunuch and entered the dungeon with her maid and eunuch. Qinglian enjoyed certain privileges in the palace, and the usurper tried to meet her various requests, and he believed that it was because of Princess Jinyu, and the usurper was undoubtedly fascinated by the naturally beautiful princess, but it was also good that it opened the door for them. The six-fingered princess has incredible disguise skills, she made an amazing mask, dropped Xiao Zhi and the Zhang Yi in front of her in the dungeon, and then lied that Xiao Eun was injured by a prisoner and carried her out. It was the eve of the execution, and Long Qinglian specially instructed the prison guards in the dungeon not to let her teacher be tortured again in the last moments of the mortal realm. She cosmedied Xiao Zhi's wounds, but there was not much time, but fortunately, no one dared to disobey any of her requests, and all the jailers were locked out of the prison doors. Fortunately, none of this was noticed. Who would scrutinize a scarred death row inmate who didn't say a word?

He kept his head down, he wanted to pretend he didn't see. Tears rushed out of the eyes of this person disguised as Zhang Yi, like the tide of a broken embankment. The door sitting on the side widened his eyes and his mouth widened, and the attendant knew that this person was not really Zhang Yi, and he also knew that there was a person who made up himself and came to this room, and then put on makeup as Zhang Yi and stayed here, and the real Zhang Yi made up as the door Yue and left here. But Menyue didn't know who the person in front of him was, and even when he heard this person say it, he still looked incredulous.

Yu Jian!

He is Yu Jian!

The first samurai of the Xianglong Kingdom, the chief guard of the Dragon Monarch, that legendary figure, and now he is reborn from death in this way!

He's still alive. And the price he paid for living was something he would never be willing to choose. He must have preferred that the person who was tortured was himself rather than his attendant, the fourteen-year-old peasant boy Xiaozhi.

But he never had a choice!

What is the joy of life?