The post man on the side was silent, ignoring the muddy ground, and the whole person knelt down, not even daring to say half a word of defense, like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

Pei Xiaoyuan also understood at this time why this Yicheng had such an abnormal behavior just now.

In a puddle not far away, there was a man lying on his stomach, his lower body was stripped naked, his cheeks and thighs had turned into a blurry mass of rotten flesh, it looked like he had just been tortured with a mace, the man was motionless, he should have passed out, and the blood was still flowing out of the rotten flesh on his body, and the sewage in the whole pit was red.

Although most of this person's face was soaked in muddy water, it was not difficult to identify the post man who had received Pei Xiaoyuan tonight. If he is not freed from the muddy water, I am afraid that he will soon drown in this sewage pit.

Pei Xiaoyuan walked to the pit, leaned down, grabbed the back collar of the postman's shirt with his five fingers, and lifted the whole person who was as soft as mud from under the pit and put it on the ground on the side.

"It's just a small pawn, so why bother with them. Deacon Yuan's heart, Pei received it. ”

"Hear? I can't see the door well, if it is not in the face of Captain Pei, what is the use of keeping you? ”

The corner of Yuan Value's eyes swept over Yicheng and said coldly.

This post surnamed Hu has been reminded early before, if he receives Pei Xiaoyuan's entry into the post, he will send the news as soon as possible.

According to common sense, people who come from the direction of Ganliang go to the west to open a long way. Changle Station is in the east, and it is unlikely that it will receive people. But since he had been instructed, this post man did not dare to slack off, he had been secretly watching before, but he never saw anyone coming, and seeing that the last time had come, he thought that he had entered Beijing directly, or had gone through another door, and relaxed for a while. But he never expected that the Lord would arrive tonight, and he would still go in his direction. It happened that the post man on duty tonight didn't know the inside story, and when the post man saw the name of the person on the registered list, he hurriedly made up for it, but it was already a step too late.

This Yuan is only in his early thirties, and he has climbed to such a position, even several prime ministers of the current dynasty dare not offend him too much, in addition to his shrewdness and ability to meet the emperor, Yi Cheng has also heard that he is ruthless, almost perverted. At the beginning of the sage's accession to the throne, he also searched for it in many ways, but he still did not know life and death, and there was no whereabouts, and the sage gradually no longer had thoughts. Someone sent a person of a similar age two years ago, who was called a princess in the city, causing a sensation in the city. It is said that in the end, the people involved included the fake princess, and all of them were boiled alive by him with a mouthful. Killing a few post house officials like them is like stepping on a few ants.

Yi Cheng thought that he would not be able to survive tonight, including himself, but suddenly heard this, knowing that there was still life, he kowtowed to Yuan Zhi, and crawled on the ground for half a circle, turned to Pei Xiaoyuan, and after kowtowing, he raised his head and cast a grateful gaze, and then cheered up, dragged his two legs, which were as soft as cotton wool, and barely got up from the ground, called a few people, and hurriedly carried the post guard who had passed out.

"Captain Pei, let's go with me."

Yuan said with a smile.

Someone led a horse in the dark, the body was black, the fur was shiny, the fire reflected as if it was covered with black satin, and the head was small and the neck was long, the torso was like a dragon, and the limbs were strong, which was a rare appearance of a divine horse. Not only that, but it also had a red mark on its forehead.

The whole body is jet black, only this mass of red, which looks very eye-catching.

At present, Pei Xiaoyuan was not exempt from vulgarity, and after a few glances, his attention was suddenly taken away by the imprint on his forehead.

Somehow, at this time, he inexplicably remembered Ye Nu again.

He Jin should have returned at this time, and I don't know how the search is going, whether he has found it......

Yuan Zhi glanced at him, saw that his two eyes were fixed on the horse, smiled, and motioned to his subordinates to send the reins and whips.

"Three years ago, our dynasty won the battle of Xifan, and the lord of the Western Regions took the initiative to offer a good horse to congratulate, among which this horse was the most miraculous. Because there are red marks on the horse's forehead, the shape is like the sun, so it is named the golden black horse. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan retracted his attention, turned over and got on his horse, and Yuan Zhi also boarded his mount. The group disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The guard officer on duty at Tonghua Gate was waiting on the gatehouse, and when he saw a group of people approaching from a distance, he shook his torches, responded from the other side, and immediately opened the city gate.

Several straight thoroughfares connect the east and west of the city and the north and south.

At the fourth watch in the morning, the door of the square was closed, everything was asleep, and at this moment, with this city, there was only the eternal moonlight and the shadow of a team of Jinwu guards who occasionally patrolled the streets.

The road was unimpeded, and in the dull sound of horses' hooves stomping on the ground, Pei Xiaoyuan came to the palace gate in his memory. The palace gate was now open, unguarded against him, and he entered, passing through the seemingly boundless halls and corridors that stretched through the night, and finally stopped at the place where he was to be taken to-night.

The night was dark, and the name of the palace was faintly visible on the plaque above the temple gate.

Purple Cloud Palace.

Yuan Zhi continued to lead him inside, walked outside the main hall, and stopped.

At this moment, he is no longer the fierce person outside Changle Post who makes Yi Cheng want to fall. He stood straight through the heavy closed door in front of him, his hands lowered, and his expression became extremely respectful, if there was a supreme god of supreme majesty in this door.

Pei Xiaoyuan continued to walk up the steps alone, and when he came to the door of the hall, he stretched out his hand, paused, and slowly pushed open the heavy door in front of him.

There is a huge offering hall in front of his eyes, there are two three-legged white copper incense burners that are higher than the top of the person, the belly of the furnace has been burned faintly red by the incense in the heart, the white smoke is like a cloud above, there is a cloud dragon Danqi white jade Sumeru seat in the middle, there is a statue of the beginning of the Tianzun on it, the Tianzun is dressed and gorgeous, the left and right are sandwiched by the real people, and the surrounding tent curtains are hanging down. In the depths of the hall, a young eunuch in his teenage years came out and led him through the front hall, through a passage, and finally into a side hall on the north side.

Continuing to take Pei Xiaoyuan to stop in front of a crystal curtain, the little eunuch quietly retreated.

He waited in front of the curtain for a long time, but there was no silence in his ears, and no one appeared or made any noise. It was as if he was the only one left in this huge temple.

But his intuition told him that at this moment, through the curtain, behind the opposite screen, there was a pair of eyes that were observing him.

He waited, for the owner of the eyes to break the silence.

The burning sandalwood in the small incense burner in the corner of the hall burned to the end, and a cluster of white ash curled up on the top slowly cooled, and suddenly broke and fell.

Almost at the same moment, a voice rang out from the depths of the temple.

"You are the young man of the Pei family?"

The voice was coming from behind the curtain, old, hoarse, and low.

Pei Xiaoyuan lifted the hem of his clothes and bowed to the screen behind the bead curtain in front of him.

"Weichen Pei Xiaoyuan, knock to see Your Majesty."

He finished prostrating, but he never got permission to get up, so he had to kneel like this. After a few moments, the voice finally came from behind the screen.

"'There are mountains in the world, Lian. The gentleman is far from the villain, not evil and strict, 'This is the origin of your expression of the word Junyan?' It's quite in line with today's move. I also thought that the Pei family was used to being high, and even a little boy couldn't look down on me, the rank of Jin Wuwei. ”

The tone of these words was flat, and it sounded like praise, but the meaning of ridicule almost pierced the screen and rushed to the face.

Pei Xiaoyuan was slightly stunned at first, but soon, he understood.

He was given nearly three months to die. After leaving Ganliang, to Chang'an, there are two post roads, or take Qinzhou South Road, or take Huizhou North Road, no matter which road, it is enough for him to set off into Beijing, and should not arrive before the last day.

I think it was his act of pressing the deadline that angered the person behind the curtain.

This is indeed an accident that Pei Xiaoyuan had never thought of before. Could it be that the people behind the curtain have been waiting?

"Weichen didn't dare. Before receiving the report that day, there was a matter that needed to be dealt with urgently, so it was delayed for some time. ”

He explained.

After another period of silence, "You're not afraid of me?" ”

"Everyone is called Your Majesty's saint, the saint is current, Weichen is frank and open, why be afraid."

"Everyone is called a saint, but what about you?"

The voice followed suit.

Pei Xiaoyuan paused slightly, "Weichen is naturally the same as the people of the world, and regards His Majesty as a saint. ”

The man behind the screen didn't speak at first, but after a moment, Ruo let out a cold snort.

"I don't think so."

Chapter 14

"Your Majesty's words have left Weichen with no place to tolerate. If you are guilty, please show your majesty. ”

"You're not old, and you're not too timid."

The man said lightly.

Pei Xiaoyuan no longer answered, but kowtowed and waited.

"Three years ago, after the war, were you dissatisfied?" He asked, hearing the voice.

It has been more than 100 years since the founding of this dynasty. A few decades ago, the neighboring country of Xibo rose up and became a fierce rival of the dynasty. In the great upheaval of that year, the rebels colluded with the inside and outside of Xifan, and the imperial court was defenseless, so even the capital fell in a short period of time.

After the rebellion, the saint behind the screen at this moment ascended the throne and devoted himself to recuperation and clean up the rivers and mountains. For a long time, the harassment of the border by Xifan was not only endless, but more rampant than before, and the imperial court had been holding back, until three years ago, Xifan once again tore up the peace treaty and invaded the western border, and the sage edict responded to the war.

That battle can be described as a sword in ten years, and the top and bottom worked together to gather all their strength. In addition to the imperial army, the grassland nobles who were loyal to the imperial court, such as Chengping's father, and Wang Yuwen Shouren, the envoy of Xiping County, who had made great contributions to the chaos in those years, also sent his son Yuwenqing to help in the war.

Yu Wenqing relied on the high merits of the Wangfu, and after the battle, he didn't even pay attention to Ling Hugong, the deputy marshal who actually commanded the army at that time. At first, after a few smooth battles, no one was in sight. In a large-scale battle, believing that he could win by his own convenience, in order to compete for the first success, he ignored the pre-determined strategy of encirclement, and launched an attack without waiting for Chengping's side to arrive at the combat position, which not only failed, but also exposed the position of Chengping's army, attracting a siege by enemy troops several times his size, and the situation was extremely critical.

At this time, Yu Wenqing, who was supposed to be closest to him, rushed to the rescue, but he was worried that he would lose his troops again in case he was defeated, and he intended to retreat. At that time, it was He Jin who was sent to temporarily coordinate with him, and He Jin stopped the retreat, but Yu Wenqing thought it was a humiliation to him, and drew his sword and stabbed He Jin. He Jin has a strong temperament, he would rather die than let him go, Yu Wenqing was annoyed and ashamed, and when he was about to kill the killer, Pei Xiaoyuan arrived and stopped him, cutting off the sword that Yu Wenqing stabbed, and causing Yu Wenqing to fall from the horse, and when he landed, he was stabbed by the broken sword he was still holding in his hand and inserted into his chest.

At that time, the situation was chaotic, Yu Wenqing was taken away for treatment, Pei Xiaoyuan killed a close general of Yu Wenqing who resisted the most fiercely on the spot, and then restrained several other generals and temporarily took over the Xiping Army. After all, there are hot-blooded men in the Xiping army, who were dissatisfied with Yu Wenqing's command, and were shocked by Pei Xiaoyuan, so they obeyed the order and fought together, and under his command, they finally repelled the enemy army and avoided a fiasco that might have led to a turning point in the war. Pei Xiaoyuan, who was only 20 years old at the time, also gained great prestige in the army because of this war, and his reputation spread all over the world.

Yu Wenqing's injuries that day were not enough to be fatal, and after a few days of recuperation, he had healed, but he was indignant, and he did not follow the doctor's instructions to drink excessively, causing the wound to fester.

Yu Wenqing's death caused a lot of turmoil at that time. Pei Xiaoyuan, as a direct party, was identified as the culprit by the people of the county prince's mansion, and clamored to avenge the prince, which naturally caused the dissatisfaction of the other part of the sergeants, and the two sides were tense.

Linghu Gong reported all the reasons to the prince who was in charge of the march in front of Yaoling, and the prince suppressed the matter on the grounds that both sides were at fault, the battle was unsuccessful, and the army's spirit was unshakable. In the decisive battle, Xifan was defeated, and the imperial court finally won this great victory that had never been seen in decades.

Based on Pei Xiaoyuan's performance that day, whether it was the key temporary chaotic battle he commanded, or the decisive battle he participated in later, he was all the first soldier and made outstanding achievements, and the whole army was obvious to all and convinced. But at the end of the meritorious service, his comrades who were not as good as him were awarded the rank of four or five ranks, such as the sixth and seventh turns, but he had to be awarded a symbolic title of second and seventh rank cloud cavalry captain. In stark contrast, on Yu Wenqing's side, the imperial court posthumously sealed it, and mourned and honored.

"The country has a war, and the name of the micro-minister is on the military book, so I should do my duty, how dare I be greedy for credit. Not to mention the small work. ”

He answered.

"Yuwen Shouren is an old hero who has welcomed and protected the first emperor, he is old, and he sent his son to continue fighting for the imperial court, but his son died like that. No matter how you argue, it has nothing to do with you after all. That's the prince of the county king's mansion! ”

Wechen understood. On that day, thanks to the ruling of the prince and General Linghu, Weichen had the opportunity to make up for it later. ”

The man behind the screen seemed to snort softly again.

"The prince can't call the shots in this matter. As for Linghu Gong! It's okay to fight, but in this matter, ten Ling Hu Gong can't take his turn to speak! ”

When the person behind the screen said this, Pei Xiaoyuan couldn't see his expression, but from his tone, he could also imagine the faint proud look on his face at the moment.

Pei Xiaoyuan couldn't figure it out at first, hesitated, and soon realized.

He kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the Holy Judgment of the day." ”

"Get up!"

After another moment of silence, the person behind the screen finally spoke to him to get up, and his voice sounded much softer.

Pei Xiaoyuan thanked him and got up.

"Yu Wenzhi, the second son of the Xiping County Palace, succeeded his brother and became the son, and this time he will also enter Beijing to celebrate his birthday, and his arrival is about a matter of the next few days. The old grudge between you and the county king's mansion can be resolved, so as not to affect major events. The Emperor said again.

Pei Xiaoyuan should be.

"Do you know Prince Jingsheng?"

The voice suddenly asked again.

Pei Xiaoyuan was stunned again.

To tell the truth, the current emperor's mind behind the curtain changed quickly, which made him a little uncomfortable.

This trip to Beijing was an accident in itself, he just arrived at Changle Station, and was brought here overnight, which was even more unexpected. But at this moment, he had a feeling that what he was going to hear next might be the real reason why the Curtain had secretly summoned him tonight.

Of course he knew Prince Jingsheng.

The person in front of him, who was hidden behind the screen, and he couldn't see it, was the one who replaced his brother Prince Jingsheng on the throne back then.

Pei Xiaoyuan remembered what his uncle Pei Ji had said to him the night before he left Ganliang.

"What are you thinking? I'm asking you! ”

It was just a brief trance, and then another voice came from my ears. The voice had become cold and coercive.