Pei Ji didn't seem surprised that he suddenly asked such a rebellious sentence, and only glanced at him.

"You asked the emperor if he was the culprit, but my uncle couldn't answer, because my uncle didn't know very well what was going on back then. At that time, my uncle also encountered an accident and was stranded in the south, unable to get out and return to Chang'an in time. But in it, the emperor must not be completely innocent. If you ask about this, I might as well say it directly. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan's eyes flickered in the twilight, and suddenly, he heard Pei Ji ask himself, "Erlang, what are you thinking?" ”

He lowered his eyes, and he should not.

Pei Ji stared at him for a moment: "If I tell you that everything is the emperor's fault, and it was he who killed your father and eldest brother for his own selfishness, what are you going to do?" Enemies of the emperor and subvert the court in order to seek revenge? ”

He still shouldn't.

"Even if you had such thoughts, I would never allow them." Pei Ji's voice unconsciously became serious.

"Even if he is not innocent today, and even has a loss of personal morality, but for what an emperor should do, he can be regarded as doing it with his strength, and there is nothing to blame. What's more, from what I know of Your Majesty, although he is not a benevolent person, he is by no means the kind of sinister villain who will do whatever it takes to achieve his ends. Messing with the world with personal vendetta is not what your father wants to see! ”

In the sound of faint birds returning to their nests, which became more and more noisy, Pei Xiaoyuan under the shade raised his head: "Uncle, you also said just now, the emperor must not be innocent." The nephew can not take revenge because of his identity, but if he knows that the events of the year have nothing to do with him, and the nephew is still trapped in love and asks to marry his daughter, then who is the nephew? What is the difference between this and those who have forgotten their righteousness? ”

Pei Ji looked at him with sympathetic eyes, and finally, let out a long sigh.

"Xiao Yuan, you're still too young. When you reach your uncle's age, you will understand that some things are not black and white, and who is right and who is wrong. When you reach a certain position, what to do and what not to do is not something that one person can decide. People cannot be resurrected after death, and the truth may not be the most important. The important thing is that the living people live well. ”

"When I was still in Ganliang, when I was sent here, my uncle didn't want you to accept it. Because my uncle knows that once you step into the land of right and wrong in Chang'an, you will not be able to easily retreat. Is it because you insist on coming, and you have formed such a fate with the princess, or it is also due to luck, if you can marry the princess and advance with her, for your father, for the 800 soldiers, the day when you can get the right name as soon as possible, isn't it good? ”

"What's more, Uncle Fang also said that he just got a chance for you, and he didn't mean to force you."

Speaking of this, Pei Ji raised his hand and pointed to the chess game in front of him.

"'There is no place for people's hearts, and there is a time for the national player to lose'. If this is the case in chess, how can things in the world not be like this? A saint is not a saint, and there is no saint in the world who never makes mistakes. ”

That's all my uncle said. Think about it slowly and don't regret it in the future. ”

After Pei Ji finished speaking, he got up and left slowly.

Twilight completely enveloped the spring forest beneath the mountains.

I don't know how long it took, Li Yu and Qingtou tiptoed closer.

"Master?" He shouted cautiously at the back of the statue in front of him, which looked like a seated statue in the dreary twilight.

"Lang Jun! What are you doing staring at the stone chessboard? I finally came back, and if I didn't prepare for the big shot, the princess would be taken away! Qingtou couldn't hold it anymore, rushed to Pei Xiaoyuan, and muttered.

Pei Xiaoyuan woke up, moved, and looked up.

Li Yu hurriedly explained.

Next month, the emperor will return to Chang'an after the summer vacation in Cangshan, but before leaving, a big shooting ceremony will be held.

The so-called big archery, is a kind of ancient archery from the Zhou ceremony, for the highest level of archery, initially, is the Son of Heaven, the princes for the sacrifice and other major activities choose to participate in the festival and hold the competition etiquette, and then slowly evolved, to the present dynasty, the big archery is listed as one of the military salutes, the form is no longer limited to a single archery.

But no matter what the changes, choosing a man and bestowing glory is always an important purpose of the Great Shooter.

"I heard that this big shooting ceremony, on the surface, said that I want to show my holy martial arts and choose a priest for Your Majesty to participate in the big birthday celebration, but in fact, because there are too many people who want to marry my aunt, Your Majesty is difficult to decide, and you want to choose a hero who is most qualified to be worthy of my aunt with the big shooting ceremony!"

Li Zhi looked at Pei Xiaoyuan and explained softly.

Chapter 85

The next day, Pei Ji left Cangshan and returned to the Eastern Capital.

On this trip, he came late at night and went to the early morning, and during the period of time he stayed in between, he acted in a very low-key manner. In addition to being called to accompany him, he has only gathered with King Ning and Cui Daosi a few times, or played against the forest, or visited the ancient temple, rarely showed his face in public, and never interacted with the people who drove with Cangshan.

The only exception is Li Xu, the king of Xin'an.

This young man is not like others, because he can't figure out the emperor's attitude towards Pei Ji and doesn't dare to approach. The so-called desirelessness is rigid, he has no scruples, knowing that Pei Ji was once a master in the literary world, with admiration for this former famous minister, he often brings his own articles to visit and ask for advice. Pei Ji also knew that he was his nephew's apprentice in Chang'an, he loved the house and Wu, and liked that this young man was knowledgeable, humble and studious, he had nothing to do all day long, so he naturally would not refuse. By the day Pei Ji left, the two of them seemed to be like friends who had forgotten the year, and the people who saw them off, in addition to Zhao Zhongfang, King Ning, Cui Daosi and Pei Xiaoyuan, who came by order, there was another person, who was reluctant to give up.

After Pei Ji went, he spread his eyes, and at the end of August, the marriage proposal envoys arrived in Cangshan one after another.

Each family showed great importance to this proposal, and the person who came was either a noble person or a close family relative.

For example, the palace of Xiping County, the messenger sent was the uncle of the prince, General Xuanwei, and Li Dalu, the commander of Yizhou.

The people on Lantai's side are even more both. Mrs. Buyeo of Bohai worked tirelessly and personally led a team of nearly 100 people to trek day and night.

This lady is Lantai's eldest aunt, the sister of the current King of Bohai, who was regent and raised Lantai's father. In the last years of Jingsheng, when the Holy Dynasty was in turmoil, it was her regency period, she drove away the rebels who went to win over, and never took advantage of the fire to rob, and always abided by the feudal etiquette, so after the king ascended the throne, she was canonized as the lady of Buyeo, with a diet of 5,000 to commend her for her merits. Now that she is over fifty years old, she has long been unable to come out of government, and she should have been living for a long time, but she still entered the court as a marriage envoy, which shows the importance of Lantai's marriage proposal.

When Mrs. Buyeo arrived, the emperor naturally attached great importance to it, not only specially held a banquet for her, but also often accompanied Mrs. in person for recreation in the following days.

According to the Ministry of Rites and the Taishi Bureau, the big shooting salute is scheduled to be held on September 9. The day before, it coincided with Mrs. Buyeo's birthday, and the princess personally came forward to celebrate her birthday. She knew that her wife was happy with the ancient rites of China, and specially prepared a burning banquet for her wife that represented the highest standard of the ancient Taigao. In addition to eating the three cattle and sheep of Taijiao, the banquet also prepares fresh fish, fat rabbits, deer, pigeons and other delicacies of the mountains and seas, accompanied by various spices, after the burning, offer the wife to enjoy.

On that day, the sun was beautiful in Cangshan, and the quiet waves were like blue. Under the corridor of Baoguang Building by the lake, the princess chose a gentle lakeside grass to set up a curtain for a banquet, Mrs. Fuyu sat with her on the main seat, and the eldest princess, the county lord of Yucheng, the county lord of Danyang and the rest of the women officials sat along the corridor. Musicians play music by the water's edge, and the singers present birthday songs, which ripple above the water, gradually attracting flocks of red-headed gulls, mallards, and black-winged stilts, and many waterfowl wading back and forth at the water's edge, flying and dancing. The many ladies and palace people who served the banquet walked neatly across the shore, sending fine wine and roasted meat, and the figures went back and forth endlessly. The pearls and jade on the heads of the ladies attending the banquet shimmered golden in the sun, and the sound of laughter and conversation accompanied by music and birdsong floated on the sparkling lake with the wind, a joyful and magnificent scene.

Near Baoguang Tower, more than 100 steps away from the banquet hall, on a meadow by the lake, there was a young man dressed as a guard on his back. His hands were resting behind his head, one leg was bent at the knee, the other leg was casually folded on his thighs, and the pointed toes of the spotlessly polished black leather boots on his feet were raised high into the sky.

At this moment he closed his eyes, and in the faint sound of music and the laughter of the women mixed with it, he only basked in the sun with his feet crossed, and looked lazy and motionless.

Suddenly, with the sound of footsteps gently trampling on blades of grass and the slight sound of rings tied to his skirt, someone tiptoed towards him, and at last came close and stopped. The faint scent of the wind emanating from the sleeves and skirt slowly penetrated his nose, but he still lay with his eyes closed, as if he were unaware.

The girl finally couldn't take it anymore, and the embroidered shoes suddenly kicked off the ground, and a cloud of grass and mud flew up and fell on the young man's face and body.

He opened his eyes, and glanced at a pair of bright eyes that looked down at him with a bit of anger, brushed his face casually, and then closed his eyes again.

This girl is Lu Wenjun. Seeing this, he raised his foot again, and this time kicked him straight in the waist.

The young man opened his eyes again, frowned, and said unhappily: "If the county lord doesn't go to the banquet, why are you running to me here?"

"What shall I do? Ask yourself! ”

Lu Wenjun snorted, turned his head to look around, and raised his hand to point to the looming figures of the officers and soldiers on duty in the distance between the wooden shades of the lakeside corridor: "Today, the princess held a banquet for Mrs. Fuyu, you were on duty, and if you didn't do things well, you actually hid here and were lazy?" Believe it or not, I'm going to tell Yushitai and cure you for a crime of negligence! ”

This young man is Chengping, he listened, did not move, only stared at Lu Wenjun, Lu Wenjun's cheeks gradually appeared a layer of shallow redness, and fine sweat oozed from the tip of his nose.

"You brute! Hello bold! It's so rude! How dare you look at me like that, I-" Her tone was fierce, and she paused for a moment as she said this, only her cheeks grew redder.

The corners of Chengping's lips hooked slightly, and he said slowly: "The county lord is very right, I am a barbarist." Not only do I dare to look at you like that, but I-" As he spoke, he suddenly hooked up the originally high leg and tripped the girl's ankle. Lu Wenjun couldn't stand still, and fell on Chengping's chest. He followed up with a rollover, crushing her underneath.

Although Lu Wenjun is usually arrogant, he gets along with a man like this, but it is the first time in his life. When he reacted, his face turned red, and he struggled a few times, and found that the other party was pressing him like a mountain, and he couldn't break free at all, and he didn't dare to shout, so he couldn't help but panic in his heart.

"What are you going to do? Let go of me! She lowered her voice and exclaimed angrily.

"I'll tell you, the county lord of Yucheng is nearby!"

Chengping didn't seem to hear it, tilted his head, opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment, then grabbed a small wildflower from the grass that bloomed like a star, put it on her fluttering eyelashes, scratched it, and then laughed.

"County Lord, I'm not a good person. If you come looking for me again, I won't be so polite next time. ”

He stared at the face of the girl under him, who had become more and more delicate because of shame, and suddenly pressed down on her, and said in a flirtatious tone.

When Lu Wenjun heard this, instead of being angry, he quieted down, opened his eyes wide, and let him play with his face with the wildflowers in his hand, and slowly, a thin light of water appeared in his beautiful eyes.

Caught off guard, she raised her hand, snapped, and slapped Chengping's face.

Cheng Ping was unprepared, he was tied up firmly, his face was crooked, and he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"I just hate how I'm blind and fall in love with your shameless beard! Aren't you going to fight them for the princess tomorrow? There you go! I hope your wish will come true, and I will die in the future! ”

Lu Wenjun exerted his strength, pushed Cheng Ping, who was still pressing him, away, then got up from the ground, wiped his eyes, and when he left, he couldn't understand his hatred, raised his foot, and kicked him fiercely again, this time he kicked Cheng Ping a rib that had been injured and broken before, and he curled up and exhaled in pain.

Li Wanwan, who was hiding nearby and was watching for Lu Wenjun, probed out and took all the entanglements between the two of them in her eyes, Fang Cai was surprised and curious, and a little ashamed, but at this moment she felt extremely happy, and couldn't help but open her eyes wide and keep staring.

Lu Wenjun suppressed the infinite shame and grievances that welled up in his heart, shook a few grass clippings on his skirt, and then left the people on the ground, and did not return to the ground.

Chengping rubbed his ribs, waited to slow down, turned his eyes, and saw that Lu Wenjun had already disappeared.

He sighed, and the person continued to be too lazy to move, still lying on his back on the grass by the water, staring at the clear blue sky with a few clouds floating overhead, in a daze, thinking about his thoughts, and suddenly noticed that on the mountain forest on the other side of the lake, a white-headed green falcon flew in. It hovered in the air for a moment, then swooped down sharply, as fast and fierce as an off-string arrow, plunging straight into the ground, disappearing into a continuous foothills of trees and bushes.

A moment later, when its winged shadow fell into Chengping's sight again, it was already miles away. The distance is too far to see very clearly, looking across the lake, the eagle is like a black spot, slowly moving away.

Chengping's eyes reflected the light of the lake, flickered for a moment, and immediately changed his lazy state, jumped up from the ground, summoned his followers, ordered the horse to be led, took the bow and knife, turned over on the horse, and urged the horse to run forward along the lake, cross a bridge, and reach the opposite bank.

He followed the shadow of the green falcon in the air in front of him, chased all the way, passed through a wild forest, climbed over a hill, chased out dozens of miles, and completely left the palace behind, and finally caught up with Pei Xiaoyuan, who was hunting alone with the green falcon in the mountains.

The green falcon is originally a thing raised by Chengping, and if its wings are fully open, it is three feet long, and it is best at catching rabbits and rats and other living creatures that are walking on the ground. At the beginning of the year, he went south and brought the green falcon with him, but after he was tired and lazy, he threw it to Pei Xiaoyuan to raise.

When Chengping found it, he saw Pei Xiaoyuan put his mount Jin Wuqi on the bank of the wild stream, sat on the opposite bank, drew a knife, skinned a fat rabbit he had captured, cut the meat into strips, and threw it one by one to the green falcon that was standing on a clump of trees nearby.

The green falcon grasped the meat sensitively, and while eating, he suddenly saw the old master appear on horseback, cooed a few times, and immediately fluttered his wings, left the branch, and flew towards him.

Cheng Ping caught it with his arm, made the green falcon stand on his shoulder, stroked its smooth feathers, teased it for a while, and slowly urged the horse to cross the stream and came to Pei Xiaoyuan.

Pei Xiaoyuan knew that the green falcon had eaten enough, and threw away the remaining rabbit meat, and when he saw Chengping looking for it, he didn't make a sound, and he took care of the stream and cleaned the blood-stained knife.

"Ho!" Cheng Ping leaned down, looked at Pei Xiaoyuan, who was bowing his head to the knife, and let out a voice expressing dissatisfaction.

"You're relying on a BMW, and you're walking too fast, so I'm so chased! After Pei Gong left, you also seemed to follow the invisibility, and you didn't see anyone, if you didn't see my falcon today, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find you! ”

After he finished speaking, he looked around.

This place is empty and uninhabited, and it is far away from the palace, and as far as the eye can see, there are only lush mountains and forests.

"You're so interested, you're here to hunt alone?"

He glanced at the golden black horse again, and saw that the corners of the saddle, which were usually used to suspend prey, were empty, and there was nothing.

"Pei Er, you should have been out for a day, why didn't you hit anything?" He was a little surprised.

"I'll take it out and fly for a long time, and tell it to spread its wings. On the way, I only encountered some grouse hares, and there was nothing to fight, just feed them. ”

Cheng Fang just said a lot, Pei Xiaoyuan only responded at this time, did not raise his head, and continued to wipe Fang Haojing's knife with a piece of mixed suede.

Chengping pursed his lips, and then saw a heron flying across the sky, so he urged the green falcon to hunt. The falcon flapped its wings and soared upward. How did the heron escape, but it was quickly intercepted by the green falcon.

The green falcon is full of meat, only takes the heron as a plaything, and keeps pecking around the heron, and the iron-like sharp beak falls on the heron's back and abdomen, and the bird feathers fly in the air for a while, and from time to time there are blood droplets splashing down.

Soon, the heron was pecked and bruised all over its body, and its wailing was non-stop. However, no matter how it escapes, it will never be able to escape the siege of the green falcon.

Cheng Ping looked at it with great interest, looked up and looked at it intently, and cheered from time to time.

Just as the green falcon dived again and was about to peck at the heron's eye, Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly let out a whistle. The green falcon received the command, hesitated, hovered in the air for a moment, and finally flew back, and stopped on the cluster of wooden branches just now. The heron escaped death, fell a few times in the air, flapping its bloody stump wings, and finally managed to fly again, staggering and disappearing from sight.

Cheng Ping was still unsatisfied, and sighed, "Count it lucky, I met you today." ”

"The falcon is already full, so why take pleasure in torturing a flat-haired beast. If you want to be stimulated, follow me. Just now I saw a big stag running by, with horns as high as a horse, and I let him go. Why don't you look for it again and see how lucky you are today. Pei Xiaoyuan ordered the knife to be sheathed, got up and said, then called the golden black horse, and sat on the back of the horse.

As soon as Chengping heard the momentum, he immediately chased after him, and the green falcon also chased after the heads of the two.

In the evening, after dusk, the two of them searched all the way for the hoof tracks and feces left by the great male deer in the grass in the forest, and finally found it, but it was scurryed into the dense forest and disappeared.

The terrain here is no better than the wilderness, and it is enough to chase and release arrows on horses. The two abandoned their horses, went into the dense forest where the shrubs and weeds were almost waistless, and chased wildly with their own feet, and finally chased for more than an hour with great effort, and finally hunted the male deer that was driven to the ground foaming at the mouth under the guidance of the green falcon.

At this time, the two of them were also exhausted, and they each rested for a while, and Fang slowly regained his strength.

Cheng Ping gasped and shouted, saying that he hadn't felt like he was on the battlefield for a long time, and then jumped up from the ground.

The stag is too heavy to take it whole. He took off a mouthful of the skin that he had brought with him to hold wine, took out a dagger, walked to the deer, took a bag full of deer blood, and then cut off the deer's lips, tail, and legs, and cut out the liver.