When Li Xuandu finished healing, it was already late at night, and the wind and snow were getting smaller. The inn was lit up, the holes in the wall were filled, and the entire inn lobby was warm.

Because the proprietress put away the banner of the inn early and closed the door of the courtyard outside the inn, no guests came to the door again. Several people sat around a table in the lobby, Shen Yuanzhai took out a small bag and put it on the table, and said, "This is that Cui Shuofeng's Sumeru treasure, I took a general look, and there is no holy decree." Although he claims to be an envoy, he may indeed have the emperor's order, but there is no holy decree and edict, and he went to Jiangnan secretly, and not many people know about it, so killing him is not a big deal. ”

Li Xuandu nodded, reached out and took the bag, opened it and took a general look, there were a few pills, a few clothes, and a heavy book without a name.

Li Xuan took out this classic book, and after flipping through it casually, his face was strange.

Liu Chen asked curiously, "What is this?"

Li Xuandu put down the classic: "It is the practice practiced by the eunuchs in the palace, specially used for people with incomplete bodies, although after cultivating to the extreme, you can also get a glimpse of the wonderful meaning of immortality, and it is said that you can also understand the essence of the transformation of heaven and man and the growth of all things, but before cultivation, you have to go from the palace, men dare not practice, if a woman practices, it will reverse yin and yang, and give birth to a beard Adam's apple." ”

After Liu Chen heard this, he couldn't help but shudder.

Shen Yuanzhai said: "In order to restrain the rivers and lakes, the two generations of emperors of the Great Wei Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong specially set up the Qingluanwei and the twenty-four yamen of the inner court, Qingluanwei has thirteen Taibao, recruiting the outcasts of the major sects and the scattered people of the rivers and lakes for their own use, and the eunuchs are cultivated by the royal family themselves since childhood, and they are awarded the secret books of Buddhism and Taoism compiled by a Confucian master, which is the legendary 'master of the inner house' in the people of the rivers and lakes, and the eunuchs are also taught by masters and apprentices, passed down from generation to generation, and the sect is no different. In addition, there are also those Confucian people who have learned literature, martial arts, and the emperor's family, from Xu Shisong to Zhang Suqing, Qin Xiang, and even today's first assistant Sun Songchan, all of whom were born in the Confucian Vientiane School Palace, so the three added up, and reached their peak in the age of Emperor Sejong, and the entire rivers and lakes were overwhelmed by the imperial court. ”

It was the first time Liu Chen had heard of this statement, and he couldn't help asking, "Then the emperor is not afraid of being killed by the eunuchs?"

Li Xuandu shook his head and said with a smile: "The imperial court is not a river and lake, not whoever has the highest force is the emperor, and all kinds of interests are entangled, just like a big net, everyone is in it, and the whole body is affected." Some people want to kill the emperor, and naturally some people want to protect the emperor, and they restrain each other, like dogs and teeth. Now that the little emperor can ascend the throne, it is the result of mutual compromise and recognition by all forces, whether it is to assassinate the emperor or abolish it, it is not only for an emperor, but for the entire Great Wei court, so in the court and temple, whether it is the queen mother, the king of Jin, or the head of the cabinet and the palm seal of the celebrant supervisor, they cannot do whatever they want. ”

Shen Yuanzhai smiled lightly: "Li Gongzi is right, if the court is monolithic, then what else is there in the rivers and lakes? ”

Li Xuandu's eyes were slightly dark, and he said: "It is precisely because of this that the imperial party headed by Sun Songchan will demand that the king of Jin and the empress dowager return to the emperor, but how can the matter of authority be handed over to others at will? The king of Jin and the empress dowager will definitely not agree, so the two of them joined hands to contain the imperial party. This shows that the imperial court has been in chaos, from Zhou Tingchao being arrested by Qingluanwei because of his letter to the imperial court, to the official silver case of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau instructed by the cabinet to chase and kill the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, and then to the current poor dagger, it can be seen that the two factions of people and horses did not do it at the moment, but have been planned for a long time. ”

Shen Yuanzhai asked, "Then what is Gongzi Li's plan?" ”

Li Xuan didn't hesitate, and said bluntly: "Go to Jinling Mansion." ”

Shen Yuanzhai nodded, "Because the Taiping Sect is still in the middle of the closed mountain, and the old man is not good at walking around the rivers and lakes without authorization, he can't help Li Gongzi, and I hope Gongzi will forgive me." ”

Li Xuandu said with a smile: "Senior Shen helped me resolve the 'ghost curse' already made me feel inexplicable, how can I force anything else." ”

"It's good that Li Gongzi can be considerate. Shen Yuanzhai said.

Li Xuandu heard the sound of the wind and snow outside the house getting quieter, so he got up and pushed the door, the heavy snow that lasted for a day had stopped at some point, and it was white outside, the bright moon was hanging high, and the moonlight shone on the snow, a piece of clarity.

Li Xuandu turned around and said, "Since the snow has stopped, then we will leave for Jinling Mansion overnight." ”

Hearing this, Liu Chen got up and came to Li Xuandu's side.

Shen Yuanzhai also got up and hugged his fists and said: "The gentleman does not stand under the dangerous wall, and I hope that Li Gongzi will focus on protecting himself and have a smooth journey." ”

Li Xuandu thanked him.

The two left the Taiping Inn, and there was a post road outside, and people from the south and north passed by from here, but there was no need to deliberately cover up their tracks by stepping on the snow without a trace.

The two walked side by side, Liu Chen hesitated for a moment, and said, "When you were healing, the proprietress once said to me......"

"Do you want you to be a lobbyist? persuade me to be a Chinese person. Li Xuandu said in one word.

Liu Chen was stunned: "How do you know?"

Li Xuandu smiled: "Taiping Sect is not the first, and it is estimated that it will not be the last." ”

The uneasiness in Liu Chen's heart became more and more intense, and he even regretted his trip to Jiangnan this time, and he wanted to stop talking, but after several hesitations, he still didn't speak.

Li Xuan didn't explain much.

There are some things that are blessed not to know, and knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing.

The two walked from the middle of the night to the dawn of the day, and then came to the outside of the city of Anqing Mansion, an important town in Luzhou, at this time there were many people who had gathered outside the city in a hurry, mostly woodcutters who picked firewood and charcoal sellers who pushed carts to sell charcoal.

There was an elderly charcoal seller in thin clothes who came early, and there was still some time before the city gate was opened, and the old man was a little intolerant of the winter snow and cold, so he put his hands on his sleeves and got out of the car and paced back and forth.

It snowed heavily overnight, and the whole city was covered in silver, which was a rare beauty for the literati who could wear a coat around the fire, and even poetry and thoughts would be flowing. It's just that for ordinary people, this kind of weather is very difficult, if the cooking is cut off, even if there is nowhere to escape, there is nowhere to escape, it is very likely to die in the vast snow, until the next spring after the snow melts, the body will be found.

Li Xuandu and Liu Chen stood away from the crowd, looked at the charcoal seller, and sighed softly: "The silk and satin bearer is not a silkworm farmer. ”

Liu Chen's eyes flashed and he didn't speak.

"Miss Liu, you can set foot in the realm of returning to the truth at a young age, although you are not as proud as Yan Feiqing and Su Yuncheng, but you are also worthy of a young talent, I think you have been carefully cultivated by Tingfeng Lou since you were a child, and you don't know the suffering of the world. Li Xuandu said.

Since he knew Li Xuandu's true identity, Liu Chen didn't confront him again, and only snorted softly in an inaudible voice at this time.

Li Xuandu continued: "The lady who sells oil combs her hair, and the old man who sells charcoal has a hollow furnace, so the people are bitter. ”

Then he stretched out his hand and pointed to the root of the city wall not far away, Liu Chen looked at it, and saw that a simple porridge shed had been built there, but there was no one inside, let alone no one to give porridge, and there were many dead people lying on the snow near the porridge shed, their faces were pale and bloodless, and they had obviously been frozen to death.

This glance can be described as full of sadness.

Li Xuandu accentuated his tone: "Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road." I don't care if the wine and meat in Zhumen stinks or not, but I don't want to see people freezing to death and starving to death every winter. ”

Liu Chen was speechless.

Li Xuandu sighed lightly and asked, "Don't you want to do something?"

Liu Chen asked, "What can I do?"

Li Xuandu said softly: "Do what you can." ”

Liu Chen asked with a little hesitation, "What are you going to do?"

Liu Chen's added the word "we" after the word "you", obviously thinking that Li Xuan was not alone, and this kind of thing was indeed not something that could be done by one person.

Li Xuandu leaned forward slightly in the direction of Liu Chen, stared at her eyes, and lowered his voice: "I have never intended to divide the world, I just want to ask for a world of peace." What is peace? The cultivators have their fields, the dwellers have their houses, and they no longer have to worry about freezing or starving. ”