June 15 of the Wu calendar.

Taizhou.

Luqiao Town.

Yan Wuchang wore a wide straw hat and a coarse cloth shirt, and walked alone on the path between the fields.

The towns by the sea change quickly, the sky is still clear in the morning, the scorching sun seems to evaporate the water vapor on the ground, and in the afternoon, the black clouds invade, and when you look up, there is still thunder between the black clouds on the horizon. The air is filled with moist moisture, and it looks like a small rainstorm will soon sweep through the area.

Yan Wuchang's straw hat was pressed very low, covering most of his face. Before leaving, he didn't forget to put on a coat, and a few low-flying dragonflies and mosquitoes flew around him.

The fields stretched as far as the eye could see, and the muddy water turned a dull gray and surged in a muddy manner. The straw sandals on Yan Wuchang's feet were also stained with mud, and his feet and neck were exposed, dirty and a little black, like a farmer.

After walking from the hut for an hour, there was not a single figure in the vast field as far as the eye could see. At the end of the field sat a tavern with a flag planted in front of it, waving gently.

Yan Wuchang walked slowly, unhurriedly, as if he was strolling leisurely, but every step was accompanied by a strong sense of oppression.

After a while, he finally came to the tavern.

There were no lights in the tavern, and simple wooden tables and chairs were placed in the doorway. There were three men sitting at the table, led by an emaciated old man, wearing a big hat, and half of his face was full of murderous aura. The other two men sat on either side of the table, one dressed in black, with a burly figure looking out with expressionless faces.

Yan Wuchang stopped in front of the tavern, raised his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at the three men.

The old man at the head opened his mouth and said to him, "Sit down." ”

Yan Wuchang stepped in and sat down at the table.

The other two men nodded at him and said, "Lord Wang." ”

He didn't respond, but looked at the old man casually and said, "Pavilion Master, long time no see." ”

The old man, known as the Pavilion Master, still kept his head down, letting the hat cover his face.

"Lord Wang, it's been a long time. The pavilion master said lightly, and a muddy sound came from his throat.

Yan Wuchang glanced around and said to the pavilion master, "Say, what's going on." ”

The pavilion master said: "Matter, roughly Ma Liang has already told the prince once, and the old man will not repeat it." ”

Yan Wuchang listened to it and said with a smile: "Ma Liang, is that the young man who came out of your Tianshu Pavilion to perform a mission? ”

The pavilion master shook his head and said, "The old man is not bothering the prince because of Ma Liang's death, the people of my Tianshu Pavilion are ready to die." ”

As he spoke, he raised his head slightly, looked at Yan Wuchang with sharp eyes under his hat, and continued: "It's just that Tianshu Pavilion's actions in Wu Country have encountered some trouble recently. ”

"What's the trouble? Yan Wuchang smiled and casually rested his arm on the table.

"One of our middlemen who transferred armaments from Wu State died, and one survived, and in order to share the spoils, he recorded the details of the flow of armaments in an account book. And he has been imprisoned in the dungeon by the county government of Wu State, and the account book has still not been found. The pavilion master said.

"That's a problem. Yan Wuchang smiled at the pavilion master with interest, looking relaxed.

The pavilion master looked at him and said, "I have already assigned the people who are hiding in the county government to start moving, but the movement is blocked, and the criminal department of the Wu State has already detected the movement of those armaments long before. ”

The corners of Yan Wuchang's mouth hooked up a touch of arc evilly, and said with a smile: "You still have people in that small county, then tell me, don't let me kill by mistake." ”

"His name is Ouyang Mo, he is the county magistrate of Pingxiang County, and he is also in charge of the case of our middleman. The pavilion master said.

Yan Wuchang listened, thought for a while, and said, "County order, isn't that very good to start from the middle?"

The pavilion master shook his head slightly, and said, "No, if it was really that easy, then the old decay would not have come all the way from Yan Kingdom." The Shangshu of the Criminal Department is already ready to meddle in this matter, and it may be that the court of Wu State is also making some moves in secret, but it has not yet been alarmed. We will not risk exposing any of our members unless we have to. ”

"And then, I helped you get rid of the person in charge of this matter, what's the problem?" Yan Wuchang looked at him and asked.

"As long as we go into hiding again, I believe that Wu Guo will not find any flaws. But that ledger became the key to whether we were exposed or not. I asked someone to ask the county order to check, but it didn't work. From the state capital of Hangzhou, there has been pressure at all levels, and they must have begun to investigate. If you are one step ahead of us, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

Yan Wuchang straightened the clothes on his body and asked, "Then does King Yan know about this?"

The Pavilion Master nodded and said, "Now we must be more careful, while hiding ourselves, we must use all personnel at all costs, and be sure to find and destroy the ledger before the people of Wu Guo. ”

As he spoke, he approached Yan Wuchang slightly and said, "But if it comes to the worst, I think the plan of the prince Skynet will also be hindered a lot, right?"

Yan Wuchang listened, thought for a while, and said, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"The plan of the prince's Skynet is to find out the remnants of the Chu State, and this matter has put a lot of pressure on the Wu court. As early as a month ago, when the prince had just entered the territory of the Wu Kingdom, the people of the Wu Kingdom had already noticed it. We have to make them feel more threatened, slow them down and buy us time. The pavilion master looked at Yan Wuchang and said, his words were loud.

"Do you mean to say that you want Skynet to continue to cause movement in the Wu Kingdom, expose yourself, and buy time for the Tianshu Pavilion?" Yan Wuchang asked.

The pavilion lord nodded and said: "Skynet's trip is to suppress Chu, even if there is a little movement in the territory of Wu, I don't think it will cause much consequence, after all, Wu is ashamed of me in the battle against Chu." But the matter of armament is not trivial, if Wu has the evidence, I am afraid it will cause war between the two countries. ”

Yan Wuchang's body leaned back, nodded and said, "Well, I understand, don't do it." ”

This crisp and neat refusal made a few people present stunned, but it seemed to be Yan Wuchang's style of acting. The pavilion master seemed to have expected him to refuse, staring at Yan Wuchang with his eyes and saying, "Lord Wang, this is what King Yan meant. ”

When Yan Wuchang heard the word Yan Wang, the expression on his face became cold for a moment, his face was stiff, and there was a trace of anger in his eyes.

He looked at the pavilion master for a while, and then said, "Then, since it is what King Yan wants, you are not here to discuss with me, but to inform me?"

The pavilion master in front of him bowed slightly, and said to him: "The old man is just doing things according to the order, I hope the prince will not blame." ”

"Okay, I'll do it. Yan Wuchang didn't hesitate for long before saying, "But I have a request." ”

"Lord Wang, please speak, as long as it is within the old decay, it will definitely be done. The pavilion master said, his voice a little dull and hoarse.

Yan Wuchang reached out and took out a token from his arms, slammed it on the table, and said, "I wanted to tell you before, I caught a Chu State person two days ago and found this from him. ”

The pavilion master raised his eyes and glanced at the token on the table, and said, "This is ...... A token of the headband of the county government. ”

"Yes, that person is the senior brother of Wang Mang, the guest secretary of Chu State, he doesn't know how long he has been lurking in the county government as a catcher, isn't the county order there your person? Yan Wuchang's eyes were so cold as if he was about to freeze, and said, "Check it clearly, I want to know the purpose of the remnants of the Chu Kingdom, and whether there are any others." ”

"Okay, lord, the old man will do his best. The pavilion master said.

June 16 of the Wu calendar.

Hangzhou.

Pingxiang County.

Chu Mo changed into a light scholar's dress, and after taking off his official uniform, his delicate face seemed to be a little younger, not much different from the middle school students who were now rushing to take the exam.

He was alone in the room, holding the letter from the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, with a hint of indifference in his eyes.

After staring at the letter for a long time, he threw it into the burning stove in the corner with a blank face. The letter quickly twisted into a ball, surrounded by flames, engulfed and consumed.

Chu Mo didn't have many objects, only some simple belongings. He stuffed the token of the prefectural order into his bosom, took another short knife, unsheathed it, he carefully studied the cold light reflected on the blade, and after a while, put the knife away, and put it on his waist.

Chu Mo specially chose the time when there were fewer activities in the county office, and at noon when the sun was in the sky, he walked out of the gate of the county office.

He didn't call a carriage, the previous coachman had always been Wang Su, but now he may have died under Yan Wuchang's hands, and the other coachmen couldn't trust him, so he had to walk on foot on the hot street.

According to the instructions of the national teacher, Skynet will make some moves in this place in the near future, and in order to avoid its edge, it is necessary to go abroad to hide for a while. Chu Mo had long been accustomed to the life of hiding in Tibet a few years ago, and at a certain moment, he even wanted to take off all his disguises and start an ordinary life as Ouyang Mo, marrying a wife and having children with ordinary people, buying a small house, and setting the sun for the rest of his life.

But soon, the idea was dispelled. People in the world are raised by their fathers and mothers, and there are so many Chu people who have made great sacrifices and even paid their lives to hide his identity that they can't remember their names, so they don't want to have such a life. He carried half of the hopes of the Chu State on his shoulders, and the so-called ordinary life was just a luxury far away for him.

He thought of the national teacher again, and his younger brother, whom he hadn't seen for many years.

thought of the woman he was still worried about in the darkest time, Han Luyao.

The midday sun hung over the city of Hangzhou, the air was hot and damp, the weeds on the roadside were wilting, and the leaves were bent down to avoid the dazzling light. The ground was illuminated, and the street vendors on both sides of the street were shirtless, hiding in the shade, fanning themselves listlessly with their fans, squinting at the pedestrians on the road.

After walking for about a meal, he came to the restaurant where he had come with Zhang Renjie a few days ago. The notice board at the entrance of the restaurant still has a list of students who have made it to the county exam, and the corners of the paper are rolled. Chu Mo subconsciously stretched out his hand as he passed by, gently smoothing the upturned corner.

Suddenly, he heard a rapid panting behind him, and he couldn't help but be stunned, and when he looked back, he saw a young man dressed as a scholar, only sixteen or seventeen years old, staring at the list, his face flushed, panting, and his eyes seemed to be about to burst into flames.

"Why...... Why...... Why!" the man said through gritted teeth, his body trembling slightly with rage, his fists clenched.

Chu Mo looked at the man behind him, with a habitual smile on his face, and asked, "This brother is so impatient......

Before he could finish speaking, the man jumped forward and slammed his fist into the notice board.

With a bang, the bulletin board shook, and the man's hand was bleeding profusely, smashing some cracks into the bulletin board.