In the courtyard, Lin Yanghao and Li Qiqian squatted in the wild grass to catch crickets, and the chief soldier Shun and the catfish boy took care of Emperor Chongwen. This time the illness was ferocious, and the fever had not subsided until now, and there was no medicine, so he could only wring a cold water hand towel to cool him down.

Seeing that Liu Guan was arguing, Lin Yanghao said without raising his head: "Lord Liu, let's save it, there is a bird to talk to Handa." ”

Liu Guan scolded helplessly, so he could only turn his head and go back to the courtyard, Lin Yanghao pulled Liu Guan to sit on the steps, and said in a low voice: "I guess they are waiting for a big man, and they don't dare to let us run around outside and reveal their identities, so they can only lock us up here first." ”

Liu Guan said with some annoyance: "I'm not a fool, I don't know." Entering the mother, what is bigger than losing your head, what is Brother Mingshan doing. ”

Fortunately, such anxiety did not last long, and in the evening, a guy wearing a square scarf, wearing a collar and a straight collar, and dressed as a scholar came to the courtyard, and said to Liu Guan: "The student is Huang Qian, the staff of the Wei Command Division, Lord Liu, someone is invited." ”

Liu Guan turned his head to look at his companions and said, "Is it just me?"

Huang Qian nodded and said, "It's Lord Liu who invites you." ”

Liu Guan stopped talking nonsense, straightened up the whole belt, and followed Huang Qian out of the courtyard with great strides.

Huang Qian led Liu Guan to an attic in the back garden of the government office, and quietly retreated. The lights in the attic are dim, and a man is standing next to the bookcase, around 50 years old, wearing a gray-blue robe, his hair is half black and half white, and the hairpin is not topped, it is Liu Guan's brother, Liu Mingshan, the commander of Zhenhaiwei.

Finally saw their relatives, if they didn't have this brother along the way, they wouldn't have escaped to the end of the world. Liu was concerned about the heat, and took a step forward to salute: "The younger brother has seen the eldest brother." ”

Liu Mingshan didn't return the salute, stared at him and asked, "Where is Brother Li'er?"

Liu Guan's expression was gloomy, with tears in his eyes, and he said: "He was mortally wounded and died on the road." ”

Liu Mingshan screamed softly: "What?!" sat on the chair and couldn't speak for a long time. After being silent for a long time, his face turned angry, and he scolded in a low voice: "Bastard, are you blinded by lard? We don't owe the heavenly family, their uncles and nephews are fighting, why should they take the lives of the children of the Liu family? Liu Mingshan pointed at Liu Guan, his voice trembling.

Liu Guan had to tell the truth about the experience of the road from Nanjing to Wusongkou, and finally said: "I don't know what the boss thinks, so I can only follow him to my mother's desperate efforts." ”

After a long time, Liu Mingshan pointed to the chair next to him and said, "Sit down and talk." Liu Guan saw that there was tea on the table, picked it up and drank it dry, put down the teacup and said: "Big brother Teye is also stingy, I haven't eaten a few full meals these days, so you can't get me some wine and meat, how can I only have tea." ”

Liu Mingshan is 20 years older than Liu Guan, and when he saw his disgusted appearance, he sneered angrily and said:

"Do you still have the heart to drink wine and eat meat, do you know that you have caused a catastrophe? Jingzhong is in charge of the Chongwen Yu Party, and the Wang Zengtai you are counting on has already been locked up in Beijing, Yi San. What else is there to practice Zijiao, Li Tai, one by one, the dead clan, the most miserable Chen Hongru was razed by the ten clans, which is unprecedented in ancient and modern times. The head of the Jingshi has been killed, don't you want to think about our relatives in the capital?"

Liu Guan's face darkened, he was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of affecting his relatives, King Yan had actually firmly pinched his weakness. He peeked at his clan brother and asked, "With the intention of the eldest brother, can the Liu family be saved only by sending Emperor Chongwen back to Nanjing?"

Liu Mingshan shouted: "Absolutely not!"

Liu Guanqi said: "What is the truth of this?"

Liu Mingshan took a sip of tea and said: "Send him back, King Yan will not hesitate to use our Liu clan to bury him, now that there are 8,000 sailors in my Zhenhaiwei, King Yan will not do it for the time being." Zhenhaiwei is the foundation of the Bao family run by my Liu family for two generations, and your father handed it over to me back then, just to prevent it today. ”

Liu Guan said worriedly: "Zhenhaiwei is still too weak, if King Yan really turns his face, or transfers his eldest brother to Beijing, Zhenhaiwei will not be able to resist the world alone." ”

Liu Mingshan said: "As long as Emperor Chongwen goes to the foreign ocean, they persecute too much, and our Liu Clan's naval army can support the old monarch at any time and call on the world." It's too late for him to coax me, doesn't transferring me to Beijing mean that he is forcing me to rebel? King Yan is not so stupid. As long as the Son of Heaven Chongwen is alive, the Liu family in the capital will not worry about his life, and Zhenhaiwei will be safe. ”

Liu Guan said: "I understand, I'm afraid that this is the idea that the eldest brother is fighting, and sacrificing Chongwen is equivalent to burying the lives of the whole clan, and holding him in his hands is to survive in death." So when he was dying, he also instructed me that I must not leave Chongwen for half a step, this is the basis for protecting the family, and I thought he was really loyal. ”

Liu Mingshan looked at the dark night sky outside the window, shook his head and said: "I'm afraid what he wants is bigger than this, I don't know if he wants to hold Emperor Chongwen in his hands, divide one side, and reproduce the glory of our Liu family." It's just that... Is it worth it to give your life for this?" the veteran was moved by brotherhood, tears streaming down his eyes.

Liu Guan was also silent.

After a long time, Liu Mingshan wiped away the tears on his face and asked, "Where is Brother Li'er buried?"

Liu Guan said: "Buried in the village of Ashun, Lucheng Town, Changzhou Prefecture. ”

Liu Mingshan said: "We, the descendants of the Liu family, can't be lonely ghosts when we die. I will send someone to remove him and bury him in our hometown of Huangyan, Wenzhou, with the Liu clan, but his family is afraid that it will be difficult to leave the Beijing Division. ”

Liu Guan said: "There can only be Brother Lao, I am a fugitive, I can't cry, everything is arranged by the eldest brother, I can rest assured." ”

Liu Mingshan shook his head and sighed: "Don't worry? Do you think everything will be fine when you arrive at Wusongkou? Li Yuan is thick on the outside and fine on the inside, very shrewd, and very difficult, why do you think I haven't come to see you in the past few days." ”

Liu Guan said: "I was also about to ask you." ”

Liu Mingshan said: "In the past few days, I have been fighting a lawsuit with Li Yuan in Suzhou City... Since His Royal Highness King Yan came to the Yangtze River, I thought that you might be in danger, so I made arrangements for a few hidden piles in advance, where do you think the flag and documents of the general soldier came from?

But I'm still worried that you won't be able to pass the Hushu Pass, so I went to Suzhou City on business and sent Bai Song to answer you. Fortunately, Bai Song was reliable and finally sent you out of the customs, who thought that Li Yuan immediately summoned me to the governor's line, yelled at me, and I quarreled with him.

In a fit of rage, he took the guard to the general four-dimensional lock and whipped him in front of me, almost killing him. I couldn't persuade a few words, Li Yuan easily drove him out of the standard camp, I had to ask Zhang Siwei over, and then the civil and military department, which was transferred to Zhenhaiwei, so I arrived at Wusongkou Qianhu a few days late. ”

Liu Guan said: "This guy has ruined the future of our Liu family, you can't treat others badly." ”

Liu Mingshan sneered: "I don't know if it's not a bitter trick they played, what if he is a secret stake sent to Wusongkou by Li Yuan's guys? So I sent him far away to Chongming Shaqianhu, or the general. As soon as Li Yuan became the governor, he stretched out his hand to my Zhenhaiwei, and I dare not guarantee that there are no other spies here. You have been in Wusongkou for a long time, and it is inevitable that you will be discovered by his ears and eyes, you dare to rest assured, how dare I rest assured, I came to Wusongkou to be a light car and a simple follower, and I dare not show my secrets. ”

Liu Guan was shocked, it turned out that Wusongkou was not a peaceful place, and it was full of dangers.

Liu Mingshan saw that his brother's face was wrong, and comforted him: "Don't worry too much, after all, Zhenhaiwei is the land of the Liu family, and it has been in business for more than 30 years. ”

He looked up and shouted, "Someone." The next family downstairs agreed, strode up to the attic, Liu Mingshan instructed: "Go and let the kitchen cut a chicken, two catties of beef, and then prepare some vegetable and fruit cakes, and scald a pot of wine." "The general ordered to go down and prepare. In a moment, one of the servants came up with a food box, put the cups, plates, wine and food on the bookcase, and bowed down without saying a word.

Liu Mingshan said: "I can't give you a drink, our brother will have a drink here." ”

Liu Guan was overjoyed, picked up a chicken leg and nibbled on it, and said: "These days, the bird has faded out of his mouth." ”

Liu Mingshan picked up the wine jug, poured a glass of wine in each of the two wine cups, and said leisurely: "I'm afraid you have to live a hard life." ”

Liu Guan said with a smile: "I am also a descendant of the sea, don't underestimate people, eldest brother." ”

Liu Mingshan sighed: "You are young, when we have you, our life will be much better, you haven't gone through many storms, even your brother Brother Li'er has not suffered much, you will know when you get to the sea." ”

Liu Guan drank a glass of wine, put the wine cup on the bookcase and asked, "Where are you going to send us?"

Liu Mingshan groaned and said: "This place should be far away from the government, but it can't be too far away from my eyes, and there is no response between the urgency." I chose a place for you, the sea off Ningbo, east of the filial piety ocean, and west of the chaotic reef ocean, there is a double island, which is the best place. ”

Liu Guan asked: "Why not in our hometown, wouldn't it be safer in Yangyu." ”

Liu Mingshan put the chopsticks on the bookcase, and reprimanded in a low voice: "Bastard, do you want to turn our hometown into a battlefield? ”

Liu Guan was reprimanded, didn't dare to say anything, picked up a piece of beef and chewed it vigorously.

Liu Mingshan's face softened, and said: "You have been in Nanjing for a long time, and you don't know about the sea, but in fact, Shuangyu is really a good place to escape." ”

Liu Guan said: "I've heard of Shuangyu, which is the mouth of some salt lord pirates smuggling business, but I don't know why the official army didn't exterminate these guys." ”