Suzhou City, Moon Tower.

It was noon, the sun was blazing on the street, and people felt a little hot on the soles of their feet when they stepped on the bluestone-paved road.

Occasionally, dignitaries and dignitaries pass by one of the few big restaurants in Suzhou City, and they can't help but walk in and sit for a long time in order to relieve the heat. Suddenly, a little beggar about twenty years old, ragged and covered in mud walked into the Moon Tower, and his dress seemed so out of place with the luxurious decoration here.

All eyes were on him for a moment, full of contempt and contempt. The little beggar, however, seemed to be out of sight, and walked with a wooden stick to the nearest empty table. Seeing this, the shopkeeper who was greeting the guests hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "Little beggar, be interesting, ask for food and go outside." At this time, Li Defu, the shopkeeper of the restaurant who was sitting at the counter and bowed his head to settle the accounts, glanced up and said impatiently: "What do you have to say to him, drive out." ”

Hearing this, the little beggar stopped, took out a full amount of gold from his arms with his black hand, shook it twice at Li Defu under his incredulous gaze, and then threw the gold to the shopkeeper and said: "Good wine and good food, prepare an upper room, and boil hot water." By the way, go to the street and help me buy new clothes, and I'll reward you with the rest. ”

The shopkeeper took the gold, looked at Li Defu with some hesitation, and saw that the latter nodded slightly to him, so he hurriedly served the little beggar wine and food. Seeing this, everyone whispered, and from time to time turned their eyes to the little beggar.

As if he hadn't seen it, the little beggar swaggered to a table and sat down, scratching at his messy hair with his hand, with a rather pleasant expression. The dust hid his appearance, but it could not hide his bright eyes. As if he had been hungry for a few days and nights, he stared at the plate of braised elbows served by the shopkeeper for a moment, and subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

Under the gaze of many disdain, the little beggar devoured a table of food. He was full of wine and food, holding a chopstick in his mouth, crossing Erlang's legs, as if humming something in a low voice.

Li Defu had already put down his work at this time, stared at the gold he had taken from the shopkeeper for a long time, and looked thoughtfully at the little beggar and the wooden stick in his hand. The wooden stick was as thick as a child's arm, no more than three feet long, and its surface was covered with strange lines, which seemed ordinary but unusual. It wasn't until the little beggar hummed a little song and walked into the predetermined room that he withdrew his gaze and unconsciously tightened his hand holding the gold.

The little beggar walked into the room, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, and whispered to himself, "Tonight, I'm afraid I'm going to lose sleep again." With that, he took off his tattered clothes and stepped into the tub filled with warm water, the warm current passing through his skin and his body, and he stretched comfortably.

After bathing, the little beggar who washed off the dust revealed a handsome face and a sturdy figure, and his face full of scholarly atmosphere did not reveal that kind of uninhibited frivolity, but revealed a tenacious and unyielding that was difficult to hide. He put on his newly bought clothes, habitually tore them open a few times, and made a pot of tea quite satisfied, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Time passed silently, and when there was a knock on the little beggar's door, it was almost time. He was sitting upright at the table, holding a cup of tea.

"Please come in. As if expected, he didn't even raise his head, closed his eyes and sniffed the tea.

The door was pushed open, and Li Defu walked in with a lot of concern. He closed the door with his hand, went to sit down opposite the little beggar, laid the gold ingot of the day on the table, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you, and where did you get this gold?"

The little beggar opened his eyes when he heard this, and the expression on his face instantly became serious. He put down the teacup in his hand, looked at Li Defu with burning eyes, and said word by word: "Yanjing, Zhenyuan Dart Bureau." ”

"You are—" Li Defu's face was full of incredulity, "Impossible!"

The little beggar sneered and picked up the ingot of gold on the table, and said lightly: "It is because of this gold, you, as a dart master, have privately swallowed this gold that was supposed to be handed over to the treasury, and more than 20 members of my Wang family were beheaded by the imperial court." Are you worthy of my father's trust in you, and are you worthy of your own conscience? Ten years have passed, my Uncle Li, my father's and mother's grievances have not yet been revealed, but you have comfortably hid in this water town in the south of the Yangtze River and opened a restaurant. ”

Li Defu stared at the little beggar for a long time when he heard this, and still asked in disbelief: "Are you really Ah Zhen?" You are still alive, how is this possible?"

The little beggar looked at Li Defu's expression and said coldly, "I'm sorry for making you so surprised." In addition, my name is Wang Xiaoqi now, not Wang Zhen. ”

"Wang Xiaoqi?" Li Defu wondered.

"Yes," Wang Xiaoqi continued, "in order to hide my identity, I have been living as a beggar for the past ten years. ”

"I'm sorry for you," Li Defu sighed, looked at Wang Xiaoqi and said in a deep voice, "Do you really think that I am a person who forgets his righteousness for profit? Do you really think that I will betray your father for money?"

Wang Xiaoqi was noncommittal, picked up the teacup, and waited quietly for Li Defu to continue.

Li Defu sighed and said: "Looking at you like this, you should have joined the beggar gang, right? I advise you not to ask anything, and leave here quickly." Your actions at noon have already caught their attention, and if they find out who you are, the beggars will not be able to protect you. ”

Wang Xiaoqi smiled when he heard this, and asked, "Who are they?Jinyiwei?" He remembered that his master had said before he died that he should be careful of Jinyiwei.

"Ah Zhen, don't ask anything, let's go quickly, I am indeed at fault for your father's death, but I really can't help myself. Li Defu persuaded hard. For some reason, his complexion became a little ugly.

"I said, my name is Wang Xiaoqi!" Wang Xiaoqi frowned and said.

?“ Okay, little beggar. Since you said Jinyiwei, I'm afraid that you have already discovered something, then I will tell you everything today. Li Defu smiled bitterly and rubbed his forehead and said, "Do you think that Zhenyuan Dart Game is an ordinary Dart Game? What do you think will be a dart game that will be given money by fate? In the final analysis, Zhenyuan Dart Game is just a disguise." Your father, me, and everyone in the Zhenyuan Dart Bureau are all Jinyi Guards!"

Wang Xiaoqi's eyebrows jumped when he heard this, but he didn't speak.

Li Defu held his forehead, took the ingot of gold in Wang Xiaoqi's hand, coughed and said, "We are all chess pieces, I am, and so is your father." Your father is unwilling, he wants to leave Jinyiwei. However, he knew too many secrets, so he had only one result - death," his face looked a little gray, and his voice was much softer, "the so-called loss of the silver is just an excuse." ”

Wang Xiaoqi noticed Li Defu's strange appearance and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

?“ I'm poisoned. The shopkeeper is also a brocade guard. Before I came to see you, I found out that he was secretly sending news outside, so I killed him. I'm afraid that when I killed him, I was poisoned by him. Li Defu's face was like ashes, and he put his hands on his forehead and said, "The news has been spread, fortunately, he doesn't know your identity, as long as you leave ...... as soon as possible."

"I'll go find the antidote!" Wang Xiaoqi got up, but was pulled by Li Defu.

"No need, Jin Yiwei only has poison on his body, there is no antidote, this is our fate," Li Defu grabbed Wang Xiaoqi with difficulty and said, "Ah Zhen, I told you everything you want to know." You want revenge, I don't object. But the Jinyi guard is powerful, you must not fight hard. One more thing......"

Wang Xiaoqi sat down silently and waited for a long time before he heard Li Defu say weakly: "My daughter, your childhood sweetheart, Li Qianqian, is in Jinyiwei......"

"What?" Wang Xiaoqi immediately calmed down, thinking about it, it is a matter of course, Jinyiwei always has some means to control Li Defu. A little girl with pigtails tied with colored rope flashed in his mind, and after ten years, he didn't know what Li Qianqian had become now.

"Help me take care of her......" Li Defu's voice was so light that he almost couldn't hear it.

"Don't worry, Uncle Li. Before Wang Xiaoqi's words were finished, Li Defu fell weakly.

As the moon sinks, the sky becomes darker and deeper. There was no wind in the long night, but everything seemed extremely bleak. Wang Xiaoqi picked up the cup of tea that had been cooled and poured it in front of Li Defu.

"Master, if you are still here, you will definitely persuade me to let go of my hatred," Wang Xiaoqi brought his strange wooden stick to his eyes, "but there are some things that I must do." He didn't leave, and sat quietly waiting for the arrival of the brocade guard.