Taiwei Lu Wan's first court meeting after entering Beijing was without any excitement.
Everyone's reminiscence about seeing their first favorite minister was completely stolen by another incident.
Liu Ji was leaning on the couch, a little lazy.
"You have all met Lu Wan. From now on, we will work together in the same court and discuss everything.
I originally thought of letting him go to see the Queen alone after the court was over, but the Queen couldn't wait to see him, so she came with me. "
All the ministers understood it. Obviously, the emperor did not shy away from his close relationship with Lu Wan.
After Liu Ji finished speaking, he nodded slightly to Lu Pheasant beside him. Lu Pheasant smiled gently at Lu Wan, but there was a hint of nervous expectation in his eyes.
If everything goes according to plan, today is the day.
"Your Majesty, Han Xin, I have something important to report."
Han Xin took a step forward, fell to the ground, and gave a big salute.
"Oh? What's important?"
"I found out the whereabouts of Chu Ni Zhongli Juan last night and asked your Majesty to arrest him as soon as possible."
His voice was not high, but it shocked everyone.
Lu Pheasant looked at him with the eyes of everyone who were either surprised, confused, or slightly disdainful, and saw that he pursed his lips tightly and his face was as pale as a bloodless face.
Han Xin lowered his head and continued with a slightly trembling voice,
"Last night, an arrow with a silk book attached to it shot into my residence. When I opened it out of curiosity, I found it was Zhong Lihuan's own handwriting.
He begged me to protect him out of consideration for an old friend, and asked him to meet me outside the city this evening. "
"Zhong Lihuan... why is he in Luoyang? Are you sure that letter was written by him?"
Liu Ji's tone was calm. At first glance, he sounded calm as usual. Only his hands clenched into fists revealed the shock in his heart.
"Yes, I have known Zhong Lihuan since childhood, and I am very familiar with his handwriting. There is nothing wrong with it.
In the letter, he said that he had been hiding everywhere for the past six months and had recently fled to near Luoyang. "
"It seems that Zhong Lihuan finally couldn't stand my dragnet and showed up anyway?"
Liu Ji was a little excited and raised his voice slightly.
"Where is that letter now?"
Han Xin bowed and stepped forward, handing the plain silk pierced by the arrow to Huangmen with both hands.
Lu Pheasant's eyes crossed Han Xin's step-by-step figure and slowly intersected with Zhang Liang's;
The latter nodded slightly in her direction.
***
Staring at the messy silk book in Liu Ji's hand, Zhang Liang's thoughts flew back to the day before yesterday.
That day, when they arrived at the outskirts of Luoyang in a dilapidated caravan, it was almost sunset.
Lu Shizhi, who was driving the car, coughed violently, pulled up his raincoat, tied the oxen pulling the cart, and took him and Han Xin out of the car.
Braving the drizzle, Lu Shizhi led them into a secluded village on a muddy path.
The war has just ended, the population is sparse, and most of the villagers who fled have not yet returned.
There are only a few sparsely located families in the whole village. They are so far apart that they can't hear the sounds of chickens and dogs. They can only hear the pattering of rain.
Although there was no one on the street, Lu Shizhi still looked around cautiously for a while, and then quickly opened a fenced courtyard door that was ajar.
The fence gate creaked and opened in response.
This is a two-entry farmhouse that can be seen everywhere, and there is nothing unusual about it on the surface.
Zhang Liang was about to look inside, when a half-sized alert black dog rushed out of the courtyard, opening its mouth to bark.
"Convict cow, don't bark, it's me, it's me."
Lu Shizhi hurriedly took two steps forward, reached out and stroked the little black dog's neck. The dog calmed down instantly, and its furry tail shook into a flower, circling around Lu Shizhi.
Zhang Liang couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw the scene before him.
"How many times have you been here, and even the dog is so familiar with you.
Also, why does a dog call the dragon and his nine sons by their names? "
Zhang Liang relaxed and patted the little black dog on the head with a smile.
But Han Xin just stood aside silently, looking at the inside and outside of the courtyard with a hint of surprise.
Qi Niu is the eldest son of the nine sons of a dragon in the legend. Although it does not look like a dragon, it is very divine, docile and intelligent, and especially likes music.
This name is used in a dog name, which seems a bit awkward and funny.
"How many times have I been here? I really can't remember.
As soon as I received the news from E Huan, oh, the queen, I immediately set off for Donghai County. I searched everywhere secretly for fear of leaking the news. After all the hard work, I finally found Zhong Lihuan.
I discussed it with the queen, disguised myself all the way, and brought him to Luoyang without stopping, where he lived incognito.
As for the prison cow, cough cough cough—"
Amidst another bout of violent coughing, Lu Shizhi closed the fence door and led the two of them to the main room, mumbling,
"——It was picked up by Zhong Lihuan on the way to escape from Gaixia. It is said that when he picked it up, he was still a palm-sized puppy. He followed him and fled to Donghai County with a hungry and full meal.
Zhongli said that this puppy had no home, and as a general of a defeated army, he was like a bereaved dog. Things harmed others and kept each other company, so he kept the puppy by his side and brought it all the way to Luoyang. "
"Is it the Queen's idea to settle Zhongli Huang here?"
Han Xin, who had been listening intently to their conversation, suddenly asked.
“Actually it was my idea.
It is said in the art of war that in the dark, the most dangerous place is also the safest place.
I thought that it had been more than half a year since the whole country had been searching for Zhonglihuan, and the emperor would never have imagined that Zhonglihuan would dare to hide under his nose. "
"Brother Lu's plan is to hide the truth from the sky. A man of great skill is bold. It's very clever, very wonderful."
This was a strategy that required wisdom and courage. Han Xin raised his eyes and took another look at the handsome scholar with a sickly face in front of him, and said nothing more.
***
Hearing the barking of dogs, a tall and powerful man in a linen jacket came out of the inner room. When he saw the leader, Lu Shizhi, he grinned widely and said,
"Lao Lu, why did you come here at this time today?
It has been raining for several days, and everyone is getting moldy. We warmed up the wine and came in to drink some together. "
As he said that, he turned sideways to welcome him in.
Before he finished speaking, he saw two vague figures, following Lu Shizhi as they were about to step into the house.
The light in the evening was dim and unclear, and the face of the visitor could not be clearly seen for a while. The strong man only took a few steps back quickly, his eyes widened, and the muscles in his body tensed instantly, and his whole body was full of alertness, like an alert tiger.
"It's okay, Zhongli, look carefully and you'll see that the people here are all our own."
Lu Shizhi took off his raincoat, shook off the rainwater, gently placed it under the eaves, and introduced:
"This is Zhang Liang, Mr. Zhang Zifang, this is -"
Before he finished speaking, the strong man's face was filled with incredible joy. He took a step forward, ignored Han Xin's wet raincoat, and held his shoulders tightly.
"This, this is my unforgettable savior."
Until this time, most of Han Xin's doubts had finally disappeared. He was also a little excited. He punched Zhong Lihuan heavily on the shoulder and said incoherently,
"Zhongli! You really survived with all your might!
As long as you are alive, just be alive! "
After a long absence, Han Xin finally met his best friend in his life, and the enemy he saved from the battlefield despite the injustice of the world, Zhong Lihuan.
