By the time Na'an, the capital city, was covered with snow again, it was already the first snowfall this winter. However, Governor Cui Jingzhao, who had vowed to find out about the assassination, never set foot in Mr. Xun's mansion again. Several errand boys came to inquire about anything unusual around the mansion recently. They seemed to be quite worried about the popular man in front of the emperor, for fear that something would happen again. As a result, a group of capital soldiers mobilized from Jingzhao County have not withdrawn until now. Instead, they rotate day and night to surround Xun Yuantuo's residence, for fear that the man behind the assassins will not be there. I wish I could give it up, and the movement when the move is handed out again may be even more terrifying than the previous one.
Jingzhao County Governor is in charge of all matters in Na'an Imperial City, so he is very busy, not to mention that land and water transportation has been hampered by continuous heavy snow recently. Although his subordinates are also capable, compared with the assassination of Mr. Xun, such extreme events As the case of a strange and difficult-to-investigate case becomes more tense, if there are any omissions or failure to do your best, you will inevitably be held accountable. Therefore, we have to send people to protect Mr. Xun's safety first, and wait until all the urgent matters are settled properly, and then we can investigate slowly and carefully. .
Looking at Mr. Xun, he never wanted to go out of his house. When he went out, there were even more guards around him. Together with Wang Fuzhuo, three very capable people, he really didn’t have much to worry about. Even though the saint was almost furious, he somehow obeyed. Xun Yuantuo tried to persuade him, but in the end he did not make the matter too big a fuss. He just instructed a group of middle-ranking officials and chamberlains in the imperial city who were responsible for investigating the case to quietly sneak into various parts of the imperial city for overt and covert investigations, in order to get to the bottom of the matter. . After all, there has been no such vicious assassination in the street for so many years in the imperial city. What's more, in the Na'an Imperial City today, there is a minister who is in the imperial court who doesn't know that Mr. Xun has been standing firmly by the emperor's side for a long time. And it seems that the Emperor and Mr. Xun have never been strangers to each other in these long years, so there are still people who dare to take the risk of contact and send an assassin. Therefore, the matter is not as easy as assassinating Mr. Xun; For the first time in many years, someone touched the saint's bad side.
Xun Yuantuo also knew this very well. Although he tried his best to dissuade him, in the end he understood that most of the matter had nothing to do with him, so he just expressed gratitude and did not dissuade him.
It was just after noon, and the sky became gloomy again. Although there was no wind, the big snowflakes were already swaying freely and falling silently in the courtyard, which made Mr. Xun very helpless and hurriedly wanted to pack up his belongings and run away. Heavy snow can always arouse people's mood, and they can compose a poem or enjoy the scenery by the fire. However, if it falls continuously for many days, I am afraid that only immortals can still be in the mood to compose poems. Tea can only be used as it is now. While cooking, there was a sudden snowfall. Even Mr. Xun had to dodge. He ran to the house, dusted off the snowflakes, and sat bored in front of the hall, not knowing what he was thinking.
At this time, Li Kuang's face was red from drinking again. He swayed forward and sat down opposite Mr. Xun who was in a daze without saying a word. He spit out the smell of alcohol into the heavy snow in front of him and lay down loosely on the handle. Sitting on the Grand Master's chair, he laughed for no reason.
Li Kuang's temperament has been very out of control since he was a child. Although Mr. Xun has become more and more stable in seeing people recently, he still doesn't know how to treat his childhood friend. He looked at the latter quite sadly, "I don't care about you, this The weather is good and the wind and snow are not small. Occasionally, a wisp of wind will go in from your left ear and out of your right ear, which will certainly make you feel itchy."
Li Kuang naturally knew that Mr. Xun could bury and eliminate people, but he was not annoyed, and he was not far from the disadvantage. He grinned and cursed, "Yes, yes, yes, you, Xun Yuantuo, are the only one in the world who has the brains. I and other common people have it all on their eyebrows." You can see if you can use a shabby hat, but it can't compare to your flying flower order that can fight against hundreds of talented people. But don't forget that when you were a child, I usually beat you until you cried. There were two times when you still cried. You only ran away home when your father called you mother. Just because of this, I will laugh at you forever."
Before Mr. Xun could take the next step, Li Kuang changed his tone again and sighed, "It's weird for you to say this. In the residence of a second-grade official, you sit down when asked. You have never been averse to burning your buttocks. Maybe Sun Fulu has sat on this chair." For many years, you, Xun Yuantuo, have been able to sit on top with peace of mind, how did you manage to sit still?"
"If you have something to say, you have to fart." Mr. Xun really couldn't figure out what this man was thinking. He waved away the strong smell of alcohol in front of his nose in disgust. He knew that Li Kuang only went to the Three Treasures Hall for no reason, so naturally he was not willing to quarrel with him. , even though he thinks he is good at speaking and speaking, he always feels a bit overwhelmed when meeting such an unreasonable master.
"I don't live well in the second-grade mansion. I don't know if it's because of the strong wind here or because I always feel cold behind my back at night. I'm planning to move to another place. Little girl, you have to look after me and find a teacher to teach me. No matter what my future plans are. What are you doing, just don’t let her idle.”
Xun Yuantuo originally thought that Li Kuang was talking nonsense again, and was about to curse a few words, but when he looked up, he found that the latter had put away his playful and debauched expression, and silently looked at the fresh snow in the courtyard, with a very indifferent look on his face. This was not nonsense, but at the moment I didn’t know how to ask again.
The two have known each other since childhood. Although it has been so many years, Li Kuang's temper has not changed much. Even if he speaks seriously, he will definitely act according to what he says. Therefore, Xun Yuantuo has always admired this person for a long time. An old friend who may not be very talented, but he revealed his true words today. Xun Yuantuo, who already knew how to deal with the interactions between officials in the capital, suddenly didn't know how to continue, so he looked at the thick layer of snow that had accumulated. In the courtyard, it was obvious that he had just had lunch, and his whole body felt very cold.
"Don't think you are wrong. It is not easy to pick me up on the way and come to the capital together. After all, we are old friends for many years. How could we not guess that you are coming to the capital this time? Things to worry about are like flying catkins. Since you can take me with you without hiding anything, it is already very generous. I am no longer the narrow-minded, old-fashioned young master Xun who was bored at home. It is just because of my leisure habits. I felt that I could see the vastness of the world and the heroic spirit of the people. Suddenly, I felt a little exhausted physically and mentally when I suddenly came into the world, so I decided to say goodbye and leave. Don't worry about it."
"I know." Xun Yuantuo poured the tea soup into the tea cup and took a sip of the boiling tea soup. "Actually, I knew from the beginning that you, Li Kuang, are not like a bird in a cage. The houses and mansions in the capital are neat and grand, so why don't you look like Wan? It’s a bit aggrieved for you to stay in Qianfan Cage all day long.”
"Not only do you know this, you also know that this is not what I am talking about." Li Kuang struggled to hold himself up. It was obvious that he had been drunk for many days and his body was very weak. However, the sharpness in his eyes had not weakened much, and he kept staring. He turned to Xun Yuantuo and said, "I would like to know more about what Mr. Xun is going to want in the near future. What is the value of being an official in the world?" It is my ambition that sharpens this rough jade head, even if it is a raw diamond, it has to penetrate into this realm where black and white are not clearly distinguishable."
Xun Yuantuo talked about the snow all over the sky word for word.
Talking about what I have seen along the way, I have mixed emotions. I said that I have seen many honest men who have been in Shangqi since their ancestors. They may not be able to fight for enough food every day with all their strength, but they still miss the good things of going to Qi Chaotang. However, That meager amount of money is really just enough to support myself. However, any man who is lucky enough to get married and have children is clearly an old man who has not confused the age, and the weather in the corners of his eyes has already looked like an old man in his 60s. I have seen such talented men. Even Xun Yuantuo felt that he was a scholar who was not much different from himself, but he might not even be able to come to the capital. His family was very poor, and it would take many years to travel to the capital. Most of the books he used were copied from wealthy people who came to the capital with good intentions. Where can I find enough money to get there, not to mention that not everyone can go to Laoyu Lake. Even though the students from poor families boarding the boat in Laoyu Lake look very impressive, but every ordinary boat, who has not planned the way before boarding, Offer a lot of money. One by one, Mr. Xun broke them into pieces and told Li Kuang to listen to them. Even most of them, Xun Yuantuo had never told anyone else.
"If the little girl you brought had not met a kind-hearted person like you, she would have probably starved to death in the wilderness long ago. Although Shangqi is becoming more and more peaceful and prosperous, she will starve to death and freeze to death every time of great disaster. The people in the capital are no less than those in Zihao Qiling, maybe even more. Everyone in the capital is reasonable and wealthy, but outside the capital, there are not many places where people eat people. Why do you think my gentleman wants to He took me thousands of miles to wander around for a long time, just to see the common people, and to make the young master who is used to living a prosperous life in Qingchai think more about it while enjoying the wealth. There are still many poor people in the world who cannot afford to eat. There are many unjust and chilling injustices, and there are also many truly poor students who are obviously very talented, but they may not even be able to get an official position. The common saying that a high-ranking general is as timid as a chicken is nonsense. It's still difficult to explain, I know better than you."
"But these cannot be solved by relying on the Holy Spirit's favor and blowing the wind in your ears, intentionally or unintentionally. The Holy Spirit has shown that Prime Minister Xun is very talented, but it is far from enough."
"So I have to take steady steps step by step, and strive to be omnipotent every step of the way. If the person sitting in front of you is Mr. Xun, of course I have to apologize to many people, but the person sitting now is not the young Mr. Qingchai, so even if Even if it’s a wrong thing, I have to do it right as well.”
When Xun Yuantuo moved his eyes away from the flying snow again, he looked at the situation with some clarity and said softly, "Master Xun recognizes you as an old friend. Mr. Xun needs you as a wise man." 's hangers-on."
"Brother Li, can you help me?"
In the end, Li Kuang staggered away without carrying the package, but returned to the house and fell asleep with his head covered.
Only Xun Yuantuo was left sitting in front of the empty hall. He smiled towards the deserted courtyard and asked what he thought of his words.
