one
Hu Jie and the eight young masters from Qingmeng City all focused their attention on Lord Wen Xiang in the center of the hall.
In the temple, I saw the third-grade literary prime minister who could be said to be "below two people and above ten thousand people". At this moment, his forehead was pressed against the cold floor tiles, and his two legs were trembling.
Hu Jie chuckled and said, "Master Wen Xiang, do you want face or life?"
As soon as the words fell, a pressure fell from the sky, pressing Wen Xiang's entire body close to the ground.
Xie Xiangcai, who was sitting on the seat not far away, frowned slightly and didn't understand what he meant.
"Don't worry, master won't really kill anyone. He's just giving this old guy a little power. After all, it's this guy who talks about morality and justice who sent a piece of paper to force the fourth senior brother to stay at the frontier."
The Seventh Young Master on the side leaned into Xie Xiangcai's ear and whispered.
The young man nodded slightly. Ever since he saw the masters of Ouchi forcibly bringing Concubine Qin back to the palace a few months ago in the back mountains of Dongfeng City, from the bottom of his heart he could not like those high-sounding guys in Anqing City at all.
The same is true for the Wenxiang in front of me.
"My lord, spare my life, my lord, spare your life."
The moment the pressure on Wen Xiang's shoulders disappeared, he immediately knelt down in front of Hu Jie, banging his forehead on the ground, and making loud and clear kowtows.
Hu Jie stepped forward with a smile and helped Wen Xiang up from the ground, "What are you talking about, Lord Wen Xiang? I am just a small city lord, how can you let the Lord address me with respect?"
Upon hearing these words, Wen Xiang's legs became even weaker. If it weren't for Hu Jie's support, he might have knelt on the ground again with a "plop".
Hu Jie let go of Wen Xiang, forcibly stabilized his body with a force of strength, then waved his hand and shouted, "Here comes a pen, paper, let Master Wen Xiang compose a poem!"
The Minister of Literature looked at the servants who were carrying paper and pens into the palace with a pale face. Even though he was full of knowledge and had gone through many layers of selection to reach his current position, he could not help but feel that he had no words in his mind and no spirit in his writing.
Hu Jie leisurely sat back on his seat, kicked Erlang's legs, picked up the jade cup filled with fine wine on the table, and took a sip of it intoxicatedly, "Since Literary Master cares about the world, how about using human beings to compose poems? There is no limit to the subject matter, but a reasonable approach is required.”
Wen Xiang clutched the brush tightly and leaned on the desk, his forehead covered with beads of sweat.
After a long while, Minister Wen took a long breath, dipped his pen in ink, and wrote a five-character quatrain with a slight trembling of his body.
After finishing the poem, Wen Xiang held up the rice paper tremblingly, walked forward step by step, came to Hu Jie, and respectfully raised it to hand it to him.
Hu Jie waved his hand and said in a lazy voice, "I'm just a rough guy, show the poem to Lao San!"
Lord Wenxiang turned around without any complaints and walked towards the Third Young Master who was not far away.
The Third Young Master sat upright, took the paper handed to him by the Minister of Wen, and read it word by word.
After a while, his frown slowly relaxed and he looked up at the trembling Wen Xiang.
When the Third Young Master opened his mouth, he showed his dignity without anger.
"Mr. Li, this sentence 'who knows how hard it is to get a good meal on the plate' can be said to be very original!"
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Wen raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, a moment later, the third young master suddenly changed the subject, slapped the table and stood up.
Not far away, Prime Minister Xie looked at the sullen Third Young Master in astonishment. He didn't know why his seemingly gentle and gentle Third Young Master suddenly became so angry.
The young man just felt that the sentence "every grain is a hard work" really showed the difficulties of farmers, and at the same time warned people to save food. Although the words were concise and comprehensive, it had to be said that this Wen Xiang really had the people of Li in his heart.
The Third Young Master took a deep breath, and the light flashed in his hand, and the dark yellow ginseng book fell in front of the shocked Wen Xiang.
Wen Xiang stretched out his trembling hand and flipped through the ginseng book. As his eyes swept downwards, his face became paler.
The Third Young Master suppressed his anger and said, "Master Li, I would like to ask why, as a minister of literature, your salary is only ten taels of silver per month, but your home is full of gold? I also want to ask, why do you keep saying that you care about your heart?" The common people wantonly collect coolies and collect taxes? What a saying, 'every grain of grain is hard work'! Why are hundreds of villagers in the suburbs of Anqing dozens of miles away from having enough to eat, but your Li family is neglecting the rotten rice and spoiled grains?"
The young man in a platinum robe clenched his fists and said his heartfelt words.
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Wen's heartbeat stopped for half a beat, his knees hit the ground heavily, and his whole body instantly became limp.
Xie Xiangcai, who was sitting on the seat, opened his mouth. It was hard to believe that Tangtang Wenxiang, who could write such an article, had such a style behind his back!
As the saying goes, words can reveal the heart, but what about the heart of a hypocrite?
We are not afraid of corrupt officials in the world. What we are most afraid of is not knowing where the corrupt officials are!
Although the Third Young Master didn't talk much to Xie Xiangcai, he taught him a lesson this time.
It’s called “knowing people, knowing faces, but not knowing hearts.”
two
Hu Jie looked at Mr. Li, the Literary Minister, who was kneeling on the ground with a smile, not daring to take a breath. After a moment, he whistled and raised his chin to the Seventh Young Master not far away, "Old Seventh, you too Write one so as not to let Mr. Wen Xiang think that we don’t have many scholars in Qingmeng City.”
The Seventh Young Master smiled faintly when he heard this, and immediately stood up and came to another book table that was set up.
He glanced in the direction of the Fourth Young Master, and then his pen was as big as a raft, and he dropped numerous ink marks on the rice paper in front of him.
After a while, an ancient poem appeared on the paper.
"The bright moon rises out of the Tianshan Mountains, among the vast sea of clouds. The wind blows tens of thousands of miles across the Yumen Pass. The Han descends to the road in vain, and Hu peeks into the Qinghai Bay. From the battlefield, no one has returned. The garrison looks around, thinking about returning home with a sad look. The tall buildings are This night, there is no time to sigh."
The Seventh Young Master grabbed the rice paper and chanted loudly.
The Fourth Young Master, who originally had a normal expression, immediately pursed his lips tightly when he heard the poem, and his body actually trembled slightly. It could be seen that he was trying his best to control his emotions.
Wen Xiang, who had been shaking all the time, now stood motionless for the first time in his life. He raised his head and stared at the young man in front of him with ink on his cheek in shock.
Even though he has read many poetry books, he doesn't know what words to use to describe this poem at this moment.
Not far from the Seventh Young Master, Xie Xiangcai's expression was not so surprised. After all, he was well aware of the Seventh Senior Brother's literary talents. This poem was reasonable and profound in connotation. It happened that the Fourth Senior Brother present expressed his sympathy for the border soldiers. of pity.
However, composing poetry within a predetermined framework would more or less undermine the Seventh Brother's unrestrained and unrestrained poetic style. Although the young man applauded the poem and praised it, he could not sincerely admire it.
Hu Jie nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Wen Xiang and said, "Master Wen Xiang, how do you like this poem about my Lao Qi?"
Wen Xiang was horrified, but in his heart he felt sincere admiration for the poems the Seventh Young Master had written in such a short period of time. He had no choice but to kneel down on the ground and tell the truth, "The Seventh Young Master's writing style is comparable to that of heaven and humans, and it is difficult for a young person to compare with him."
Hu Jie knew in his heart that Wen Xiang was not exaggerating intentionally, but he was telling the truth.
With a thought in his mind, he came to Wen Xiang and pulled him up from the floor tiles.
"Get up, you bastard, this city lord hasn't had time to stop you, so get out of here before I regret it!"
Hu Jie kicked Wen Xiang on the butt, sending him flying out of the hall.
Although Wen Xiang's body fell heavily outside the main hall, the ecstasy of surviving the disaster still made him ignore the severe pain in his body, and he rushed towards the outside while crawling.
three
Hu Jie clapped his hands and walked back to his seat.
He picked up his chopsticks, picked out a piece of fat and thin pork belly, and ate it with the wine in his glass.
Seeing the master moving his chopsticks, the eight young masters on both sides picked up their chopsticks one after another and started eating meat and drinking wine.
Among the eight young masters, only Prime Minister Xie was a little at a loss. After all, this was only his first time participating in this kind of master banquet, and he didn't know the secrets involved.
The seventh young master on the side drank all the wine in the cup, took the wine glass from Xie Xiangcai's table very naturally, poured the fine wine into his own cup, took a sip, and said with a sigh, "Junior brother, master It’s a lie to ask our fellow disciples to help you clean up the dust, but it’s true to ask the eight of us to come here in a hurry to discuss important matters.”
Xie Xiangcai stopped holding the chopsticks in his hand and looked at the seventh senior brother beside him with complicated eyes.
The Seventh Young Master sighed, "The commotion in the capital is getting louder and louder. Dongfeng City is fine. I am in charge and everything is fine. The other three cities controlled by the other senior brothers have been attacked by some strange masters these days. The night attack, judging from the martial arts skills of the person who came, he should be a master of the capital’s imperial army and the imperial army.”
When Xie Xiangcai heard this, his face became quite solemn. The final delicacy lost its taste for a while, and he said worriedly, "Then what should we do?"
The Seventh Young Master shrugged, "Master hasn't spoken yet, and we brothers don't dare to take action rashly. Now everyone in the imperial court in the capital sees us as a serious problem in Qingmeng City, and they have long wanted to get rid of us. It’s a pity that Master’s strength has delayed his action. But now it seems that those old guys who are strategizing are losing their temper!”
The young man nodded slightly, uneasiness slowly creeping into his heart.
The Seventh Young Master laughed it off, and the look on his face returned to relaxedness again, "Junior brother, don't be too mentally burdened. It's time to drink and drink, and eat meat when it's time to practice. Practice steadily and steadily. The sky hasn't fallen yet, right? Besides, , even if it does collapse, there will still be master and senior brothers, right?"
The young man who was still a little nervous at first was undoubtedly much more relaxed now. He grinned at the seventh senior brother next to him and showed his bright white teeth.
About half an hour later, when the dishes in the kitchen were coming to an end, Hu Jie, who had been immersed in cooking the rice, suddenly stopped what he was doing and slapped the bowl and chopsticks on the table.
This sound echoed in the slightly noisy hall, and after a moment, all the sounds in the hall disappeared immediately.
Hu Jie stood up and patted his bulging belly. After letting out a loud burp, he said unhurriedly, "Are you guys full?"
The eight young masters put down their bowls and chopsticks together and said respectfully, "Master, you are full!"
Hu Jie said "Yes" with satisfaction, and then walked slowly to the center of the hall.
He took the lead to walk up to the eldest and second young masters, and asked in a rather calm tone, "Boss and Second Young Master, what kind of people are there in Beishan City?"
When the two young masters heard this, their expressions changed, and they stood up with some anxiety, "Two people are here, one is at the Heavenly Realm, and the other is at the Half-Step Soul Realm."
Hu Jie's smile froze on his cheeks. He knocked the eldest and second young masters on their foreheads with his knuckles and scolded, "You two still think that you will never meet an opponent in the Six Realms of Tiancheng. What's wrong? Those two You can't deal with the guy who is pampered in the palace? A half-step soul? That's nice to say, but to be honest, isn't it just the top of the Six Realms?"
The second young master laughed sarcastically, "Master, those two guys have magical weapons to protect themselves. We are unarmed and cannot defeat them!"
Hu Jie raised his eyebrows and slapped the second young master on the back of the head, causing him to grimace in pain.
"Why don't you blame me for not having a protective magical weapon? I'm not enough to teach you martial arts, and I have to fill up your family's wealth, right?"
The second young master covered the back of his head and hurriedly bent over to laugh.
Hu Jie snorted coldly, then passed by the Fourth Young Master and glared at him, then walked straight towards the Fifth Young Master Murong Mingzhu who was sitting opposite.
Murong Mingzhu quickly stood up.
"Lao Wu, how is the current situation in the South China Sea?"
Murong Mingzhu said sternly, "The ones who came are two guys who are around the top 40 in the capital's martial arts rankings. One was killed by me, and the other one was disabled by me."
After hearing his achievements, Hu Jie's face looked better. He turned to look at the eldest and second young masters and cursed, "Damn it, look at Old Five. He can kill every one of them while guarding Nanhai City by himself!"
Hearing this, the two young masters in the first place did not dare to reply and could only laugh.
Hu Jie continued to walk forward, and when he came to the Sixth Young Master, he patted him on the shoulder, "Sixth Young Master, you have accompanied Old Eighth to Yishan Mountain in the past few days, so I sent a clone to Xiyun City. Come here The two guys are both at the late stage of the Fifth Realm, but their martial arts methods are very different from those in the capital, and they don’t even look like people from Daqing. You need to be more careful when guarding after you go back, do you understand?"
When the Sixth Young Master heard this, he nodded heavily.
Hu Jie finally came to the Seventh Young Master and Xie Xiangcai.
He glanced at the Seventh Young Master and waved his hand casually, "Old Seventh, you can just beat him as you like. It doesn't make any difference whatever the capital sends. By the way, if we send some goods with lower strength in the late Five Realms, Don't do it yourself, leave everything to your junior brother. If your junior brother is beaten to death, then he deserves it. If he is not beaten to death... well... then he is not beaten to death!"
When Xie Xiangcai heard this, his face was filled with black lines.
If it weren't for the huge disparity in strength between him and this old naughty master, the young man would have really wanted to rush forward and punch the opponent in the face that deserved a punch!
After Hu Jie asked a round of questions, he stood back in the center of the hall, took a deep breath, and his expression suddenly became solemn. He rarely suppressed his smile and said to the disciples, "I have told you all a long time ago that Qing Qing Almost all the cities within a thousand miles of Dream City are suppressed by those sons of bitches in the sky using formations. The luck of the main city and the four outer cities is related to the fate of the entire Daqing. Although I know that you have more or less feelings for those guys in the palace. We are resentful, but we and they are now forcibly tied to a boat, and the boat will sink and we will both perish. Therefore, you must protect the formations that the master has set up in your four cities, and practice diligently, and strive to achieve success within a hundred years. Arriving at the Ninth Realm or even the Tenth Realm as soon as possible can not only cut off the connection between this world and Daqing, but also block the overpass so that this world is no longer subject to the prying eyes of the upper world."
The entire hall was extremely quiet, and the eight young masters looked at each other without saying a word.
Just as Hu Jie was about to walk out of the hall, he suddenly stopped and reminded several people, "During this period, you must also pay attention to the movements in the capital, especially Lao Wu. There are many people in the capital's Forbidden Army who are ready to cause trouble for you, so be careful. , If you can fight, don't be merciful, if you can't fight, remember to save your life, losing your life is nothing, do you hear me?"
Murong Mingzhu's eyes were cold and she nodded lightly.
Hu Jie remembered something again and turned his head to look at the Fourth Young Master, "By the way, Fourth Young Master, the damn frontier fortress will collapse sooner or later. Go home as soon as you can, do you hear me?"
The Fourth Young Master's expression froze when he heard this, but he still nodded slightly to the master.
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Hu Jie twisted his neck in satisfaction, and disappeared from the place without any warning. When he reappeared, he was already thousands of miles away.
Xie Xiangcai's tense body just relaxed. He sat down on the futon under him and let out a long breath while grinning.
The uneasiness in the young man's heart quietly crept into his heart.
It seems that this long-quiet Qingmeng City is about to face some changes...
