August twenty-first, chen hour.
The autumn wind blows gently and the morning light is just right.
As the saying goes, "One flower blooming alone is not spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together fills the garden."
If you want to say where in the imperial city there is spring all year round, it has to be the Imperial Garden.
In early spring and midsummer, magnolia and dianthus bloom twice.
Du Juan and Begonia inherit the warmth of spring and pave the way for the splendor of summer.
Vine roses and petunias form a summer flower wall.
In autumn, you can enjoy chrysanthemums, osmanthus and jasmine.
In winter, plum blossoms, orchids, and daffodils bloom proud of the snow.
There are flowers in full bloom in all seasons, and the garden is filled with flowers year after year.
Creating such an atmosphere with flowers is not difficult, but it is a delicate job.
There is definitely no shortage of gardeners to take care of the royal gardens of the palace.
But most of the time the flowers in the imperial garden are pruned and cared for by one person.
Pruning flowers is the job of a gardener.
But as long as you love and understand flowers enough, anyone can do these trivial and complicated things.
When flowers are so fragrant, I love them as much as I love them. I am always willing to spend time taking care of the flowers in every pot.
Almost all the flowers in the imperial garden were planted by Hua Taixiang himself, so he naturally took up the job of gardener.
Three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, strange rain "locked" Hua Taixiang in the palace for three days.
He supervised and directed a group of eunuchs and palace ladies to set up the flower-protecting greenhouse, and personally went to battle several times to seal up the corners that were prone to problems.
The dignified helmsman of Huajian Zui so humbly set up a tent next to the main hall not far from the imperial garden and stayed on the spot for four days and three nights.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed that this man, who could be said to be more beautiful than all the women in the world, would be so willing to be a flower farmer and do all the dirty work regardless of his image.
In this way, the Royal Garden has been well taken care of by the diligent Hua Taixiang.
Just like being drunk among flowers, they are always so prosperous no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter.
Today has been two days since the heavy rain three days ago.
After the flowers were too fragrant for two days, he came here to see if there was anything else he could do with these flowers.
He entered the palace halfway through the Mao period.
With all this busy work, it's almost three quarters of a hour.
He glanced at the sky, estimated the time, put away the bucket and flower shovel, wiped the sweat from his forehead, rolled down his sleeves, dusted off some dust on his clothes, and was about to leave.
Looking up, he saw a figure standing on the eaves diagonally in front of him.
He is tall and tall, with a magpie-tail crown on his head, wearing a brown robe with red stripes and wide sleeves. In his left hand, he holds a rare silver-white long sword with a scabbard.
The other party had been standing there quietly since unknown time, silent and not bothering him.
Unless there really shouldn't be a person standing there, otherwise from Hua Taixiang's perspective, the person's roof and the blue sky seemed like a painting, quiet, harmonious, and unobtrusive.
It was Hua Taixiang who greeted the uninvited guest first.
"You came."
The picturesque man replied: "It seems you have guessed that I am coming."
Hua Taixiang said: "You have been so close to Smiling Maitreya over the years, and he went all the way to present gifts to my father-in-law. No matter how stupid I am, it would not be difficult for me to guess that you would follow him to support the show."
In recent years, the only person who has been close to Smiling Maitreya, apart from the Tushita Gang, is Xie Fei, one of the four great swordsmen in Zhongzhou who was born in Buji Island. This is something that almost everyone in Zhongzhou knows. .
Xie Fei said frankly: "I never thought you were stupid."
Hua Taixiang obviously didn't believe it and asked suspiciously: "Oh?"
Xie Fei explained: "In terms of the past, among the hundreds of Jianghu gangs in the Nine Provinces, Four Seas and Two Alliances, only the Huajianzui family is still living a life of joy and excitement today. If you are like this, you are still stupid. That day There must be no smart people down there.”
Hua Taixiang grinned at himself and said: "Ah, just think that you are all complimenting me and not mocking me. If roses want to bloom beautifully, they cannot do without fertile soil. If they change their positions, what will you do? choose?"
Although the distance was not close, Xie Fei still felt that if the flowers were too fragrant and he laughed, there really was no woman in the world whose smile could be more pleasing to the eye than this man's smile.
Xie Fei blinked his eyes, put away his useless thoughts, and replied seriously: "It may be a coward and a snake, waiting for an opportunity, or it may be a strong man's ability to free himself and draw a clear line."
Hua Taixiang said curiously: "Oh, there are actually two answers. Although there are rumors in the world that it is difficult to distinguish between good and evil sword ghosts, I am always sure that you will not be a person who swings between left and right."
Xie Fei said: "Analyze the specific situation and see how deep the situation is."
Hua Taixiang asked: "What if I get stuck in it and can't extricate myself?"
Xie Fei sighed and said, "So, you don't plan to watch the fire from the other side?"
Hua Taixiang asked with a smile: "How can you stand by and watch when a fire breaks out?"
Xie Fei was still puzzled and said: "If Yu Tian is dead, what harm can it do to get drunk among the flowers?"
Hua Taixiang's brows arched, her smile turned into a bitter smile, and she said: "How dare the new dynasty use the old dynasty's trusted ministers? Once Yu Tian dies, who will endorse the various privileges of the 'Imperial City on Earth'?"
Xie Fei insisted: "As long as people are still alive, everything will have a chance to slowly get better."
Hua Taixiang shook his head and said: "It sounds easy to say, but you should also understand that it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Once Yu Tian dies, the Huajian Zui Building will collapse. At least 80 people will not be able to maintain the current quality of life, and half of them will be unable to maintain their current quality of life." It is quite rare not to make trouble. On the contrary, if Yu Tian does not die..."
Xie Fei understood what Hua Taixiang meant and continued: "If Yu Tian does not die, your imperial city on earth will be even more brilliant."
Hua Taixiang took a few steps forward, picked off an osmanthus branch that looked like a golden fan, and said, "Flowers should bloom delicately in the world. If not, they might as well fall into mud and be crushed into dust."
Xie Fei sighed softly: "Okay, I understand."
Hua Taixiang put the sweet-scented osmanthus branch between her nose, and the fragrance entered her nose. The fatigue from the previous busy life was swept away, and her eyes became clear and sharp.
"Your sword is called Burial Flower, but it is always so spotless. It really does not deserve the name. Let's see today whether you use the sword to bury me, or I use the flowers to bury you~
"The heat will be over in two days, so I will welcome guests with this golden osmanthus~"
After saying this, with a slight shake of his wrist, more than twenty small "golden fans" on the branches of the sweet-scented osmanthus fell off.
Then, like a group of golden butterflies flapping their wings, they shot towards Xie Fei on the eaves!
…
…
Another corner of the palace.
Two golden butterflies fluttered gracefully, crossing the high wall, bypassing the palace, passing through the cracks in the door, and reaching the open space everywhere.
Butterflies always dance with flowers. There are no flowers here, so it seems that there shouldn't be butterflies.
I don’t know if these two butterflies were just lingering and lost their way, or if they emerged from a flower bush somewhere.
In short, they are not far from the center of the palace. Yangxin Hall, where Emperor Yan lives, is behind the three palace walls in front.
It's just that this first palace wall doesn't seem to be easy to pass, because there is a person sitting in front of this palace wall.
A man in a yellow robe sitting on a square gilt box.
This man is not a butterfly catcher, and he cannot see two golden butterflies at all.
He is a man who is waiting for someone.
He has been waiting here for a long time.
He thought that no one would come, so he sat on the box, put his elbows on his knees, crossed his fingers and raised his chin on the back of his hands, waiting boredly.
He finally waited for two people.
Two people in black clothes, one male and one female.
They were not masked, but their faces looked strange from a distance.
Either he has never met them before, or they have disguised themselves.
Of course, the latter is more likely.
Five hundred steps away, he really couldn't see anything unique about the black sword in the man's hand, but the woman's weapon was wrapped, obviously very recognizable.
The two parties stayed in relative silence for dozens of breaths.
Seeing the two men in black clothes approaching, the man in yellow robe was able to confirm that the only people he had to wait for today were these two people.
But he didn't get up in a hurry. He only waited for the other party to come fifty steps away before he said, "I'm Shanshi. Can you two exchange names?"
"Leng Mei."
"Jiang Yichen."
The two men in black clothes did not take off their disguises, but they were very happy to announce their names.
Leng Mei also removed the outer covering of the blade, revealing the double thorns like a cinnamon branch frozen in ice and snow - Han Gong Zhelui.
Accompanying Jiang Yichen on this trip to the north, Leng Mei did not dare to touch the lake, so she specially took the long-dusted Han Palace to face the powerful enemy.
But neither she nor Jiang Yichen could imagine that the first opponent they would face would be Shanshi, the Rat God of the Gods.
Shock flashed across Shanshi's eyes, and he obviously didn't expect that his opponents would be these two.
But he still sat on the gilt box, holding his chin and said calmly: "You two didn't expect that I would be your way, right?"
"It's really unexpected."
Jiang Yichen said as he walked, the sword in his hand was about to be unsheathed. Although Shanshi was unexpected here, he had no patience to explore the reason.
Shanshi saw Jiang Yichen's sense of urgency and said with a smile: "Little brother Jiang, don't be anxious. How can Eunuch Yu be so easy to meet? Even if Eunuch Yu spares them all the layers of screening, before the final meeting, Eunuch Yu Because of their temperament, they have to be left out for a while to wear off the hostility of the guests. We just met. If you don’t have other companions here, there are only the three of us here, why not chat for a while? "
Jiang Yichen did not stop and said calmly: "We are not familiar with each other."
Shanshi said: "We are destined to meet each other thousands of miles away, so why should we have known each other before?"
In a few words, the two sides were less than thirty steps apart.
Jiang Yichen glanced at Leng Mei and asked her opinion.
Leng Mei couldn't give a definite answer.
Because this Shanshi is different from the Shanshi they knew from the intelligence information.
Jiang Yichen said: "I thought you were a qualified businessman, but I didn't expect you to be just a businessman."
Shanshi heard what Jiang Yichen meant, but still asked, "I wonder how little brother Jiang defines this qualified businessman?"
Leng Mei responded: "Qualified businessmen are honest. People with integrity generally don't live in the Cao camp but have a heart in the Han Dynasty."
Shanshi burst out laughing and said, "Hahaha, what Miss Leng said is interesting. I hope you never have the chance to say the rest of it to Brother Jiang."
Leng Mei said confidently: "He won't."
Shanshi nodded and agreed with this view, continued the previous topic, and said: "You two mean that Shanshi should be loyal to the gods?"
Jiang Yichen and Leng Mei stopped, only ten steps away from Shanshi.
At this distance, the two of them could almost kill Shan Shi with one strike.
But Shanshi still had no intention of getting up, and still sat calmly, with no sign of any fighting spirit or hostility.
Jiang and Leng couldn't take action directly against such a person, so they had to chat with him and watch what happened.
Jiang Yichen pondered for a moment and then gave a concluding answer.
"Even if the ghostly enchantress chases me to pieces, I still have to speak for her at this time.
"Both she and Tantai Mingyang have full trust in you.
"They have even handed over all the business of the temples to you to take charge of the management. When you retreated from Fujian and encountered an accident, the ghostly enchantress simply abandoned me. I think the reason why she left was most likely because she was afraid of you. If you are worried about your life, don't go to Duo Mingze to cause trouble.
"But when I turned around, you came to the palace wall to guard the door for Eunuch Yu.
"I don't think you would have thought in your wildest dreams that you, the ghostly enchantress, would be hiding this trick behind your back, right?"
Snap, snap, snap!
Shanshi stood up with his hands on his hands.
"Brother Jiang scolded me well!
“I also saved face for Shan, and didn’t directly call Shan a guard dog.
“Palace Master Ji and Master Tantai really don’t know my identity.
"It's just that you two should also know that people can't help themselves in the world."
Leng Mei sneered and said, "So you're here to pour out the bitterness between us?"
Shanshi smiled bitterly and said, "If you two are not afraid of wasting time and are willing to listen."
Jiang Yichen said: "Can we still trust you?"
Shanshi knew that Jiang Yichen's words were asking Yu Tian if he would really let the guests hang out for an hour.
Then he said: "Don't worry about this. Eunuch Yu has been operating in the imperial city for more than ten years, and he is still a little self-reliant."
Seeing that the hostility between Jiang Yichen and Leng Mei had dissipated a lot, Shanshi said, "Then I'll keep the story short."
"It is said that you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are before you become a family. It is only after you become a family that you realize that business in today's world is not that easy. When I took over the family business, I discovered that there were abnormalities in many large accounts.
“Originally, I wanted to show my hand in front of my old man, find out the problem first and then show it to him.
"Unexpectedly, after such an investigation and tracing the source, many big guys were found.
"I found out that those who have been taking care of my Shan family's business these years are from the Twelve Heavenly Evil Sects, from the Red Clothes Sect, and from the Dongchang...
"At that time, it can be said that the wealth of the good family was obtained by these forces.
“If you want, everyone can continue to do business in peace and make a fortune together.
"Don't... naturally there will be others who can take your place as a good person.
"My old man saw that I was too quick to take advantage of him and knew he couldn't hide it, so he confessed that he had to take it even if he didn't want it for this kind family.
"The old man gave birth to me, raised me, pampered me and loved me. When I was young, I obeyed everything I wanted. He almost brought mountains of gold and silver in front of me.
“Then it became a story about the father repaying his debt and his son paying it back.
"What does it mean to be humble for the sake of a good family?"
Jiang Yichen was silent for a moment and said: "There are not many real wealthy gentry in the world, but of course it will not be a waste of time for Eunuch Yu to choose you as a good person."
Shanshi glanced at the gilt box behind him and said, "This is natural. Eunuch Yu saw the value of the ingenuity of the Tianji Sect."
Jiang Yichen said: "It seems that you are quite appreciated by my father-in-law. Is today the death of a scholar who is a confidant?"
Shanshi shook his head and said: "I'm serious. To really appreciate me, the two masters of the temples must do what I do and never interfere, let alone threaten my good family."
Leng Mei asked: "Then how do you plan to repay them?"
Shanshi said: "Miss Leng has a good question. The brothers from the temples who retreated from Fujian with me are still alive and well. I just temporarily restricted their freedom of coming and going."
Leng Mei said: "Then how long do you plan to imprison them?"
Shanshi said: "If Eunuch Yu wins today, they will be imprisoned until the temples are disbanded. If Eunuch Yu loses, they will be free in a few days."
Jiang Yichen sneered: "Do you think you are worthy of the kindness of the two palace masters?"
Shanshi said helplessly: "There is no way to have both in the world, the kindness of generating kindness and cultivating kindness, the kindness of recognizing people, and the kindness of trusting people. Sometimes you can only choose one. At least no matter whether the temples exist or not, as long as the two temple masters are still alive, When we meet again, you won’t draw swords against me, and you can just laugh it off.”
Jiang Yichen sighed and said, "That's all. Your two palace masters don't know each other well. I misjudged them. I thought Duo Mingze was the one who betrayed the temples."
Shanshi said: "There are always many things in the world that are hidden very deep, and they are always strange and bizarre for outsiders to see. As for Duo Mingze, he is loyal to the gods, but this person is too ambitious and his methods are too radical. Tolerating others, if he becomes bigger, maybe the gods of the gods will have a better future. However, once the general is finished, all the bones will be withered. At that time, the gods of the gods will have 70% new people to replace the old ones. Are such gods still gods? ?”
Jiang Yichen said: "It may be difficult for you and me to see that scene. It's useless to say more. Are you going to shed your blood for the admiral today?"
Shan Shi said: "No, Shan is only working hard for his father-in-law, not his life."
Jiang Yichen frowned and asked, "What's the explanation?"
After Shanshi tapped his heel on the gilt box behind him, he magically took out two high-quality things from it.
In the blink of an eye, the opponent's ten fingers and feet seemed to be covered with hair-thin threads.
The two objects that were as tall as others also stood upright and bowed their hands at the same time.
Jiang and Leng could not hide their surprise in their eyes.
Leng Mei was surprised that Shanshi could control two Yanjia alone.
Jiang Yichen was shocked to realize that the two Yanjia looked familiar, but they were more detailed and well-equipped than what he had seen more than a month ago.
The two armored feet resembled knives and swords. They were sharp weapons. Without the control of Shanshi, they would naturally not be able to stand upright.
The weapons in Yan Jia's hands looked like thorns or scimitars. It was thought that such blades would be more lethal.
"The four armors in the Red Clothes Guitang Hall were also made by you?"
Shanshi did not deny it and said: "There are not many people in the Jianghu of Zhongzhou who can fully master this craft."
Jiang Yichen said: "Then, you have to deal with both of us."
Shanshi said: "Fortunately, there are only two of you here. What I mean by working hard for my father-in-law is that you now have two choices, either destroy these two pairs of Yanjia and I will leave; or you and I will leave. Shall I wait here together until the results come out?"
Jiang Yichen and Leng Mei looked at each other and said, "Is there a third way - to defeat you directly?"
…
…
Jiang Yichen and Leng Mei had a choice to make.
Smiling Maitreya and Shadow Buddha had no choice.
Eunuch Yu and Admiral Yu asked them to wait, so they had no choice but to wait.
If they didn't wait, they would not even be able to see their father-in-law.
They had been waiting in the square in front of Baohe Hall for almost an hour, but they still saw no intention of coming out to meet the host.
Although the weather today is pretty good, standing still for a while is not a problem for the two of them.
But if you don’t have good Qi nourishing skills, you will still be easily upset and anxious.
This may be the purpose of Father-in-law Yu.
From this point of view, what Shanshi said is absolutely correct.
Just when Yingfo felt that Yu Tian, the turtle grandson, had to wait for an hour before he dared to show his face, four bearers carried a sedan steadily toward them.
