On Zhang Xing's way back, light rain began to fall on the sky street, then turned into light snow, and sometimes turned back to light rain.
But it doesn't matter, none of this can change the obvious slackness and chaos on Tianjie - the Jinwu guards have also begun to patrol out of Ziwei Palace, but they appear lazy and casual, the queue is not neat, and the number of people is not uniform, and the departure is slow; the entire Dongdu City The village officials seemed to be beating gongs, but they seemed disorganized; the vendors and pedestrians on the street were more casual, and some even cursed God for being unkind while slowly walking into the village carrying a basket.
Zhang Xing rode his horse slowly and walked through the light snow. After walking for a long time, he arrived in front of the gate of the square. The sound of gongs had already stopped, but Chengfu Square was not closed yet - this was unimaginable before.
At that time, although powerful people could drill through the village walls directly from their homes, some middle-level officials with real power could also privately build high-rise buildings over the village walls, and some gangs secretly drilled holes and hung ladders on the village walls, the most superficial gates remained. A little rigor was maintained to demonstrate the order of the capital and the deterrent power of the state machine.
But now, the tower has collapsed.
When Da Ma walked into the workshop, it was already dark, and when he entered the house, Qin Bao came towards him and told him that someone was waiting.
Zhang Xing was not surprised that someone was waiting. Since he was back, there must be many people or things waiting for him. However, it was unexpected that the first person to come was Sima Erlong.
"Zhang Sanlang."
Sima Zheng, who was dressed in casual clothes, stood up proudly and bowed his hands, looking as lovable as ever. "I was just talking to Qin Erlang about the siege of Yunnei. Your behavior is really manly. I am ashamed of myself."
Zhang Xing returned the gift and laughed in surprise: "What are you talking about, General Sima? I am just a messenger in the siege of Yunnei, and I have no special honors...Besides, if you, Sima Erlong, are here and join forces with my family, Chang Jian, you will not be able to leave the city." Counterattack without causing the army to lose its spirit, how can I, a person who has just gained access to the Qi Meridian, compare to me?"
"That's not what I am." Sima Zheng said with a bitter smile. "What I admire is Zhang Sanlang, no matter how he met local women who were plundered, or when he faced enemy troops who lost their elders, or even when he dealt with imperial reinforcements and local rebels, or when he couldn't tell the difference between the army and the army on the way back. Bandits are always able to act on the spot and make quick decisions... But looking back, the decisions made always make people feel that they are the most appropriate... This handling is not sloppy but is as leak-free as possible. That’s what I admire the most.”
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment and said nothing. He just raised his hand to signal.
The two of them and Qin Bao also returned to the main room and sat down safely.
After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Xing did not ask the other party why he came, but instead asked some gossip first: "General Sima is well-informed in Dongdu. He dared to ask whether three thousand honors, plus two hundred or four hundred special honors, the imperial court. Have you decided yet?"
"Two hundred special honors...how could it be so fast?" Sima said seriously. "But there shouldn't be any more problems, because this time Cao Zhongcheng took it over personally. It is estimated that the results should be available around the Chinese New Year."
Zhang Xing nodded. He couldn't care less about this matter, because it was related to the only serious thing he had to do at the moment - Uncle Cao Huang was capable and prestigious, but he was old and stubborn, and he was an old-style Guanlong military aristocrat who had no common people in his mind. The so-called Dao different people do not work together; and King Qi Tianzhen seems to be able to manipulate, but his ambitions were suppressed by his father and he dare not raise his ambitions, as if he cannot help him... In this case, it is just as discussed with Bai Yousi before, Find an opportunity to go to the place and prepare to start tossing.
It's just a pity that my rank is neither above nor below, and my merits are probably neither above nor below. If I could take advantage of the situation and become a powerful county magistrate, governor, or palace envoy, and hold the military and political power of a place, that would be called it. Act wantonly.
Of course, taking a step back is not impossible.
Just this saint, this omen, what kind of bicycle do you want?
"Did the Babel Tower collapse?" After thinking this, Zhang Xing's expression remained unchanged, and he suddenly asked again, causing everyone in the room, including Qin Bao, to suddenly stay on the spot.
"Yes..." Sima Zheng thought for a moment and gave a frank answer that was not surprising. "But this is not what we should do as human beings."
"Did it collapse around the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Zhang Xing didn't care at all and continued to verify his idea.
"Yes..." Sima Zheng was silent for a long time before answering again. "Zhang Sanlang, this matter is of great importance. I really don't want to ask anymore. If you are interested, you can go and investigate at home. You can't hide it from a smart person like you. When a minister talks about this matter, he is always mocking you. That’s what it means.”
"As I expected, this matter is directly related to what you want to ask me when you come to see me this time." Zhang Xing's words were surprising. "So, I also want to ask you clearly."
"You know what I want to ask you?" Sima Zheng was surprised for a moment.
"Did your grandfather encounter anything during this trip... Why did he suddenly become a person who flattered the saint and was so outrageous that many of the Guanlong clan felt disdain for your grandfather's behavior?" Zhang Xing looked into the other person's eyes and asked for confirmation seriously. "Besides this matter, I can't think of anything else that would put you at a loss and make you think hard... By coincidence, I happen to be one of the two people you can ask about the whole story... But you shouldn't have thought of it, so you should It was you who asked me about Jia Chang Jian a long time ago. Due to my situation, I couldn’t tell you directly, so I asked you to wait until I come back before asking me again, right?"
Sima Zheng looked at the other party blankly, without saying a word, but then looked at Qin Bao, who was a little confused.
Qin Bao was stunned, got up and left.
Sima Zheng then faced him solemnly: "I can't hide anything from Zhang Sanlang, and I shouldn't have hidden anything."
"How did the tower collapse?" Zhang Xing continued to ask out of curiosity.
"The ground suddenly sank and collapsed out of thin air. The tower that had been built to seven floors was completely gone. Hundreds of people were crushed to death, including craftsmen and servants." Sima Zheng struggled to answer. "The renovation started in late August."
Zhang Xing nodded. This matched his impression. He was on the fifth floor when he left and on the third floor when he came back.
Glutinous rice
At this time, the snowflakes outside were gradually getting bigger, and the two sides were silent for a while. Zhang Xing waited for a while and found that the other party still did not have the courage to ask actively, so he continued his question.
"Did the saint deal with Duke Gao? Who will build the Tongtian Tower now?" Zhang Xing asked seriously.
"No matter what happens, it's still him."
"Why?"
"Because all practitioners who know a little bit about it know that the Babel Tower is a tower of practice for the realm of a saint, grandmaster or great master." Sima Zheng said with a sigh. "Everyone also knows that whether this tower can be completed or not has nothing to do with the person who built it... It was the saint who forced himself to build the grandest nine-story tower, and it had to be completed years ago, so he replaced the obedient high governor. Gong Laixiu... Now that something has happened, it is not impossible to blame Gao Du Gong, but it will inevitably make people laugh, so it is better to use the merits than the faults."
"It's also because we're afraid that dealing with Duke Gao will wake up ordinary people, right?" Zhang Xing laughed. "The saint knew the news that day and killed more than a dozen messengers. He was unwilling to come back with the palace and chamberlains. It seemed that he wanted to cover up others' eyes and let Gao Dugong rebuild the tower to fool the matter."
"There may be some truth to it..." Sima Zheng became increasingly difficult to persuade the other party not to ridicule the king.
"Is the saint's cultivation level indeed that of a great master?"
"No, I guess when I decided to build the Tongtian Tower, I should have reached the state of a grand master, but I may not have. I may feel that I am almost there..."
"I know that in the past few years, after the sage surrendered the Wu clan and before he conquered Dongyi, he was always proud of himself. He was voting for 'democracy' together with everyone in the world. With his intelligence and ability, he must be the one Come and be the emperor." Zhang Xing smiled even more. "This seems like something he can do... What's more, whether the tower can be completed or not depends on the success of the Tao itself... His way of being a king is inherently unstable, and if he suddenly does something like that again, it will naturally collapse."
"What happened around August 15th?" Sima Zheng couldn't hide, not to mention that he came here for this matter. "I only know that the eldest princess is in early August...my grandfather?"
"The matter couldn't be simpler, and it has something to do with the eldest princess's family." Zhang Xing didn't panic at all, and just downplayed what he saw that night in front of the other party. "At that time, your grandfather was forced to a dead end. He had no choice but to frame the Ma family and his son, and he intensified the crime. From then on, his only priority was to please the emperor... But the emperor is so harsh, and the tower collapsed in response to the situation, but I think it is natural. should."
After saying these words, Sima Zheng covered his face and sighed, saying nothing for a long time.
Zhang Xing also said nothing. He actually felt sorry for the other party.
I don't know how long it was before Sima Erlong smiled bitterly and said, "Zhang Sanlang, you... want to be considerate, why is it so difficult for you?"
Zhang Xing immediately responded: "This is natural, all the way to the end. Sometimes, when these things come together, they simply focus on one and ignore the other, or even oppose each other. How can we be comprehensive in everything?"
"But if so..." Sima Zheng was extremely confused. “How can we try our best to live up to others?”
Although the chicken soup has not been boiled yet, Zhang Xing still blurted out: "If you want to live up to others, you must live up to yourself first... I don't think you need to be harsh on anything. When you encounter dilemmas or even more difficult times, try your best to live up to yourself." Just conscience and ability will do.”
"But how can you live up to your heart?" Sima Zheng looked a little confused,
"It's just self-respect." Zhang Xing still did not hesitate. “On weekdays, you have self-respect and self-love, act magnanimously, and do things naturally and without restraint.”
Sima Zheng nodded with all his strength: "Thank you Zhang Sanlang, you are a truly smart man. I will try my best to think about it according to this."
Then, Sima Erlong stood up and left with his hands, and then walked out of the main room and jumped away.
Zhang Xing, on the other hand, seemed to suddenly think of something, and asked from the seat: "General Sima... you should be the empress of Cheng Danqi, right?"
"Not bad." Sima Zheng reluctantly turned around and responded. "What's wrong?"
"There are two more questions..." Zhang Xing smiled slightly. "Let me ask first...have you noticed the changes in the vitality of heaven and earth?"
Sima Zheng was silent for a moment and nodded slightly: "It's just a little bit...cultivation is obviously a little easier."
Zhang Xing nodded and continued to ask: "One more question... I have always been curious, what did General Sima visualize after condensing the elixir?"
Sima Zheng felt relieved instead: "It's just a family heirloom armor!"
Zhang Xing nodded repeatedly and asked no more questions.
Sima Zheng waited for a moment, and when he saw that the other party said nothing, he jumped up and disappeared into the lightly snowing dusk.
ps: Sorry everyone, I got stuck on my writing and stayed up all night to get stuck. This update only has 3,000 words... I'm half asking for leave and half apologizing... I'd like to say hello to everyone.
7017k
