Xie Huiming knew very well that Huo Shiqi was an old fox who was the best at pretending to be confused. He no longer talked in circles. He tapped on the table with his fingers slightly bent, and spoke calmly, but with a majesty that could not be rejected: "The officials of the East Palace instigated the emperor's brother to leave the capital without permission, and he was trapped. The emperor's brother is in danger, and when he returns to the capital this time, he will inevitably be reprimanded and severely punished by his father." He paused slightly and looked at Huo Shiqi solemnly: "Master Huo is so hesitant, is he trying to protect you?"
Huo Shiqi secretly sighed. The King of Han had just been demoted and left the capital without permission. Putting these two things together, King Qin finally couldn't bear it any longer. But now, he was too hasty to attack the subordinate officials of the East Palace.
He felt that being a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and being able to survive until the second rank of retirement would be very satisfying. From the bottom of his heart, he did not want to get involved in these things, but being able to be independent in the ups and downs of the officialdom was also a skill.
After concentrating for a moment, Huo Shiqi thought about it and slowly spoke: "Your Highness, the officials of the Eastern Palace cannot escape the blame for this matter, but I believe that the most urgent task now is to find His Highness the King of Han. As for the blame." He hesitated, but finally spoke frankly. Said: "Wei Chen believes that as for the guilt of the officials in the East Palace, we should deal with it slowly. If we deal with it hastily, we may cause criticism."
The first time they heard Huo Shiqi speak so straightforwardly, all the people present were stunned.
When Huo Shiqi talks, he always talks in circles, half talking and half hidden. Only by trying hard can one guess the general meaning.
Xie Huiming was also stunned for a moment, and then he smiled, with a simple and comfortable smile: "Master Huo's words are exactly what I think, and what I mean, Master Huo should also understand. Before the emperor returns to the capital, Your Excellency needs to draw up a statement and submit it to the emperor first."
Now it was Huo Shiqi's turn to be stunned. Shouldn't he draft a statement of conviction and submit it directly to the saint for inspection?
This is a great opportunity to break the arm of the King of Han and eliminate his political enemies.
Xie Huiming's expression remained unchanged and he said calmly: "Master Huo will draw up a statement and show it to the emperor. Brother, he will have an idea of how to convict and punish him. If the father asks, he will be able to explain it easily." Be comfortable."
Huo Shiqi understood in an instant, nodded slightly, and said yes.
There is no way to get away with questioning the officials of the East Palace. Instead of King Qin jumping out to offend someone, it would be better to let King Han reluctantly choose and cut off his own arm.
Of course, according to the free-spirited nature of the King of Han, it is very possible that he would be unwilling to act recklessly.
If that were the case, the saint would not tolerate him, and he would have committed another sin out of thin air.
And King Qin could still gain a good reputation as a wise king.
It's really wonderful to kill many birds with one stone.
Huo Shiqi lowered his head and ate slowly.
He had known that the King of Qin was not a creature of the pond, and with such deep thoughts, the King of Han was in danger.
Fortunately, he has always been upright. He is neither a member of the Han or Qin faction. He has never done anything to benefit himself at the expense of others, nor has he done anything to get himself burned.
Even if the King of Han falls one day and the King of Qin takes over, the fire will not burn him. The worst he can do is to retire and return to his hometown. Anyway, the tigress at home has long been dissatisfied with his cautious appearance in officialdom.
After finishing the evening meal, the evening drum was beaten for the second time, and the four of them stood up to say goodbye.
In the deep night, the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping.
A horse and two people galloped through the rain and fog, and turbid water splashed on the muddy road.
Deep in the rain curtain, a half-collapsed loess wall was swaying in the wind and rain.
Han Changmu wiped away the rainwater and shouted loudly: "Heiquan Station is ahead."
Yao Yao was already unable to open his eyes or open his mouth due to the heavy rain. He just nodded and felt depressed.
It was said that Heiquan Station could be reached when it got dark, but due to the rain, we arrived in the middle of the night.
Seeing that Black Spring Post was right in front of them, Han Changmu urged his horse a little faster. As he spoke, the half-collapsed door of the small post fell into their eyes.
Han Changmu hissed, reined up his horse, untied the hemp rope around his waist, and dismounted.
The dark little post has been abandoned for a long time, and the loess has been turned into deep mud by the rain. When you step into it, the top of your shoe is covered.
The two of them did not light a fire and entered the small post in the dark. Under the bright rain, they did not stop at the intact house in front of them, but instead entered the back of the small post.
Behind the small post is a stable. The withered poplar trees next to it were shiny with the rain. Some of them fell down, knocking the thatched roof of the stable to the ground. The dead branches were scattered all over the ground and buried in the loess.
The two looked at each other, drove the horses into the stable, pulled dry branches out of the mud, and piled them in front to cover them up.
Han Changmu looked at it and said calmly: "You go in too, and I'll clean up outside."
Yao Yao was stunned for a moment. Thinking of his own strength, his thoughts of helping suddenly died down. He followed the instructions and got into the stable, curling up against the horse.
The thatch on the roof was sparse, and raindrops fell from the gaps.
Yao Yao stepped on the small puddle on the side and sighed secretly.
It's really raining heavily outside, and it's raining lightly inside.
If you stay in the shower like this all night, you will definitely catch a cold.
Just when he was worried, Yao Yao's eyes darkened.
Han Changmu dragged a thick poplar tree trunk over and placed it in front of her.
After taking a breath and resting for a while, he dragged some more tree trunks over, stacked them staggered, and built a simple wall in front of Yao Yao and the horses. The shelter became a gap that was not easily noticed.
Han Changmu rested for a long time, then threw a lot of dead branches in, and then got in wet.
Yao Yao looked at Han Changmu, hunched over, and filled the place where he got in with dead branches.
Han Changmu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head to suppress a laugh: "Those dead branches were gathered around a fire to keep warm."
Yao Yao raised his head and glanced at the roof, then at the tree trunks piled in front of him, pursed his lips and said, "Let's forget it. The fire is too eye-catching."
In fact, she didn't mean what she said. Her firefighting training experience in her previous life told her that building a fire here would be tantamount to self-immolation.
The rain subsided and everything was quiet. The two people sat in the damp stable. Because the place was small and they were so close, the wet moisture hit their faces.
After running in the rain for so long, Han Changmu was indeed exhausted. He leaned against the horse lying on the ground and closed his eyes heavily.
Yao Yao felt chills all over his body. His wet clothes stuck to his skin, and it was biting to the bone.
She sighed, fearing that she was really going to catch a cold, and reached out to twist up the water on her clothes.
Just as she twisted one sleeve, she narrowed her eyes and turned her head suddenly.
In the middle of the night when the rain stopped, it was extraordinarily quiet, and the slightest sound was like thunder.
Han Changmu also woke up, his eyes slightly cold as he stared at the houses in front of him.
The human voice gradually approached, and three huge shadows fell outside the stable.
A loud and rough man's voice rang out: "That's it. The stables are collapsed, so just tie the camels here. Alan, you take Brother Ying to the front to rest while I collect some firewood."
Han Changmu and Yao Yao quickly looked at each other and grasped the swords at their waists in unison.
This voice sounded familiar to me. It was the missing shop owner from the Baima Guard Station.
It is still unknown at whose hands the garrison soldiers in Baima Garrison died, but the owner of this shop must not be underestimated.
Han Changmu tensed up as he listened to the rustling sounds outside.
Perhaps the shop owner thought that the dead branches in the stable were soaked by the rain and were less likely to ignite. He did not touch the stacked dead branches. He walked under the eaves and picked up a large bundle of half-dried dead branches. Branch, carry it into the house in front.
Through the cracks in the dead branches, Han Changmu saw the fire in the house, which was burning brightly and the flames were jumping. He sighed secretly and felt that his body was getting colder.
The stable and the house were very close, and they didn't know how good the owner was. Han Changmu and the two didn't dare to talk. They only made cautious gestures and didn't even dare to breathe. They were so suffocated.
The owner's voice was loud and clear: "Alan, you're tired. Bake your wet clothes quickly. Don't catch a cold. I'll heat up the sesame cakes and mutton soup."
Meng Lan's voice was not heard, but Meng Ying smiled and said, "Brother Helian's mutton soup is excellent."
Han Changmu narrowed his eyes. It turned out that the owner of the shop was named Helian, and most people with the surname Helian were Bailanqiang people. Decades ago, Qinghai Lake was taken away by the Tubo people, and the Bailanqiang people who did not want to be slaves were forced to leave their homeland and migrate. When they arrived in the Hexi area, they changed from living by water and grass to living close to the mountains, building houses with rocks, and working in the army, business, horseback riding, or farming.
There was a rustle, and Meng Lan's low laughter came. The voice was relaxed and gentle, completely different from the one in the inn, as if she was not the same person at all. She smiled and said: "We haven't seen each other for four years. Aying has grown up, and my sister almost Didn’t recognize you.”
Meng Ying's smile was very child-like, without any sadness: "But I recognized my sister at a glance, and she hasn't changed at all."
Meng Lan was quiet for a moment. How could she not have changed in four years? Her appearance had changed, her character had changed, she smiled faintly: "Aying, my sister and your brother Helian are going to a very far place. This journey is difficult and hard, so you should go home."
Meng Ying jumped up and shook her head eagerly: "No, I want to follow my sister. I am not afraid of hard work. I will go wherever my sister goes."
Hearing these words, Han Changmu thought of the garrison hanging at the gate of the Baima garrison. Those hanging at the door of the inn were all Han people, but those hanging at the door of the station were Hu people. He felt vaguely strange.
If the bad guys took advantage of the changing of the guard to attack, why would they separate the barbarians and the Han people?
After all, among the garrison troops, there have always been both Hu and Han people, and they are not divided according to whether they are Hu people or Han people.
Why did the gangsters hang the Hu and Han people separately after taking the lives of the garrison soldiers?
What's the meaning?
Helian and Meng Lan were going somewhere. It sounded very far and difficult. Could it be that they were going out of Yumen Pass and heading to the Western Regions.
He turned to look at Yao Yao. Just as her expression suddenly changed from confusion to clarity, and then to surprise, she obviously thought of something important. He was stunned for a moment, but before he could think about it, he heard Helian's voice. .
