The sound of chimes and incense candles in Heruo Mansion are heard.
He Ruobi sat blankly in front of the mourning hall. The fierce general who once roamed the battlefield, killed countless people and frightened his enemies was now like an old man in his dying years, and his courage seemed to be exhausted in front of his son's coffin.
But when he looked at the big clock next to him, he stood up with a roar, glared at the big clock with a pair of bloodshot eyes, and strode towards the study like a ferocious beast.
In the study, there was a young man in his thirties waiting silently. This man was tall and burly, with a red face and a curly beard that added to his heroic demeanor.
He is Zhang Zhongjian, the bearded man who is regarded as a role model by the Guanzhong Rangers. Rumor has it that he is highly skilled in martial arts, generous in giving away wealth, and likes to rob the rich, give to the poor, and kill corrupt officials. At first glance, he looks like a loner and a righteous person, but he is actually He often robbed businessmen and amassed wealth, but on the next day he transformed into a hawk in the eyes of the powerful and a hero in the eyes of the knights. When he saw He Ruobi arriving, he quickly stood up and saluted: "Zhang Zhongjian pays homage to He Ruogong."
"Well!" He Ruobi sat down grandly without gesturing for Zhang Zhongjian to sit down, and Zhang Zhongjian didn't show any unusual expression.
If the Guanzhong Ranger who admired the bearded man Zhang Zhongjian were to see such a scene, his eyes would probably fall out. But this is the most correct and normal way for heroes to get along with powerful people.
Later generations of martial arts gave people the illusion that martial arts masters were omnipotent and superior to all powers in the world. When meeting martial arts masters, dignitaries, princes, ministers, and even emperors must be respectful and treat them like gods. But in fact, the so-called martial arts masters are called heroes, but they are actually roosters and dog thieves. Killing people, stealing goods, and bullying good people are the norm in their lives.
The likes of Hongfunu, Kongkong'er, Hongxiannu, and Nie Yinniang are described in legend as high-ranking heroes, but their true identities are actually generals, military governors, and powerful dead warriors like Eagle Dog. They have different concepts of good and evil, right and wrong. Countless levels lower than ordinary people.
Zhang Zhongjian is naturally no exception. He is a sharp knife used by the powerful to kill political opponents and take advantage of others. Of course, he can also use the power of the powerful to get what he wants.
"I believe you also know the grudge between me and Yang Ji. I only have one sentence, and that is life and death." He Ruobi stared at a pair of bloodshot eyes and asked Zhang Zhongjian: "I want Yang Ji to die, can you?" Can it be done?”
Zhang Zhongjian's eyes were like lightning, and he shot at He Ruobi sharply, but soon his eyes softened, and he hesitated for a long time before saying: "It is definitely possible, but I don't know how much He Ruobi is willing to pay?"
He Ruobi slapped a thick envelope on the table and said coldly: "I know you have always wanted to settle down in Guanzhong to hide your identity. My condition this time is five hundred hectares of high-quality farmland in Tongzhou."
Zhang Zhongjian secretly took a breath of air. Four hundred hectares is 40,000 acres. Let alone assassinate a mere prince, he is willing to assassinate the prince of the dynasty! But he had other plans, so he handed over his hand and said: "He Ruogong also knows that Yang Ji is not only a prince, but also the most famous general at the moment. If he dies, the court will find my head sooner or later, and I will have no choice but to hide." Tibet. Although these five hundred hectares of land are good, they may not be mine in the end. If He Ruogong really wants to do this business, it is best to give him something tangible."
In fact, this is the reason why He Ruo took out the land. He knew that if he gave gold, silver and jewelry to such an assassination, he could escape without a trace, but if it was the land, they had no way of taking it away. In the end, it still belonged to the He Ruo family. Seeing that Zhang Zhongjian realized this problem at this time, he said again: "This is only half of the deposit. When the matter is completed, I will give you another 30,000 taels of gold (Note 1)."
Zhang Zhongjian was silent for a while, glanced at the envelope, and then said to He Ruobi: "He Ruobi should give me the gold first. As for the land, how about giving it to me after the matter is completed?"
He Ruobi secretly cursed "treacherous person" in his heart, but Zhang Zhongjian, the bearded man, was already the most famous and powerful assassin organization he could find. At this moment, he just wanted Yang Ji to die and did not care about bargaining, so he took out a block The jade pendant was placed on several cases: "With this jade pendant, you can go to Pingkangfang Mingcuifang to withdraw thirty thousand taels of gold."
Zhang Zhongjian put the jade pendant in his arms, nodded and said, "I'll take care of this matter. He Ruogong can just wait for my good news."
He Ruobi asked coldly: "How long do you want me to wait?"
"Before winter, there must be good news." Zhang Zhongjian said calmly: "Yang Ji is the governor of Liangzhou and the general manager of Liangzhou. When he left the capital, I started to make arrangements. But where is his identity, he must be prepared before traveling. To support him would be to alert the enemy. I will only take action when I am absolutely sure. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get the opportunity to assassinate me in the future. Failure to me is just the loss of a few people and the refund of the deposit, but for He Ruogong For me, I may never be able to get revenge in my life. So I hope He Ruogong will be more patient."
"Well, I won't interfere with your actions. I don't care when you take action, but Yang Ji must die this year." He Ruobi also knows that haste makes waste, and after last night's early exposure, and Yang Ji After giving the bell, everyone in the capital knew that the conflict between the two was irresolvable. If Yang Ji died at this time, he would be the first person to be suspected, so it would be beneficial to Zhang Zhongjian if he took action later.
"Farewell!" Zhang Zhongjian saluted and left without looking back.
The room suddenly became quiet. The moonlight shone in from the window, and the shadows of the carved window lattice were reflected on the table and the ground. He Ruobi seemed to have turned into a statue. This series of blows made his heart feel much older. It felt like the god of death had waved to him from afar.
At this time, the voice of He Ruohuaide, the third son of He Ruobi, came from the courtyard: "Aye."
"What's the matter?" He Ruobi collected his thoughts, returned to his cold demeanor, and said, "Come in and talk."
"Here." He Ruohuaide pushed the door open, closed the door, bowed his hands and said, "Aye, do you really want to assassinate Yang Ji?"
He was the one who welcomed Zhang Zhongjian into the mansion. He naturally knew his father's plan, but he knew that ups and downs, ups and downs, and ebbs and flows were the norm in officialdom. Today's He Ruobi may not be tomorrow's Yang Ji, and today's Yang Ji may not be tomorrow's He Ruobi. , so he did not agree with his father's violent methods. If Zhang Zhongjian failed, the He Ruo family would be completely destroyed.
Moreover, for He Ruohuaide, a concubine, the death of his brother He Ruohuailiang did not touch his grief, but instead brought him a kind of joy in relieving his anger. Although He Ruohuailiang is his half-brother, he is also the person he hates the most. Instigated by his father, this person has been very cruel since he was a child. He not only enjoys humiliating him, but also broke into his yard two years ago while drunk. He insulted his beloved wife and concubine, and later killed not only his beloved wife, but also his two sons. However, his father ultimately defended He Ruohuailiang, who was worse than a beast. Although he handed over the management of the family shop to him, He wanted to make amends, but he always hated He Ruohuailiang in his heart and looked for opportunities for revenge.
He Ruohuailiang is now dead, and the hatred has been resolved in his heart. But his father's act of using the whole family to avenge He Ruohuailiang really worried him.
"Yang Ji killed my son, causing my brothers and nephews to be executed by the imperial court, leaving me with nothing. Shouldn't I avenge this revenge?" He Ruobi said coldly: "In addition to hiring assassins to help me avenge myself, , what can I do to him?"
"Aye, if the trees are as beautiful as the trees, the wind will destroy them. Even though Yang Ji is in great glory now, his foundation in the court is not deep. Once he gets carried away, he will be unlucky. Therefore, there is no need to worry about Yang Ji now." He takes it to heart, and it won’t be too late for us to find opportunities in the future.”
He Ruohuaide hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Ah, we can't take any action now. The saint no longer believes in you, and Yang Guang is eyeing you. If you take any action, Yang Guang will definitely take He Ruohuai. The government was uprooted."
He Ruobi was furious when he heard this. He strode forward, knocked He Ruobi Huaide to the ground, and cursed: "You coward, your uncles and brothers were killed. You don't want to take revenge but are afraid of offending others. You are still a member of the He Ruobi family." person?"
He Ruohuaide said loudly: "Aye, I am not a coward, but I am worried that you will be blinded by hatred. If this continues, our He Ruo family will be destroyed sooner or later."
The death of He Ruohuailiang was self-inflicted. His uncle He Ruolong, his third uncle He Ruodong, and his eldest brother He Ruohuaikou were responsible for supporting bandits and harmed countless people in the local area. It is not an exaggeration to say that even a hundred deaths would be difficult to atone for their sins. The saint was merciful beyond the law without the Yi clan, but his father lost his mind. This was a very unwise move.
"I know you have a grudge against Huai Liang and don't want to avenge him." He Ruobi's face suddenly became ferocious, and he kicked He Ruohuaide to the door: "Get out of here, get away."
He Ruohuaide spat out a mouthful of blood and climbed up with difficulty. He glanced at his father and walked towards the open side door without looking back.
There were ten servants guarding the two carriages there. His wife, Broken String, was waiting anxiously. When she saw her husband returning vomiting blood, she was so frightened that she stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Lang, what's the matter?"
"It's okay. Let's go." He Ruohuaide was ready to leave when he brought Zhang Zhongjian into the house. But as a son, he still wanted to persuade his father to change his mind. However, his father persisted and refused to tell him, and even kicked him until he vomited blood. He was determined to fight Yang Ji, but he also gave up on persuasion and prepared to leave this family that would die sooner or later.
The young woman helped her husband get into the carriage and waited for the carriage to start. Then she asked, "Where are we going?"
He Ruohuaide looked at the little baby sleeping soundly in the nurse's arms, and sighed: "Let's go to Nanqubieyuan for one night. When the gate opens, we will go south to Yizhou. We will go to Yizhou and Chengdu." Make your home in the county.”
"Aren't we coming back?" the woman asked softly.
"You're not coming back." He Ruohuaide asked, "Can't you bear to leave Daxing?"
"No, no! I can't wait to leave He Ruo Mansion and the capital." The woman shook her head and explained softly: "Aye is too irritable now. He has killed more than ten maids with a cane in the past few days. Everyone in the house has been beaten to death." They are all afraid of harming themselves. I am also afraid.”
"This is the reason why I want to leave." He Ruohuaide sighed and stopped talking.
When they exited Beiqumen and turned to the southern street, flames shot into the sky on the north side of the street, there were bursts of steps, and armor leaves clattered against each other.
The fire illuminated the interior of the carriage. He Ruohuaide opened the curtains and took a look. He saw a fierce army rushing towards Beiqu along the street they had just walked. General Youwei Yuwen, the general on horseback, was riding on a horse. narrate.
. . . . . . . . .
In the study of He Ruo Mansion, He Ruobi was talking to his eldest son, He Ruo Huaikuo. He Ruo Huaikuo had received the news that Yang Ji had been assassinated in Pingkangfang and was reporting to his father (Note 2).
He Ruohuaikuo said nervously: "Ah Ye, the people you sent to assassinate Yang Ji failed again. Some of them were killed in the street by the palace guards. This matter has caused an uproar in Pingkangfang and made the neighbors uneasy."
"Who said it was sent by me?" He Ruobi was stunned by this news.
"Isn't it?" He Ruohuaikuo glanced at his father strangely and continued: "Some of them are your soldiers. Although it has been more than twenty years, the child still recognized them."
"Is that true?" He Ruobi was smart, capable, and capable of writing and martial arts. He was a very remarkable person. Not to mention his ability in fighting, he also wrote quite good poems. If it weren't for his character flaws such as being reckless and irritable, stubborn, and retributive, his achievements would definitely be no worse than those of Gao Jiao, Yang Su and others. When I heard my son say this, I knew that this matter could not be explained clearly.
After all, he sent someone to assassinate him last night but failed, so Yang Ji sent a bell in return today, so he sent his own soldiers to assassinate Yang Ji. This was not only reasonable and reasonable, but also in line with his temperament of not wanting to take revenge overnight.
He Ruobi has already noticed the problem hidden here. This matter is most likely a trick created by Yang Ji, but so what if he sees it? Now even the eldest son thinks he did it, let alone the others.
If he is lucky, at most he will be punished for his inappropriate behavior, but the problem is that Yang Jian sent someone to issue an order, but after Yang Jian issued an order, "he" not only failed to keep his peace, but also sent someone to assassinate Yang Ji. This is a way to pay tribute to Yang Jian; if someone takes advantage of the topic, it is normal to be charged with treason.
"Aye, what should we do now?" He Ruohuaikuo asked worriedly.
He Ruobi pondered for a while, then sighed and said: "When Huai Liang was beaten and disabled by Yang Ji, I went to Yang Su. He suggested that I go to Yang Guang and ask Yang Guang to come forward to resolve this grudge. I knew at that time Once I go to Yang Guang, it means that I have to surrender to him, and naturally I don't want to go to Yang Guang. Now, I have no choice but to go to the East Palace, explain to Yang Guang, and surrender to him. Otherwise, everyone in the house will surely die. "
As soon as he finished speaking, there were bursts of hurried footsteps outside, and the housekeeper yelled in panic: "Alang, the soldiers of the right guard have surrounded our house. The right guard general Yu Wenshu led countless soldiers He broke into the mansion and occupied the treasury."
"What?" He Ruobi was shocked. In addition to wealth, there were also powerful crossbows, repeating crossbows, horizontal knives, and armors in the treasury. In fact, every powerful family had these forbidden items, but after all, they were just rules under the water. Before he was found out, Yang Jian could only turn a blind eye or close one eye.
But if these weapons and equipment in He Ruo Mansion are uncovered, they are things under the surface, and it is absolutely impossible not to severely punish them.
Rules are rules, otherwise what's the point?
Even if the emperor wanted to protect him, it wouldn't work; just like when the Manchu Dynasty civil and military officials accused Li Min of violating the rules, in the end Yang Jian could not punish Li Min severely even if he didn't want to.
If a large amount of prohibited items were found in He Ruo's house and made public, then Yang Jian would have no choice but to follow the rules.
When He Ruobi and his son walked quickly toward the treasury, they saw the torches in the square lit up as bright as day, and the treasury door had been broken down. A large group of soldiers moved bundles of armor, bundles of horizontal knives, and racks of crossbows. Arriving at the clearing.
There were also many soldiers in full armor, murderously arresting the servants and servants of He Ruo Mansion.
There was a burly military general standing in front of the steps. This was Yu Wenshu, the right-guard general. This man was Yang Guang's confidant and in-laws. Now that he appeared in He Ruo Mansion, Yang Guang was obviously in charge of this matter.
And He Ruobi was a supporter of Yang Yong. Even after Yang Yong was deposed, he was still cheering for Yang Yong's comeback and led a group of people to oppose Yang Guang. Now that he has fallen into Yang Guang's hands, the consequences can be imagined.
He stepped forward uneasily and asked, "General Yuwen, what happened?"
Yu Wenshu bowed his hands in salute, then pointed at the weapons and equipment lying around, and sneered: "Don't He Ruogong still understand? I will remember that in the fifteenth year of the founding of the emperor, the saint ordered the confiscation of weapons, and stipulated by law that those who made weapons privately would be punished , and also made strict regulations on the weapons and equipment for the guards of officials at all levels. These weapons and equipment for He Ruogong are not things that a common man should have. Even if you are the Duke of the country, you should not have a military crossbow, right?"
He Ruobi swallowed and said, "I definitely have no intention of rebellion, and I didn't assassinate Yang Ji tonight. It was obviously a trick he made."
"Do you think I, Yu Wenshu, am a fool?" Yu Wenshu glanced at the weapons and equipment on the floor, and then sneered: "He Ruogong has at least two thousand sets of weapons and equipment here, right? You dare to hide so many forbidden items, assassinate What's wrong with King Wei, who has a grudge against you? Besides, you did it once yesterday."
"I want to ask a saint to explain this matter."
"Sorry, the Crown Prince is solely responsible for this matter. Until the truth comes out, the Crown Prince will naturally make a decision as appropriate."
"..." He Ruobi suddenly spun around and collapsed softly to the ground.
He knew that the He Ruo family was finished.
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(Note 1: According to records of food and goods, a large number of metal mines were opened in the Sui Dynasty, such as Shandong gold mines, Huizhou and Yongzhou silver mines, Jiangxia iron mines, and Liyang iron mines... The gold and silver produced in these places supported the imperial court. The rewards and iron ore also supported the army. In addition, many historians said that the Sui Dynasty's standing army had about 600,000 to 700,000 people, and the armor of these soldiers was Mingguang armor and iron helmets, and their weapons and equipment were spears. Hengdao (gun shafts and spear shafts are made using the craftsmanship, but although the craftsmanship is the same, it is definitely not as good as the horse sword). In addition, some elite cavalry are equipped with horse swords. Of course, the horse swords used by soldiers are definitely far inferior to those of noble generals. Good. When the Li family revolted in Taiyuan, they obtained 300,000 sets of weapons and equipment (including Mingguang armor, helmets, spears, and horizontal knives) from the Jinyang Palace. This also shows that the Sui Dynasty officials were really quite capable. Money, as for people’s living standards, that’s another matter.)
(Note 2: "New Book of Tang Dynasty" records that "the street envoys on the left and right are responsible for patrolling the six streets. At every corner of the city gate, there is a Wuhou shop, with guards and cavalry on guard... At dusk, eight hundred drums sound and the door opens Close; on the second night, the street envoys marched with cavalry and shouted, and the military attachés spied on; at five o'clock at two o'clock, the drums started from the inside, the drums in all the streets vibrated, the gates of the streets and markets were all opened, and the drums were three thousand laos, and they stopped after distinguishing the color. "It can be seen from this that the city gates and square gates are closed at dusk. Generally speaking, no one can open them. But because He Ruo's Mansion and Wang's Mansion are different, theoretically it is impossible for He Ruohuaikuo to know what happened in Pingkangfang. Yes, for the needs of this chapter and subsequent plots, the closing time of the square gate in this book is changed to Haishizhi, which is around 10 p.m.)
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