They have been paying attention to Hong Haoyi since they entered the camp.
The moment Hong Haoyi kowtowed, the murderous intent in many people's eyes suddenly turned into a breeze.
After Hong Haoyi finished his worship, he bowed towards the camp again, and the rat spirits all bowed their heads slightly to him.
Then he walked away without looking back.
※※※
A hundred years later, the "Chronicle of King E's Xingshi" compiled by Yue Fei's grandson Yue Ke said:
In the fourth year of Xuanhe, after Yue Fei captured Tao Jun and Jia Jin, the giant thieves in Xiangzhou, Wang Jing, the governor of Xiangzhou, presented to the court and asked Yue Fei to be appointed as the successor to the letter.
Before the order was issued, Yue Fei received a message from his hometown, telling him that his father had died of illness. He immediately went home to attend the funeral and observed the mourning with all etiquette.
Unexpectedly, the imperial court suddenly suspended the "Dare Warriors" plan, dismissed all the recruited officers and soldiers, and left the appointment of Cheng Xinlang as a replacement. Yue Fei ignored it and did not ask any further questions about the matter.
It was not until two years later that Yue Fei rejoined the army and returned to the stage of history.
He had grown old a long time ago.
Although he is old, it is just that wrinkles have climbed up his forehead and invaded his face when he was not paying attention. However, his body is still very strong, and a large bow made of fine iron can still be easily drawn to full length. .
To him, the word "old" is just the impression he gives to others after years of being exposed to the sun, wind and rain.
He used the light skill of "eight steps to drive cicadas away" and flew across the grass blades. No one could try to get ahead of him.
His divine arm crossbow fired an arrow, and the ten bamboo armors also penetrated it.
But at this moment, he did realize that he was getting old.
The night wind was not very strong, but it actually made him shiver.
He was very displeased with this cold moment, because he had to admit that he was old.
However, his strong body was still admirable, so he puffed up his chest and walked to knock on the door.
After waiting for a long time, someone answered the door: "Who is it? It's very late." The man stood behind the door and waited for the person outside the door to respond before deciding whether to open the door.
He didn't come specifically at night, he just couldn't make it during the day and it was dark when he arrived.
"Tell the boss that Hong Haoyi is here."
"Hong Hao..." The servant inside the door was suddenly startled and said quickly: "Wait a minute, I'll ask the madam for advice."
"Mrs. Tai..." Hearing the sound of footsteps leaving in a hurry, Hong Haoyi thought: "Sure enough, the head of the house is Mrs. Tai."
There used to be many men in this family, but those who could manage things have all died, otherwise it would not be a woman's turn to be the head of the family.
The footsteps came back again, and he said in a respectful tone: "You have been waiting for a long time. Madam asked me to ask three questions to confirm whether it is Beishen. Please don't be offended."
It is always right to be cautious when someone comes to visit you at night. Hong Haoyi said: "Ask."
"May I ask your father's name?"
Although women's names were not deliberately hidden in the Song Dynasty, the mother's name was not known casually. "Li Yingxi." Hong Haoyi answered directly.
The servant asked the second question tremblingly: "The Li family's family motto, at what age should a child enter a workshop to learn skills from a master?"
"The boy is seven years old and the daughter is six years old."
"This question has a subtitle: Why?"
"Because the teeth are starting to change, I started to enter the workshop from the first tooth."
"I'll ask the third question." Behind the door was the Madam's voice. The Madam didn't know when she arrived, and Hong Haoyi didn't hear her approach at all. Although he is old, Hong Haoyi still recognizes her voice. The problem is: her voice is the same as when he was young.
"Hello, madam." Hong Haoyi said.
"It's so foreign. Why did you call me that before?"
"Is this the third question?"
The madam pondered for a long time: "If so, that's fine."
"Which one before?" Hong Haoyi sighed, "The longest, longest time ago, when I called you Xiuxiu?"
"No, it was before I married into the Li family."
Hong Haoyi thought about it for a moment: "Boss Xue."
"Yes." Hong Haoyi could hear the smile in Mrs. Tai's tone, "Open the door." The servant opened the door, and Hong Haoyi saw Mrs. Tai, whom he had not seen for a long time.
The lady, like an ordinary woman, wore a plain tube top and a translucent robe in the cool night. Her plump breasts were half exposed. She had a beautiful face and smooth skin. At first glance, she thought she was in her thirties. Year old lady.
Hong Haoyi was a little surprised, but he also thought it was natural.
The lady ordered the servants: "Xiaoyou, this is the cousin of the late king, not an outsider. Prepare wine and fruits, and also prepare a guest room."
"No need to bother." Hong Haoyi said.
"An old friend visits us at night. If we go out to find accommodation in the middle of the night, people will say that our Li family neglects our guests."
Hong Haoyi fell silent and carefully observed Mrs. Tai's every move and the changes in the expression between her brows.
The two sat down in the side hall. Hong Haoyi put the divine arm crossbow, quiver and luggage bag next to him, and then waited for the servants to place the wine warmer, wine bottles, and several dishes to accompany the wine, such as dried tofu, duck breast, and chicken. Ingredients, walnuts, chestnuts, and dried pears, each of which is small but delicious.
The two didn't talk to each other until Madam Tai ordered her servants to go out and wait for the call, then she asked: "We haven't seen each other for fifty years. Isn't it just to reminisce about old times when I visit today?"
"Fifty years?" Hong Haoyi said, "Where are my cousins? How come you are the head of the family?" The oldest of the children born to the wife should be forty or fifty years old.
"Unfortunately for my sons, none of them will live long." The wife said sadly, "The eldest grandson has not yet been crowned, and all the people in charge of the family are female, so I have to shoulder this burden."
"I see," Hong Haoyi said, "I haven't visited you in person since you came here, just to avoid suspicion. I hope you won't be offended."
"Isn't that famous Beishen Sou who is everywhere in the world not avoiding suspicion today?" Mrs. Tai said quietly, pouring a small glass of warm wine for Hong Haoyi, "Don't you think about me in the past fifty years?"
The beautiful woman in front of him had a sinister look in her eyes. Although Hong Haoyi was over eighty years old, he couldn't help but feel his heart beat.
This is the home of his maternal grandfather. His maternal grandfather, Li Hong, was a hero who presented the improved divine arm crossbow to the imperial court and greatly increased the strength of the imperial army. He lived here for a long time when he was a child and learned weapon making from his grandfather in the Li family bow and arrow workshop. It was also here , got to know this lady.
Hong Haoyi still remembers the first time he saw her.
This is a house outside Damingfu City. Damingfu is one of the four capitals of the Northern Song Dynasty (not where modern Beijing is located). Since it is the closest to Yanjing, the capital of the Liao Kingdom, among the four capitals, it is the largest city in the north and an important military town. The people All have a martial spirit.
Mrs. Tai's father was a craftsman in her maternal grandfather's Li family's workshop. Mrs. Tai had often walked around the Li family since she was a child, and had been exposed to it earlier than Hong Haoyi. When Hong Haoyi first came to study, they were only seven or eight years old. Mrs. Tai was very smart and would give guidance to Hong Haoyi.
Hong Haoyi liked her very much and knew that her surname was Xue Mingxiu, so he often called her Xiuxiu. He even went home and told his mother that he would marry Xiuxiu in the future.
But Xiuxiu's father felt that he was too high to reach him. When Xiuxiu was a teenager, he betrothed her to a restaurant owner.
That was Xiuxiu's first marriage.
"I really wanted to snatch you back right away." But Hong Haoyi didn't say it. After all, this was his mood sixty years ago.
The wife's words: "Have you not thought of me for fifty years?" were swirling in his mind like a dusty curse, but his rationality taught him to keep his expression unchanged and not reveal his feelings easily.
Because he has more important things.
Hong Haoyi avoided Mrs. Tai's question: "Later, when I heard that you married into the Li family, I was frightened." It seemed that Hong Haoyi was not the only one who fell in love with her back then. "What happened to your husband? Is it a divorce?" ?”
"He died of illness." When the madam said this, there was a smile on her lips.
"Then you got married?"
"I've been running a restaurant for a while. Didn't you come to see me?"
"I didn't know that your husband Yuan had passed away at that time." Hong Haoyi was also preparing to get married at that time, so he came to Daming Mansion specially to see Xiuxiu again.
"It's been going on for so long and you still haven't told me the purpose of this trip," Mrs. Tai said with a smile, "After fifty years, you can't come to me to renew our relationship, right?"
Hong Haoyi swallowed a glass of warm wine and ate every side dish before putting down his chopsticks: "I have dispersed all my family wealth and dismissed all my servants and disciples, and now I am alone."
