After everything was settled, Gu Beixuan, an old man from Xishu who came here specially for the boy this time, took a carriage with Hua Fengju and walked out of the city gate leisurely, seemingly not worried about Yan Longyu staying alone in the county town.
In the dusk, the commoner boy who sent away his two elders looked lonely. He recalled all the details about his parents in the letter, and unknowingly walked towards the dilapidated alley where Yan returned home.
When he walked to a familiar alley and pushed open the door of Yan Guijia's courtyard, Yan Longyu immediately saw the poor scholar under the eaves, Xu Zhiqing, who was holding an old book, squinting his eyes and immersed himself in concentration.
When Yan Gui went out at noon, he saw the scholar looking into the alley at the entrance of the alley. He recognized him as Mr. Taofu, who he had seen before selling paintings on South Street. When he went to ask, he found out that Mr. Xu actually When he came to see his little master, he invited him into the little courtyard.
The scholar who entered Yan Gui's courtyard just sat under the eaves with his books for the whole afternoon. During this period, Dugu Haodang and Yan Gui invited him more than once, but the scholar just smiled politely at them and never said anything. Ken comes into the house.
At this time, Dugu Haodang and Yan Gui, who heard the sound of the door opening outside the house, also walked out one after another, but Xu Zhiqing still didn't notice, focusing on reading the book in his hand.
Yan Longyu became interested and raised his fingers to signal Dugu and Yan Gui not to disturb the scholar who was engrossed in reading. He deliberately walked lightly in front of the scholar, then suddenly raised his voice and said: "Hey, rare guest, let's Why is Mr. Taofu here!"
Xu Zhiqing, who was not prepared at all, was so frightened that he dropped the yellowed old book in his hand to the ground. The scholar patted his chest and glanced resentfully at the tall young man in front of him. He smiled gracefully, his eyes returned to gentleness, and he said to himself: "When someone is fascinated by a book, he ignores the things around him. My wife will often tease me like Brother Yan does. Thinking about it this way, you, Yan Longyu, are just like my wife, with an innocent mind that has not grown up, which is really commendable!"
Yan Longyu, who was "teased" by the scholar for no reason, was disgraced, and said angrily: "Today I finally know why Uncle Feng hates you scholars so much. He is so eloquent. Okay! I can't talk to you, so tell me. ! What’s the reason for coming to me this time?”
Xu Zhiqing smiled warmly and was noncommittal. Although he was dressed in shabby patches with fine needlepoints, he behaved extremely elegantly. He first bent down to pick up the book that fell on the ground, and then carefully took out a book with several swans embroidered on it from the pages. He handed the delicate sachet to Yan Longyu, "Miss Tao asked me to pass this on to you. She asked me to tell you to go as far as you can. Don't cause trouble again in the future. It's best to find a good girl who you like." Live your life down to earth.”
Obviously, the attentive woman had guessed that Sun Juan's death was related to Yan Longyu.
The young man put the soft sachet given to him by Sister Tao to the tip of his tall nose and smelled it. It was exactly the smell of that woman.
Yan Longyu took out his pocket from his waist, stuffed all the broken silver in the pocket into Xu Zhiqing's hand, and said, "Take this silver, I beg you, take care of Sister Tao for me, don't If you let people bully her again, if it’s not enough, I’ll give it to you.”
Xu Zhiqing, who couldn't get rid of the money in his hand, looked directly at the young man in front of him with complicated eyes.
After all, I was right.
There are many common people in this world who will do anything for wealth, sex, and power. You, Yan Longyu, are willing to kill the son of the county governor for a poor woman with no relatives and no reason. I, Xu Zhiqing, can sell my pride for you at a low price!
The scholar Xu Zhiqing bowed solemnly and said, "Okay, I'll accept the money. You, Yan Longyu, will use the money to buy my Xu Zhiqing's pride! If you need anything in the future, just let me know."
"Since Mr. Qin has given someone the word 'Zhiqing', then I, Xu Zhiqing, will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Yan Longyu knew what being able to say these words meant to this proud and humble scholar, and he immediately bowed his head to Xu Zhiqing, "Mr. Taofu is righteous, it is Long Yu who uses the heart of a villain to judge the heart of a gentleman!"
The scholar helped the young man up and joked: "The way you humbly apologized, you really look like my unreasonable wife. Haha, okay, I, Xu Zhiqing, will make your friend Yan Longyu!"
Yan Longyu smiled and cursed.
The two people, facing each other, holding hands and making strange movements, laughed together.
Dugu Haodang nodded with satisfaction. Yan Gui was the only one who didn't know what was going on. He asked in a low voice: "Your Highness Dugu, what are the young master and Mr. Xu doing?"
Dugu Haodang said with a serious face: "They look like men and women worshiping in a church!"
After exchanging pleasantries with the three people in the small courtyard, Xu Zhiqing walked out of the small courtyard holding a handwritten letter from Yan Longyu to his mentor Qin Ruoyang.
The sky was dark, and there had just been a murder case in the county town, so there were almost no pedestrians on the street. The informal Xu Zhiqing simply squatted under the dim light in front of the window of a house on the street and opened the personal letter from his mentor.
Just as the scholar was fascinated by the letter, two black figures gradually appeared on the street and slowly passed by him.
It turned out to be one person and one tiger!
The man had bronze skin, thick arms, and a tall body. He had a leopard head with round eyes and sharp edges. Although he was wearing plain clothes, he was wearing official boots.
Behind the man was leading a large purple tiger with black stripes that was ten feet long. The tiger's back was as shoulder-length as the man's, and it carried a silver halberd that shone with cold light. The purple tiger's eyes flashed faintly from time to time in the darkness. The purple light can frighten ordinary people just by looking at it.
One person and one tiger, who could only be described as fierce, walked so blatantly on the streets of Fulong County City, heading towards the County Sheriff's Mansion.
When the common man passed by Xu Zhiqing, who was concentrating on reading the letter, he looked at him specifically and was curious as to why this poor scholar was not afraid of them.
When the two behemoths walked away, Xu Zhiqing, who had not noticed all this, slowly came back to his senses, squinted his eyes and murmured with a smile: "Yan Xichen, what a good name! Congratulations, sir, on getting a disciple. It turns out that you have made this arrangement for a long time, sir." , I am willing to help my junior brother solve his problems and help him with all his resources!"
In fact, Qin Ruoyang, who watched the two children Yan Longyu and Dugu Haodang grow up, had already paved the way for these two children. The old man placed two of the three unnamed disciples he had accepted next to His Highness Dugu Haodang, and introduced the other to his close disciple, Yan Longyu.
The old imperial master Qin Ruoyang seemed to have done nothing, but he thought of everything for them.
——Fulong County Sheriff’s Mansion.
Sun Chang'an, the governor of a county who had just experienced the pain of losing his son, was wearing a fifth-grade white pheasant patchwork suit and fell asleep leaning against the back of a chair under the dim candlelight in the back office of the governor's house.
While sleeping, Sun Changan vaguely heard bursts of wailing coming from outside the yamen.
The white-haired Sun Changan slowly opened his eyes and sat upright with his thin body. The wailing sound seemed to become real and strange. He cleared his throat and shouted outside the door: "Liu Butler, what's going on outside?"
Not long after the words were spoken, a neat old servant with triangular eyes ran in from outside. He was Butler Liu of the Sheriff's Mansion.
Butler Liu said eagerly: "Master, please go out and have a look! There is a man who brought a big purple tiger and said he wanted to see you. He didn't say what he did. Our people couldn't stop him. He was already captured by that man. The purple tiger killed a dozen of them."
Outside the back Yamen, there were bright lights.
The soldiers guarding the governor's mansion and more than fifty servants in the mansion got into a mess and surrounded one man and one tiger in the courtyard, but they did not dare to come forward.
The tall man who appeared on the street earlier was sitting on the back of a tiger holding a silver halberd and closing his eyes. The purple tiger under his crotch had a mouth full of blood, and his eyes glowed with a faint purple light. He looked like a man-eating evil ghost. There were mutilated bodies all around, and the flesh and blood were blurred. .
Sun Changan, who saw such a scene as soon as he went out, staggered and almost fainted again. Fortunately, he was supported by Butler Liu beside him. He held the housekeeper's hand tightly, as if to embolden himself, and asked the man on the tiger's back at the foot of the steps: "My son's body is not cold yet, and the coffin is still in the front yard. Could it be that God wants to destroy my Sun family?" Who are the heroes in the courtyard? Have I, Sun Changan, ever offended you?"
The common man on the tiger's back raised his lips, opened his eyes, and threw a gold token with a wave of his hand, flying towards Sun Chang'an.
Sun Changan, who was not good at martial arts, ducked aside with his head in his hands.
The man's arm strength was amazing, and the token was embedded directly into the door behind Sun Chang'an. When the county guard bent over and was supported by Butler Liu to the door, he could clearly see the words written on the token - Hong .
The man sneered and looked at the Fulong County Governor who was so frightened that he could not stand upright on the steps, and said angrily: "Is this the way you treat guests in Fulong County? Under the account of General Longwei Taiping, from the third rank General Anton Zhao Dangkang is here to pay a special visit to Governor Sun tonight!"
When Sun Chang'an, the governor of the county, heard that man's name, his eyes widened, as if struck by lightning: Taiping General Hong Yingang, the adopted son of Luan Lingyu, the old pillar of the country, now the head of the eight generals of the country, Xiongzhou 200,000 The president of the Xuanjia Army, and the man riding a purple tiger below is the leader of the four generals of the Chinese army under Hong Yiggang, the "General Dangkangfu" who has never been defeated in a hundred battles in his life, Zhao Dangkang!
During the 200 years that the Dazhao Dynasty was in Wuzhao, rebels often emerged in the Central Plains and became powerful. In just two hundred years, Wu Zhao had sixteen emperors, most of whom immediately brought peace to the world, and rarely died. Among them, the late Emperor Shenwu reigned the longest, a full thirty-four years.
Wu Zhaowuzhao, so military generals often outshine civil servants.
When Emperor Shenwu was in power, Song Guangji, the divine minister, began to reorganize the court and improve the official system of military officers, so that in the court, scholars and generals tended to advance hand in hand.
Under Song Shenqing's reforms, although the old system in which generals were half a rank lower than civil servants of the same rank was abolished, only those with fourth rank or above in the dynasty could be called generals, and only those with second rank or above could be called generals.
The first-grade generals can be titled with the word "dragon", the second-grade is "zhen", the third-grade is "an", the fourth-grade is "ping" and cannot be surpassed, and the ranks of second-grade and above generals are limited and cannot be appointed or removed at will.
It can be said that a military commander who can reach the second rank or above is the ultimate military commander in the dynasty.
During the current period of Emperor Chunfeng, Chengan personally appointed the only eight second-rank or above generals in the dynasty as the eight generals of the country, and were in charge of the eight armies of the dynasty.
Among them, except for Hong Yingang, who had served in protecting the Lord during the Three Kings Rebellion, and was appointed by the emperor as a first-rank Longwei Taiping general, the other seven were all second-rank generals with the word "zhen". Therefore, Hong Yingang was also known as the leader of the eight generals who ruled the country. Some good people in the court privately called the leader of the military generals "Military Prime Minister". "Xiang" Zhu Yuanpu resisted in court.
After Sun Chang'an, the governor of Fulong County, heard the name of the now number one general in the dynasty, he quickly invited the tall "envoy" in the courtyard into the back office of the county governor's mansion.
Sitting on the main seat, Zhao Dangkang, a young general of the third rank who was dressed in civilian clothes, turned to the frightened Fulong County Sheriff in front of him and said with a smile: "Master Sun, did something happen at home just now?"
"I think you, Sun Chang'an, have been staying in Fulong County for more than ten years, so you don't want to go to Qinzhou City to become an official in Chang'an?"
Sun Changan, who looked fawning and restless, quickly smiled awkwardly and said: "The second son in the family was killed by an adulterer. General Bu Fu is worried."
"Who wouldn't want to be promoted? But you and the general also know that Sun Chengjian, your mentor at the time, the Secretary of the Veterans Department, offended Your Majesty. Your Majesty did not kill the subordinate, which was already showing compassion for the subordinate. How could I dare to hope anymore? Promotion."
Zhao Dangkang snorted coldly, stood up with a smile and walked out the door. He did not intend to continue chatting with this spineless civil servant, "The post of Qinzhou Bijiajia is still vacant. Our general intends to cultivate it." Commander Sun has sent me here to inform you. I will be in Chang'an these days. If you have made up your mind, come to Chang'an City to find me."
"I'm looking forward to serving the General together with Sun Biejia."
With these words behind him, Zhao Dangkang took his purple tiger named "Ten Thousand Enemies" and left the governor's mansion in the night.
Sun Changan was stunned and looked at the man's retreating figure. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He was shrewd and understood the situation in Yuhuajing's court even though he lived in a local area. He had long seen that Hong Yingang was not an idle person willing to live under others for a long time. One day, he might be able to change the color of this world.
Whether to continue living a life of old age, or to take a desperate risk and become a highly respected minister, this choice now lies before him, Sun Changan.
