"Sanlang, you don't care about family affairs!" Cui Yunying sat down and complained: "How do you know the sufferings of our women? If nothing else, the Guanxi accent of these servants is thick and hard, and it sounds very strenuous. , Where can I hear local accents that are pleasant to my ears? Sanlang, you are also from Qingzhou, how can you bear it? "
"I am a warrior who wears rugged clothes, but I am not as squeamish as you! If you want to speak harshly, Sancho used to be a loose man!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and hugged his wife's shoulders, although this daughter-in-law sometimes likes to be willful in private. She is angry, but has general knowledge, can manage a household, has a good appearance, and is very competent as a wife.
"That was then, and today is today!" Cui Yunying twisted her body coquettishly and leaned her shoulder against her husband's chest: "By the way, Sanlang, what official position do you think the court will give you this time?"
"It should be one of the Sixteen Generals, or it is possible to supervise the Sixth Army of the East Palace!" Wang Wenzuo replied in an uncertain tone: "In terms of qualifications, I am still a little behind, but since His Highness the Crown Prince has already supervised the country, Many things are different!”
"Really?" Cui Yunying broke away from her husband's arms and stood up in surprise: "That is a third-grade official position! Can you get it this time when you return to Chang'an?"
"It's a bit difficult to directly designate a general of the third rank. It should be just a general or a general at the beginning. However, the superior rank is either vacant, or the kind that is too old to take on the job. Once the job is done, the official position will be soon!" Wang Wenzuo! He said lazily that the military system of the early Tang Dynasty inherited the stories of the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui Dynasties. The soldiers of the government had two responsibilities: to fight in wartime, and in peacetime to stay in the capital for a certain period of time every year, which was called the upper class, so the soldiers of the government were also He was respectfully called "Shiguan", that is, a person who guards the emperor. These soldiers who came to the capital from military mansions all over the country were led by twelve guard mansions and stayed in the capital to guard the capital. In addition, there were left and right prison guards and left and right Qianniu guards. The left and right prison guards are in charge of all gate guards, and the left and right Qianniu guards are in charge of Qianniu guards, who are the emperor's attendants and ceremonial guards. The General of the Sixteenth Guards is the chief of these sixteen guard houses, and is also the pinnacle of the military hierarchy of the Tang Dynasty army. Further up are the temporarily appointed marching marshals, marching generals, and the like. Wang Wenzuo achieved this official position before he was forty years old. No wonder Cui Yunying was so surprised.
"Even the lieutenant general is amazing!" Cui Yunying's eyes flickered with disbelief: "Husband, you are not a member of the clan, and you are not a noble person. You can lead a guard to guard the capital when you are less than forty. It is really unbelievable. A rare hero in this world!"
"This is just my guess!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "It's not certain whether we can land in the end!" He patted the chair next to him: "Just wait and see! This kind of thing cannot be determined in a day or two. of!"
Facts have proved that Wang Wenzuo's guess was correct. He returned to Chang'an for more than two months, and there was no news of his appointment. What's worse is that the upper class in Chang'an seemed to have completely ignored this rising star in the military. Not to mention visits, there were not even invitations to various gatherings. It seemed that Wang Wenzuo's new residence was not in Xuanyangfang, which was only a few hundred steps away from the palace, but in Zhongnan Mountain.
Wang Wenzuo didn't care at all. He slept until three o'clock in the morning before getting up every day. Then he took Sanqiu and a few followers to wander around the east and west cities. After visiting the east and west cities, he went to other markets in Chang'an City, and then outside the city. Various scenery, a lot of fun to play. On the contrary, Cui Hongdu, Cui Yunying and others were anxious. They wanted to send people out to find out the news, but Kunai didn't have many connections. After finally finding Murong Mu, the guy shook his head repeatedly when he heard the question: "Don't ask me, this matter is hidden in the hearts of saints, how can I, a lowly official like an ant, know? Let's put it this way! Those nobles in Chang'an are all They are both smarter than monkeys, and there is no definite answer yet, they will not get their hair!"
"There is no definite number?" Cui Hongdu asked: "What do you mean? Will the court be detrimental to the Lord?"
"I didn't say that!" Murong Nao's head suddenly shook like a rattle.
"Then what do you mean?" Cui Hongdu became more and more anxious after hearing this: "Our master didn't treat you badly at first! Brother Murong, please give me the right words!"
"How can such a thing be accurate? Of course I can't forget General Wang's kindness, but I have to know it! You can't talk nonsense, right?" Murong Miao smiled bitterly: "This is Chang'an City, the imperial capital, it's all... A character who eats people without spitting out their bones. Before the knife stabs your chest, you don’t know who is your friend or enemy. According to me, the matter of being appointed as an official should only be a matter of ten months!"
"Why do you say that? What rumors have you heard?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"It's not the wind, it's the feeling!" Murong Mu lowered his voice: "After delaying for so long, the higher-ups just wanted to see General Wang's reaction, and now it's almost done! It's time to come up with an explanation. !”
"Okay!" Cui Hongdu smiled bitterly: "I hope you guessed it right? If you keep me waiting like this, I really can't wait any longer!"
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This is a very dark room.
Although there were pine trees planted in the sills on the corridor walls, and a faint and swaying orange light shone through the ancient iron railings, the back half of the room was still immersed in darkness. However, the room is still very warm, not as cold as the winter in Chang'an. You can even feel a little warmth when you press your hands on the granite walls. Moreover, the hay that makes the bed is changed every five days. It is very dry and there are no fleas. Not much, Xue Rengui has nothing to complain about.
When Xue Rengui was first brought here, he was ill. The long journey back to Longyou from Dafiling completely destroyed his body. Cough and fever plagued this man. There were burst blood bubbles on his lips. The warmth of the brazier and the sheepskin quilt could not stop his whole body from trembling. I will die soon, he remembered thinking. I will die in darkness soon, without even waiting for the court to punish me. He is not afraid of death, but he does not want to die of illness in this unknown ghost place. Whether he dies in battle or takes responsibility for his crimes, there is value. A man should not die of illness on his bed.
But Xue Rengui soon discovered that he was wrong again. A doctor came to visit him every few days, feeding him medicinal soup and porridge, and applying hot ointment to his chest and head. His headache and trembling gradually disappeared. When the coughing stopped and the blood blisters on his lips disappeared, The caretaker brought mutton soup, noodles, donkey intestines, and roasted offal. Gradually, Xue Rengui felt that the strength returned to his body. He was once again the man who could ride a horse to fight and be brave.
There were no windows in the room, so there was no light from the sun or the moon. He could only distinguish the change of day and night based on the changes of guards. Based on the meals served every day, the number of guard changes, and the replacement of torches on the wall outside the cell, he simply inferred the date. .
In the dark, people will become lonely, longing to hear sounds, and become weak. Therefore, whenever the guards came to Xue Rengui's cell, whether delivering food or changing the bed with straw and urine buckets, he tried to talk to them. He knew that his pleas and pleas would be ignored, so he asked questions in the hope that someday one of the guards would speak. "Where are the Tibetans now?" he asked, "Is the saint well?" In addition, he also asked about his son, his family, and the situation outside. "How is the weather this year?" he asked, "Will the first snow in Chang'an this year be heavy? How much is the price of rice?"
No matter what he asked, the result was the same, they never answered, although sometimes the bearded guard would look at him, giving Xue Rengui some hope. Others don't even have that. In his eyes, I am not a human being, Xue Rengui thought sadly, just a stone that can eat, talk and poop. He felt that he liked the bearded man better. He at least regarded him as a human being. Even if he scolded himself or hit himself, it would be better than ignoring him like this.
"I shouldn't die!" Xue Rengui gradually realized, but he was not happy. Sometimes he envied Ashina Daozhen. This colleague died of illness on the way. Maybe he was poisoned by the Tubo people, but no matter No matter what the situation is, he doesn't have to be like himself now. Maybe I should be like him, who killed himself with a short knife when he saw the Shanzhou city wall.
Then one night, while Xue Rengui was eating his dinner, he suddenly felt the door open. He raised his head and saw the queen standing in the light of the torch in the corridor, wearing a gorgeous dress and a beaded crown, and her eyes were shining. Xue Rengui quickly knelt down: "Your Majesty!"
"The Holy One has been ill these past few days. I am here to see you on his behalf!" The queen's voice was very calm, as if the two of them were in the Tai Chi Palace: "Are you okay?"
"Good! At least it's better than when we first came in!"
"That's good!" The queen's lips raised slightly and she smiled: "I heard that your situation was very bad when you first arrived in Longyou. It's really hard to imagine that your health was originally very good!"
"The defeated general!" Xue Rengui's voice was full of sorrow and regret: "One hundred thousand soldiers are buried in Qinghai. What does my life and death mean to me!"
"Yes!" The queen sighed: "War is always so cruel! By the way, there is another news, Wang Wenzuo has returned to Chang'an!"
"Wang Wenzuo?" Xue Rengui was stunned: "What happened?"
"I won't tell you the specific reasons!" The queen said coldly: "Because of you, Longyou is empty. Your Majesty plans to rectify the Guanzhong Prefecture soldiers and fill the vacancy in Longyou as soon as possible!"
“Let Wang Wenzuo do this?” It’s not easy to do the whole body! But he is quite skillful in doing things, so he is indeed a good candidate!”
"Do you also think Wang Wenzuo is suitable for this job?" The Queen smiled and said, "It seems that you and His Majesty have the same view!"
"Everyone knows that the Guanzhong Military Mansion is in ruins, but no one wants to take care of it, and no one dares to take care of it!" Xue Rengui replied honestly: "In the final analysis, there are too many people and relationships involved. And Wang Wenzuo, he is... Those who started in Baekje have spent most of their time in the land of Haidong. They have been able to reach this day without carrying many debts of gratitude and have no scruples in doing things."
"That's right!" said the queen, "but not having scruples may not be a good thing!"
"What does your Majesty mean?" Xue Rengui asked puzzledly.
"If you want to clean up the Guanzhong Military Mansion, you must give him the power, otherwise there will be people who will hinder him, and nothing will be accomplished in the end. The imperial court is determined in Guanzhong, and most of the people in the imperial court are from Guanxi! But Wang Wenzuo is from the Langya Wang family and has been fighting in Haidong. , the people around her are either Guandong people, or Baekje, Japanese, or Mohe people, and they are also married to a daughter-in-law of Qinghe Cui. If anything happens-" At this point, the queen stopped, and the firelight shone on her His face seemed to be wearing a bronze mask.
"It shouldn't be the case!" Xue Rengui said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are very kind to him, and he is a newcomer and has no foundation in the Central Army."
"Yeah, maybe I'm over-worrying!" the queen smiled, and suddenly the conversation changed: "General Xue, are you tired of staying here?"
Tired of staying still? Xue Rengui opened her eyes wide. It was dark and dirty here. There was no bright sun shining in the sky, and there was no bright moon in the sky. Even being scolded was a luxury. She actually asked me if I was tired of staying here? What a hell.
"Of course!"
"That's great!" The queen smiled and said, "Then come out first! Your Majesty needs you, and the court needs you."
Ecstasy immediately filled Xue Rengui's chest, but he was cautiously controlled. He carefully replied: "Your Majesty, I am a sinner. It is better to stay here before the trial of the Three Laws Division!"
"Three Dharma Judgments?" The queen showed a disdainful smile: "You can do this if you want, but you are not the Qingdeng Ancient Buddha yet, it is time to repent of your sins!"
She smiled, turned up her gorgeous skirt, and turned away, leaving only the smell lingering. Xue Rengui sat down on the straw bed again, hugging his knees with his arms, and the swaying firelight flickered uncertainly. The sound of the Queen's footsteps gradually disappeared. Xue Rengui was happy to know that he was about to leave here, but the words the queen just said made him feel unspeakable uneasiness. Most of the people in the imperial court were from Guanxi. Wang Wenzuo was from the Langya family, and there were many people from Guandong around him. He was also married to Qinghe Cui's daughter-in-law. What does this mean?
No matter how Xue Rengui thought, he couldn't get the answer. Finally, he decided to lie down and leave everything to sleep.
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Xuanyangfang.
"Your Majesty announces your entry into the palace!" Cui Yunying looked at Wang Wenzuo nervously: "The envoy is outside!"
"Oh!" Wang Wenzuo stood up unhurriedly: "Bring me the court uniform!"
Cui Yunying did not respond immediately. It was not until Wang Wenzuo coughed impatiently that she woke up as if from a dream. Then she quickly turned behind the door and heard her nervous instructions from outside. Wang Wenzuo shook his head helplessly. He could understand his wife's nervousness, but this would only make things worse.
About half a minute later, Wang Wenzuo had already changed into formal court clothes, a robe with a crown of virtue, a robe with three chapters embroidered on it, and a gold sword. He could see the anticipation and nervousness in his wife's eyes. Wang Wenzuo smiled at his wife: "It's nothing. I want to eat roasted lamb tail, black fish soup and lotus leaf cake tonight. Please prepare it!"
(End of chapter)
