first minister

Chapter 297 The Living Dead, Three-Inch Tongue

When old friends meet again, they will naturally go to the mansion to have a talk.

Xiao Fengshan and Su Yanyan were divided into guests and hosts in the main hall. Both of them were smart people, and they tacitly didn't mention the itinerary of this hidden journey, nor did they mention Xia Jingyun's current situation. The concern of an elder after more than ten years.

"When I was in Zhongjing, I was taken care of by the old man a lot. He was a role model for me as a man and an official. When the old man passed away, I wanted to go to worship in person, but due to various reasons, it was inconvenient to leave and I couldn't make it. I still regret it to this day.”

"Grandpa often said back then that Uncle Xiao is a rare talent in governing the country. It is your misfortune that he failed to fulfill his life's aspirations, and it is the great misfortune of the country."

"Now Sujiawu must be more beautiful and magnificent than when I went there?"

"The scenery in Dongting remains the same, the old people remain the same, and Sujiawu naturally remains the same."

Xiao Fengshan laughed, "The old man is still the same! The little girl who was eccentric and sculpted in pink and jade, is now a big girl who can be independent, and she is right and wrong!"

Su Yanyan smiled slyly, and said coquettishly and mischievously like a familiar junior: "Haha, there are only words like graceful and graceful, and there is no such thing as beautiful and beautiful? At the beginning, Uncle Xiao was fascinated by the noble girls in Zhongjing City. He is famous for his talent and eloquence!"

"Hahahaha! Do you still need others to tell you about your beauty? The name of the Pearl of Dongting, I have heard it all in Longshou Prefecture."

The two of them just secretly chatted about the past with some seemingly indistinct maneuvers.

After talking for a while, Xiao Fengshan said: "Should Yanyan stay in the mansion this time?"

Su Yanyan smiled apologetically, "It's inconvenient for Yanyan to be a woman, so I'd better stay at an inn in the city."

"Then I'll send someone to find you a quiet yard later."

"Thank you, Uncle Xiao. You are busy with government affairs, so Yan Yan won't bother you much."

"Okay, then I'll see you off!"

Watching the convoy go away, Xiao Fengshan stood proudly with his hands on his back, speechless for a long time.

Although Su Yanyan made great fanfare, he just didn't play the Wang Ming flag, and he never declared to the outside that this was the imperial envoy's carriage, so no one could blame him for guessing wrong.

But after this, he also completely confirmed his conjectures.

If it weren't for that, Xia Jingyun wouldn't come stealthily.

That being the case, come on!
He turned around and strode back into the yamen.

In front of the State Shepherd's Yamen, the rhythm of the past returned.

But outside the side door of Xiao Fengshan's private residence in the backyard, a lone carriage drove to the door.

The old servant in the carriage got out of the carriage and knocked on the door knocker.

A porter opened the door impatiently, "Who is it?"

The old servant handed over a letter, and lightly ordered: "I will hand it over to your state shepherd."

If the other party nodded and bowed and used the honorific title, the concierge might chase him away impatiently, but the old man's defiant and instructive tone made him afraid to be presumptuous for a while.

He glanced suspiciously at the letter in his hand, but the old servant said coldly, "Don't read too much, be careful not to lose your head."

With this bluff, the concierge didn't even care about confiscating the benefit, and hurried to report after saying a few words.

Running all the way to the door of Xiao Fengshan's office, he suddenly hesitated, this old guy won't call me bluff, will he?

Judging by his appearance and clothes, he really doesn't look like a powerful person, and he is a dog who has seen many people, so how can he be so obedient?
He recalled it and found that it was the other party's eyes.

Those eyes were not as humble as he usually saw those visitors, nor were they flattering. There was only aloof indifference and calmness in mind.

Someone with such eyes.
He thought for a while, then took another step, knocked on the door, and walked in, "My lord, someone is looking for you in the backyard. Let me deliver this letter to you by hand."

I was in the yamen, but the other party went to the private house in the backyard, and I was able to make my money-greedy concierge come to deliver the letter so honestly, and seemed to believe that I would meet them
Many thoughts flashed through Xiao Fengshan's mind in an instant, and the moment he opened the letter, he, who could be said to have experienced all kinds of storms and waves without being frightened, also stared for a moment, immediately grasped the letter paper in his palm, got up and said: "They How did it come here?"

The concierge knew that he had made the right bet when he saw this, "A carriage with no attendants."

Xiao Fengshan said directly: "Open the convenient door and let the carriage drive in directly."

After the concierge left, Xiao Fengshan completely burned the letter into ashes and crushed it, then stood up and walked to the backyard, then dismissed everyone near the toilet door, leaving only two absolutely trusted guards.

Not long after, a carriage drove in directly.

A figure covered in a black cloak stepped out of the carriage, and walked into a room led by one of Xiao Fengshan's personal guards.

Then the personal guard retreated, facing Xiao Fengshan, the man took off his hat.

Looking at the face in front of him clearly, even though Xiao Fengshan was mentally prepared, he still showed an expression of disbelief, "How did you do it?"

The other party still smiled weakly, "Standing at the top of the world for ten years, there will always be some unimaginable experiences and some unimaginable gains."

Xiao Fengshan still shook his head, "Even if there is such a medicine, if you dare to use it, and you know to use it in advance, you can still use it successfully, that is an incredible thing."

The man smiled and said, "I'm used to making arrangements behind the scenes, and I always have to think of the worst. Being forced to cut off a strong man's wrist and feign death to survive is not something to be proud of."

As a shepherd of a state, Xiao Fengshan had extremely detailed information on the events of that day, and after going back a little in his mind, he said with emotion: "Why are you so sure that His Majesty will not whip the corpse to vent his anger?"

The man still smiled, "Our Majesty claims to be a wise and benevolent gentleman. If I beg for mercy, I may really die without a place to die, but the harder I scold him, the more he dare not admit it, the more he will do it for that benevolent gentleman." Don't argue with me, otherwise you will admit that I have hit his fear and fear."

Xiao Fengshan pursed his lips, "And the friendship between your father and his monarch is the second guarantee you give yourself."

"He is already too old, and this is his own decision. What's more, with Mr. Xiao's intelligence, he should be able to think of something very beneficial to our future cooperation."

Xiao Fengshan's heart moved suddenly, and he thought of some possibility that made him almost short of breath, but he still tried his best to maintain a motionless look on his face, he just raised his eyebrows, "Cooperation?"

"Presumably Yuan Shikun has come to look for you."

Xiao Fengshan smiled and said, "You don't know who you are?"

"You are the third person I have seen since I was dug out of the mass grave." The man said softly, and then said: "But no matter what they told you, how to cooperate, it is all invalid now , we can talk about a new plan."

Xiao Fengshan has slowly digested the shock in his heart, and chuckled lightly, "With your ability and knowledge, you shouldn't say such a thing, you should know, this is not a play, if you say you can do it all over again, you can do it all over again. "

The man shook his head, "Of course I know, but I also know that Xia Jingyun is not so easy to deal with. He sneaked here, and he may have figured out your plan. Follow the original direction." , will only end up in the same end as me. Only by starting anew and taking a path that he has never thought of can make him completely lose his direction. And my new plan will definitely make you more interested."

Xiao Fengshan did not listen to his story first, but asked: "What are you planning?"

The man was stunned, "I didn't expect you to ask me such a question."

Xiao Fengshan said: "Are you stalling for time?"

The man shook his head, "I just think this question is meaningless. In any case, I have nothing to do with the person sitting on the throne. This is the basis of our cooperation. As for other things, I can just say it." The sky is full of hype, and you will also guard against me, we are the smartest people in the world, after a short period of cooperation, we may not be enemies in the future, so asking such questions is meaningless to you and me."

Xiao Fengshan said calmly after hearing the words: "But if I think the threat is too great, I can kill you now. After all, everyone who knows the inside story knows that the most dangerous person in the Prime Minister's Mansion is not Prime Minister Qin, who is amazing in power and has a deep understanding of His Majesty, but It's you, Qin Sichao."

Qin Sichao's face was still pale as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. Hearing the words, he nodded agreeingly, without any trace of fear on his face, "This is your freedom, but before you make a decision, why don't you listen to my plan? One even you For those who are afraid, the ultimate move that you have racked your brains to come up with should be very tempting to you and the prince, right?"

Xiao Fengshan took a deep look at Qin Sichao, poured two cups of hot tea himself, "I would like to hear about it."

After half an hour, the two ended the conversation.

Xiao Fengshan looked at Qin Sichao, "These days, Mr. Qin will stay in my house temporarily."

Qin Sichao seemed not at all surprised by Xiao Fengshan's proposal or request, and nodded, "I'm also going to take care of my body, Master Xiao just don't feel sorry for the medicinal materials and ingredients."

Xiao Fengshan hummed, "Let's go, I'll take you there."

When everything was settled, Xiao Fengshan and his personal guards walked out of the courtyard that was temporarily listed as the restricted area of ​​the Xiao family, and sat in their study, dazed.

"My lord? What's the matter?"

The guard asked with concern.

Xiao Fengshan said: "Hold the sword, do you think I'm old?"

The personal guard hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, when you are in the prime of life, we are no match for you in battle. Why do you say that!"

Xiao Fengshan sighed and said with emotion: "There are so many heroes in the world!"

Today I met Su Yanyan first, and Qin Sichao later, both of them were amazing choices for a while.

Although he had never met Xia Jingyun, but Xia Jingyun was able to sabotage Qin Sichao's plan time and time again, and finally defeated Qin Sichao, he was not much worse than Qin Sichao.

All of a sudden, there were so many amazing young heroes around him, which reminded him of his high-spirited time, and he couldn't help feeling his own age.

But for a person like him, this little emotion was only temporary, and he was quickly forgotten, and ambition and pride filled his heart again.

So what about the emergence of talents?
Back then, I was able to overwhelm the next generation, but now I am stronger and have more experience, is it still impossible?

If you want to scheme against me, come and try! ——
Does Xia Jingyun really have the idea to try with Xiao Fengshan now? He just concentrates on perfecting the devious tactics he came up with and put them into practice.

After staying in the county government office for a day, he first confirmed that the Ye family's father and daughter did not lie to him. Ye Mingfeng's previous word of mouth is not a big mistake in his current conduct, and it can be used;
At the same time, it was also confirmed that the current situation in the Caobang was relatively stable. After the Ye family and Elder Long made relevant arrangements according to the previously discussed contents, Xia Jingyun threw the broken-legged ranger in the county government office. He took his guards on the road to Yu's house.

Before leaving, Bai Yun stood at the door wearing an official robe, looking at Xia Jingyun who was also wearing an official robe, "Just leaving? Do you want to stay for a few more days?"

Xia Jingyun rolled his eyes at him, "What are you doing here? Do you only eat steamed buns with pickles?"

Bai Yun said: "It will definitely not happen today."

"Oh?"

Bai Yun glanced at the scarlet robe on his body, then at his own green robe, "I'll add a bun for you."

"roll!"

Xia Jingyun waved his horsewhip directly, "Let's go!"

Chen Fugui led six guards, together with ten soldiers from the county specially selected by Baiyunbian, followed them on horseback, and rushed out of the city with smoke and dust.

Bai Yun watched the smoke and dust rising and falling, even after seeing Xia Jingyun's experience of creating miracles, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. It was not easy to use empty words to draw Yu's family into the game!

This time, Xia Jingyun didn't sneak around anymore, but directly ran under the banner of an imperial envoy.

By raising a banner, as long as Xiao Fengshan does not want to rebel immediately, their safety will be guaranteed to a certain extent.

And the facts were exactly as Xia Jingyun had expected. The group of them did not encounter any obstacles along the way. After two days of galloping and hardly dismounting, not only did those officials who were planning to curry favor along the way get caught in vain, but also He came directly to Suzhou County next to Huai'an County, on the outskirts of Yujiazhuangzi.

People are different from each other, and so are Zhuangzi and Zhuangzi.

Rather than saying that Yu's family is Zhuangzi, it is better to say that it is a Wubao similar to places in the north such as Baiyang Prefecture.

The continuous stretch of large and small docks is not only a symbol of the Yu family's strength, but also the reason why the Yu family was able to escape the last military disaster.

And the dozen or so archways at the front of Wubao are the embodiment of the profound heritage of the Yu family's literati family.

In the dusk of night, a guard stepped forward to report the situation.

Soon, a large group of people poured out from Yujiawu Castle.

Then, several men who were obviously dressed differently from those around them walked out with the help of an old man with a stick.

Xia Jingyun hurriedly got off his horse and went up to meet him.

Walking up to Xia Jingyun, the old man bowed down together with the middle-aged man, the young man and the young child in his arms.

"The Yu family has been passed down for four generations, and I pay my respects to the Imperial Envoy!"

Xia Jingyun strode forward, helped him up, and said with a warm smile: "The old man doesn't need to be polite. I'm here today, not as an imperial envoy for inspection, but as a visit to friends. The purpose of the banner is to avoid disturbance along the way. .”

The old man was taken aback, "Visiting friends?"

Xia Jingyun looked at a young man in the crowd with a smile, "Brother Danqiu, I haven't seen you for two months, it seems to be more clear?"

Yu Daoxing walked out of the crowd, saluted Xia Jingyun, and said with a happy smile, "Brother Gao Yang is more handsome than before, and I am also happy for you."

After speaking, Yu Daoxing explained to the stunned Yu family: "That day in Zhongjing, the child failed the test. At the moment when everything was despairing, it was Brother Gao Yang who encouraged him, and that famous poem was about to enter Dan Qiusheng's drink. It's Hai'er. Hai'er is also able to continue studying hard because of brother Gao Yang's words, which revived his confidence."

Everyone looked shocked, and the old man said happily: "In this case, Mr. Xia is my benefactor of the Yu family. Please come to Wubao and have tea and talk!"

Xia Jingyun nodded, and walked in with the others.

As he walked on the road, he became more confident.

The Yu family is indeed a modest gentleman. If it were someone else, the encounter would have been publicized long ago, but Yu Daoxing was not proud of it. He knew that it was not his own ability, and he only focused on studying hard. , even close clansmen don't know about it, which shows his character.

Such a person, such a style.

A word suddenly flashed in Xia Jingyun's mind: A gentleman can be deceived by the right way, but it is difficult to be deceived by the wrong way.

Therefore, he couldn't help but despise his own soul.

Sitting in the reception room, Xia Jingyun introduced himself to everyone in the Yu family. After some polite greetings, the head of the Yu family, the old man, took the initiative and said: "Wen Yan and Dan Qiu stay. The rest of you can go down. I and I Lord Xia, tell me something."

Wen Yan and Dan Qiu are his son Yu Zonggu and grandson Yu Daoxing, which can be said to be the first sequence of the Yu family inheritance.

After everyone had left, the Patriarch of the Yu family took the initiative to say: "Master Xia, you have come from afar, it is not as simple as visiting friends, you are kind to my Yu family, if you have any advice, please let me know."

Originally, in this kind of game, the Yu family could completely hang Xia Jingyun, making him unable to hold back his own words, thus gaining the upper hand in the negotiation, but maybe it was because of Yu Daoxing, or maybe it was because the old head of the Yu family was really Such a honest elder actually took the initiative to give Xia Jingyun a step, and Xia Jingyun couldn't help but feel a little moved.

At one point, he even thought about involving the Yu family, right?

But immediately he re-firmed his thoughts. Under the overturned nest, there will be no eggs. Longshou Prefecture is really in chaos. They are free to choose.

So, he smiled and said, "This junior's thoughts cannot be hidden from the old family master. Does the old family master know about the Ye family?"

"The Ye family dominates the Huaihe River, and the Cao Gang has tens of thousands of people. How could this old man not know about it?"

"The head of the Ye family has a legitimate son named Ye Mingfeng. He came to the Yu family academy to become a disciple two years ago, but he failed."

Patriarch Yu looked at Xia Jingyun with a little doubt.

Xia Jingyun said: "What happened back then was that some sons of aristocratic families who harbored resentment towards the rise of the Ye family intentionally humiliated them, so that their mood collapsed and they fell into despair. The reason why I came here today is to ask the Yu family to give him a chance. , try his talents and learning, if possible, he will be brought into his family."

Yu Daoxing's father, Yu Zonggu, hesitated to speak, but because of etiquette, he finally did not speak.

The old patriarch Yu said: "Wen Yan, you are the future patriarch, and this Yu family will be handed over to you. What do you think about this matter?"

Yu Zonggu thought for a moment, bowed to Xia Jingyun, and then said: "Master Xia, if we just ask the Yu family to accept a disciple, based on your friendship to help my son regain his ambition, the Yu family will definitely agree to it." It makes sense. But since this matter is worthy of your traveling all the way, I hope you can make it clear about the key points."

Xia Jingyun thought to himself, finally saw a capable second generation.

"A few days ago, the son of the third elder of the Cao Gang was killed. The thieves planted money on this Mr. Ye in order to separate the Ye family from the third elder and fight for the power of the Cao Gang. There are other important forces in the state. I help Ye The Ye family has temporarily stabilized the overall situation of the Cao Gang, and the Ye family originally hoped to let me take his son as an apprentice, but I think the Yu family is a better choice."

Yu Zonggu's face was full of joy and anger, and he said calmly: "Since all parties are fighting, this matter is already a pool of muddy water. The Yu family can stay out of it, why did they take the initiative to enter this chaos?"

"That's why I took the initiative to take this trip."

Xia Jingyun stood up, as if he had fully charged, and began to tell the whole story that he had prepared in his mind.

"I suggest this for two reasons."

"First, although I don't know exactly what happened back then, but I have seen brother Danqiu's behavior and the behavior of the Yu family, and I believe in the family tradition and inheritance of the Yu family. The family style is honest and good, worthy of the character of a scholar. Therefore, the Yu family was not directly responsible for what happened back then, and has no grudge against this Young Master Ye. In this case, a person who is open-minded to learn, regards entering the Yu family academy as a What reason does the Yu family have to reject those who want to learn the goal of life?"

"Secondly, in today's world, there are bandits and chaos everywhere. In the court hall, it is hard to return. The military god has suppressed the world for decades with his own power, and it is once again on the verge of turmoil. Such a situation, for some For careerists, it’s what they want to see, what they dream of, but for a family like the Yu family, which seeks to become an official as a way out, turmoil in the world is the last thing you want to see.”

"Because, this means that your way out is temporarily cut off, and it also means that a family of scholars like you has to survive another catastrophe in a troubled world where swords and weapons are paramount. It is true that when the world settles down again, no matter what the situation is, people will still be needed. The children of the Yu family still have a chance to become officials. But, can the Yu family guarantee that they can survive this disaster? Are there not many great families who have been massacred by soldiers and bandits and perished in troubled times? "

"However, the Cao Gang, which has tens of thousands of gang members, can provide a protective umbrella for the Yu family, reducing the risk of the Yu family by a large margin. In troubled times, what is more important than force? What else is there?" Is the way the Yu family can have better? There are some things that you don’t have to use, but you can’t live without.”

"If the son of the leader of the Cao Gang becomes a disciple of the Yu family, there will be almost no harm to the Yu family, but the benefits will be obvious. What should the Yu family have to hesitate about?"

"Could it be that the Yu family really thinks that Longshou Prefecture is in chaos, and those cannibal forces will let such a big piece of fat from the Yu family not eat?"

Xia Jingyun's voice echoed in the large hall, invisible ripples turned into deep wrinkles on the brows of the three generations of Yu's family.

　Have a great weekend!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)