Chapter 10 Chapter Nine Red Dust
The messenger's lips were still fluttering, his voice sounded like mosquitoes and ants, sounding distant and hollow.She only felt that her thoughts were fading, her consciousness was blurring, and her body began to fall into the thick darkness.She tried to grab something, but there was nothing around.Just keep falling, keep falling, never ending...
After Li Ling led his army back to the capital, the emperor immediately summoned him in the Xuan Room of Weiyang Palace.Liu Che had already reported to Li Lingjun what he had seen and heard in advance, and when they met, he sternly reprimanded him for being a woman. He shouldn't have gone deep into the hinterland in order to escort a wounded Hun woman, so that she was surrounded by the Hun army. The calmness and courage of ten thousand horses shooting five sets of water bags in a row, praised him for his general demeanor.
Li Ling said sadly: "I dare not lie to Your Majesty. In fact, my last arrow failed. If Ren Liheng, my attendant, did not move at all, the arrow would only hit his forehead, not the one that fell by chance. Water bag." Liu Che said: "Qing is honest, which is very good. However, I once heard your grandfather Li Jun talk about the way of archery, saying that the target is the ambition, the heart is the arrow, and the heart moves with the target. When Ren Liheng moves, Qing's arrow Naturally, it moved accordingly, this is Qing's natural instinct, not a mistake."
Li Ling remained silent.The highest state of archery is the unity of mind and mind. He thinks that his archery skills are extraordinary, but he can't predict the future. After the last feather arrow left the string, Ren Liheng began to bow his head.He was indeed disturbed by the red figure rolling down the hillside, so he was distracted and lost his hand.If it was normal, the arrow should have passed over Ren Liheng's head. Of course, the water bag would fall and not be shot, and the six of them would all die under the sword of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King Qiedanhou.
Liu Che said again: "However, Ren Liheng is also loyal to the country, and I will take good care of his family." Li Ling said: "Thank you, Your Majesty." Just as he was about to return the seal of riding captain, Liu Che waved his hand and said: "It just so happens that I am new Five thousand elite soldiers were recruited from Chu and handed over to Qing to command, and the frontier defense of Jiuquan and Zhangye counties was also handed over to Qing."
In the past, the parachutist Li Guang was only the prefect of the border county when he was at his peak. Li Ling was only in his early twenties, and he actually commanded the military affairs of the two counties at the same time. Stay away from worrying, and don't know whether it is happiness or worry for a while.However, the emperor's decree did not allow him to consider it, so he had to bow down to thank him.
When they came out of Weiyang Palace, they saw Liu Jieyou and Sang Qian waiting in front of Bei Sima Gate.I haven't seen him for a few months, but Liu Jieyou seems to have grown up a lot, and his round face has become sharper and thinner, revealing a charm that is unique to young girls.He couldn't help but tremble in his heart, he quickly gathered himself together, went forward and said, "I'm going back to Maoling to see you." Sang Qian smiled and said, "Sister Jieyou heard that you came back, so she immediately dragged my flying horse to catch up with you." Come here." Liu Jieyou blushed and said, "Let's go."
Seeing her sullen expression, Li Ling didn't seem happy to see him, so he couldn't help being surprised. He wanted to ask why, but because there were many attendants behind him, he had to hold back.
As soon as the group reached the Zhicheng Gate, they met a servant head-on and called out: "Du Weijun, the crown prince invites you to go to the North Palace." Li Ling had no choice but to say: "Jie You, you and Sang Qian go back first. Maoling, I'll go back and look for you."
Liu Jieyou said: "Brother Li Ling, I have something important to ask you first." Calling Li Ling aside, he asked seriously, "The Hun girl you sent home...is...is she beautiful?" Li Ling said: "Who? Oh, you mean Yiguang, the daughter of Zuo Xianwang? I didn't pay attention to whether she is beautiful..." Suddenly comprehending the implication of the other party, he hurriedly said: "Ah, it's not what you think, Yiguang He's just a kid." Liu Jieyou smiled and said, "So that's it. Brother Li Ling, go see the prince quickly, I'll wait for you here." Li Ling responded, and followed the servant to the north palace.
Prince Liu Juzheng was talking with General Wei Qing about marrying Wusun in the Bowangyuan of the Crown Prince's uterus. He was very happy to see Li Ling coming. If you are siblings, why do you need to be more polite?" Li Ling said: "The crown prince has a noble status, and the minister is just doing his duty as a minister."
Liu Judao: "I didn't ask you to come here for any other reason. I just want to hear what you have seen and heard about your trip to the Western Regions." Li Ling said, "Yes." style.
Liu Judao: "I once heard from Zhang Qian, the Marquis of Bowang, that the Da Yue clan used silver to mint coins. The front side of the silver coin was cast with the portrait of the king, and the back was cast with the portrait of the king's wife. If the king died, another new coin was minted. I also heard that They use leather to write characters, and the characters are all written horizontally. Is this really the case?" Li Ling said: "The Da Yue clan is located in the southwest of Wusun, with Dawan and other countries in between. I didn't arrive this time, so we can't Sure."
Liu Judao: "So in the countries you have been to, those people look very different from us Han people?" Li Ling said: "Yes. Starting from Loulan, the first country in the east of the Western Regions, you can see that the appearance of Loulan people is very different. Yu Han people. But I heard that there is a country called Khotan in the south of the Western Regions, and the people there look exactly the same as us in the Central Plains, and there is no difference." Liu Judao: "I also heard Zhang Qian say this. When Mr. Zhang returned from his first envoy to the Western Regions, he met the Xiongnu sentry on the way, and he lied that he was a businessman from Khotan, but the Huns saw through it because he had no goods."
Li Ling said in his heart: "Bowang Hou Zhangqian has been to most of the countries in the Western Regions, and his knowledge is far superior to mine. When he was alive, the crown prince had summoned him many times to talk at night by candlelight. He knew all kinds of customs and customs well. You specially summoned me to ask these questions?" Just as he was wondering, he heard Liu Ju say again: "Li Jun is deeply trusted by his father and emperor, and it is a matter of time to worship a general and become a marquis. I married Li Jun's cousin, and the Li family is already close relatives. In the future, we will support each other with Li Jun."
Only then did Li Ling suddenly realize that the prince had deliberately won over him because he saw that he was favored by the emperor.He knew that the empress and the prince had fallen out of favor for a long time, although the emperor specially summoned the general Wei Qing to tell the prince not to worry, but there was still no sign of closeness in action, and it was still difficult to really reassure the Wei family.Although he has always wanted to help the prince, not only because he has served as the prince's companion, but also because the prince is honest and refined, and he will definitely be a wise king in the future, but now Liu Zheng is so blatantly showing his favor, making the prince's image in his heart suddenly strange , is no longer the partner who studied together, practiced martial arts together, had no intentions, and was honest with each other.Facing such a situation, he always felt a little guilt lingering in his heart, as if he had betrayed the prince. He was the prince's companion since he was a child, and he should be the prince's official when he grew up, but he turned around and became the emperor's favorite , so that the prince had to condescend to please him.It shouldn't be like this, really shouldn't be like this.
Just when he was feeling embarrassed and unable to deal with it, he suddenly heard the general Wei Qing say: "The crown prince specially ordered me to prepare some gifts to congratulate Li Jun on his safe escape and return." With a wave of his hand, a servant brought up a wooden box and opened it for a look But it is a shiny new chain mail.
Wei Qing said: "This was a gift given to me by the King of Huainan in the past. I told the Emperor, and the Emperor ordered me to keep it, but I have never worn it, and now I am giving it to Du Weijun. This armor is invulnerable, but it is not light. Two Liang, it is Du Weijun's good match."
Today's emperors are most taboo about courtiers forming cliques for selfish purposes, especially the crown prince. Li Ling didn't want to accept the gift at first, but then he said: "I grew up with the crown prince, and we were good friends who talked about everything. It is unreasonable to refuse a friend's gift. Besides, the prince's situation is already very pitiful, I might as well accept the armor, so that he can feel at ease. As long as I have a clear conscience, even if the emperor knows, I can't say anything." Immediately stepped forward to take the armor, thanking him.
Liu Ju was really very happy, and said: "Originally, I was supposed to hold a banquet to cleanse Mr. Li, but you were called into the palace when you returned to the capital, and you haven't had time to go home to visit Mrs. Tai, so I don't dare to stop you. Great filial son." Li Ling said: "Thank you, Prince, for your understanding." Thanks again, and then he brought out the wooden box.
When he left the North Palace, he met the eunuch Ling Chuntuo.Chuntuo said in a strange way: "Mr. Du Wei is proud of the spring breeze in both the north and the south. It's rare, rare."
Li Ling ignored him, left the palace by himself, handed the wooden box to his attendants, mounted his horse and rushed straight to the city gate, but Liu Jieyou and Sang Qian were nowhere to be seen, thinking that they could not wait to go back to Maoling, so he hurried home, Go to see your mother first.
Li's mother said solemnly: "I have heard that you met Zuo Xianwang when you left the teacher. I know that you did that to save the rest of the attendants. However, the father and son of the Ren family have served my Li family for three generations, and you shot them to death with your own hands." Ren Liheng, when you meet your grandfather underground in the future, how will you explain to him?"
Li Ling knew that his mother thought he wanted to shoot the water bag, so he shot Ren Liheng to death, and quickly knelt down and said, "It's not like that." He told the whole story.Li's mother said: "You mean, the fallen Hun girl distracted you?" Li Ling said: "Yes, the child dare not hide from mother, the arrow should have failed."
Li's mother said: "Then have you told others about this?" Li Ling said: "Of course, the child has already told all the attendants the truth, including Ren Liheng's younger brother Ren Lizheng, and just now he told the truth to the emperor."
Li's mother was relieved at this moment, she stepped forward to help Li Ling herself, and praised: "My son does things openly and aboveboard, and this is a heroic act." He ordered people to call Ren Lizheng in, ordered Li Ling to kneel before him, and said: "Although Li Ling is your boss , However, since ancient times, murder pays for life, he shot your elder brother to death, I will hand him over to you to deal with, you can beat or kill, it is up to you."
Ren Lizheng hurriedly knelt in a row with Li Ling, and said, "Madam Tai, there is no need to be like this. Not to mention that Du Wei Jun's divine arrow saved us all, but he was willing to confess to his ministers about his failure afterwards, which shows that he is magnanimous. A rare gentleman."
Li's mother said, "Are you willing to forgive Li Ling?" Ren Lizheng said, "Of course. There are no certainty about casualties on the battlefield. Besides, it was not Du Weijun who actually shot the elder brother to death, but King Zuo Xian of the Xiongnu." Li The mother said: "Well, the old man is very grateful for your tolerance. Come, take Li Ling out, and give him fifty lashes."
Ren Lizheng wanted to intercede again, but Li Ling said, "No need. Just let me take this beating, and I'll be more at ease." He came out, took off his coat, and knelt in front of the hall.
Li's mother was worried about the family's favoritism, so she personally supervised the family, and whenever she saw the family's whip being lightly dropped, she would yell loudly.By the time of the thirty lashes, Li Ling's back was covered in blood, dripping with blood, and his body was on the verge of falling.
The attendants all knelt down to intercede, but Li's mother was unmoved at all, until the fifty lashes were finished, and then she said: "When Ren Liheng's coffin is transported back to the capital, you have to kowtow three times and pay nine respects to his funeral as a dutiful son."
Li Ling nearly passed out, and couldn't even answer "No".The attendants rushed up and hurriedly carried him back to the room, made him lie face down on the bed, and applied medicine to his wound.He was in excruciating pain, and after holding on for a while, he passed out.
I don't know how long it took, and in a daze, I heard an anxious voice shouting next to my ear: "Li Ling! Li Ling!" He managed to open his eyes, but it was Huo Guang who said, "You're here."
Huo Guang said: "Did you see Jieyou and Sang Qian?" Li Ling said: "Didn't they go home?" Huo Guang said: "No, I thought they came to you."
Li Ling was just about to stand up, but his back was burning like fire, and he was unable to get down, so he obediently stopped moving and said, "We had an appointment to meet at the Zhicheng Gate. But when I came out of the North Palace, they It's gone." Huo Guang said, "Okay then, take care of your injuries first, and then I'll look for them later."
Li Ling grabbed his sleeve and said: "Wait a minute! You...why do you seem to be a completely different person?" Huo Guang was silent for a while, and said: "My sister-in-law died, and now I am the only one left in our Huo family , what if I can't do anything else?" Li Ling let go of his hand upon hearing this.
Sima Qinxin is recognized as a beautiful and talented woman, known as "the first beauty in Maoling". She was once the object of discussion by all the men in Maoling. Even Prince Liu Ju asked Li Ling about her deeds when he was young.Such a perfect woman later married the most perfect man and was admired by all the people in the world.It's a pity that life is like a dream, rich and dusty, the hussar generals who used to be famous all over the world, now they have become a handful of loess in Maoling.No matter how peerless the achievements, no matter how stunning the beauties, they will eventually fade away with the passing of time. This is probably the reason why today's people are unwilling to succumb to fate and desperately pursue immortality.
So what about his future?What would he be like in the future, or rather, what would he want him to be like in the future?He recalled that quiet night outside the Great Wall again, if he could hold Jieyou's hand from time to time, look up at the starry sky, overlook the earth together, be silent and smile together, that would be the life he would really feel happy in.When a person comes to the world, he is like a wandering bird, longing for shelter.Even a hero like the Great Han Emperor dreams of meeting Ai Ji Li Yan again and staying together for a lifetime.If he could catch up with the blue bird of happiness, he would rather give up fame and fortune, give up high officials and generous salary, and spend the rest of his life in obscurity.After all, love is the last stop in life.
Thinking stupidly, my heart is warm and peaceful.
On a clear moonlit night, he was injured and unable to move, but some ancient and eternal emotions and desires swept into his heart like a breeze, allowing him to calm down and listen to his true inner voice.
The next morning, when Ren Lizheng was changing Li Ling's medicine, Huo Guang rushed in and said, "Jieyou and Sang Qian were robbed yesterday."
Li Ling said "Ouch", hurriedly ordered his attendants to help him sit up, and said, "Why didn't you come and tell me earlier?"
Huo Guang said: "I didn't intend to tell you that you have suffered such a serious injury, but someone sent a letter to my house this morning, asking you to negotiate with me." Li Ling said: "Me? How could it be me?"
Dongfang Shuo walked in slowly and said, "Probably because the other party knows that you have been beaten recently and you are injured, so it is the easiest to deal with."
Guan Gan hurriedly said: "Then Du Weijun can't go. He is a senior official of Erqianshi, if he is kidnapped by the other party, wouldn't it be even worse?"
Li Ling said: "I'll go. Where did they tell me to go?" Huo Guang said: "The letter tells you to go to Dongshi. You are not allowed to bring attendants or weapons."
Ren Lizheng said: "The hostage-taking is mostly for money. Sangqian's family is as rich as an enemy, and that person must be targeting him. Why do you want Du Weijun to be the intermediary? There must be fraud. Mr. Dongfang, you What do you mean?" Dongfang Shuo said, "Yes."
Li Ling said: "Okay, I've made up my mind. Bring the clothes here." Ren Lizheng said: "In this case, then please ask Du Weijun to let his ministers lead people to follow secretly. In case something happens, we can take care of it." Li Ling said: "All of you listen to Mr. Dongfang's arrangement. Hurry up and prepare the car."
The car drove all the way into Chang'an, and as soon as it got on Yongmen Street, there was a lot of traffic, and the car moved slower than a snail.Li Ling was so anxious that he got out of the car and walked into Dongshi.He had a back injury and could only walk slowly with a cane.
As soon as he entered the west gate of Dongshi, a child of seven or eight years old came over and asked, "Is your name Li Ling?" Li Ling said, "It's me." The child smiled and said, "Come with me, someone is waiting for you." you."
Li Ling followed the child, walked all the way through the streets and alleys, and came to a butcher's shop.There was already a man waiting there, leading Li Ling through the shop, out the back door, into the backyard of another shop diagonally opposite, then stopped and asked: "Are you Li Ling?" Li Ling said: "Yes."
The man groped around his waist, but he couldn't find the official seal, and said: "Without the official seal of the captain, how can you prove that you are Li Ling?" Li Ling said: "Give me a bow and arrow, and I can prove it to you immediately." .”
The man didn't ask any more questions, and whistled, two men rushed out of the room, grabbed Li Ling's crutches, twisted his arms instead, and tied his hands.
Li Ling protested loudly: "Didn't you want me to be an intermediary? Why did you kidnap me?" The leading man said: "You are too skilled in martial arts, so you have to guard against it. You have offended me."
Blindfolded Li Ling's eyes with a black cloth, led him for a while in a zigzag, got into a carriage, and walked for a long way, then helped him down, took him to a room, and let him sit on the ground.
After half an hour, someone opened the door and came in and asked, "Are you Li Ling?" It sounded quite old.
Li Ling said: "It's me. Who is this?" The man said: "My surname is Bao, you can call me Bao Jia." Li Ling said: "Where are Sang Qian and Liu Jieyou?" Bao Jia said: "They all very good."
Li Ling said: "What do you want?" Bao Jia said: "We take the risk of taking hostages and committing capital crimes. Of course we want money. You go back and tell Mr. Sang Hongyang that if you want to redeem his precious son, you must first prepare two things." Qianjin." Li Ling said: "Okay. Since you only want money, please let the girl go first. Sang Qian is the only son, as long as you have him in your hands, are you afraid that Sang Hongyang will not obey?"
Bao Jia laughed and said, "That's not acceptable. I specially asked you to be an intermediary for a reason. To redeem Liu Jieyou, you have to exchange something else—your Li family's "General Li's Archery" Book." Li Ling said: "It turns out that what you really want is the book "General Li's Shooting Technique". Okay, I will stay as your hostage, and you let Liu Jieyou go back to pass the message for you."
Bao Jia was very surprised, and said: "Are you willing to stay as a hostage?" Li Ling said: "Yes. The book "General Li's Archery" is collected by my mother, and Liu Jieyou is not someone from my Li family. How could my mother come up with it? An ancestral item in exchange for her life? But if you use me as a hostage, the situation will be completely different." He said: "Now I am injured, and I can't even beat a child. Are you still afraid that I will run away? But in Before the exchange, I want to see Liu Jieyou."
Bao Jia pondered for a while, and said: "Okay. Come here, go and bring that girl here."
After a while, footsteps came, and someone removed the black cloth from Li Ling's eyes.But there were several men standing in the room, all covering their faces with black cloths, and two men standing in front of Liu Jieyou, but her eyes were blindfolded and her mouth was covered with rags.
Bao Jia said: "You have seen it, you should rest assured now."
Li Ling didn't say anything, just nodded.Bao Jia ordered someone to take Liu Jieyou out.Although Liu Jieyou couldn't see, couldn't speak, he still felt something. He made a "woo woo" sound and struggled vigorously.It's just that her hands were tied behind her back, which was no match for two burly men, and she was easily dragged out.
Two men came forward, still covered Li Ling's eyes with black cloth, pulled him up from the ground, and pulled him out of the room.After walking for about a moment, I crossed a high threshold before stopping.Someone stuffed a ball of cloth into his mouth and put an iron ring on his left foot before pushing him to the ground.Li Ling slammed his back against the wall, the wound burst open, and he cried out in pain, but he couldn't make a sound.
Suddenly he felt his left ankle being pulled by something, and immediately realized that the other end of the shackles might be Sang Qian, so he slowly groped to the left, and sure enough, he came across someone.That person kept screaming "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" probably like li ling who couldn't speak, so he was just in a hurry.
Li Ling endured the pain in his back, and bumped into the person beside him with his elbow.The man was stunned for a long time, but finally came to his senses, turned his back, and handed his hands to Li Ling.Li Ling groped for a long time, and finally untied the rope around the man's wrist.He had to take off his hands, and immediately took off the black cloth over his eyes, and pulled out the blockage in his mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then exclaimed, "Li Ling...why is it you?"
Li Ling was even more surprised than the other party, and thought: "This is not Sang Qian's voice, and the tone of his speech is not authentic Chinese, but more like a Hun."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he looked intently—that person was really not Sang Qian, but Jin Rixun, the prince Rixun of the former Xiutu King Yongfu of the Huns.King Hunxie killed a brave man when his army descended to Han, and Ri Lin became a prisoner and was punished to raise horses in the stables of Weiyang Palace. Because he was good at raising horses, he was valued by the emperor who loved horses. The surname is Jin, and now he is the official captain of the horse, and wears two thousand stone seals.
Li Ling was stunned, and asked, "Why is it you?" Jin Rixun untied the rope from his hands, and replied, "I was tied up here. Is it the same for Du Weijun? But they Why did I tie you up?"
Li Ling thought about it, and said: "Do you know the reason why these people kidnapped you?" Jin Rixun said: "I heard a few words, it seems that they want to sell me to the Huns at a high price. Oh, I mean sell me To the Huns in Hudi."
Li Ling said, "But why must it be you?"
He questioned for sure—among the Huns who surrendered to the Han, the highest status was the Hun prince Yu Shan. He was the son of the military minister Shan Yu. The emperor attached great importance to him back then, and he did not hesitate to marry Princess Yi'an as proof. It is a pity Yu Shan was soon killed by Huainan King Liu An and his gang; followed by Hunxie King Yu Jun, who was named Marquis of Luoyin and had ten thousand households in the city.Even if the Huns wanted to attack, King Hunxie was far more influential than Jin Ridun.Although Jin Rixun was an official in the Han Dynasty, he did not voluntarily surrender. He was confiscated into the palace as a slave in the early days because he refused to surrender. Later, he was favored by the emperor, which was entirely a fluke.If you are dealing with the Huns who are officials in the court, Gongsun He, who is ranked in the Jiuqing, is a better choice.Why is it Kim Il-dung?
But Jin Rixun himself didn't seem to be surprised, he just said: "Someone came to lobby me to serve the Huns again, but I didn't agree."
Only then did Li Ling suddenly realize that most of the people who lobbied Jin Rixun were traitors of the Xiongnu that Dongfang Shuo had been chasing. Because of the chance, it is easy to persuade him to defect, but Kim Ridun did not agree.He was worried about exposing his identity, so he deliberately silenced him.The gang outside must have been found by the traitor, but why not kill Jin Ridun, wouldn't that be easier?
Jin Rixun seemed to see the question in Li Ling's mind, and said, "Does Du Wei know why my surname is Jin?" Li Ling said, "Of course I know, it's because of the Jin people who sacrificed to the sky."
The National Treasure of the Huns, the Tianjinren, was originally kept by King Xiutu, the brave man. Before the emperor of the Han Dynasty attacked the Huns on a large scale, he sent Huo Qubing, a hussar general, to attack thousands of miles away, and captured the Tianjinren by force. It is still enshrined in the emperor's favorite palace. In Ganquan Palace.Because he was the son of King Xiutu, Rifeng was specially given the surname Jin to commemorate this victory.
Jin Rixun said: "That's right, it's because of offering sacrifices to the Jinren. My father was the protector of the treasures elected by the Longcheng Assembly. From the naive Xie Chanyu to Uwe Chanyu, he tried many methods, and even thought of learning from the Hussar General’s in-depth surprise attack back then, and forcibly seized it.”
Li Ling said in his heart: "Although the Xiongnu's army is strong, their national power is far from being able to compete with the big man. Back then, the Hussar general went deep into the hinterland of the Huns because the Huns were vast and sparsely populated. The Han army was only discovered when they approached King Xiutu's garrison. My big Han population Dense, the Xiongnu cavalry wants to sneak into the capital quietly, it is simply a dream. Unless it is to use a traitor to steal it, like stealing Gaodi's White Snake Sword. However, the golden man is heavy and huge, and it takes several strong men to lift it up , it is impossible to be stolen."
Jin Rixun continued: "But in the end, Uwe Shanyu found that it was impossible to regain the golden man, so he hired a new golden man from Xitian, but to become the treasure of the town, a living person needs to be sacrificed to the sky." Li Ling said : "You are the son of the former treasure protector, so Uwe Shanyu chose you?" Jin Rixun nodded.
Li Ling couldn't help laughing, and said, "Are these people planning to tie you up and send you to the Huns? There are many checkpoints for the Han army, how can they send a living person out?"
Kim Jong-un remained silent.His mood was actually contradictory and complicated - at the beginning he hated the Han Dynasty extremely, and he was determined to avenge his father, as evidenced by the fact that he assassinated the Hussar General Huo Qubing twice in the army regardless of his life or death.Later, although he won the emperor's trust because of his ability to raise horses, he still didn't really submit to the big man, but he had to be an official in the court to help his mother and younger brother get rid of their status as official slaves, but he never thought of becoming an enemy of his own people.Perhaps it was this that was seen by the traitors placed in the court by the Huns, who mistakenly thought that he still had a heart for the Huns, so they came to persuade him to work for the Huns again.But he had already seen that the Han was far superior to the Xiongnu in every aspect, and knew that the Xiongnu would never be able to compete with the Han for a long time, and secretly playing tricks and tricks was not his favorite method, so he resolutely refused.Of course, he also said that he would never become an enemy of Uwe Shanyu and reveal the identity of the traitor.Unexpectedly, just as he left the meeting place, he was beaten unconscious from behind and tied up here to be imprisoned.He woke up on the way and heard the kidnapper's conversation, only then did he know that the traitor had already prepared, if he refused to obey, he would immediately arrest him and try to escort him back to Hudi to sacrifice to heaven.He didn't think about whether the gang of traitors could transport him out of the pass, but he was worried that this person had far-reaching plans. If he lied that he defected on his own initiative, his mother and younger brother would be implicated and executed.At this moment, is he going to break his promise and say the traitor's name?
The place where the two were imprisoned was just an empty earthen room, and there were two catalpa coffins parked in the middle of the room, and it was unknown if there were any dead bodies inside.
Although the two of them untied each other, one of their feet was shackled together, their movements were restricted, and it was still difficult for them to escape.Jin Rixun was unwilling to sit still and waited for death, and said in a low voice: "Du Weijun, although it is difficult to escape, you and I still have to try hard."
Li Ling shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you. I'm injured and can't walk." Jin Ridun was surprised and said, "Did these people hurt you?"
Suddenly, a man in gray clothes pushed the door open and came in. Seeing that Li Ling and Jin Rixun had untied themselves and were talking, he couldn't help being surprised, and hurriedly called out: "Come here, come here, quickly take the two of them away." Shut your mouth."
Li Ling hurriedly asked, "Who is that person?" Jin Rixun was stunned for a moment, and asked, "Who is that person?" Suddenly realizing that the other party was asking who the traitor was, Wei Yi hesitated, but decided to say it out, and said, "It's the public." ..."
But before he could say the name of the lobbyist, he was gagged, blindfolded, and bound behind his back.The man in gray who came in first took the key and opened the shackles on his right foot, and two men pulled him up and carried him out.
Li Ling said: "Hey, you are going to take him..." Before he finished speaking, his mouth was blocked and his eyes lost their light.The hands were pulled behind the back and tied tightly with ropes.Someone wrapped the iron chain around his calf several times, and locked his right ankle with another ring, preventing him from moving.
There was only the sound of heavy objects sliding, and then two people came up, one grabbed Li Ling's shoulders, and the other grabbed his feet.Realizing that something was wrong, he struggled vigorously, but he was forcibly lifted up and thrown into the coffin, and the lid of the coffin was "rolled" shut immediately.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and Li Ling could even hear his own heavy breathing.The wound on his back touched the bottom of the coffin, and the wound stabbed hotly, as if every inch of flesh had been ripped apart, and the heart-piercing pain pierced deeply into his body like ten thousand steel needles.After taking a few breaths, he managed to gather a little strength before trying to sit up.Unexpectedly, before he could straighten his body in time, his head hit the coffin lid, and he fell down again, nearly passing out.
After resting for a while, he slowly turned sideways, moved little by little, and finally turned over with his back facing up, sweating profusely from exhaustion.Although the pain of the wound is not reduced, the wound is no longer squeezed, which can slow down the bleeding.
He was so alone in the coffin, hungry and thirsty, hurt like burning, but unable to cry out, enduring the pain and suffering, it was really uncomfortable.He has never felt that time goes by so slowly, he just feels that every moment is extremely difficult.
Suddenly, I heard a faint singing voice coming from outside. Although the voice was faint, the lyrics were clearly recognizable:
The first chapter of this "Scallion Dew" states that human life is dying like the dew on the scallion, which is easy to dry up, and the latter chapter states that the dead spirit returns to Artemisia. It was originally written by Tian Hengmen to commemorate Tian Heng.At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, Tian Heng was unwilling to submit to Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, and committed suicide on the way to be summoned. His disciples hurt him and wrote a sad song.Li Yannian, Lieutenant of Xielu, loved this piece very much during his lifetime, and deliberately included it in the Yuefu "Xianghe Song", which became a famous elegy.
Li Ling himself is also proficient in poetry and melody. Hearing the melancholy and desolate voice of the song, he chanted it three times and couldn't help but feel serious in his heart. He thought to himself, "I'm going to die soon. This "Xielu" seems to be sung for me. Evanescent waves It’s hard to stay, the sun is easy to decay in the west, the flowers and trees don’t stop, and the dew of scallions doesn’t last long. It’s a pity!”
When I was feeling depressed, I suddenly heard shouts and noises outside.After a while, someone ran over and kicked the door open.Li Ling could hear clearly, so he quickly bent his legs and swung them back and forth.There was an iron chain wrapped around his calf, and he knocked on the inner wall of the coffin, making a crisp "clang clang" sound.
This trick really worked, only to hear someone shouting: "There is someone! There is someone inside!"
The coffin was quickly opened, and the voice suddenly became high-pitched and clear: "We found it! There is a hostage here!"
Someone carried Li Ling out, made him sit on the ground, pulled off the restraints on his eyes and mouth, and asked, "Are you Mr. Sang Qian Sang?" It was an official from Tingwei's mansion, and hurriedly said: "The captain-in-law Jin Riyi was here just now, he was taken out not long ago, you go and search."
The officials originally came here to search for Sangqian, and they didn't know anything about Li Ling and Jin Ridun. When they heard that there were two senior officials of the two thousand stone captains imprisoned here, they couldn't help being speechless.They didn't have a key, and they couldn't open the iron cuffs on Li Ling's feet, so they had to leave one person to guard while the other ran out to seek help.
After waiting for a long time, a large group of people rushed in, and the leader was Ting Wei Du Zhou.
Du Zhou, courtesy name Changru, was born as a small official.Yi Zong, a cruel official, recommended him for the post of Ting Wei Shi because of his ability.This person is usually taciturn, mature and prudent, with a gentle appearance and a deep heart.He was ordered to investigate the loss of people, animals, armored soldiers, and warehouses in Bian County due to the invasion of the Huns. The law enforcement was severe, and many people were sentenced to death for this.But precisely because of its harsh usage, it was appreciated by the emperor, thinking that he was trying his best to be selfless, so he was promoted to be a court captain.His way of resolving the case is mostly imitated by Zhang Tang, that is, he does not take the legal provisions as the criterion, but the emperor's will. If the emperor wants to punish, he will deal with it severely, and if the emperor wants to release, he will show the criminal's injustice. Flattery", which means to seek credit and obtain high positions by adhering to the upper meaning.
After Du Zhou took office as Ting Wei, he was extremely strict and the number of major cases increased sharply. More than 100 senior officials with more than 2,000 shi were imprisoned for crimes.In addition, there are no less than a thousand cases each year that the prefects of the counties, the prime minister's mansion, and the Yushi doctor's mansion hand over to the court lieutenant for trial.The number of people involved in each case ranged from hundreds of people in large cases to dozens of people in small cases.The distance that prison officials run to handle cases ranges from thousands of miles away to hundreds of miles away.Because there were too many cases, the jailers could not interrogate them in detail one by one, so they had to use the statutes to convict them according to the reported facts.The number of prisoners held in the prisons of Ting Wei and the capital's government was as many as 60,000 to 70,000, and law enforcement officials were implicated at will, sometimes as many as more than 100,000.Therefore, people at the time called Du Zhou "deep and piercing", and he was another famous cruel official after Zhang Tang.
Li Ling was surprised when he saw that the highest officer of the Ting Wei personally led people to search for the hostages, and then he thought that this cruel official was not for himself, nor for Jin Rizhen, but for Sang Qian, to be precise, for Sang Qian's father Sang Hongyang.Everyone in the world knows that this Captain Sou Su and Da Nong Ling is a well-deserved celebrity in front of the emperor. Since he entered the palace as a child prodigy at the age of thirteen, he has formed a deep friendship with the emperor. The favor is unfailing, and no one in the court can compare with it.
Sure enough, Du Zhou asked in the first sentence: "Where is Mr. Sang?" Li Ling said: "I haven't seen Sang Qian since I came here, only Jieyou and Jin Ridun."
Du Zhou said: "Then how did Du Weijun fall into the hands of the villains?" Li Ling said: "These villains named me to discuss the ransom. How did Tingwei Jun find this place?"
Du Zhou's mind was all on searching for Sang Qian's whereabouts, and he had no intention of chatting with Li Ling, but the other party was also a high-ranking official of Erqianshi, and his rank was equal to him, so he could not be neglected, so he left Yushi Xianxuan to deal with the funeral, and hurriedly took people out to continue recourse.
On the one hand, Xianxuan ordered the officials to find heavy axes and break open the shackles. On the other hand, he briefly introduced the investigation process to Li Ling. It turned out that someone sent a letter to Sang Hongyang's gate yesterday, saying that Sang Qian had been hijacked, and asked Sang Hongyang to prepare for it. Ransom, waiting for notification.Sang Hongyang's temperament is very similar to that of the current emperor, he is tough and aggressive, immediately disregarding the warnings of the bad guys, and personally brought a letter to Ting Wei Du Zhou.杜周仔细看过投书后，断定一定有熟人做内应，立即带着精干官吏来到桑府，关起大门，将下人们叫来一一审问，折腾了众人一夜，终于得到一条有用信息——桑迁的堂兄桑晋游手好闲，好斗鸡赌博，花光了自己的那份家产后，几次来找桑弘羊求官，都被赶了出去。前不久，桑晋常常在茂陵桑府附近徘徊，形容甚是鬼祟。杜周一早回来长安，亲自带人将桑晋从被窝中抓到廷尉府。桑晋开始尚且抵赖，后来抵不住酷刑拷打，终于承认是自己勾结暴甲绑架了桑迁，意欲向桑弘羊索取巨额赎金后与暴甲各分一半。本来暴甲一切都有安排，可他自己着急，忍不住也要让桑弘羊着急，先行暗中投书到桑府，哪知道语气中露出破绽，被杜周追踪到。问起暴甲来历，他只知道那人姓暴，原来也是个官吏，因犯法而逃亡，来到长安后招徕了一帮亡命之徒，专门做“替人消灾”的事，无论是谁，只要出得起价钱，他们就替雇主办事。杜周遂根据桑晋的口供，寻来东市这家凶肆。
李陵心道：“原来这里是家凶肆，难怪会有人唱挽歌。”忙问道：“这里所有的棺木都查验过了么？”咸宣道：“都尉君请放心，臣正在派人一一搜查。”见李陵后背被血迹浸透，忙道：“都尉君受了伤，臣送你去医治。”命人扶了李陵出来。正好遇到东方朔一行人。
刘解忧奔过来，握住李陵的手臂，喜极而泣，道：“李陵哥哥，你没事，实在太好了。”
她知道李陵实际上是舍己救人。《李将军射术》是飞将军李广所著，详细记载了李家射术和箭法的要诀，李陵断然不会容忍祖父之书落入奸人之手。他拿自己换走刘解忧，实际上就是在暗示母亲，宁可他死，也不能交出祖父遗书。他知道刘解忧冰雪聪明，担心她猜到自己的意图，所以在绑架者同意他二人见面时有意不出声。刘解忧随即被绑架者带出东市释放，正遇到四下寻找李陵踪迹的任立政等侍从，便一面派人去通知桑弘羊准备赎金，自己回茂陵向李母索取《李将军射术》一书。李母听说究竟，没有答话，只轻轻叹息了一声。刘解忧这才恍然明白过来，李家是绝不会交出《李将军射术》的，这不但是李母的意思，也是李陵自己的意思。一时也无法可想，只得来求助东方朔。东方朔本在李陵携带的拐杖上钻了一些小孔，灌入花粉，好便于追踪。但任立政、管敢等侍从一路追到某家肉食店的后院时，只看见丢弃的拐杖，李陵人早就不见了。众人无可奈何，正要先回茂陵等待歹人下一步通知，却看见廷尉杜周率领大批吏卒到来，封锁了东市，挨家挨户搜捕逃犯。自杜周上任廷尉以来，大狱不断，日日有吏卒出动逮人，人们早已经是见怪不怪。东方朔等人虽然猜到杜周是为桑迁而来，却有意不阻止，想趁廷尉打草惊蛇之时，寻访到李陵的被关押处。杜周根据桑晋的口供寻到凶肆，却只发现了李陵。
李陵道：“你没事么？有没有受伤？”刘解忧道：“没有，我很好。桑迁人呢？”李陵道：“我没有见过他，只在不久前见过金日磾。”
他新受鞭伤，带伤折腾了一天，体力消耗极大，失血又多，说完这几句话，再也支持不住，眼前一黑，便晕了过去。
再醒来时，已经回到茂陵东方朔的住处，俯卧在床上，背上清凉一片，痛楚大为减轻。
刘解忧守在床边，见李陵醒来，忙解释道：“是我怕太夫人担心，先带你来了我师傅这里。任立政他们已经回去告诉太夫人，说你已然没事，去帮廷尉抓捕歹人了。”李陵道：“多谢。”又问道：“你和桑迁是如何被劫的？”
刘解忧道：“我们两个本来在直城门等你，有一个小孩子跑过来嬉笑玩耍，突然伸手抢走了桑迁腰带上的玉佩。他急忙去追，结果不知怎的摔倒了，我赶去扶他时，头发晕，眼前一黑，就什么都不知道了。师傅说多半是那小孩子施放了迷药什么的。”
李陵道：“这伙人胆大妄为，行动周密，早晚会成为京师大患。”
刘解忧叹道：“你以后不要再做这么危险的事了，我不要你为了我以身涉险。”李陵握住她的手，只默不作声。
正好东方朔和霍光进来，刘解忧忙抽手站起来，问道：“有桑迁哥哥的消息了么？”霍光摇了摇头，道：“只在凶肆的一具棺材里找到桑迁的一只鞋子。”
东方朔道：“想来绑架者带走金日磾时就已经得到消息，所以同时转移走了金日磾和桑迁。只是为什么又独独没有带走李陵呢？”刘解忧道：“这些人都是亡命之徒，要钱不要命，对他们来说，《李将军射术》当然比不上黄金重要。不过金日磾家中只有母亲和弟弟，算不上什么有钱人啊，咱们茂陵随便一户人家就能超过他，为什么要带走他呢？”
李陵道：“这正是我要告诉你们的，这伙人绑架金日磾是因为别的事。”当即说了匈奴内奸亲自出面游说金日磾效命单于之事。
东方朔道：“你是说金日磾被带走时来不及说出内奸的姓名，只说了一个'公'字？”李陵点点头，道：“我真不该跟金日磾东扯西拉，应该最先问那匈奴内奸的名字的。”
东方朔道：“你不必自责。我猜就算你一开始就问，金日磾未必肯告诉你。他那样的性子，虽然没有同意背叛大汉，却也不会轻易出卖自己的族人。”
刘解忧道：“会不会就是公孙贺？师傅不是一直怀疑他是匈奴内奸么？”东方朔摇了摇头，道：“我怀疑公孙贺，完全是基于推测，并没有真凭实据。我请长安大侠朱安世监视他好些日子了，也没有发现蛛丝马迹。不过即便如此，他依然有最大的嫌疑。”
李陵道：“朱安世都未能发现公孙贺的可疑之处，言下只有金日磾的只言片语，难以指正。况且朝中有好几位复姓公孙的官员，譬如与卫青大将军交好的公孙敖，又譬如前丞相公孙弘之子平津侯公孙度、太中大夫公孙卿等。”
刘解忧道：“要是能及时救出金日磾就好了，他是最好的人证，可以当面指认内奸，将大汉的心腹大患一举铲除。”李陵道：“金日磾洞悉如此重大机密，那些人即使不能带他去胡地祭天，也会杀了他灭口。”
几人均知金日磾危在旦夕。尤其是霍光，在他初到京师最孤独的日子，是金日磾给了他心灵的抚慰，他历来视其为密友，一想到其必死无疑，自己却无力营救，心情极为沉重。
刘解忧道：“不如这样，我明日一早去见公孙贺，说我被绑架后遇到了金日磾，金日磾提到匈奴内奸之事，如此来试探他的反应。如果他露出破绽，也许可以顺势追查到金日磾和桑迁的下落。”李陵断然否决道：“不行，这样太危险。万一公孙贺就是内奸，他一定会想方设法杀了你。”
刘解忧道：“如果真是这样，他不是就暴露了么？我会预先做好防备的。”李陵道：“不行，我不能让你去冒险。一定要去，也该是我去才行。”刘解忧道：“不行，你受了伤，行动不便，我怎么能放心让你去？”
他二人争执不休，霍光忽插口道：“我去。”刘解忧道：“你？你又没有被绑架过，没有跟金日磾在一起的机会。如果公孙贺就是内奸，他很清楚金日磾跟他交谈后一出门就被绑架了，他才不会相信你的话呢。”霍光道：“可我是金日磾在朝中唯一的好友。我可以说金日磾早看出公孙贺就是匈奴内奸，告诉我万一他有什么不幸，就让我去找公孙贺对质。”
东方朔道：“不，还是李陵去最合适。他已经告诉廷尉他在凶肆中跟金日磾关押在一起，那内奸也一定已经知道了，如果由他出面去试探，效果一定最好。”
刘解忧道：“师傅，你别怪弟子跟你唱反调，果真是这样的话，还用得着去试探公孙贺么？他一定会自己找上门的，或者会派刺客来杀李陵哥哥灭口。总之，我不准李陵哥哥去。”一面说着，一面出去通知管敢等侍从严加戒备。忽听见门外车马辚辚，不由得吃了一惊，道：“这么快就来了？”
门外有人朗声叫道：“大农令桑君前来拜会东方先生。”
东方朔闻声迎了出去。桑弘羊年近五旬，却是满脸红光，无一根白发，进门立即揖手拜道：“深夜冒昧惊扰先生，还望恕罪。”东方朔道：“大农令君父子情深，也是人之常情。”
进来坐下，桑弘羊见对方早猜到自己的来意，便道：“犬子桑迁被歹人所掳，今日廷尉搜捕东市，却只救出了李都尉。我实在担心犬子的安危，特来向先生求教。”东方朔道：“大农令君放心，桑公子暂时不会有危险。如果歹人要撕票，廷尉早该在凶肆找到桑公子的尸首，歹人既然冒险带走了他，说明还是想用他换取赎金。只是廷尉今日动静太大，这些人不便再露面，怕是要消沉一段时间了。”
桑弘羊搓手不止，踌躇许久才道：“我只有桑迁一个孩子，而今也十分后悔，不知道先生可有法子救他？我愿意付双倍赎金。”东方朔道：“大农令君是要我出面替你向歹人赎回桑公子么？这怕是难以做到。”
桑弘羊道：“我曾听皇上提过，先生和长安大侠朱安世有些交情。这些人在长安弄出这么大动静，朱安世身为地头蛇，不可能不知道。”
东方朔正色道：“我可以明白地告诉大农令君，这伙歹人跟朱安世决计是不同的人。朱安世不过是做些鸡鸣狗盗的勾当，至少有劫富济贫的美名，但这些人……嘿嘿，大农令君难道没有听说么？这伙人可是跟匈奴人都勾结上了。”桑弘羊吃了一惊，道：“居然有这等事！”神情沮丧之极。
刘解忧跟桑迁要好，于心不忍，安慰道：“大农令君也不必太过烦心，既然歹人还想用桑迁哥哥换取赎金，总不会对他太坏的。其实不劳大农令君嘱托，我师傅一向很喜欢桑迁，他一定会设法营救的。”东方朔道：“但大农令君可不能再自行其是。”
桑弘羊一听事有转机，忙道：“全听先生吩咐。”东方朔道：“那好，请大农令君开始准备赎金，二千金，一两也不能少。明日一早再去告诉杜廷尉，切不可牵连无辜。事情闹大了，反而会促使歹人撕票，桑公子的性命可就危险了。”桑弘羊道：“这个好说。”
东方朔道：“夜深了，我就不多留大农令君。”叫仆人送客。
霍光在内堂听得一清二楚，等桑弘羊离去，忙出来问道：“东方先生既然叫大农令准备赎金，是有办法救桑迁么？那么也应该有办法救金日磾。”东方朔摇了摇头，道：“办法暂时没有，希望暴甲这伙人知道桑弘羊预备妥协，想交出赎金，他们不杀桑迁，那么金日磾活着的希望也更大些。”
霍光道：“可他们不是要运金日磾到胡地祭天么？”刘解忧道：“如今弄成这样，长安连一只苍蝇都飞不出去，还怎么可能送一个活人出城？这伙歹人一定会先隐藏起来，等风平浪静再说。搜查得越严，金日磾活着的希望就越小。所以我师傅才要桑弘羊出面，让杜廷尉不要把动静闹得太大。”
东方朔道：“好了，也不早了，解忧，你先回去歇息。霍光不能回城了，就留在我这里将就一晚。”叫仆人护送刘解忧回家。
次日一早，霍光匆忙赶回北阙甲第住处，预备换上官服去未央宫中当值，却见隔壁龙额侯韩说家门前挂起了丧灯，忙派仆人过去打听，才知道韩说的兄长韩则昨夜过世了。
韩则是弓高侯韩颓当的嫡长孙，世袭了祖父爵位，之前因为装病，不肯侍从皇帝到甘泉宫，犯下大不敬之罪，被取消了爵位。韩说则是韩颓当的庶孙，因战功封龙额侯，现任郎中令，位列九卿，成就反而远在兄长韩则之上。
不知怎的，霍光脑子突然冒出来一个极为奇怪的想法。这想法虽然只是灵光一现，却如毒蛇般占据了他的整个心灵，以致再无心思想别的事情。
侍妾显儿很是奇怪，问道：“夫君为何这副表情？”
她以前是司马琴心的心腹婢女，跟着主君读书识字，很有些见识。霍光有事从不瞒她，当即说了自己的想法。
显儿道：“夫君的怀疑只是猜测，还是要与东方先生商议一下才好。”
霍光深以为然，忙派仆人到茂陵去请东方朔和刘解忧来自己家中，自己到北司马门向当值官员告假，之后返回家中，换上素服，专程到隔壁韩府致哀。他官任奉车都尉，虽与郎中令平级，但在行政上却是郎中令的下属，到韩府祭奠上司的兄长是合情合理之事。
韩说却知道霍光是天子宠臣，不敢以上司自居，亲自迎了出来。霍光不善言辞，只勉强寒暄了几句，依礼祭奠完毕，便退了出来。
等了大半个时辰，东方朔和刘解忧终于乘车赶到。刘解忧问道：“到底有什么发现？一大早就急着叫我们进城。”霍光道：“隔壁韩则得暴病死了。”
刘解忧道：“那又怎样？老实说，我一直觉得全长安的列侯中，就数韩则最奇怪了。人人抢着巴结皇帝，争相留在皇帝身边，他却装病，不肯跟随皇帝去甘泉宫打猎，结果弄得世袭的爵位也丢了。”
霍光道：“我昨日还遇到过韩则，他正驰马如风，没有任何病症之相。”刘解忧道：“你是说韩则死得可疑？那该直接报官呀。”
东方朔却蓦然醒悟过来，道：“韩则以前的爵位是弓高侯，你是怀疑金日磾说的是'弓'，而不是'公'？”霍光点点头，道：“韩则虽然失去了爵位，但大家也都觉得他的列侯爵位丢失得莫名其妙，依旧称他弓高侯。金日磾来我家中，撞见他好几次，当面、背后都是称他弓高侯。而且，韩则死的这个时候，也实在太巧了。”
刘解忧道：“难道韩则真的就是匈奴内奸？他以为金日磾已经告诉了李陵哥哥真相，所以畏罪自杀了？”
霍光道：“还有，我至今还记得当年襄城侯韩释之被匈奴使者的侍从刺死之事，韩则也受了伤。虽然对外宣称是刺客跟韩氏有私仇，二人的祖父是自匈奴降汉，但他们本人自父辈起，就都是在长安出生、长大，还能跟匈奴人有什么私仇？会不会正如解忧所说，其实他们本来就是匈奴内奸，匈奴人去找他们就是谈公事，结果起了口角，匈奴人一怒之下杀了韩释之，伤了韩则？”他性格内向，一向沉默寡言，忽然侃侃而谈，颇令人侧目。
其实霍光一直对韩氏充满了好奇，最主要的原因，就是因为韩氏明明跟大汉有不解深仇，却反过来投降了大汉，实在令人费解。韩王信当年虽然是被迫投降匈奴，但降胡后经常引匈奴骑兵侵入内地，对大汉危害颇大。汉高帝十一年的春天，韩王信引匈奴侵入参合。汉朝派遣柴将军带兵前去迎击。柴将军在兵力上有绝对优势，将韩王信围困在参合城中，但他对韩王信的处境颇为同情，特意写信招降，承诺恢复韩王信原来在汉朝时的爵位和封地。韩王信却回信拒绝道：“皇帝将我从里巷平民中提拔上来，使我南面称王，这是我的荣幸。但我犯下了三条大罪：楚汉相争，我在荥阳保卫战中被项羽俘虏，没有以死效忠，这是罪状一；匈奴进犯马邑，我未能坚守城池，而是献城投降，这是罪状二；我现在为敌人带兵，与将军争战，争一旦之命，这是罪状三。昔日越国文种、范蠡没有一条罪状，却被功成后身败，一个被杀，一个逃亡。对皇帝犯下三大罪状，还想求活于世，这是伍子胥之所以在吴国被杀的原因。现在我亡命于山谷间，每日都靠向蛮夷乞讨过活，思归之心，就同瘫痪之人不能忘记直立行走，眼盲之人无法忘记睁眼一样，只不过情势不允许罢了。”显然是对高帝刘邦的刻薄寡恩、过河拆桥有着极为清醒的认识，以致在明知必将惨败的情况下都不愿意重新归降大汉。结果两军交战，韩王信大败，参合被屠城，韩王信本人也被斩杀，落了个尸骨无存的下场。韩王信的后人长大成人后都在匈奴担任高官。但奇怪的是，他的儿子韩颓当和孙子韩婴在文帝在位时以匈奴相国的身份投降了汉朝，积极参与平定吴楚七国之乱，以军功各自封侯。自古以来，杀父之仇都是不共戴天之深仇，到底是什么原因促使这对叔侄又重新在匈奴的尊位上降汉呢？这是霍光心中的一个重大疑问，且已经为此纳罕了许多年，但他从来没有开口问过别人，当然没有人会主动告诉他原因。但当今日他得知韩则暴毙时，心中不由自主地将所有的疑点都联系到一起。
东方朔闭目不语，凝思半晌，蓦然睁大眼睛，道：“你们的推测都很有道理。解忧，我和你过去韩府看看。”走出几步，又回头赞道：“霍光，你做得很好。”
东方朔和刘解忧一齐来到韩府，称要拜祭弓高侯韩则。韩说听说东方朔到来，飞快地迎出堂来，道：“先生真是稀客。”东方朔道：“我和解忧正好路过贵府，见府中有丧，所以顺便进来拜祭。”
进来灵堂行礼完毕，东方朔问道：“昨日还有人见到弓高侯在道上纵马飞驰，不知何以会突然得了暴病？”韩说道：“这个……我也不知道阿兄患了什么怪病，突然就……就过世了。”
东方朔“嗯”了一声，道：“我与弓高侯也算有些旧交情，想近前瞻仰一下遗容。”不等对方回答，径直走上前去。
韩说登时脸色煞白，当东方朔即将走近棺木的一刹那，他奔了过来，恳切地道：“韩某曾与东方先生一道出使右北平郡，算有些交情，先生请随我来，我有话说。”
东方朔料想韩则必定是非正常死亡，一检尸首就能验证，当即道：“好，就先听郎中令君的吩咐。”
韩说领着东方朔、刘解忧来到书房，命仆从退出，关好房门，这才道：“先生是天下第一聪明人，我知道一切瞒不过先生法眼，如果先生能够替我保密，我愿意将一切和盘托出。”东方朔悠然道：“我又不知道郎中令君所言何事，可不敢先行答应。”
韩说咬咬牙，道：“是我杀了我阿兄。”
东方朔和刘解忧均吃了一惊，师傅二人均猜想韩则多半是担心内奸身份暴露，抢先服毒自杀，却想不到韩说会主动承认杀兄的罪名。他虽然有列侯的爵位，却始终只是庶子身份，但韩则却是嫡长子，汉代嫡庶界限分明，庶弟杀嫡兄，那可是腰斩的重罪。
韩说不等对方发问，先讪讪解释道：“我昨日才知道阿兄他……他跟匈奴人勾结……我怕他连累族人，不得不杀了他。”
他边说边舔嘴唇，说得极为艰难，显然自己也不如何相信这套说辞，但见东方朔并不十分诧异，反而吃了一惊，道：“原来先生早知道了！”
东方朔道：“嗯，如果不是知道些什么，我师徒二人今日何以会特意过府拜访？郎中令君，你这就将