Chapter 16 Chapter 2 Sword One

twenty years ago. In September of the seventh year of Emperor Yinxi, at the end of summer. Nanhuai City has a wind pond. At night, the deep shade of the trees covers the entire garden, like a mass of dark green that is too thick to melt.These sycamore trees are all a hundred years old. They densely surround a quiet area in the busy city. The natural vault, only a piece of sky is exposed on the blue-gray roof.In the center of the garden is a huge pond, which occupies most of the garden area, and the white lotus that has bloomed to the end is still swaying in the wind.The lotus petals fall, do not sink, but float on the water.The wind blows from the door, and flows away from the opening on the roof, silently.The noisy street outside seemed so far away, it was simply two worlds.

There are winds and ponds, which is why this garden got its name.It used to be the other garden where the lord of the country enjoyed the cool air, and later it was given to Xi Yan, the commander of the military hall, but Xi Yan's whereabouts are uncertain, and he seldom lives here. In the past days, people often ask to see him at the door with solemn gifts, and most of them are rejected. The general's nephew stopped him. A fish jumped up with splashes, and with a flash of silver scales, it "plopped" back into the pond.The general, who was leaning on the railing and looking at the water, undressed and threw fish food into it.

Footsteps came from outside, and a young man with white eyebrows came in with a box in his hands, "This is a letter sent by Master Hongluqing Molu, and it is said that the time limit for deciphering has just arrived." "Oh?" Xi Yan took the box, walked quickly to the lamp, and flipped through the letterhead in the box. Xi Yuan saw that he was serious, so he quietly waited aside.Most of the stationery was elegant birch bark paper, and there were also printed notes of green texture, each with a monogram at the end, in a sharp and light handwriting.Xiyuan knew that it was the handwriting of Baili Jinghong, the lord of the country. Apart from the title of Lord Tang, Baili Jinghong's most outstanding thing was his calligraphy, which was changeable and could be imitated by other calligraphy styles.The letterheads in the palace will be affixed with the word "Jing" at the end after Jinghong has read them for a hundred miles, and then sealed with wax paint, and filed in Honglu Temple.There is another fourteen-year confidentiality period, and even Hong Luqing himself is not allowed to open it.These letters were just declassified a few days ago.

"Uncle..." He hesitated to speak. "What's the matter?" Xi Yan flipped through the pages very quickly without looking up. "Uncle read the declassified letters, there shouldn't be any problem. But today Master Molu also said that only uncle frequently reads and reads the letters sent by the king. Uncle must guard against." "Oh?" Xi Yan smiled and patted Xiyuan on the head, "This is Molu warning me through your mouth." "Uncle, don't take it lightly. Now that uncle spends less time in Nanhuai City, the king favors Tuoba Shanyue, and there are many villains gaining power..."

"Are you fifteen years old?" Xi Yan suddenly interrupted him. Half of the speech was blocked, so he could only nod his head. "It's really like your father," Xi Yan sighed lowly, "You are fifteen years old, and he is as long-winded as he was twenty-five years old. Sometimes I really don't know if I am taking care of you or you are taking care of me..." Xiyuan was dumbfounded and didn't understand what uncle meant. "I was really annoyed by his long-windedness at that time...but when I heard you so long-winded, I felt so familiar..." Xi Yan stopped abruptly, flattened a curled note with his fingers and approached the light.

Seeing that his uncle's expression suddenly became serious, Xi Yuan leaned over to take a look, and found that it was a note three fingers wide, and it was that kind of thin mulberry paper, crumpled into a scroll less than an inch long.Xi Yuan is familiar with this kind of mulberry paper scroll, when scouts use pigeons to deliver messages, they will stuff this scroll into a small bamboo branch and hang it on the pigeon's claws.At the end of the paper, apart from the monogram, there are also a few small words "Be careful, keep it in your possession, don't lose it, on December 30th, the eighth year of Zhenyi", which is also Baili Jinghong's handwriting.The strange thing is that the content of the letter is so short that there are only two words - "The matter is over", and there is a small seal at the end, which looks distorted and flying, and the handwriting is unrecognizable.

Xiyuan couldn't understand, so he could only look at his uncle, hoping to get some answers. Xi Yan was silent for a moment, and sealed the scroll as it was, "It's Baili Changqing's personal seal." "Baili Changqing doesn't belong to the Baili family in the imperial capital..." "He is the owner of the previous generation of the Baili family. On the seal is the word 'three beetles'. These two characters have a source. The ancestors of the Baili family once said, 'Righteousness is a merchant, benevolence is a leader, and love is a heart'. The Duke of Baili Changqing has the nickname of "Tieweihou". Because he looks weak, he acts vigorously and vigorously. He takes the "three beetles" of his ancestors as a warning and never abuses benevolence. He was once the first person in the imperial capital. .”

"Then he sent a letter to the king with a flying pigeon, and there are only two words. Is there any special meaning?" "I understand a little bit, but I don't fully understand it." Xi Yan put all the letters in the box and handed them to his nephew, "Xiyuan, send these back. From today onwards, Lord Molu don't have to send them any more." Here comes the declassified letter." "yes!" "The records of borrowing these letters must not be kept, otherwise it may be a disaster for our uncle, nephew and even Molu." Uncle's words made Xiyuan tremble involuntarily, put away the box and hurried away.

"By the way, that Ji Ye who won the martial arts performance, have you visited his residence these days?" Xi Yan called his nephew. "Yes. According to my uncle's wishes, I have accepted his household registration as a military registration, but his military rank and position still need to be handled by my uncle himself." "Well," Xi Yan nodded, "Leave him as the Qingying Guard of the Wudian by my side. You can do it with my seal, but send him to the Imperial Army in the Eastern Palace and let him serve as a pawn in the Eastern Palace for a year."

"To the East Palace?" Xi Yuan's eyes widened. "how?" Xiyuan hesitated for a moment, "Uncle, do you know? We all said in private, 'The demons in the Eastern Palace dare not approach, and the eight hundred divine soldiers are better than Tai Sui'." "Yo?" Xi Yan smiled, "There are still such smooth words and sentences, tell me, how do you explain it?" "This is a secret relegation. It means that the 800 imperial guards guarding the East Palace are domineering. Because the crown prince's East Palace is close to the ancestral mausoleum, there are 800 elite imperial guards in the establishment, not counting the deployment of the three armies. The general forbidden army is different, Uncle, your military order cannot be passed on there. Thousands of people serve a crown prince, and they are usually bored, drinking and fighting in the surrounding restaurants and songs, but because of guarding the ancestral tomb, the promotion is the fastest Yes. In Nanhuai City, all the children of aristocratic families want to join the army, they want to go to the East Palace. Happy few years, with the same qualifications, you can be promoted to be a general if you ask for favors."

"You are becoming more and more proficient in this set of human relations," Xi Yan still smiled. "But uncle, you don't know that in the East Palace, those who don't have the status of aristocratic family are worse off than dead. On the first day of entering, there are three books and two rituals." "Three books and two rituals?" "The three letters are a letter to the commander of the Imperial Guards in the Eastern Palace. You have to entrust someone with power to write it. One is to your immediate superior, and the other is to the chief steward of the Eastern Palace. Gold tickets must be included in it. Give more No, look at the financial resources of each family. The second gift is for ordinary soldiers. If you want to get everyone's recognition, you have to choose one of two things, or spend a lot of money to invite everyone to the best restaurant on Ziliang Street. Fentou drinks flower wine, one is to run from one side of the Eastern Palace to the other naked in the middle of the night, and lose face to the end, otherwise you will be angry and beaten." "Hehe, then Ji Ye doesn't have the money to invite everyone to drink flowers and wine, and he won't run around naked at night. It seems that being beaten is inevitable." Xi Yan laughed, "If you were also in the Imperial Palace last year, how did you mess up? came here?" "I'm my uncle's nephew...it's naturally different." "Hehe, Lord Xi's nephew is commanded by Wu Dian. Not only will you be exempted from your three letters and two ceremonies, but he may also treat you as a guest of honor and entertain you with a banquet. If you are willing, I will help you pour wine and take off your boots. Everyone is willing to invite you to drink flower wine, right?" Xiyuan's face flushed slightly, "It's no different from what uncle said, but I pushed them all." "Xiyuan, if you can achieve great things in the future, it is because you are my nephew. If you fail to achieve great things, it is because you are my nephew," Xi Yan shook his head, "and Ji Ye This kid is different." "different?" "He is a beast. He was born in the woods, no more than you, the nephew who was born as the commander of the military hall. Every bit of him has to be won with his own hands. I also know the things you said about the East Palace. I heard that if Ji Ye can stand out from the crowd this year, he is qualified to be my student! I really want to see how this little guy passes the three books and two rituals. By the way, now the East Palace Who is the leader of the side?" "A few days ago, the lord just ordered that Youyin be promoted to guerrilla general. Now he is the highest-ranked person in the East Palace." "You Yin..." Xi Yan was silent for a moment, "The smell on that child is not right."