Chapter 7 The seventh round of success or failure in ancient times

Wei Xiaobao got up the next morning, feeling a dull pain in his chest, and feeling weak all over his body. He knew it was because he had slapped and kicked Mr. Hai last night. The robe was soaked in the water tank and rubbed a few times. Suddenly, the rags on the robe fell off.He was taken aback, and lifted the robe out of the water tank, only to see two big holes on the front of the chest, one in the shape of a palm and the other in the shape of the sole of a foot.He was very surprised: "What the hell is this...?" When he thought of the word "ghost", the hairs all over his body stood on end.

The first thought was: "The ghost of the old tortoise appeared and made these two holes in my robe." Then I thought: "Is the ghost of the old tortoise blind or can he see?" The blind man died. Afterwards, the thought of whether the transformed ghost is still blind or not flashed through his mind, and he didn't think about it any more. Holding the robe, he was dazed, and suddenly realized: "It's not a ghost! Last night the old turtle beat me on my chest. A slap and a kick, these two holes were made by him. Haha, Lao Tzu’s martial arts are not bad, I only spit out a few mouthfuls of blood, it’s nothing serious. Sigh, did you suffer any internal injuries? The tortoise has a medicine box, see if there is any wound medicine, it is better to take some."

Since Old Man Hai died, Wei Xiaobao took all his belongings for himself, and with a big cough, he opened the box and took out the medicine box.There were a lot of scattered pills in the medicine box, and there were words written on the paper bag on the bottle, but he couldn't read a few words, so how could he tell which bag was the wound medicine and which bottle was the medicine? poison?Among them was a bottle of yellow medicine powder, but it was shocking. I recognized it as the "corpse powder" that melted Xiao Guizi's body that day. You just need to pop some in the wound of the corpse, and after a while, the whole corpse, including clothes, shoes and socks, would be melted. It was a puddle of yellow water, so naturally I dare not touch this bottle of medicinal powder.Then I remembered that just because of the amount of medicine powder I added, Hai Laogong lost his eyesight, and he dared not take the medicine casually, but fortunately, his chest didn't hurt very much, so he said to himself: "Damn it, I'm good at martial arts, don't you?" Isn't it good to take medicine?"

He closed the medicine box immediately, and looked at the rest of the box. They were all old clothes and books. In addition, there were more than two hundred taels of silver. Ten thousand taels of silver, even if he went to throw the dice with Wen Youdao and the others, he won a few hundred taels of silver easily. He took out another long robe from Xiao Guizi's suitcase and put it on. When he saw the soft black vest on his body, he was startled: "The old turtle punched two big holes in my robe. How can this dress be so bad?" It’s not broken? It’s found in Oboi’s treasure house. If it wasn’t for the treasure clothes, how could Oboi be kept in the treasure house?” Then he thought: “The old turtle won’t die from beating me or kicking me, maybe it won’t kill me. It's not that Wei Xiaobao has great martial arts, but it's because of Oboi's precious clothes that he saved his life. Brother Suo advised me to wear them that day, so I had a lot of foresight, and I didn't take them off after wearing them, so the foresight is not small."

Just as he was complacent, he suddenly heard someone shouting from outside: "Eunuch Gui, great joy, great joy! Open the door quickly." Wei Xiaobao buttoned his clothes while opening the door, and asked, "What happy event?" There were four eunuchs standing outside the door, they all bowed to Wei Xiaobao, and said in unison: "Congratulations, Eunuch Gui." Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "It's so early in the morning, why are you being so polite?" A eunuch in his forties said with a smile "Just now the Empress Dowager issued a decree to go to the House of Internal Affairs. Because Eunuch Hai Dafu Hai fell ill and died, Eunuch Gui was promoted to the position of eunuch in charge of the Shangshan Department." Another eunuch laughed and said: "We didn't wait for the Minister of the House of Internal Affairs. After conveying the decree of kindness, I rushed over to congratulate you, and from now on, Eunuch Gui will be in charge of the Food Department, that would be great!"

Wei Xiaobao didn't think it was a big deal to be promoted as a eunuch, but thought: "The queen mother promoted me to tell me not to leak any information about what happened last night. In fact, even if I am not promoted, I don't dare to say too much. After moving house, I have no more mouths, can I have more? But since the queen mother promoted me, she will not kill me, so I can rest assured." Thinking of this festival, he immediately smiled, took out the bank notes, and gave each of them five Twelve taels of reporting fee. An eunuch said: "In our palace, there has never been a deputy chief executive as young as your Eunuch Gui. There are fourteen chief eunuchs in the palace, and eight deputy chief eunuchs. There are only twenty-two of them. Originally there were no one under the age of thirty. As soon as Eunuch Gui is promoted today, tomorrow he will be on an equal footing with Director Zhang and Director Wang. It’s really amazing!" Another person said: "Everyone just Eunuch Zhigui is very popular in front of the emperor, I never imagined that the queen mother would value you so much, I'm afraid you will be promoted to be the general manager in less than half a year. In the future, you will have to promote your brothers a lot!"

Wei Xiaobao laughed loudly, and said: "They are all our own people, good brothers, what are you talking about promoting or not? That is the grace of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, old... old... what credit do I, Gui Xiaobao have?" The word "Lao Tzu" was swallowed in the mouth, after a lot of hard work, he said again: "Come, come, everyone, sit in the room and have a cup of tea!" The middle-aged eunuch said: "The Queen Mother's decree will only come from the House of Internal Affairs in the afternoon. Everyone invites Eunuch Gui to have a drink to celebrate his success and his promotion to the second rank. Eunuch Gui, you are now a fifth-rank official." Son, that's not small." The other three followed suit, insisting that Wei Xiaobao go drink.Although Wei Xiaobao was used to being flattered recently, but the flattery came, after all, it sounded good, he immediately locked the door, followed the four of them to drink with a smile on his face.

Among the four people, two were close servants of the Empress Dowager. They were ordered by the Empress Dowager to deliver an edict to the House of Internal Affairs and were the first to get the news.The other two are the eunuchs of Shangshan Supervisor, one is in charge of purchasing food, the other is in charge of purchasing dishes, they are the most slack in the palace.When the two heard the news of Hai Dafu's illness and death early in the morning, they immediately stayed outside the gate of the House of Internal Affairs and stayed close to each other. If they wanted to know who would take over Hai Dafu's vacancy, they would immediately go to arrange it so as to preserve their positions.The four invited Wei Xiaobao to the imperial kitchen, and respectfully invited him to sit in the middle as chief.The imperial chef knew that this kid would be his immediate boss from tomorrow on, so he put all his energy into cooking exquisite dishes, even if it was the Queen Mother and the Emperor, they would not be able to eat such delicious dishes.

Wei Xiaobao didn't know how to drink, so he talked nonsense to them.A eunuch sighed: "Eunuch Hai is a very good person, but unfortunately he is always in poor health and blind. In the past few years, although he has been in charge of Shangshan Supervisor, it is rare to come to the imperial kitchen one or two days a month. " Another eunuch said: "Fortunately, everyone worked faithfully, and nothing went wrong." Another eunuch said: "Mr. Hai is an old courtier that the late emperor liked. If it hadn't been for the old master's old grace Well, the Shangshan Supervisor has already sent someone else. Eunuch Gui is favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so that is quite different. We have a good shade under the big tree, so it is much more convenient to do things." Xianyi said : "I heard that Eunuch Hai died of coughing yesterday."

Wei Xiaobao said: "That's right, Eunuch Hai coughed and often couldn't breathe." The eunuch who served the Queen Mother said: "Early this morning, the imperial doctor Li Taiyi came to report to the Queen Mother, saying that Mr. Hai was suffering from tuberculosis to the bone and rheumatism to the heart. He had suffered from an old disease for many years and could no longer be cured. I am afraid that the tuberculosis will be passed on to others. They cremated his body. The queen mother sighed for a long time, and said, "What a pity, what a pity! Hai Dafu is quite honest!""

Wei Xiaobao was both surprised and delighted, knowing that the bodyguards, imperial physicians, and eunuchs were all afraid of taking on the responsibility of others, so they concealed the murder of Eunuch Hai and did not report it, which just catered to the Empress Dowager's wishes.Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "What does tuberculosis go into the bones and rheumatism go into the heart? The old turtle has a sharp knife in his stomach and a sharp sword in his heart. That's the truth." After drinking for a while, the two eunuchs from Shangshan Supervisor gradually mentioned that the life of an eunuch is hard, and it all depends on making money. Wei Xiaobao, please don't be so stubborn like Eunuch Hai, and do everything tactfully.Wei Xiaobao understood some, some didn't understand, but he said no, after drinking, two eunuchs stuffed a small bag into his arms, went back to his room and opened it, it turned out to be two bank notes, each one thousand taels.He recognized the word "one thousand taels", and thought to himself, "I haven't taken office yet, so I'll charge you two thousand first, it's pretty good!"
When it was time to apply for the card, Kangxi sent someone to send him to the upper study room, and said with a smile on his face: "Xiao Guizi, the queen mother said that you made great contributions last night, and you are going to be promoted." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "I knew it a long time ago!" Immediately pretending to be pleasantly surprised, he knelt down and kowtowed, and said: "I don't have any credit for this slave, it's all the grace of the Queen Mother and the Emperor." Kangxi said: "The Empress Dowager said that there were some eunuchs fighting in the garden last night and they disturbed the Empress Dowager. You went over and drove them away. You handled it well. You are young and know the general situation." Wei Xiaobao stood up and said: "Do you know the general idea? Not necessarily. But I know that some things should be firmly remembered after listening to them, and some things should be forgotten immediately and never mentioned. The eunuchs fight, and the words are very unpleasant, so naturally no one Not much to say." Kangxi nodded, and said with a smile: "Xiao Guizi, although we two are not very old, we have to do a few important things. Don't let the ministers look down on us and say we are ignorant." Wei Xiaobao said: "Exactly. As long as The emperor made a plan, if there is anything to do, let the slaves do it." Kangxi said: "Very good! Oboi, you are a criminal. Although I spare him and don't kill him, but this man has many followers, I'm afraid he will be revived again. If they rebel, it will be very bad." Wei Xiaobao said: "Exactly!" Kangxi said: "I knew that Oboi was stubborn, so I didn't order him to be imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, lest he talk nonsense and be locked up in Prince Kang's mansion. Just now when Prince Kang came to play, he said that he was yelling all day long. Yelling and uttering disrespectful words." At this point, he lowered his voice and said, "This fellow said that I stabbed his vest with a small knife." Wei Xiaobao said: "What's the matter? To deal with this guy, why does the emperor need to do it himself? This knife was stabbed by the servant, the servant should go and explain to Prince Kang." Kangxi personally plotted against Oboi, rumors of this incident spread, it was not proper for a ruler, he was worried about this, when he heard Wei Xiaobao say this, he was very happy, nodded and said: "It's best for you to admit this matter." After pondering for a moment, he said: "Go to Prince Kang's house and see when that guy will die." Wei Xiaobao said: "Yes!" Kangxi said: "I only know that he died in a blink of an eye, so he spared his life. I didn't expect this guy to be so tough, he could stand upright, and he was still talking nonsense, inciting people's hearts, I knew it was like this..." The words were quite regretful. Wei Xiaobao figured out that Kangxi's intention was to kill him quietly, and said: "I think he probably won't survive today." Four guards came from Kangxi and ordered them to escort Wei Xiaobao to Prince Kang's mansion for business. Wei Xiaobao went back to his own residence first, got his belongings, rode a tall horse, surrounded by four guards, went to Prince Kang's mansion, looked left and right on the street, triumphant. Suddenly I heard a man on the side of the street say: "I heard that the person who captured the treacherous official Oboi was a young father-in-law in his teens?" Another person said: "Yes, the young emperor, and the father-in-law who is favored by his side also all It's a young man." The first person said: "Is it the little father-in-law?" The other person said: "Then I don't know." One of the guards wanted to curry favor with Wei Xiaobao, and said loudly: "The capture of the treacherous minister Obai is the great achievement of this Duke Gui." Aobai murdered the Han people, was cruel and corrupt, and the common people hated him to the core. Once he was caught, he would be convicted and ransacked his home. There were thunderous cheers inside and outside Beijing.When the little emperor issued an order to capture him, Oboi bravely resisted the arrest, and was finally defeated by a group of young eunuchs. This has spread throughout the city.All the common people refueled and added sauce, vividly, all the tea guests in the teahouses everywhere talked about it, such as Oboi who wanted to kick the emperor with his kick, and the little eunuchs who were all very good at martial arts, how to use "" "Withered vines wrapped around the roots" to throw Oboi to the ground, how Oboi "struck up like a carp", how the little eunuch "steals his heart with a black tiger", every move and every move, it seems that everyone has witnessed it with their own eyes. In the past few days, whenever a eunuch came to the market, a group of idlers immediately surrounded him, inquiring about the situation of capturing Oboi.At this moment, the guard said that this little eunuch was the hero who captured Oboi, the market immediately stirred up, countless people applauded and cheered.Wei Xiaobao had never received such honor in his life, he couldn't help being elated, he really was like a great hero.A group of idlers just blocked the two guards with their swords on their waists opening the way, and they were jealous, otherwise they would have gathered around Wei Xiaobao to have a closer look and ask endless questions. Five people came to Prince Kang's mansion.When Prince Kang heard that the emperor had sent an envoy, he hurriedly opened the middle door, greeted him, set up the incense table, and prepared to receive the imperial edict. Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "My lord, the emperor ordered the villain to come and see Oboi, nothing else matters." Prince Kang said: "Yes, yes!" He saw Wei Xiaobao had been by Kangxi's side all the time in the study room, and knew that he had made great efforts to capture Oboi, so he smiled and took his hand and said, "Gui Gonggong, you are so rare." Come, let's have a drink first, and then go to see Oboi." Immediately set up a banquet.The four guards sat in another seat, accompanied by military officers from the palace.Prince Kang had a drink with Wei Xiaobao in the garden, and asked about Wei Xiaobao's hobbies. Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "If I say I like to gamble, the lord will play dice with me, and he must deliberately lose to me. To win his money, this is called winning without martial arts." Then he said: "I don't like it either." Prince Kang thought: "Old people love money, and middle-aged young people are lustful, but eunuchs are not lustful. It's hard to guess what this little eunuch likes. This kid knows martial arts. If you give him a sword and sword, he will be in the palace." Maybe you will cause trouble, but you will have to bear a lot of responsibilities. Ah, yes!" He said with a smile, "Gui Gonggong, we hit it off right away. I have some good horses in my stable. Please go and choose a few. How about a little gift from Xiao Wang?" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and said: "How dare you accept the reward from the prince?" Prince Kang said: "My brother, why do you reward or not? Come on, let's look at the horses first, and then drink when we come back." He took him to the stables.Prince Kang ordered the groom to bring out some of the best ponies. Wei Xiaobao was displeased: "Why did you tell me to pick a pony? Do you think I'm a kid who can only ride a pony?" Seeing the groom bring out five or six pony, he said with a smile: "My lord, I'm not tall, so I like to ride big horses so that I don't look too short." Prince Kang immediately understood, slapped his legs and smiled, "I'm stupid, I'm stupid." He told the groom: "Take my jade flower horse out, please Eunuch Gui to have a look." The groom went to the inner stable and brought out a tall horse with white fur all over the body, mixed with patches of light red spots. It held its head high and raised its mane. I don't know how much money the horse's equipment alone is worth. If it is not for the princes and relatives, no matter how rich the dignitaries and businessmen are, they would not dare to use such a luxurious saddle.Wei Xiaobao didn't understand the quality of horses, seeing the handsome appearance of this horse, he couldn't help applauding: "What a beautiful horse!" Prince Kang said with a smile: "This horse was sent from the Western Regions. It is a famous Dawan horse. Although it is tall, it is still very young. It is only two years and a few months old. It should be a beautiful horse. Let a beautiful person ride it. Brother Gui, how about you just choose this jade flower horse?" Wei Xiaobao said: "This... This is the prince's mount, how dare a villain want it? A villain." Prince Kang said: "Brother Gui, you look down on me too much. Don't tell me you don't want to make friends with me?" Wei Xiaobao said, "Oh, the villain in the palace is... a... How dare a lowly person make friends with the prince?" Prince Kang said: "We Manchurians are straightforward. You treat me as a good friend, so you ride my horse away. From now on, we will be no different from each other. Otherwise, brothers will be very angry!" His beard curled up, and he looked annoyed. Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed, and said: "My lord, you... you treat me so well, I really don't know how to repay you?" Prince Kang said: "What do you mean by repaying and not repaying? You are willing to want this horse, it is my face." He walked over and patted the horse's buttocks a few times, and said, "Yuhua, Yuhua, from now on you will follow this horse." Let the father-in-law go, you have to be good." He said to Wei Xiaobao: "Brother, try riding." Wei Xiaobao responded with a smile: "Yes!" He slapped the saddle, flew up, and got on the horse's back.After learning martial arts in the past few months, he didn't learn much about the real kung fu on his fists and feet. Prince Kang praised: "Good work!" The groom who led the horse let go, and the Yuhua Cong trotted around in circles on the sand outside the stable.Wei Xiaobao rode on the horse's back, he felt fast and steady.He didn't know how to control a horse at all, he was afraid of making a fool of himself, so he jumped off the horse after going around a few times, and the horse stopped by itself. Wei Xiaobao said: "My lord, thank you so much for your generosity! I'm going to visit Oboi right now, and come back to accompany you." Prince Kang said: "Exactly, this is a major task assigned by order. Little brother, Please report to the emperor that we are guarding very tightly, even if this fellow grows wings, he will not be able to escape." Wei Xiaobao said: "Naturally." Prince Kang said: "Do you want me to accompany you?" Wei Xiaobao said: " Don't dare to work, my lord." Every time Prince Kang saw Oboi, he would always scold him bloody, he didn't want to see him, so he immediately sent eight guards from his residence to accompany Wei Xiaobao to investigate the criminals.
Eight guards led Wei Xiaobao to the back garden, before arriving at a lonely stone house, outside the house were guarded by sixteen guards with steel knives in their hands, and two other guard leaders patrolled around the stone house, the defense was indeed very tight.The leader of the guards learned that the emperor sent an internal envoy to inspect, and led all the guards to bow and salute, unlock the big lock on the iron gate, push open the iron gate, and invite Wei Xiaobao to enter. The inside of the stone house was very dark, there was a stove on the side of the corridor, and an old servant was cooking.The leader of the guards said: "The iron gate is usually not easy to open, this man cooks the prisoner's food in the room and sends it to the cell." Wei Xiaobao nodded and said: "Very good! Your lord is very thoughtful. If the iron gate is not open, it will be very difficult for the prisoner to escape." The leader of the guards said: "The prince has ordered that if the prisoner wants to escape, he will be killed." The leader of the guards led Wei Xiaobao inside, and walked into a small hall, and heard Oboi's voice coming from inside, scolding the emperor: "Your grandma, I was born and died, and made countless contributions. I will give it to your grandfather and father." Lay down a world of flowers and flowers. You, a worthless little devil, are so uneasy at such a young age, stabbed me in the back and plotted against me. I have become a ghost, and I will not spare you." The leader of the guards frowned and said: "This guy can't talk every day, he really should be beheaded." Wei Xiaobao walked to the iron window of a small room following the sound, and looked inward, only to see Oboi with disheveled hair, manacled on his hands and feet, walking back and forth in the room, the iron chain dragging on the ground Move, make a clanging sound. Aobai Douran saw Wei Xiaobao, and shouted: "You...you...you damned, eggless brat, come in, come in, I'll kill you!" If he was about to spew out fire, he suddenly rushed towards Wei Xiaobao with his feet, and with a bang, his body hit the wall heavily. Even though he knew he was separated by a thick wall, Wei Xiaobao was still taken aback, he took two steps back, seeing his hideous appearance, he couldn't help being terrified. The leader of the guards comforted him: "Don't be afraid, father-in-law, this guy won't be able to rush out." Wei Xiaobao collected himself, saw that the iron bars on the bars were extremely thick, the stone walls were extremely thick, and the shackles and handcuffs on Oboi's body were extremely heavy, he couldn't help but Energized, he said: "Why are you afraid of him? You guys are waiting for me outside. The emperor ordered me to ask him a few words." All the guards agreed to withdraw in unison.Aobai sternly cursed freely. Wei Xiaobao laughed and said: "Ao Shaobao, the emperor ordered me to come and see if you are in good health. When you scold people, you are full of anger, and your body is very strong. If the emperor knows it, he must like it very much." Obai raised his hands, slammed the iron handcuffs against the iron window, and said angrily, "Your grandma, you little bastard. You go and tell the emperor that there is no need for him to be so hypocritical. If you kill him, kill him, is Oboi still afraid?" Wei Xiaobao saw him shaking the thick iron bars on the iron window, he was really afraid that he would break out through the window, took another step back, and said with a smile: "The emperor will not kill you so easily. I want you to stay here quietly Live there for twenty or thirty years, and when you really feel remorse in your heart, you crawl out and kowtow hundreds of times to the emperor. The emperor thinks about your past achievements, and maybe he will spare you and let you go out. Gotta do it." Ao Bai said sharply: "Tell him not to have this Qingqiu dream, it is very easy to kill Oboi, but it is extremely difficult to make Oboi kowtow." Wei Xiaobao said with a smile: "Let's wait and see, after three or five years, when the emperor suddenly remembers you, he will send me to visit you again. Master Ao, take care of yourself, don't catch a cold or cough, Headache and stomachache." Aobai scolded: "You son of a bitch who hurts your mother. The little emperor was good at first, but he was taught badly by you sons of bitch Han people. If the old emperor had listened to me, a Han official in the court would be ashamed." No need, not a single Han dog is allowed in the palace, would it be as messy as it is today?" Wei Xiaobao ignored him, retreated to the stove next to the veranda, saw steam coming out of the pot, lifted the lid of the pot and saw that what was cooking was a pot of pork and cabbage, and said, "It smells so good!" The old servant said, "Give it to the prisoner." There is nothing good to eat." Wei Xiaobao said: "The emperor ordered me to inspect the prisoner's diet, but don't starve him to death." The old servant said: "I want to teach my father-in-law to rest assured that he won't be hungry. The prince told me that every day I want to give him a catty of meat." Wei Xiaobao said: "You give me a bowl to taste, and if you suffer a crime, I will ask the prince to beat you." The old servant panicked: "Yes, yes! The villain is not Dare to treat the prisoner badly." Quickly took the bowl, filled it with pork and cabbage, handed it over respectfully with both hands, and then handed over a pair of chopsticks. Wei Xiaobao took the bowl, took a sip of the soup, looked at the chopsticks noncommittally, and said: "These chopsticks are too dirty, please wipe them clean for me." The old servant hurriedly said: "Yes, yes!" Chopsticks, go to the water tank in the yard and scrub vigorously. Wei Xiaobao turned around, took out a pack of powdered medicine from his bosom, poured it into the big bowl of pork and cabbage, then put the paper bag back into his bosom, shook the bowl a few times, the powdered medicine melted into the soup.He knew that Kangxi was going to kill Oboi, but he wanted to do it without showing any traces. When he came out of the upper study, he had an idea. He went back to his residence and took out a dozen kinds of powdered medicine from Mr. Hai's medicine box, no matter whether it was poisonous or not. He mixed it up randomly and packed a pack, thinking that among the dozen or so medicine powders, two or three must be poisons, if he took it, he would definitely die more than live. After the old servant wiped the chopsticks, he handed them over respectfully.Wei Xiaobao took the chopsticks, kept stirring in Oboi's bowl of pork, and said: "Well, there is quite a lot of pork. Is there usually this much? I see you are very good at stealing food!" The old servant said: "Every meal There is a lot of pork, and villains dare not steal it." I was surprised: "How does this little father-in-law know that I steal the prisoner's meat? It's a bit strange!" Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay, you send it to the prisoner to eat. " The old servant said: "Yes, yes!" He filled another three big bowls of rice, together with the big bowl of cabbage and pork, put them on a plate, and gave them to Aobai. Wei Xiaobao tapped the side of the pot lightly with his chopsticks, feeling very pleased with himself, thinking: "Oboi, this guy eats my bowl of pork and cabbage with a lot of ingredients, if he doesn't bleed from seven holes, he will... also eight The hole bleeds to death." He originally wanted to say another idiom, but his stomach was limited, so he had to add another hole under the "seven holes bleed". He put down the bowl and chopsticks, walked out the door, chatted with the guards for a while, thinking that Oboi had probably eaten a bowl of pork upside down, and said to the leader of the guards: "Let's go in and have a look! The leader of the guards replied: "Yes!"
Just as the two walked in, they suddenly heard two people yelling in unison outside the door: "Who is it? Stop!" followed by the sound of shooting arrows twice.The guard leader was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Elder-in-law, I'll go and have a look." He hurried out.Wei Xiaobao went out after him, only to hear the sound of clattering, ten or so men in green clothes held weapons in their hands, and they had already fought with all the guards.Wei Xiaobao was shocked: "Ah, Oboi's subordinates have come to save him." The leader of the guard drew his sword and commanded, only yelled a few times, a man and a woman attacked from left and right.The four imperial guards who escorted Wei Xiaobao were nearby, they heard the sound and came to help, and joined the battle group.Those men in green clothes are very strong in martial arts, in an instant, two guards of the royal residence were dead on the spot. Wei Xiaobao shrank back into the stone house, quickly closed the door, and was about to take the latch to support him, when suddenly a strong force rushed towards him, pushing him back more than ten feet, four men in green clothes rushed into the stone house, shouting: "Oboi Where is it? Where is Aobai?" An old man with long beard grabbed Wei Xiaobao and asked, "Where is Aobai Pass?" Wei Xiaobao pointed outward and said, "It's locked in the dungeon outside." Two men in green clothes Then he ran out.Four more men in green clothes rushed in from outside, and rushed to the backyard, suddenly someone shouted: "Here it is!" The old man with long beard was furious, raised his knife and chopped Wei Xiaobao down.Wei Xiaobao dodges away.A man in Tsing Yi next to him raised his leg and kicked him on the buttocks, only kicking Wei Xiaobao about ten feet away, and fell into the backyard. The six men in Tsing Yi rushed to knock on the iron door of the cell.But the iron gate is very strong, how can it be smashed open in an instant?Only the sound of gongs can be heard outside, and the alarm signal has been issued in the palace.A man in Tsing Yi shouted: "Hurry up!" The old man with a long beard said: "Nonsense, who doesn't know how to hurry up?" A man in Tsing Yi saw that he couldn't break through the iron door for a while, so he raised his steel whip to pry the iron on the window After prying a few times, the two iron bars bent.At this time, three more men in green clothes rushed in.The terrain outside the cell is narrow, and nine people are crowded together, unable to use their hands and feet. Wei Xiaobao quietly crawled out from the ground, and within a few steps, someone noticed that the sword stabbed at his vest.Wei Xiaobao dodged to the left, the man swiped his long sword horizontally, and with a hissing sound, he cut a hole in his vest robe.Fortunately, Wei Xiaobao was protected by a precious robe, the sword didn't hurt any flesh, he jumped up in panic, and rushed out diagonally.Another man in Tsing Yi scolded: "Little devil!" He raised his knife and slashed.Wei Xiaobao jumped up, grabbed the iron bars on the cell window, and hung his body in the air.The man in green who used the steel whip was prying and digging out the iron bars, when he saw Wei Xiaobao blocking the window, he swung his whip and shot down. Wei Xiaobao had no way to retreat, his feet got stuck between the two iron bars.The two iron bars had already been bent by prying, and he was thin and thin, but he passed through the gap, and as soon as he let go, he got into the prison cell.With a bang, the steel whip hit the iron bar. The men in green clothes outside shouted: "I'll drill, I'll drill." The man with the steel whip probed to get in through the gap.But Wei Xiaobao, who is thirteen or fourteen years old, can get through. This guy is fat and strong, but how can he get in? Wei Xiaobao pulled out the dagger from the boot shaft, and secretly called: "Rescue soldiers, come rescue soldiers!" He could hear the sound of gongs, shouts, and the clashing of weapons outside.Suddenly there was a whoosh, and a gust of wind crushed his head.Wei Xiaobao rolled over and rolled several feet away.But when he heard a loud bang, the mud and sand splashed on his face hurt, and he couldn't look back, so he jumped up.I saw Oboi waving the iron chains with both hands, Hehe shouted and leaped wildly, at this time the man in green with the steel whip came in through the window, and Oboi even the handcuffs and the iron chain hit him hard on the head Suddenly, the man in Tsing Yi burst his brains and died. Wei Xiaobao was amazed: "Why did he beat the person who saved him to death?" Then he understood: "Ah, he ate my supplement powder, although he was poisoned, he didn't turn his head to see Yan Luohuang, but he went crazy!" All the men outside the window shouted loudly, Oboi raised the chain of handcuffs and slammed on the iron window.Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "If he turns around and hits me, I will die!" He didn't have time to think about it, he picked up the dagger and stabbed at the back of Oboi forcefully. Aobai lost his mind after taking the medicine, he didn't know someone was attacking from behind, Wei Xiaobao stabbed him with the dagger, but he didn't know how to dodge, there was a bang, the dagger pierced straight into the back.Aobai opened his mouth and shouted wildly, and danced wildly with the handcuffs on his hands.Wei Xiaobao took advantage of the trend and dragged down, the dagger sliced ​​through the iron like mud, and cut straight down, Oboi's back was cut in two, and he fell down immediately. All the people in Tsing Yi outside the window were stunned for a moment, as if they had seen the strangest thing in the world.Three or four people shouted at the same time: "This kid killed Oboi! This kid killed Oboi!" The long-bearded man said: "Pry open the iron window, go in and see if it is really Aobai!" Immediately, two people picked up the steel whips and forcefully pried the iron bars on the window.Two palace guards rushed into the room, and the bearded man swung his scimitar and hacked them to death one by one.A man in Tsing Yi picked up his pistol and repeatedly stabbed Wei Xiaobao through the window, preventing him from entering through the window to injure others. After a while, the gap between the iron bars widened, and a thin man in Tsing Yi said, "Wait for me to go in!" and jumped into the prison cell through the gap between the iron bars.Wei Xiaobao raised his dagger and stabbed at him.The thin man raised the knife to block it, and with a chirping sound, the single knife was cut in two.The thin man was startled, he broke the knife in his hand and threw it at Wei Xiaobao.Wei Xiaobao lowered his head to dodge, his hands and wrists were already caught by the skinny man, and he went behind his back.Another man in Tsing Yi raised a knife to his neck and shouted: "Don't move!" Two more iron bars on the window were pried open, a long-bearded man and a bald man in green clothes got into the cell, grabbed Oboi's braid, raised his head to look, and said in unison: "It is Oboi!" !” The long-bearded man wanted to push the corpse out of the window, but the iron chains on the shackles were firmly nailed to the stone wall and could not be broken for a while.The thin man picked up Wei Xiaobao's dagger, chi chi four times, and cut off the chains attached to Aobai's body.The long-bearded man praised: "Good knife!" Pushing the body out of the window, the man in Tsing Yi pulled it out.The thin man pushed Wei Xiaobao out, and the other three also got out of the cell. The bearded man issued an order: "Take this child away! Everyone retreat!" Everyone agreed in unison and rushed out.A big man in Tsing Yi held Wei Xiaobao under his arms and rushed out of the stone house.There was only a swishing sound, and arrows shot like locusts.More than 20 guards in the palace kept firing arrows, and Prince Kang personally supervised the battle with a knife. All the people in Tsing Yi were blocked by arrows and could not rush out.The one holding Oboi's corpse was a Taoist priest, who shouted: "Follow me!" He raised the corpse in front of him.When Prince Kang saw Oboi, he didn't know he was dead. Seeing Wei Xiaobao being captured by the assassin, he shouted: "Stop shooting! Don't hurt Eunuch Gui!" Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "Prince Kang has a conscience, I will remember you !" The archers of the palace immediately stopped shooting.Those men in blue shouted loudly and rushed out of the stone house.The bearded man waved his hand, and the four men rushed towards Prince Kang.All the guards were shocked, they didn't care about chasing the enemy, they all came to protect the prince, but they didn't know that this was a trick of the bearded man, and the others took advantage of the gap to jump up the wall and escape from the palace.The four men who attacked Prince Kang were very good at lightness and did not fight against the guards. They fled eastward and westward, as if they were waiting for an opportunity to kill Prince Kang. Around the wall, he waved again and again, and more than a dozen hidden weapons were shot at Prince Kang.The guards screamed again and again, swiping their blades and smashing the concealed weapons, but a steel dart still hit Prince Kang's left arm.After such a commotion, the four men in green clothes all left the palace again. Wei Xiaobao was carried by a big man and ran away, but he heard thunderous hooves on the street, someone shouted: "There are assassins in Prince Kang's residence!" It was the army from the brigade who came to reinforce him. A group of men in green clothes rushed into a private house next to the palace, bolted the door, and then ran out through the back door. It was obvious that these people had checked the terrain and prepared their way out before doing anything.After running for a while in the alley, he entered another private house, still ran out from the back door, turned a few turns, and rushed into a big house. Everyone immediately took off their green clothes and quickly changed into various clothes. In an instant, they all dressed up as peasants, picking firewood and vegetables.A man tied Wei Xiaobao tightly with hemp rope.Two men pushed a wooden cart with two large wooden barrels, and put Oboi's body and Wei Xiaobao into the barrels respectively.Wei Xiaobao could only curse in his heart: "Damn it!" Countless dates fell down on his head, covering him, and when the lid was closed, he couldn't see anything. Following the shaking of his body, he expected the wooden cart to push out of the gate.Although there are gaps between the dates, it will not cause suffocation, but it is also difficult to breathe.Wei Xiaobao was overwhelmed with shock, thinking: "These Oboi's family and subordinates have taken me away, and they must dig out my heart and liver to sacrifice to Oboi. It would be best if I meet officers and soldiers on the way, and I roll hard, and the wooden barrel overturns." If you don’t, then you’ll be showing off.” But the limbs were tightly bound, how could they move at all?There was a faint sound of rattling cars outside the wooden barrel, and the body was bumping endlessly. After walking for a long time, where did I meet officers and soldiers?Wei Xiaobao cursed for a while, was afraid for a while, suddenly he opened his mouth and bit a jujube, it was fat and sweet, after eating a few, he was frightened and extremely tired, after a while, he fell into a deep sleep. 一觉醒来，车子仍是在动，只觉全身酸痛，想要转动一下身子，仍半分动弹不得，心想：“老子这次定然逃不过难关了，待会只好大骂一场，出一口心中的恶气，再过二十年，又是一条大汉。”又想：“幸亏我已将鳌拜杀了，否则这厮被这批狗贼救了出去，老子又被他们拿住，一样的难以活命，死得可不够本。鳌拜是朝廷大官，韦小宝只不过是丽春院里的一个小鬼，一命换一命，老子便宜之极，哈哈，大大便宜！”既然无法逃命，只好自己如此宽解，虽说便宜之极，心中却也没半点高兴。 过了一会，便又睡着了，这一觉睡得甚久，醒来时发觉车子所行地面甚为平滑，行得一会，车子停住，却没有人放他出来，让他留在枣子桶中。 过了大半天，韦小宝气闷之极，又要朦胧睡去，忽听得豁啦一响，桶盖打开，有人在捧出他头顶的枣子。韦小宝深深吸了口气，大感舒畅，睁开眼来，只见黑沉沉地，头顶略有微光。有人双手入桶，将他提了起来，横抱在手臂之中，旁边有人提着一盏灯笼，原来已是夜晚。韦小宝见抱着他的是个老者，神色肃穆，处身所在是一个极大的院子。
那老者抱着韦小宝走向后堂，提着灯笼的汉子推开长窗。韦小宝暗叫一声：“苦也！”不知高低，但见一座极大的大厅之中，黑压压的站满了人，少说也有二百多人。这些人一色青衣，头缠白布，腰系白带，都是戴了丧，脸含悲愤哀痛之色。大厅正中设着灵堂，桌上点燃着八根极粗的蓝色蜡烛。灵堂旁挂着几条白布挽联，竖着招魂幡子。韦小宝在扬州之时，每逢大户人家有丧事，总是去凑热闹，讨赏钱，乘人忙乱不觉，就顺手牵羊，拿些器皿藏入怀中，到市上卖了，便去赌钱，因此灵堂的陈设看得惯了，一见便知。 他在枣桶中时，早料到会被剖心开膛，去祭鳌拜，此刻事到临头，还是吓得全身皆酥，牙齿打战，格格作响。那老者将他放下，左手抓住他肩头，右手割断了绑住他手足的麻绳。韦小宝双足酸软，无法站定。那老者伸手到他右胁之下扶住。 韦小宝见厅上这些人显然都有武功，自己只怕一个也打不过，要逃走那是千难万难，但左右是个死，好在绑缚已解，总得试试，最不济逃不了，给抓了回来，一样的开心剖膛，难道还能多开一次，多剖一回？眼前切要之事，第一要那老头子的手不在自己胁下托住，以免身子一动便给他抓住；第二要设法弄熄灯笼烛火，黑暗一团，便有脱身之机。 他偷眼瞧厅上众人，只见各人身上都挂插刀剑兵刃。一名中年汉子走到灵座之侧，说道：“今日大……大仇得报，大……大哥你可以眼闭……眼闭了。”一句话没说完，已泣不成声。他一翻身，扑倒在灵前，放声大哭。厅上众人跟着都号啕大哭。 韦小宝心道：“辣块妈妈，老子来骂几句。”但立即转念：“我开口一骂，这些乌龟王八蛋马上向老子动手，可逃不了啦。”斜眼见托着自己的老者正自伸衣袖拭泪，便想转身就逃，但身后站满了人，只须逃出一步，立时便给人抓住，心想时机未到，不可卤莽。 人丛中一个苍老的声音喝道：“上祭！”一名上身赤裸、头缠白布的雄壮大汉大踏步走上前来，手托木盘，高举过顶，盘中铺着一块红布，红布上赫然放着一个血肉模糊的人头。韦小宝险些儿晕去，心想：“辣块妈妈，这些王八蛋要来割老子的头了。”又想：“这是谁的头？是康亲王吗？还是索额图的？不会是小皇帝的罢？”木盘举得甚高，看不见首级面容。那大汉将木盘放在供桌上，扑地拜倒。大厅上哭声又振，众人纷纷跪拜。 韦小宝心道：“他妈的，此时不走，更待何时？”转身正欲奔跑，那老者拉拉他衣袖，轻轻在他背上一推。韦小宝四肢绑缚解开不久，血脉尚未行开，腿上没半点气力，给他一推之下，立即跪倒，见众人都在磕头，只好跟着磕头，心中大骂：“贼鳌拜，乌龟鳌拜。老子一刀戳死了你，到得阴间，老子又再来戳你几刀！” 有些汉子拜毕站起身来，有些兀自伏地大哭。韦小宝心想：“男子汉大丈夫，这般大哭也不怕羞，鳌拜这王八蛋有什么好，死了又有什么可惜？又用得着你们这般大流马尿？” 众人哭了一阵，一个高高瘦瘦的老者走到灵座之侧，朗声说道：“各位兄弟，咱们尹香主的大仇已报，鳌拜这厮终于杀头，实是咱们天地会青木堂的天大喜事……” 韦小宝听到“鳌拜这厮终于杀头”八个字，耳中嗡的一声，又惊又喜，一个念头闪电似的钻入脑中：“他们不是鳌拜的部属，反是鳌拜的仇人？”那高瘦老者下面的十几句话，韦小宝全然听而不闻，过了好一会，定下神来，才慢慢将他说话听入心中，但中间已然漏了一大段，只听他说道：“……今日咱们大闹康亲王府，杀了鳌拜，全师而归，鞑子势必丧胆，于本会反清复明的大业，实有大大好处。本会各堂的兄弟们知道了，一定佩服咱们青木堂有智有勇，敢作敢为。” 众汉子纷纷说道：“正是，正是！”“咱们青木堂这次可大大的露了脸。”“莲花堂、赤火堂他们老是自吹自擂，可哪有青木堂这次干得惊天动地！”“这件事传遍天下，只怕到处茶馆中都要编成了故事来唱。将来把鞑子逐出关外，天地会青木堂名垂不朽！”“什么把鞑子逐出关外？要将众鞑子斩尽杀绝，个个死无葬身之地。” 众人你一言，我一语，精神大振，适才的悲戚之情，顷刻间一扫而空。 韦小宝听到这里，更无怀疑，知道这批人是反对朝廷的志士。他在遇到茅十八之前，在扬州街坊市井之间，便已常听人说起天地会反清的种种侠义事迹。当年清兵攻入扬州，大肆屠杀，奸淫掳掠，无恶不作，所谓：“扬州十日，嘉定三屠”，实是惨不堪言。扬州城中几乎每一家人家，都有人在这场大屠杀中遭难。因之对于反清义士的钦佩，扬州人比之别地人氏，无形中又多了几分。其时离“扬州十日”的惨事不过二十几年，韦小宝从小便听人不断说起清军的恶行，又听人说史阁部如何抗敌殉难，某人又如何和敌兵同归于尽。这次茅十八和众盐枭在丽春院中打架，便是为了强行替天地会出头而起，一路上听他说了不少天地会的英雄事迹，又有什么“为人不见陈近南，就称英雄也枉然”等等言语，心中早已万分向往仰慕，这时亲眼见到这一大群以杀鞑子为己任的英雄豪杰，不由得大为兴奋，一时竟忘了自己是鞑子朝廷中“小太监”的身份。 那高瘦老者待人声稍静，续道：“咱青木堂这两年中，时时刻刻记着尹香主尹大哥的大仇，人人在万云龙大哥的灵前沥血为誓，定要杀了鳌拜这厮为尹大哥报仇。尹香主当时慷慨就义，江湖上人人钦仰，今日他在天之灵，见到了鳌拜这个狗头，一定会仰天大笑。” 众人都道：“正是，正是！” 人丛中一个雄壮的声音道：“两年前大伙儿立誓，倘若杀不得鳌拜，我青木堂中人人都是狗熊灰孙子，再也没脸面在江湖上行走。今日终于雪了这场奇耻大辱。我姓樊的这两年来饭也吃不饱、觉也睡不好，日思夜想，就是打算怎生给尹香主报仇，为青木堂雪耻，大伙儿终于心愿得偿，哈哈，哈哈！”许多人跟着他都狂笑起来。 那高瘦老者说道：“好，我青木堂重振雄风，大伙扬眉吐气，重新抬起头来做人。这两年来，青木堂兄弟们个个都似无主孤魂一般，在天地会中聚会，别堂的兄弟只消瞧我一眼，冷笑一声，我就惭愧得无地自容，对会中的大事小事，不敢插嘴说一句话。虽然总舵主几次传了话来，开导咱们，说道为尹香主报仇，是天地会全体兄弟们的事，决不是青木堂一堂的事。可是别堂兄弟们冷言冷语，却不这么想啊。自今而后，那可是大不相同了。” 另一人道：“对，对，李大哥说得对，咱们乘此机会，一鼓作气，轰轰烈烈的再干他几件大事出来。鳌拜这恶贼号称'满洲第一勇士'，今日死在咱们手下，那些满洲第二勇士、第三勇士、第四勇士，那是个个怕得要死了！” 众人一听，又都轰然大笑起来。 韦小宝心想：“你们一会儿哭，一会儿笑，倒像是小孩儿一般。” 人丛中忽然有个冷冷的声音说：“是我们青木堂杀了鳌拜么？” 众人一听此言，立时静了下来，大厅中聚着二百来人，片刻之间鸦雀无声。 过了良久，一人说道：“杀死鳌拜的，虽是另有其人，但那也是咱们青木堂攻入康亲王府之后，那人乘着混乱，才将鳌拜杀死。” 先前那人又冷冷的道：“原来如此。” 那声音粗壮之人大声道：“祁老三，你说这话是什么意思？” 那祁老三仍是冷言冷语：“我又有什么意思了？没有意思，一点也没有意思！只不过别堂中兄弟如果说道：'这番青木堂可当真威风啦！但不知杀死鳌拜的，却是贵堂中哪一位兄弟？'这一句话问了出来，只怕有些儿难以对答。大家不妨想想，这句话人家会不会问？只怕一千个人中，倒有九百九十九个要问罢！大伙儿自吹自擂，尽往自己脸上贴金，未免……未免有点……嘿嘿，大伙儿肚里明白！” 众人尽皆默然，都觉他说话刺耳，听来极不受用，但这番话却确是实情，难以辩驳。 过了好一会，那高瘦老者道：“这个清宫中的小太监阴错阳差，杀了鳌拜，那自是尹香主在天之灵暗中佑护，假手于一个小孩儿，除此大奸。大家都是铁铮铮的男子汉，也不能昧着良心说假话。”众人面面相觑，有的不禁摇头，本来兴高采烈，但想到杀死鳌拜的并非青木堂的兄弟，登时都感大为扫兴。 那高瘦老者道：“这两年来，本堂无主，大伙儿推兄弟暂代执掌香主的职司。现下尹香主的大仇已报，兄弟将令牌交在尹香主灵前，请众兄弟另选贤能。”说着在灵座前跪倒，双手拿着一块木牌，拜了几拜，站起身来，将令牌放在灵位之前。 一人说道：“李大哥，这两年之中，你将会务处理得井井有条，这香主之位，除了你之外，又有谁能配当？你也不用客气啦，乘早将令牌收起来罢！” 众人默然半晌。另一人道：“这香主之职，可并不是凭着咱们自己的意思，要谁来当就由谁当。那是总舵委派下来的。” 先一人道：“规矩虽是如此，但历来惯例，每一堂商定之后报了上去，上头从来没驳回过，所谓委派，也不过是例行公事而已。” 另一人道：“据兄弟所知，各堂的新香主，向来都由旧香主推荐。旧香主或者年老，或者有病，又或是临终之时留下遗言，从本堂兄弟之中挑出一人接替，可就从来没有自行推选的规矩。” 先一人道：“尹香主不幸为鳌拜所害，哪有什么遗言留下？贾老六，这件事你又不是不知，又干么在这里挑眼了？我明白你的用意，你反对李大哥当本堂香主，乃是心怀不轨，另有图谋。” 韦小宝听到“贾老六”三字，心下一凛，记得扬州众盐枭所要找的就是此人，转头向他瞧去，果见他头顶光秃秃地，一根小辫子上没剩下几根头发，脸上有个大刀疤。 那贾老六怒道：“我又心怀什么不轨，另有什么图谋了？崔瞎子，你话说得清楚些，可别含血喷人。” 那姓崔之人少了一只左目，大声道：“哼，打开天窗说亮话，青木堂中，又有谁不知道你想捧你姊夫关夫子做香主。关夫子做了香主，你便是国舅老爷，那还不是大权在手，要风得风、要雨得雨吗？” 贾老六大声道：“关夫子是不是我姊夫，那是另一回事。这次攻入康王府，是关夫子率领的，终于大功告成，奏凯而归，凭着我姊夫的才干，他不能当香主吗？李大哥资格老，人缘好，我并不是反对他。不过讲到本事，毕竟还是关夫子行得多。” 崔瞎子突然纵声大笑，笑声中充满了轻蔑之意。贾老六怒道：“你笑什么？难道我的话说错了？”崔瞎子笑道：“没有错，咱们贾六哥的话怎么会错？我只是觉得关夫子的本事太也厉害了些。五关是过了，六将却没有斩。事到临头，却将一个大仇人鳌拜，让人家小孩儿一刀杀了。” 突然人丛中走出一人，满脸怒容在灵座前一站，韦小宝认得他便是率领众人攻入康亲王府的那个长须人。见他一部长须飘在胸前，模样甚是威严。原来此人姓关，名叫安基，因胡子生得神气，又是姓关，人家便都叫他关夫子。他双目瞪着崔瞎子，粗声说道：“崔兄弟，你跟贾老六斗口，说什么都可以，我姓关的可没得罪你。大家好兄弟，在万云龙大哥灵前赌过咒，发过誓来，说什么同生共死。你这般损我，是什么意思？” 崔瞎子心下有些害怕，退了一步，说道：“我……我可没敢损你。”顿了一顿，又道：“关二哥，你……你如赞成推举李大哥作本堂香主，那么……那么做兄弟的给你磕头赔罪，算是我说错了话。” 关安基铁青着脸，说道：“磕头赔罪，那怎么敢当？本堂的香主由谁来当，姓关的可不配说这一句话。崔兄弟，你也还没当上天地会的总舵主，青木堂的香主是谁，还轮不到你来说话。” 崔瞎子又退了一步，大声道：“关二哥，你这话不也明摆着损人吗？我崔瞎子是什么脚色，便是再投十八次胎，也挨不上当天地会的总舵主。我只是说，李力世李大哥德高望重，本堂之中，再也没哪一位像李大哥那样，教人打从心窝里佩服出来。本堂的香主倘若不是请李大哥当，只怕十之八九的兄弟们都会不服。” 人丛中有一人道：“崔瞎子，你又不是本堂十之八九的兄弟，怎知道十之八九的兄弟们心中不服？我看啊，李大哥人是挺好的，大伙儿跟他老人家喝喝酒、聊聊天、晒晒太阳，那是再好不过了。可是说到做本堂香主，只怕十之八九的兄弟们心中大大的不以为然。” 又一人道：“我说呢，张兄弟的话对得不能再对。德高望重又怎么样？咱们天地会是反清复明，又不是学孔夫子，讲什么仁义道德。德高望重，就能将鞑子吓跑吗？要找德高望重之人，私塾中整天'诗云子曰'的老秀才可多得很。”众人一听，都笑了起来。 一名道人道：“依你之见，该当由谁来当本堂香主？”那人道：“第一、咱们天地会干的是反清复明大事。第二、咱们青木堂要在天地会各堂之中出人头地，干得有声有色。众兄弟中哪一个最有才干，最有本事，大伙儿便推他为香主。”那道人道：“最有才干、最有本事，依贫道看来，还是以李大哥为第一。” 人丛中数十人都大声叫嚷起来：“我们推关夫子！李大哥的本事怎及得上关夫子？” 那道人道：“关夫子做事有股冲劲，这是大家都佩服的……”许多人叫了起来：“是啊！还有什么说的？”那道人双手乱摇，叫道：“且慢，且慢，听我说完。不过关夫子的脾气十分暴躁，动不动就发火骂人。他眼下在本堂中不过是一个寻常兄弟，大伙儿见到他，心中已先怕了三分。他一做香主，只怕谁也没一天安稳的日子过。”一人道：“关夫子脾气近来好得多了。他一做香主，只会更好。” 那道士摇头道：“江山易改，本性难移。关夫子的脾气，是几十年生成的，就算按捺得住一时，又怎能按捺得一年半载？青木堂香主是终身之事，不可由于一个人的脾气不好，闹得弟兄们失和，大家人心涣散，不免误了大事。” 贾老六道：“玄贞道长，我瞧你的脾气，也不见得有什么高明。” 那道人道号玄贞，听他这么说，哈哈一笑，说道：“正是各人之事自家知，贫道脾气不好，得罪人多，所以尽量少开口。不过推选香主，乃是本堂大事，贫道忍不住要说几句了。贫道脾气不好，不做香主，并不碍事。哪一位兄弟瞧着不顺眼，不来跟我说话，也就罢了，远而避之，也就是了。但如贫道做了香主，岂能不理不睬，远而避之？” 贾老六道：“又没人推你做香主，为什么要你出来东拉西扯？” 玄贞勃然大怒，厉声道：“贾老六，江湖上朋友见到贫道之时，多尊称一声道长，便是总舵主，也是客客气气。哪有似你这般无礼的。你……你狗仗人势，想欺侮到我玄贞头上，可没那么容易！我明明白白跟你说，关夫子要当本堂香主，我玄贞第一个不赞成！他要当这香主，第一就须办到一件事。这件事要是办到了，贫道说不定就不反对。” 贾老六本来听他说“狗仗人势”，心下已十分生气，只是一来玄贞道人武功高强，他当真动了怒，可也真不敢和他顶撞；二来这道人在江湖上名头甚响，总舵主对他客气，确也不假。自己要拥姊夫做本堂香主，此人如一力作梗，实是一个极大的障碍，听他说只要姊夫办到一件事，便不反对他做香主，心下一喜，问道：“那是什么事，你倒说来听听。” 玄贞道人道：“关夫子第一件要办的大事，便须和'十足真金'贾金刀离婚！” 此言一出，众人登时哄堂大笑，原来玄贞道人所说的“十足真金”贾金刀，便是关夫子的妻室，贾老六的嫡亲姊姊。她手使两把金刀，人家和她说笑，常故意询问：“关嫂子，你这两口金刀，到底是真金还是假金？”她一定郑重其事的道：“十足真金，十足真金！哪有假的？”因此上得到个“十足真金”的外号。玄贞道人要关夫子和妻子离婚，岂不是摆明了要贾老六的好看？其实“十足真金”贾金刀为人心直口快，倒是个好人。她兄弟贾老六也不坏，只是把姊夫抬得太高，关夫子又脾气暴躁，得罪人多，大家背后不免闲话甚多。 关安基手一伸，砰的一声，在桌上重重一拍，喝道：“玄贞道长，你说什么话来？我当不当香主，有什么相干，你干什么提到我老婆？” 玄贞道人还未答话，人丛中一人冷冷的道：“关夫子，尹香主可没得罪你，你拍他的灵座干什么？”原来关安基适才一拍，却是拍在灵座之上。 关安基心中一惊，他人虽暴躁，倒是机灵得很，大声道：“是兄弟错了！”在灵位之前跪倒，拜了几拜，说道：“尹大哥，做兄弟的盛怒之下，在你灵台上拍了一掌。实在是兄弟的不是，请你老人家在天之灵，不可见怪。”说着砰砰砰的叩了几个响头。余人见他如此，也就不再追究。 崔瞎子道：“大家瞧！关夫子光明磊落，人是条汉子，就是脾气