Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four

After a while, the two boats approached, and the brothers from the Tiandihui pushed Zheng Keshuang over.Wei Xiaobao scolded: "Grandma, you killed the brothers in the Tiandihui, and you want to kill the head of the Tiandihui, so you must be disemboweled. Mom, you know that A Ke is my wife, and you flirt with her again." Let's go." As he spoke, he walked up to him, slapped him four times, and slapped him four times. Zheng Keshuang drank enough water from the river, and was already languid. Seeing Wei Xiaobao's ferocious appearance, he begged, "Master Wei, please spare my life for my father's sake. From now on, I... Say a word to Miss A Ke." Wei Xiaobao said: "What if she talks to you?" Zheng Keshun said: "I won't answer, otherwise... otherwise..." Otherwise, I can't say for a while.Wei Xiaobao said: "You talk like farting. I'll cut off your tongue first, so I can teach you. If you want to talk to A Ke, you can't say it." He pulled out the dagger, and shouted: "Put out your tongue!" Zheng Keshun was shocked , hurriedly said: "I will never talk to her, if I say a word, I will be a bastard."

Wei Xiaobao was afraid that Chen Jinnan would punish him, so he didn't dare to really kill him, and said: "In the future, if you dare to be rude to the head of the Tiandihui and the brothers, and if you dare to disrespect my wife, you want to get a green hat for me Dai, I put a sword in the head of you adulterer." Lifting the dagger and throwing it lightly, the dagger went straight into the bow.Zheng Keshuang hurriedly said: "Don't dare, dare not, never dare again." Wei Xiaobao turned to Ma Chaoxing and said, "Brother Ma, he was captured by your backyard, please let him go." Ma Chaoxing sighed, "What a hero Guo Xing is, but the grandson he gave birth to is so useless." Wu Liuqi said: "When this person returns to Taiwan, he will be in trouble with the chief rudder. It's better to kill him twice, and there will be no future trouble." Zheng Keshuang was shocked, and hurriedly said: "No, I won't. I will go back to Taiwan and ask my father to make Mr. Chen Yonghua the official of Mr. Chen." Make him a great official." Ma Chaoxing said, "Hmph, is the chief rudder special?" He whispered to Wu Liuqi, "This man is Prince Zheng's son. If we kill him, I'm afraid the chief rudder will be trapped. The name of 'Master Killer'."

The Tiandihui was founded by Chen Yonghua on the order of Zheng Chenggong. Chen Yonghua was the leader of the Tiandihui, but he was still an official of the Yanping County Prince's Mansion in Taiwan. If the brothers in the association killed the son of Yanping King, although Chen Yonghua was not present, he would not be able to get rid of his involvement.Wu Liuqi thought right, pulled his hands, and broke the rope that bound Zheng Keshuang, lifted him up, shouted: "Get out of here!" and threw him to the shore. Zheng Keshun immediately flew out like a cloud riding a fog, screaming in the air, expecting that the fall would inevitably break his muscles and bones, but he landed on his buttocks and slipped out on a piece of grass. Although his whole body hurt from the shock, he was not injured. Hastily left.

Wu Liuqi and Wei Xiaobao laughed heartily.Ma Chaoxing said: "This guy has lost the face of Lord Guo Xing." Wu Liuqi asked: "How did this guy kill and wound the brothers of this society and frame the chief rudder?" Wei Xiaobao said: "It's a long story, we can go ashore Go, wait for brother to talk to elder brother in detail." Glancing at the sky, he said: "It's full of black clouds over there, I'm afraid heavy rain is coming, let's go ashore quickly." A gust of wind blew, and everyone's clothes were blown away. There is a rustling sound, and the wind is in the mouth and nose.

Wu Liuqi said: "I'm afraid this storm is not small. Let's sail the boat to the middle of the river and drink and talk in the strong wind and rain. It's very interesting." Wei Xiaobao was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "This small boat can't afford the wind. Wouldn't it be bad if it turned over?" Ma Chaoxing smiled and said, "There's no need to worry." He turned his head and gave some instructions to the boatman.The boatman agreed, turned over the bow, and hoisted the sails. At this time, the wind was quite strong, the cloth sail was full of wind, and the boat sailed towards the center of the river like an arrow.There were big waves in the river, the boat went up and down, and the river water splashed into the cabin.Wei Xiaobao was nicknamed "Little White Dragon" in vain, but he didn't know water skills, he was young, and his face was already pale with fright, but it seemed that it had nothing to do with the word "dragon".

Wu Liuqi smiled and said, "Brother Wei, I don't know water." Wei Xiaobao wondered, "You can't swim?" Wu Liuqi shook his head and said, "Never, I get dizzy when I see water." Wei Xiaobao said: "Then...then why did you ask the boat to come to the center of the river?" Wu Liuqi smiled and said, "The more terrible things in the world are, the more I want to touch them. At most, the big waves capsize the boat, and everyone is in the middle of the Liujiang River." What's more, Brother Ma's nickname is 'Xijiang Shenjiao', how good is his water skills? Brother Ma, let's talk about it first. If the boat capsizes later, you have to save Brother Wei first. The two of you will come and save me." Ma Chaoxing smiled and said, "Okay, it's a deal." Wei Xiaobao felt relieved.

At this time, the wind and waves became stronger, and the boat followed the wave, suddenly rose more than ten feet, and suddenly, it seemed to fall from the midair, as if it was going to dive into the bottom of the river.Wei Xiaobao was thrown up, fell heavily onto the deck with a bang, and screamed, "Be good!" There was a loud rattle on the boat canopy, heavy rain poured down, followed by a gust of wind, blowing the bow, The lanterns at the stern were rolled out, and the lights in the cabin were extinguished.Wei Xiaobao yelled again: "Ah, it's not good!" Looking out from the cabin, I saw white waves surging on the river, heavy wind and heavy rain, and the momentum was astonishing.Ma Chaoxing said: "Don't be afraid, brother, the wind and rain are really severe. Wait for me to steer the rudder." Going to the back end, he scolded the boatman to enter the cabin.The wind was so strong that the two boatmen were almost blown down the river as soon as they reached the mast, and they hugged the mast tightly, not daring to let go.In the strong wind and waves, the boat suddenly capsized.Wei Xiaobao fell to the left, screamed, and cursed in his heart: "This old beggar came up with such a fucking weird idea, you can't swim yourself, what is not fun, but you come to this windy and rainy river to make fun of it ? The wind and rain are heavy, and your mother has a big belly."

The strong wind and the torrential rain rushed into the cabin in waves, Wei Xiaobao's whole body was already soaked.Suddenly there was a loud sound, the sail fell down, and Wei Xiaobao slammed to the right on the side of the ship, with a bang, his head hit the small table, and suddenly thought: "I didn't apologize to Brother Hu, why? Are you going to drown in this Liujiang River today? Ah, yes, I swear this because I have bad intentions and plan to deceive him one day. Eldest brother has the blessings to share and the difficulties to share. What blessings do we share? He is like marrying Chen Yuanyuan... Could it be that I also..."

In the sound of wind and rain, Wu Liuqi suddenly let go of his throat and sang a song: "Walk by the river, who is full of resentment to speak to? The old tears are blowing, and the lonely city is a piece of land. Hope to save the eyes, use all the remaining soldiers to fight bloody. Jump out of the siege, the old country is sad and love, who knows that the song is empty. The road is three thousand, all belong to different surnames, the rain turns and the clouds change. The cold wave rolls eastward, and everything is empty. The sound of the song is sent far from the river. Although the sound of wind and rain is loud, it can't overwhelm him.Ma Chaoxing applauded from behind, and shouted: "What a 'sound chasing the sea and sky'!" Wei Xiaobao heard him sing impassionedly, and didn't know what the meaning of the song was, and cursed in his heart: "You have such a good voice, But don’t go to the stage to make big flower noodles? The old beggar let go of his throat and yelled: ‘Master and wife, give me some leftovers’, but you won’t starve to death.”

Suddenly, someone in the middle of the river shouted loudly: "Words from the Southern Dynasties have been passed down through the ages, and blood and tears are shed on the mountains and rivers." The cry was far away, but it came clearly and clearly in the heavy wind and rain, which showed that the person's inner strength was deep. When Wei Xiaobao was stunned, he heard Ma Chaoxing shout: "Is it the chief helmsman? Brother Ma Chaoxing is here." The other side replied: "Exactly, is Xiaobao here?" It was Chen Jinnan's voice.Wei Xiaobao was both surprised and happy, and shouted: "Master, I am here." But under the strong wind, how could his voice be heard?Ma Chaoxing shouted: "Wei Xiangzhu is here. There is also Hong Shuntang's red flag Wu Xiangzhu." Chen Jinnan said: "Excellent! No wonder Jiangshang sings so loudly that it reaches the clouds." There was great joy in his voice.Wu Liuqi said: "Subordinate Wu Liuqi, please refer to the chief helmsman." Chen Jinnan said: "My brother, you are welcome." The voice approached, and his boat was coming towards this side.

The wind and rain never stopped, Wei Xiaobao looked out from the cabin, the river was pitch black, a light of fire slowly moved over the river, Chen Jinnan had a lamp on the boat.After a while, the fire light moved closer, the bow of the boat sank slightly, and Chen Jinnan had already jumped on board.Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "Master is here, my life will be saved this time." He rushed to the hatch, he couldn't see Chen Jinnan's face in the dark, so he called out "Master" loudly. Chen Jinnan took him by the hand, walked into the cabin, said with a smile, "This storm is really serious. Are you scared?" Wei Xiaobao said, "It's okay." Wu Liuqi and Ma Chaoxing both went into the cabin to see. Chen Jinnan said: "When I arrived in the city, I knew you were on the river, so I came to look for you. I didn't expect to encounter such a storm. If it wasn't for Angkor's singing, I really couldn't find you." Wu Liuqi said: "The subordinates acted on a whim. The chief rudder of the school is laughing." Chen Jinnan said: "Let's be brothers. Is Brother Wu singing the play "Shen Jiang" in the middle school?" Wu Liuqi said: "Exactly. This song was written by Shi Gebu Dedicated to the enemy, Shen Jiang was martyred, my brothers usually love to listen to it. Now there is a storm on the river, I can't help singing." Chen Jinnan praised: "It's a good song, it really is good." Wei Xiaobao thought: "So this play is called Make "Shen Jiang". What kind of drama is not good to sing, but you sing this unlucky one? If you want Shen Jiang, I will not accompany you." Chen Jinnan said: "That day in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, I heard Mr. Huang Zongxi, Mr. Lu Liuliang, and Mr. Zha Yihuang, three well-known scholars from the south of the Yangtze River, talk about Brother Wu's deeds. Brother Wu admired him very much. Brother Wu has a lot of affairs, and we haven't been able to meet each other in Guangdong. Brother Wu has different identities, and he can't come to the north. I don't want to meet here today, and I will comfort my life." Wu Liuqi said: "After my brother joined the Tiandihui, I don't want to see the chief rudder every day. Lord. There is a saying in the Jianghu: "If you don't see Chen Jinnan in your life, it is useless to call him a hero." From today on, I can be called a hero, haha, haha." Chen Jinnan said: "I am so ashamed to accept the praise of my friends in the Jianghu. . " The two cherished each other, congenial, talked freely about their life's ambitions, and immediately forgot about the wind and rain outside the boat. After talking for a while, the wind and rain gradually subsided.When Chen Jinnan asked about Wu Sangui, Wei Xiaobao told them one by one. When encountering dangerous places, he couldn't help adding more spices. It was the first time that even Ma Chaoxing heard about all the incidents.When Chen Jinnan heard that he had obtained the Mongolian envoy Hantema, Wu Sangui must have suffered a lot of bad luck based on actual evidence, he was very happy; he also heard that the Raksha Kingdom would respond to Wu Sangui in the north and seize a large area of ​​land outside the pass, he couldn't help but frowned, and remained silent for a while. . Wei Xiaobao said: "Master, the people of Rakshasa have red hair and green eyes. They are not afraid at all. At most, they should not look too much at their faces. Their firearms are really powerful. No matter how heroic you are, you won't be able to stop them "Chen Jinnan said: "I'm also worried about this, Wu Sangui and the Tatars will lose both, it is a golden opportunity to restore our Han family's country, but the front door drives out the tiger, and the back door drives away the Tartars, let's compare The Tartars want the ferocious Raksha Kingdom to take over my beautiful country, so what should I do?" Wu Liuqi said, "Is there really no way to deal with the Raksha Kingdom's firearms?" Chen Jinnan said: "There is one person, you two can meet." Walking to the hatch, he shouted: "Xingzhu, come here." Someone in the small boat over there replied: "Yes." Jump on the boat and walk into the cabin In the middle, he bowed slightly to Chen Jinnan. This man was in his forties, with a thin body and a heroic face.Chen Jinnan said: "I have met Brother Ang and Brother Ma. This is my apprentice, surnamed Wei." The man clasped his fists and saluted, and Wu Liuqi and others all got up to return the salute.Chen Jinnan said: "Brother Lin Xingzhu has been working with me in Taiwan, and he is very capable. Back then, Guo Xingye defeated the red-haired ghost and conquered Taiwan. Brother Lin was also a man of merit." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Brother Lin fought against the red-haired ghost, that's great. Luocha ghosts have guns, and red-haired ghosts also have guns and firearms. Brother Lin must have a solution." Wu Liuqi and Ma Chaoxing applauded at the same time, and said in unison, "Brother Wei's brains are really sharp." Wu Liuqi didn't pay much attention to Wei Xiaobao at first, and he guessed that he was only the disciple of the chief rudder master, and only then did he achieve such a high position as the incense master of Qingmutang Although Qingmutang has made a lot of achievements in recent years, it may not be because of this little guy. Seeing that he is infatuated with A Ke, he is even more contemptuous, but at this moment, he can't help admiring: "This little boy sees things quickly, There are some skills." Chen Jinnan smiled and said: "When Guo Xingye attacked Taiwan, the red-haired ghosts fired heavily, and it was really difficult to resist the enemy. At that time, we built an earth embankment and surrounded thousands of red-haired soldiers in the city, cut off the water source in the city, and called them There was no water to drink. The red-haired soldiers couldn't stand it any longer, so they rushed out to attack. We didn't fight during the day, but fought with them at night. Xingzhu, how did you fight back then, let me tell you." Lin Xingzhu said: "That's the strategist's ingenious plan..." Chen Jinnan advised Zheng Chenggong to attack Taiwan and made great achievements in conquering it. He was called "military strategist" in the army.Wei Xiaobao said: "Military teacher?" Seeing Lin Xingzhu looking at Chen Jinnan, the master smiled and understood, and said: "Ah, so master, you are Zhuge Liang. Zhuge's army master defeated the rattan armor soldiers, and Chen Junshi defeated the red-haired soldiers." Lin Xingzhu said: "Guo Xing Ye sacrificed to the river on the first day of February in the fifteenth year of the Yongli calendar. He supervised all the civil and military officials, military guards, and sailed from Keluo Bay on a warship. He arrived in Penghu on the 24th. On the first day of April Arrived at Luermen, Taiwan on the following day. There was a shoal for dozens of miles outside the gate. The red-haired soldiers sank the ship again and blocked the port. Our warships could not get in. Just when there was nothing we could do, the tide suddenly rose, and the soldiers cheered The sky was shaking, and ships rushed in and landed at Shuizhai Port. The red-haired soldiers brought guns to fight. Guo Xingye said to everyone, if we take a step back and are driven into the sea, we will die without burial. Land. Although the red-haired ghost guns are powerful, everyone must step forward bravely. All the soldiers will follow the orders, and the military division will personally lead us to charge. Suddenly, there seemed to be thousands of thunderbolts in my ears, and the smoke in front of my eyes Mi Man, the brothers in front fell down in a row. When everyone panicked, they fled back." Wei Xiaobao said: "It was the first time I heard the red-haired gun being fired, and I was completely scared." Lin Xingzhu said: "I fumbled like a headless chicken, only to hear the military commander yell loudly: 'The red-haired ghost fired a shot, he needs gunpowder and lead, everyone charge!' I hurriedly led the brothers to charge I went up, and sure enough, the red-haired ghost had no time to fire the gun. But as soon as I rushed to the front, the red-haired ghost fired again. I immediately rolled to the ground to hide, but many brothers were killed. I had no choice but to retreat. But the red-haired ghost didn’t dare to chase after him. Hundreds of brothers were killed in this battle, everyone was downcast, and the thought of the red-haired ghost’s guns made everyone jump with fear.” Wei Xiaobao said: "Finally the military master came up with a clever plan?" Lin Xingzhu exclaimed: "Yes. That night, the military advisor called me over and asked me: 'Brother Lin, you are a disciple of the Wuyi Mountain sect, aren't you?' I said yes. The military advisor said: 'Ri Lihong As soon as Mao Gui fired the gun, you immediately rolled to the ground, you are very agile." I was very ashamed, and said: "The words of the military division: the young general dare not be greedy for life and fear of death, and when he goes into battle tomorrow, he will definitely not dare to roll to avoid it again. Don't let me down to the prestige of the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, you can kill my head.'" Wei Xiaobao said: "Brother Lin, I guess the military master didn't blame you for being greedy for life and fear of death, but praised you for the good way of dodging on the ground, and asked you to pass it on to the brothers." Chen Jinnan glanced at him with a smile on his face, quite appreciative. Lin Xingzhu slapped his thigh, and said loudly: "Yes, you are the apprentice of a military master, it really is a wise master who produces an outstanding apprentice..." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "You are my master's subordinate, you are indeed a strong general with no weak soldiers." Everyone laughed. Lin Xingzhu said: "That night the military advisor really ordered it like that. He said: 'You must not be mistaken. I saw that your Yanqing's Eighteen Flips and Squirrel Grass Flying are very useful, you can roll in front of the enemy , cut their legs with a single knife. There is a set of Ditang swordsmanship, how do you practice it?' I heard that the military division scolded me for being timid and afraid of death, so I was relieved, and said: "In the words of the military division: The young general of Ditang swordsmanship is practicing Well, back then, the master said that if you go to battle, you can roll over and cut off the enemy's horse's feet, but if the red-haired ghost doesn't ride a horse, it's useless." The military master said: "Although the red-haired ghost doesn't ride a horse, why don't we cut other people's feet ?' When I heard it, I suddenly realized, and even said: "Yes, yes, the young general is out of his mind, so he couldn't think of this."" Wei Xiaobao smiled slightly and thought to himself: "Your master taught you that this saber technique can cut horses' feet, but you think you can't cut people's feet. My brother's brain really isn't very bright." Lin Xingzhu said: "At that time, the military advisor ordered me to perform this saber technique. He praised me for practicing it well, and said: 'If you don't have more than ten years of cold and heat skills, you can't practice your Ditangmen saber technique. This is the level, but we are going to fight tomorrow, and everyone needs to practice, so it’s too late.” I said, “Yes. This young master of swordsmanship is not good at training, but he has practiced for more than ten years.” Said the military adviser "Let's build an embankment and defend it with bows and arrows. Immediately go and teach the soldiers how to roll forward on the ground and chop their feet with a knife. You only need to teach three or four moves, and everyone will be proficient. You don’t need to teach martial arts at all.’ I received the order from the military commander and went to teach the soldiers of my team first that night. Early the next morning, the red-haired ghost rushed over and shot us back with a burst of bows and arrows. After practicing the basic five strokes, I transferred them to the officers and soldiers of other teams. The military division ordered everyone to cut down branches and tie them into shields to block the lead bullets of the red-haired soldiers. On the morning of the fourth day, the red-haired soldiers charged again. Come on, let's go up to fight, roll forward, only kill the red-haired ghost, and leave hundreds of hairy legs on the battlefield. The red-haired city guard also cut off the left leg of the red-haired head. The red-haired head Surrender here. Later, when we attacked the Acropolis, we used the same method.” Ma Chao happily said: "In the future when we fight against Raksha devils, we can use Ditang Kungfu to deal with them." Chen Jinnan said: "However, the situation is a little different. There were only three or four thousand red-haired soldiers in Taiwan back then, and one died, and one less. Rakshasa soldiers invaded, at least tens of thousands. Besides, the Ditang Saber Technique can only be used in close combat. If the Raksha soldiers bombard with cannons, it will be difficult to resist." Wu Liuqi nodded in agreement, and said: "According to the opinion of the military advisor, what should we do?" When he heard Chen Jinnan introduce Lin Xingzhu, he didn't call himself "Xiang Zhu", and guessing that Lin Xingzhu was not a member of the Tian Di Hui, he didn't call himself "Chief Rudder Master" "Proportional. Chen Jinnan said: "There are many adults in my country, if there is no traitor inside, it is extremely difficult for foreigners to enter." Everyone said: "Exactly. The Tartars occupy my country, and it is all thanks to the traitor Wu Sangui to lead the way." Chen Jinnan said: " Now Wu Sangui is going to collude with Luocha Kingdom again. When he rebels, let's defeat him in one go. If Luocha Kingdom has no internal support, we can't invade rashly." Ma Chaoxing said: "It's just that if Wu Sangui collapses too quickly, You can't fight the Tartars and lose both." Chen Jinnan said: "That's not bad. But the interests are the same. In comparison, the Raksha people are more terrifying than the Tartars." Wei Xiaobao said: "That's right. Tartars are also yellow-skinned, black-eyed, and flat-nosed. They're no different from us, and they speak the same way. Foreign devils have red hair and green eyes, and they talk in a babble, who knows?" Everyone talked about state affairs for a while, the sky was getting brighter, and the wind and rain had stopped.Ma Chaoxing said: "Everyone's clothes are wet, so please go ashore and have a drink together to drive away the cold." Chen Jinnan said: "Very good."
This strong wind blew the boat out for more than 30 miles, and it was almost noon before returning to Liuzhou.Everyone disembarked at the original pier. I saw a person rushing over and shouting: "Master, you...you are back." It was Shuang'er.She was drenched all over, and her face was full of joy.Wei Xiaobao asked: "Why are you here?" Shuang'er said: "It was windy and rainy last night, you went out by boat, I was so worried, I just hope that my husband will come back safely soon." Wei Xiaobao wondered: "You have been waiting here ?” Shuang'er said: "Yes. I... I... just worry..." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Worried that the boat I'm on sank?" Shuang'er said in a low voice: "I know you are very lucky, the boat will definitely not It's heavy, but...but..." A boatman beside the pier said with a smile: "This little master, when the wind and rain were at its heaviest in the middle of the night last night, he wanted to hire our boat to go out of the river. Ten taels of silver, but no one was willing to go, so he increased it to a hundred taels. Zhang Laosan was greedy for money and agreed, but just as the boat was about to sail, there was a loud bang, and the mast was broken by a strong wind. In this way, no one would Dare to go. He was so anxious that he just cried." Wei Xiaobao was moved, held Shuang'er's hand, and said, "Shuang'er, you are so kind to me." Shuang'er blushed and lowered her head. The party came to Ma Chaoxing's place and changed their clothes.Chen Jinnan ordered Ma Chaoxing to send someone to find out the whereabouts of Mr. Zheng and Feng Xifan.Ma Chaoxing agreed, sent people out to investigate, and then reported the affairs of the back hall. Ma Chaoxing set up a banquet, and invited Chen Jinnan to be the chief seat, and Wu Liuqi to be the second seat.When Wei Xiaobao was asked to sit in the third seat, Wei Xiaobao said: "Brother Lin broke through Taiwan and slashed the red-haired ham with a ditang knife. He has made such great achievements. Even if I stand and drink with him, I am willing. Such a hero, how can I do it?" Dare to sit on top of him?" He dragged Lin Xingzhu to the third seat.Lin Xingzhu was overjoyed, thinking that although the military master was young, he was really a good friend. After the banquet was over, the four members of Tiandihui discussed matters in the wing room again.Chen Jinnan ordered: "Xiaobao, you have important matters to attend to, you and I, master and apprentice, still can't get together more this time, you can go north tomorrow." Wei Xiaobao said: "Yes. It's a pity that this time I can't listen to the teacher's teaching more. I Originally, I wanted to hear about Brother Ang's heroic deeds, so I had to wait until Wu Sangui was defeated before listening to him." Wu Liuqi said with a smile: "You Brother Ang has no heroic deeds, but you have done a lot of bad things in your life. If Mr. Zha Yihuang hadn't taught you a lesson, I would still be working for tigers and giving my life to Tartars to this day." Wei Xiaobao took out the foreign gun that Wu Sangui gave him, and said to Wu Liuqi: "Brother Wu, I'm really grateful that you came so far to see my brother. Please take this Raksha country foreign gun as a souvenir." Wu Sangui originally gave him two In the other branch, Wei Xiaobao handed over the certificate to Xia Guoxiang when he led Mu Jianping out, and left Yunnan in a hurry after that, and had no time to go back. Wu Liuqi thanked him for accepting it, loaded gunpowder and iron bullets according to the law, ignited and fired a gun into the courtyard, the flame flashed, and there was a loud bang, the bluestone slabs and stone chips in the courtyard flew, everyone was startled.Chen Jinnan frowned, thinking: "The firearms of the Raksha Kingdom are so sharp, if an army invades, it will be really hard to resist." Wei Xiaobao took out four 5,000 taels of silver bills, handed them to Ma Chaoxing, and said with a smile, "Brother Ma, please treat all the brothers in your hall to a glass of wine." Ma Chaoxing laughed and said, "Twenty thousand taels of silver? That's too much I can't finish it after three years of drinking." Thank you for accepting it. Wei Xiaobao knelt down and kowtowed farewell to Chen Jinnan.Chen Jinnan stretched out his hand to help him up, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "You are fine, you are indeed my disciple of Chen Jinnan." Wei Xiaobao was standing close to him, so he could see clearly, seeing his gray temples, his expression was very haggard, he thought it was because of all these years of traveling all over the rivers and lakes, he suffered a lot from wind and frost, he couldn't help feeling sad, and wanted to give him something, Thinking: "Master doesn't want money, and he doesn't like jewelry and playthings. Master is very skilled in martial arts, and he doesn't care for my dagger and precious clothes." Suddenly, he was impulsive and said, "Master, there is something I want to tell you, old man. .” Wu Liuqi and Ma Chaoxing knew that their master and apprentice had something to say, so they withdrew immediately.
Wei Xiaobao reached into the meat pocket, found a package of things, untied the string tied outside the package, uncovered a layer of oilcloth, and then uncovered two layers of oil paper, revealing the eight volumes of "Forty-two Chapters" in the cover. Taking out the broken sheepskins, he said: "Master, I don't have anything to honor your old man. Please take this bag of broken sheepskins." Chen Jinnan was very surprised and asked, "What is that?" Then Wei Xiaobao talked about the origin of the broken skin.Chen Jinnan's face became more serious when he heard it. He heard that the empress dowager, the emperor, Oboi, the great lama of Tibet, the one-armed nun Jiunan, the leader of Shenlong, and so on, all of them were trying to get these scraps, but there was something hidden in them. The secrets of the dragon veins and the great treasures of the Manchu Tartars are really things that could never have been dreamed of.He asked about the situation in detail, Wei Xiaobao explained everything, some details such as Shenlong Sect's master's recruitment, worshiping Jiu Nan as a teacher, etc., naturally skipped it. Chen Jinnan pondered for a while, then said: "This bag is really important. My master and apprentice led the brothers in the meeting to dig out the dragon's veins of the Tartars, take out the treasure, and start an uprising. It is an extraordinary feat. But I will return to Taiwan soon. See the lord, take this bag with you, back and forth across the sea, you may lose it. You should keep it at this moment. After I return to Taiwan, I will come to Beijing to meet you, and then we will plan big things together." Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay Then please master come to Beijing as soon as possible." Chen Jinnan said: "Don't worry, I won't stay for a moment. Xiaobao, your master has been running around all his life, just to try to revive the Ming Dynasty. Gradually, I forgot that the little Tartar emperor managed his government very well, and his great cause of recovery became more and more elusive. Unexpectedly, Wu Sangui would finally rebel and you got this treasure map. Happy brow. He originally had a gloomy expression and seemed to be full of thoughts, but now his energy was lifted, and Wei Xiaobao was very happy to see him.Chen Jinnan asked again: "How is the poison on your body? Has it eased?" Wei Xiaobao said: "The disciple has taken the antidote given by Master Hong of the Shenlong Sect, and the poison is completely gone." Chen Jinnan said happily: "That's great. Yes. You are carrying the heavy burden of anti-Qing and Ming-ming on your shoulders, so you must take care of yourself." He pressed his hands on his shoulders as he spoke. Wei Xiaobao said: "Yes. The disciples are messed up and don't understand anything. It's just luck to get these pieces of skin. Every time it's like me being a banker, eating the sticks of the idlers, the sky bar eats the sky bar, don't Don't eat ten, eat comfortably." Chen Jinnan smiled slightly, and said: "After you returned to Beijing, you bolted the doors and windows in the middle of the night, slowly pieced these pieces together, and made a picture, and then firmly memorized the picture in your heart. They also dismantled the broken skins, packed them into seven or eight bags, and hid them in different places. Xiaobao, a person's luck can be good or bad, and it can't always be smooth sailing. For such a big event, we can't just rely on good luck." Wei Xiaobao said: "Master is right. For example, I bet on Pai Gow to be the banker, and now I have won eight bets. If I win a bet and this bag of broken skins is snatched by others, wouldn't it mean that the whole army will be wiped out and I will be shoveled?" Zhuang? Therefore, after winning eight shops in a row, you have to go to the dealer.” Chen Jinnan thought to himself that this kid is a serious gambler, so he smiled and said, "It's good that you understand the truth. Gambling wins or loses, it's no big deal. If we plan big things, even if we lose our lives, it's nothing to worry about. But this package, The fortunes and lives of thousands of people in the world are on it, so there is absolutely no chance of losing." Wei Xiaobao said: "Yes, after I win, I will take the money home and bury it under the bed, cut off my fingers and stop gambling. , then you will never lose.” Chen Jinnan walked to the window, looked up at the sky, and said softly, "Xiaobao, even if I die immediately after I hear the news, I will be overjoyed." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "When I saw Master in the past, he was always full of energy, why this time he kept thinking about dying?" He asked: "Master, you are working in the Prince's Mansion of Yanping County, you are not very happy, are you?" Chen Jinnan turned Turning around, with a look of surprise on his face, he asked: "How do you know?" Wei Xiaobao said: "I don't seem to be very happy to see Master. But you don't care about any embarrassing things in the world. Heroes in Jianghu , and everyone respects you very much. I think you are not even afraid of the emperor, there is only Prince Zheng in the world who can give you anger." Chen Jinnan sighed, and after a while, he said: "My lord has always been very respectful to me, and he is very reliant on me." Wei Xiaobao said, "Well, it must be that Second Young Master Zheng is putting on fucking airs to you." Chen Jinnan said : "Back then, Mr. Guoxing treated me with such kindness as a mountain, and I swore to repay him to the death. I devoted myself to his Zheng family's affairs and died. The second son of Zheng is young, so I don't take any inappropriate words to heart. Go up. The son of the prince, wise and loving, but he is a concubine." Wei Xiaobao didn't understand, and asked: "What concubine?" Chen Jinnan said: "The concubine is not born to the concubine." Wei Xiaobao said: "Ah, I understand, It was born by the prince's concubine." Chen Jinnan felt that his words were vulgar, but he thought he had never read a book, so he ignored him and said, "Yes. The death of Lord Guo Xing was also closely related to this matter, so Wang Taifei didn't like her son very much, so she repeatedly ordered My lord, I want to abolish the son and make the second son the son." Wei Xiaobao shook his head greatly, and said: "The second son is useless to be stupid, and he is afraid of death. He can't do it! This guy is a bastard, a pustule, a fucking bastard He wanted to kill Master, you old man that day." Chen Jinnan's face darkened slightly, and he reprimanded: "Xiao Bao, keep your mouth clean! Aren't you scolding the prince?" Wei Xiaobao let out an "ah", pressed his mouth, and said, "Damn it! You can't just swear at the word bastard." Chen Jinnan said: "Comparing the two young masters, the second young master is indeed inferior to his elder brother in every way, but he has a good appearance and a sweet mouth, which is very popular with grandma..." Wei Xiaobao slapped his thigh and said: "Yes, a lady I don’t understand anything, if I see a little boy who can flatter me, I’ll treat it as a treasure.” Chen Jinnan didn’t know what he was referring to, A Ke, shook his head, and said: “The prince does not agree to change the establishment of the son, and all civil and military officials have also persuaded him. The prince cannot be changed. Therefore, even though the two sons are brothers, the concubine and the prince's mother and son often argue about this. The concubine sometimes gets angry and asks us to reprimand him." Wei Xiaobao said: "This old..." He almost uttered the word "old bitch", but managed to stop in time, and hurriedly changed his words: "The old ladies are old, so they are confused. Master, since you are concerned about Prince Zheng's family affairs I can’t deal with it, and I can’t offend them, so I’ll just give him a house where everyone sweeps the snow, don’t worry about the frost on the tiles of his house.” Chen Jinnan sighed: "My life is not my own anymore, I have already sold it to Lord Guoxing. I was born in this world, and I will be rewarded for my kindness. Back then, Lord Guoxing treated me as a scholar of the country, and I must repay him as a gentleman of the country. The prince in front of me The talents around me are declining day by day, and I must not be alone and leave him alone. Alas! The great cause is difficult, and it’s just a matter of doing what you can.” Speaking of this, I became a little depressed again. Wei Xiaobao wanted to say something to comfort him, but he couldn't do it for a while, and after a while, he said: "Yesterday we originally wanted to treat Zheng Keshuang like this..." He raised his hand, and chopped it down with a palm, "...one cut in two, it's down." It's also clean and refreshing. But Brother Ma said, in this way, it will be difficult for the teacher to be a man, and he will be charged with 'tearing the master'." Chen Jinnan said: "It's 'killing the lord'. Brother Ma's words are very correct. If you kill Mr. Zheng, how can I have the face to see the prince? In the future, I will not be able to see the Lord Guoxing." Wei Xiaobao said: "Master, when will you take me to see the princess of the Zheng family? To deal with this kind of old lady, my disciples are quite loose." He thought that he would take care of the old whore, the fake queen dowager, submissively, Even the empress dowager can deal with it, so what a mere empress dowager is.Chen Jinnan smiled slightly and said, "Nonsense!" He took his hand and walked out of the room. Now Wei Xiaobao bid farewell to his master, Wu Liuqi and Ma Chaoxing.Wu and Ma send them out. Wu Liuqi said: "Brother Wei, you little girl Shuang'er, I've become a brother and sister with her." Both Wei Xiaobao and Ma Chaoxing were taken aback, and when they turned to look at Shuang'er, they saw her looking down. He bowed his head, flushed his cheeks, and looked very coy.Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "Brother Wu is good at telling jokes." Wu Liuqi said seriously: "I'm not joking. My righteous sister is loyal and courageous, better than a man, she is exactly in my generation. The elder brother respects her very much. I saw that you worshiped Hu Yizhi, the 'King of Baisheng Swords', very vigorously. I followed suit, so I wanted to worship Shuang'er. She refused to say anything, saying that she couldn't climb high. I am an old beggar, Is there any high ground or low ground? I have to ask, so she has no choice but to agree." Ma Chaoxing said: "Just now you two were talking in the room over there, and it turned out to be a matter of asking for help." Wu Liuqi said: "Exactly. Both of you My son and sister told me not to speak out, haha, sworn brothers and sisters are fair and aboveboard, what can I not say?" Hearing what he said, Wei Xiaobao knew it was true. Looking at Wu Liuqi and then at Shuang'er, it was very strange. Wu Liuqi said: "Brother Wei, from now on, you have to treat my righteous sister differently. If you offend her, I will make it difficult for you." Shuang'er hurriedly said: "No... no, my husband... ...He treated me very well." Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "With the support of a big brother like you, the Jade Emperor and Ian Luo would not dare to offend her." The three of them laughed loudly and said goodbye. 韦小宝回到下处，问起拜把子的事，双儿很是害羞，说道：“这位吴……吴爷……”韦小宝道：“甚么吴爷？大哥就是大哥，拜了把子，难道能不算数么？”双儿道：“是。他说觉得我不错，定要跟我结成兄妹。”从怀里取出那把洋枪，说道：“他说身上没带甚么好东西，这把洋枪是相公送给他的，他转送给我，相公，还是你带着防身罢。” 韦小宝连连摇手，道：“是你大哥给你的，又怎可还我？”想起吴六奇行事出人意表，不由得啧啧称奇，又想：“他名字都叫'六奇'，难怪，难怪！不知另外五奇是甚么？”
一行人一路缓缓回京。路上九难传了韦小宝一路拳法，叫他练习。但韦小宝浮动跳脱，说甚么也不肯专心学武。九难吩咐他试演，但见他徒具架式，却是半分真实功夫也没学到，叹道：“你我虽有师徒之名，但瞧你性子，实不是学武的材料。这样罢，我铁剑门中有一项'神行百变'功夫，是我恩师木桑道人所创，乃是天下轻功之首。这项轻功须以高深内功为根基，谅你也不能领会。你没一门傍身之技，日后遇到危难，如何得了？我只好教你一些逃跑的法门。” 韦小宝大喜，说道：“脚底能抹油，打架不用愁。师父教了我逃跑的法门，那定是谁也追不上的了。”九难微微摇头，说道：“'神行百变'，世间无双，当年威震武林，今日却让你用来脚底抹油，恩师地下有知，定是不肯认你这个没出息的徒孙。不过除此之外，我也没甚么你学得会的本事传给你。” 韦小宝笑道：“师父收了我这个没出息的徒儿，也算倒足了大霉。不过赌钱有输有赢，师父这次运气不好，收了我这徒儿，算是大输一场。老天爷有眼，保佑师父以后连赢八场，再收八个威震天下的好徒儿。” 九难嘿嘿一笑，拍拍他肩头，说道：“也不一定武功好就是人好。你性子不喜学武，这是天性使然，无可勉强。你除了油腔滑调之外，总也算是我的好徒儿。” 韦小宝大喜，心中一阵激动，便想将那些碎羊皮取出来交给九难，随即心想：“这些皮片我既已给了男师父，便不能再给女师父了。好在两位师父都是在想赶走鞑子，光复汉人江山，不论给谁都是一样。” 当下九难将“神行百变”中不需内功根基的一些身法步法，说给韦小宝听。说也奇怪，一般拳法掌法，他学时浅尝辄止，不肯用心钻研，这些逃跑的法门，他却大感兴趣，一路上学得津津有味，一空下来便即练习。有时还要轻功卓绝的徐天川在后追赶，自己东跑西窜的逃避。徐天川见他身法奇妙，好生佩服。初时几下子就追上了，但九难不断传授新的诀窍，到得直隶省境，徐天川说甚么也已追他不上了。 九难见他与“神行百变”这项轻功颇有缘份，倒也大出意料之外，说道：“看来你天生是个逃之夭夭的胚子。” 韦小宝笑道：“弟子练不成'神行百变'，练成'神行抹油'，总算不是一事无成。” 他冲了一碗新茶，捧到九难面前，问道：“师父，师祖木桑道长既已逝世，当今天下，自以你老人家武功第一了？”九难摇头道：“不是。'天下武功第一'六字，何敢妄称？”眼望窗外，幽幽的道：“有一个人，称得上'天下武功第一'。”韦小宝忙问：“那是谁？弟子定要拜见拜见。”九难道：“他……他……”突然间眼圈一红，默然不语。韦小宝道：“这位前辈是谁？弟子日后倘若有缘见到，好恭恭敬敬的向他磕几个头。” 九难挥挥手，叫他出去。韦小宝甚是奇怪，慢慢踱了出去，心想：“师父的神色好生古怪，难道这个天下武功第一之人，是她的老姘头么？” 九难这时心中所想的，正是那个远在万里海外的袁承志。她对袁承志落花有意，袁承志却情有别钟。二十多年来这番情意深藏心底，这时却又给韦小宝撩拨了起来。 次日韦小宝去九难房中请安，却见她已不别而去，留下了一张字条。韦小宝拿去请徐天川一念，原来纸条上写着“好自为之”四个字。韦小宝心中一阵怅惘，又想：“昨天我问师父谁是天下武功第一，莫非这句话得罪了她？”
不一日，一行人来到北京。建宁公主和韦小宝同去谒见皇帝。 康熙早已接到奏章，已复旨准许吴应熊来京完婚，这时见到妹子和韦小宝，心下甚喜。 建宁公主扑上前去，抱住了康熙，放声大哭，说道：“吴应熊那小子欺侮我。”康熙笑道：“这小子如此大胆，待我打他的屁股。他怎么欺侮你了？”公主哭道：“你问小桂子好了。他欺侮我，他欺侮我！皇帝哥哥，你非给我作主不可。”一面哭，一面连连顿足。康熙笑道：“好，你且回自己屋里去歇歇，我来问小桂子。” 建宁公主早就和韦小宝商议定当，见了康熙之后，如何奏报吴应熊无礼之事。一等公主退出，韦小宝便详细说来。 康熙皱了眉头，一言不发的听完，沉思半晌，说道：“小桂子，你好大胆！”韦小宝吓了一跳，忙道：“奴才不敢。”康熙道：“你跟公主串通了，胆敢骗我。”韦小宝道：“没有啊，奴才怎敢瞒骗皇上？”康熙道：“吴应熊对公主无礼，你自然并未亲见，怎能凭了公主一面之辞，就如此向我奏报？” 韦小宝心道：“乖乖不得了，小皇帝好厉害，瞧出了其中破绽。”忙跪下磕头，说道：“皇上明见万里。吴应熊对公主如何无礼，奴才果然没有亲见，不过当时许多人站在公主窗外，大家都是亲耳听见的。”康熙道：“那更加胡闹了。吴应熊这人我见过两次，他精明能干，是个人才。他又不很年轻了，房里还少得了美貌的姬妾？怎会大胆狂妄，对公主无礼。哼，公主的脾气我还不知道？定是她跟吴应熊争吵起来，割了……割了他妈的卵蛋。”说到这里，忍不住哈哈大笑。 韦小宝也笑了起来，站起身来，说道：“这种事情，公主是不便细说的，奴才自然也不敢多问。公主怎么说，奴才就怎么禀告。”康熙点点头，道：“那也说得是。吴应熊这小子受了委屈，你传下旨去，叫他们在京里择日完婚罢，满了月之后，再回云南。”韦小宝道：“皇上，完婚不打紧，吴三桂这老小子要造反，可不能让公主回云南去。” 康熙不动声色，点点头道：“吴三桂果然要反，你见到甚么？”韦小宝于是将吴三桂如何跟西藏、蒙古、罗刹国、神龙教诸方勾结的情形一一说了。康熙神色郑重，沉吟不语，过了好一会，才道：“这奸贼！竟勾结了这许多外援！”韦小宝也早知这事十分棘手，不敢作声。再过一会，康熙又问：“后来怎样？” 韦小宝说道已将蒙古王子的使者擒来，述说自己如何假装吴三桂的小儿子而骗出真相，吴应熊如何想夺回罕帖摩，在公主住处放火，反而惨遭阉割，自己又如何派遣部属化装为王府家将，在妓院中争风吃腊、假装杀死罕帖摩。 康熙听得悠然伸往，说道：“这倒好玩得紧。”又道：“吴三桂这人，我没见过。那日宫中传出父王宾天的讯息，吴三桂带了重兵，来京祭拜。我原想见他一见，可是几名顾命大臣防他拥兵入京，忽然生变，要他在北京城外搭了孝棚拜祭，不许他进北京城。” 说到这里，站起身来，来回踱步，说道：“鳌拜这厮见事极不明白。如果担心吴三桂入京生变，只须下旨要他父子入京拜祭，大军驻扎在城外，他还能有甚么作为？他倘若不敢进城，那是他自己礼数缺了。不许他进城，那明明是跟他说：'我们怕了你的大军，怕你进京造反，你还是别进来罢！'嘿嘿，示弱之至！吴三桂知道朝廷对他疑忌，又怕了他，岂有不反之理？他的反谋，只怕就种因于此。” 韦小宝听康熙这么一剖析，打从心坎儿里佩服出来，说道：“当时倘若他见了皇上，皇上好好开导他一番，说不定他便不敢造反了。”康熙摇头道：“那时我年纪幼小，不懂军国大事，一见之后，没甚么厉害的话跟他说，他瞧我不起，只有反得更快。”当下详细询问吴三桂的形貌举止，又问：“他书房那张白老虎皮到底是怎样的？” 韦小宝大是奇怪，描述了那张白老虎皮的模样，说道：“皇上连这等小事也知道。” 康熙微笑不语，又问起吴三桂的兵马部署，左右用事之人及十大总兵的性情才干；问话之中，显得对吴三桂的情状所知甚详，手下大将哪一个贪钱，哪一个好色，哪一个勇敢，哪一个胡涂，无不了然。 韦小宝既惊且佩，说道：“皇上，你没去过云南，可是平西王府内府外的事情，知道得比奴才还多。”突然恍然大悟，道：“啊，是了，皇上在昆明派得有不少探子。” 康熙笑道：“这叫做知己知彼，百战百胜啊。他一心想要造反，难道咱们就毫不理会？小桂子，你这趟功劳很大，探明了吴三桂跟西藏、蒙古、罗刹国勾结。这桩大秘密，我那些探子就查不到。他们只能查小事，查不到大事。” 韦小宝全身骨头大轻，说道：“那全仗皇上洪福齐天。”康熙道：“把那罕帖摩带进宫来，让我亲自审问。”韦小宝答应了，率领十名御前侍卫，将罕帖摩送到上书房来。 康熙一见到，便以蒙古话相询。罕帖摩听到蒙古话，既感惊奇，又觉亲切，眼见到宫中的派势，再也不敢隐瞒，一五一十，都将实情说了。康熙一连问了两个多时辰，除蒙古和吴三桂勾结的详情外，又细问蒙古的兵力部署、钱粮物产、山川地势、风土人情、以及蒙古各旗王公谁精明，谁平庸，相互间谁跟谁有仇，谁跟谁有亲。 韦小宝在一旁侍候，听得二人叽哩咕噜的说个不休，罕帖摩一时显得十分佩服，一时又显得害怕，到最后却跪下来不住磕头，似是感恩之极。康熙命御前侍卫带下去监禁。 一名小太监送上一碗参汤。康熙接过来喝了，对小太监道：“你给韦副总管也斟一碗来。”韦小宝磕头谢恩，喝了参汤。
只听得书房外脚步响声，一名小太监道：“启禀皇上：南怀仁、汤若望侍候皇上。”康熙点点头。小太监传呼出去，进来了两个身材高大的外国人，跪下向康熙磕头。 韦小宝大是奇怪，心想：“怎么有外国鬼子来到宫里，真是奇哉怪也。” 两个外国人叩拜后，从怀中各取出一本书卷，放在康熙桌上。那个年纪较轻、名叫南怀仁的外国人道：“皇上，今儿咱们再说大炮发射的道理。”韦小宝听他一口京片子，清脆流利，不由得“咦”的一声，惊奇之极，心道：“希奇希奇真希奇，鬼子不会放洋屁。” 康熙向他一笑，低头瞧桌上书卷。南怀仁站在康熙之侧，手指卷册，解释了起来。康熙听到不懂的所在，便即发问。南怀仁讲了半个时辰，另一个老年白胡子外国人汤若望接着讲天文历法，也讲了半个时辰，两人磕头退出。 康熙笑道：“外国人说咱们中国话，你听着很希奇，是不是？” 韦小宝道：“奴才本来很奇怪，后来仔细想想，也不奇怪了。圣天子百神呵护。罗刹国图谋不轨，上天便降下两个会说中国话的洋鬼子来辅佐圣朝，制造枪炮火器，扫平罗刹。” 康熙道：“你心思倒也机灵。不过洋鬼子会说中国话，却不是天生的。那个老头儿，在前明天启年间就来到中国了，他是日耳曼人。那年轻的是比利时人，是顺治年间来的。他们都是耶稣会教士，来中国传教的。要传教，就得学说中国话。” 韦小宝道：“原来如此。奴才一直在担心罗刹的火器厉害。今天一听这外国人甚么大炮短铳，说得头头是道，这可就放心啦。” 康熙在书房中缓缓踱步，说道：“罗刹人是人，我们也是人，他们能造枪炮，我们一样也能造，只不过我们一直不懂这法子罢了。当年我们跟明朝在辽东打仗，明兵有大炮，我们很吃了些苦头。太祖皇帝就为炮火所伤，龙驭宾天。可是明朝的天下，还不是给我们拿下来了？可见枪炮是要人来用的，用的人不争气，枪炮再厉害也是无用。” 韦小宝道：“原来明朝有大炮。不知这些大炮现下在哪里？咱们拿了去轰吴三桂那老小子，轰他个一佛出世，二佛升天！” 康熙微微一笑，说道：“明朝的大炮就只那么几尊，都是向澳门红毛人买的。单是买鬼子的枪炮，那可不管用。倘若跟鬼子打仗，他们不肯卖了，岂不糟糕？咱们得自己造，那才不怕别人制咱们死命。” 韦小宝道：“对极，对极。皇上还怕这些耶稣会教士造西贝货骗你，因此自己来弄明白这个道理。从今而后，任他鬼子说得天花乱坠，七荤八素，都骗不了你。”康熙道：“你明白我的心思。这些造枪炮的道理，也真繁难得紧，单是炼那上等精铁，就大大不易。” 韦小宝自告奋勇，说道：“皇上，我去给你把北京城里城外的铁匠，一古脑儿的都叫了来，大伙儿拉起风箱，呼扯，呼扯，炼他几百万斤上好精铁。” 康熙笑道：“你在云南之时，我们已炼成十几万斤精铁啦。汤若望和南怀仁正在监造大炮，几时你跟我去瞧瞧。”韦小宝喜道：“那可太好了。”忽然想起一事，说道：“皇上，外国鬼子居心不良，咱们可得提防一二。那造炮的地方，又有火药，又有铁器，皇上自己别去，奴才给你去监督。”康熙道：“那倒不用担心。这件事情关涉到国家气运，我如不是亲眼瞧着，终不放心。南怀仁忠诚耿直。汤若望的老命是我救的，他感激得不得了。这二人决不会起甚么异心。”韦小宝道：“皇上居然救了外国老鬼子的老命，这可奇了。” 康熙微笑道：“康熙三年，汤若望说钦天监推算日食有误，和钦天监的汉官双方激辩。钦天监的汉官杨光先辩不过，就找他的岔子，上了一道奏章，说道汤若望制定的那部《大清时宪历》，一共只推算了二百年，可是我大清得上天眷祐，圣祚无疆，万万年的江山。汤若望止进二百年历，那不是咒我大清只有二百年天下吗？” 韦小宝伸了伸舌头，说道：“厉害，厉害。这外国老鬼会算天文地理，却不会算做官之人的手段。”康熙道：“可不是么？那时候鳌拜当政，这家伙胡里胡涂，就说汤若望咒诅朝廷，该当凌迟处死。这道旨意送给我瞧，可给我看出了一个破绽。”韦小宝道：“康熙三年，那时你还只十岁啊，已经瞧出了其中有诈，当真是圣天子聪明智慧，自古少有。” 康熙笑道：“你马屁少拍。其实这道理说来也浅，我问鳌拜，这部大清时宪历是几时做好的。他说不知道，下去查了一查，回奏说道，是顺治十年做好的，当时先帝下旨嘉奖，赐了他一个'通玄教师'的封号。我说：'是啊，我六七岁时，就已在书房里见过这部《大清时宪历》了。这部历书已做成了十年，为甚么当时大家不说他不对？这时候争他不过，便来翻他的老帐？那可不公道啊。'鳌拜想想倒也不错，便没杀他，将他关在牢里。这件事我后来也忘了，最近南怀仁说起，我才下旨放了他出来。” 韦小宝道：“奴才去叫他花些心思，做一部大清万年历出来。” 康熙笑了几声，随即正色道：“我读前朝史书，凡是爱惜百姓的，必定享国长久，否则尽说些吉祥话儿，又有何用？自古以来，人人都叫皇帝作万岁，其实别说万岁，享寿一百岁的皇帝也没有啊。甚么'万寿无疆'，都是骗人的鬼话。父皇谆谆叮嘱，要我遵行'永不加赋'的训谕，我细细想来，只要遵守这四个字，我们的江山就是铁打的。甚么洋人的大炮，吴三桂的兵马，全都不用担心。” 韦小宝不明白这些治国的大道理，只是喏喏连声，取出从吴三桂那里盗来的那部正蓝旗《四十二章经》，双手献上，说道：“皇上，这部经书，果然让吴三桂这老小子给吞没了，奴才在他书房中见到，便给他来个顺手牵羊，物归原主。” 康熙大喜，说道：“很好，很好。太后老是挂念着这件事。我去献给她老人家，拿去太庙焚化了，不管其中有甚么秘密，从此再也没人知道。” 韦小宝心道：“你烧了最好！这叫做毁尸灭迹。我盗了经中碎皮片儿的事，就永远不会发觉了。”
他回到了自己子爵府，天黑之后，闩上了门，取出那包碎皮片，叫了双儿过来，说道：“有一桩水磨功夫，你给我做做。”吩咐她将几千片碎皮片拼凑还原。双儿伏在案上，慢慢对着剪痕，一片片的拼凑。但数千片碎皮片乱成一团，要凑成原状，当真谈何容易？韦小宝初时还坐在桌边，出些主意，东拿一片，西拿一片，帮着拼凑，但搞了半天，连两块相连的皮片也找不出来，意兴索然，径自去睡了。 次日醒来，只见外边房中兀自点着蜡烛，双儿手里拿着一片碎皮，正怔怔的凝思。韦小宝走到她身后，“哇”的一声大叫。双儿吃了一惊，跳起身来，笑道：“你醒了？”韦小宝道：“这些碎皮片儿可磨人得紧，我又没赶着要，你怎地一晚不睡？快去睡罢！”双儿道：“好，我先收拾起来。” 韦小宝见桌上一张大白纸上已用绣花针钉了十一二块皮片，拼在一起，全然吻合，喜道：“你已找到了好几片啦。”双儿道：“就是开头最难，现下我已明白了一些道理，以后就会拼得快些。”将碎皮片细心包在油布包裹里，连同那张大白纸，锁在一只金漆箱中。 韦小宝道：“这些皮片很是有用，可千万不能让人偷了去。”双儿道：“我整日守在这里，不离开半步便是。就是怕睡着出了事。”韦小宝道：“不妨，我去调一小队骁骑营军士来，守在屋外，给你保驾。”双儿微笑道：“那就放心得多了。” 韦小宝见她一双妙目中微有红丝，足见昨晚甚是劳瘁，心生怜惜，说道：“快睡罢，我抱你上床去。”双儿羞得满脸通红，连连摇手，道：“不，不，不好。”韦小宝笑道：“有甚么好不好的？你帮我做事，辛苦