Chapter 40 Chapter 40
Mrs. Hong's sedan chair had just been carried away, Wei Xiaobao was about to turn around and enter, when a large sedan chair arrived at the door, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture came to pay homage.Wei Xiaobao was in a bad mood when he saw the beauties in his hand leave one by one, and asked angrily, "What are you doing here?"
The prefect Wu Zhirong greeted An, and said: "I have secret military information to report to your lord." Wei Xiaobao heard the words "confidential military information", so he let him in, and thought: "If it is not a confidential matter, I will spank your ass."
When he came to the inner study, Wei Xiaobao sat down by himself, and didn't give up his seat, he asked: "What's the secret military situation?"Wu Zhirong walked up to him and said in a low voice: "My lord, this matter is no small matter. Your lord's performance is a great achievement. The humble official also spoils your lord's fortune. Therefore, the humble official thought, it's better not to report to the governor first. The two adults of Taiwan and Fantai are right." Wei Xiaobao frowned and said, "What's the big deal, it's so important?"
Wu Zhirong said: "Return to Your Excellency: Your Majesty is very lucky, your lord is very lucky, that's why I learned this great news." Wei Xiaobao snorted, and said: "Your Master Wu is also very lucky." Wu Zhirong said: "Don't dare, don't dare I am humbled by the emperor's grace and promoted by the imperial envoy. Day and night, I only think about how to repay the great kindness. After enjoying peonies with my lord outside the Chanzhi Temple yesterday, I think of my lord's demeanor, and I admire him so much. I hope to be able to work with the adults every day, and get advice from the adults all the time." Wei Xiaobao said: "That's very good. You don't have to be a magistrate. I see you are smart and smart, it's not as good as... not as... um..." Wu Zhirong Overjoyed, please greet me quickly, and said: "Thank you for your cultivation, my lord."
Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "Why don't you come and be my porter, or you can carry the sedan chair for me. I go out every day, you can see me, haha, haha!" Wu Zhirong was furious, his face changed slightly, and then he said with a smile "That's great. Being a concierge for an adult is naturally better than being a magistrate in Yangzhou. I usually send a lot of idlers to scout for information. If someone harbors rebellion, slanders the emperor or ministers, I will know immediately. This kind of big crime of deceiving people and disturbing people's hearing is always severely punished by lowly positions." Wei Xiaobao said "Oh", thinking that this person's words changed, and he lightly brought up the matter of the porter and the sedan chair. It is remarkable to have a deep understanding of the way of being an official.
Wu Zhirong said again: "If you are a peddler or a small person in the market, a few words of nonsense are not harmful. The most important thing to watch out for is the scholar. This kind of person writes poems and articles, and often uses things from ancient times to ridicule the government. Ordinary people read it, and they often don't think of their malicious intentions of using the past to satirize the present." Wei Xiaobao said: "If others don't understand it, there is no harm."
Wu Zhirong said: "Yes, yes. Even so, his heart can be punished after all. Such rebellious poems and essays must not be allowed to poison the world." He took out a manuscript from his sleeve, put it with both hands, and said: " My lord, please take a look, this is a collection of poems that I got yesterday." If what he took out from his sleeve was a stack of banknotes, Wei Xiaobao would immediately change his face, seeing that it was a booklet, he was quite disappointed, wait until he hears it It was a collection of poems, and immediately yawned for a long time, without reaching out to pick it up, and raised his head, ignoring it.
Wu Zhirong was quite embarrassed, holding the collection of poems in both hands, slowly retracted, and said: "During the banquet yesterday, a woman sang a new poem about women in the countryside of Yangzhou. My lord was not happy about it. I went to adjust the poem. I checked this man's collection of poems, and found that there are quite a few sentences that are rebellious and taboo." Wei Xiaobao said lazily, "Is that so?" Wu Zhirong opened the booklet, pointed to a poem and said, "Please look at it, my lord. The title of the poem is "Hongwu Bronze Cannon Song". What Zha Shenxing wrote is a bronze cannon used by Zhu Yuanzhang in the previous dynasty." Wei Xiaobao became a little interested when he heard it, and asked: "Zhu Yuanzhang also fired a cannon ?"
Wu Zhirong said: "Yes, yes. Now that I am the Holy Son of Heaven, this man named Zha is writing a poem praising Zhu Yuanzhang's bronze cannon. Doesn't it teach everyone to miss the previous dynasty? This poem exaggerates Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige, which is inappropriate. , the last four sentences said: "I came to see you among the thorns, and I will pay tribute to the country. The Jindi always tears, and the love strives to endure the long climb to look at it?" The Qing Dynasty was entrusted by the heaven to expel Zhu Ming, and it was too late for the people to rejoice, but why did this person see a cannon by Zhu Yuanzhang, so he had to pay tribute to the country? To shed tears?" (Note: Cha Shenxing's early poems, I miss the past The Ming Dynasty, and later served as a servant of Kangxi's literature, and his poetic style changed.)
Wei Xiaobao said: "Where is this bronze cannon? I want to go and see it. Can it still be released? Your Majesty likes cannons the most." Wu Zhirong said: "According to the poem, this bronze cannon is in Jingzhou." Wei Xiaobao's face paled Board, said: "Since you are not in Yangzhou, what are you talking about? You are the magistrate of Yangzhou, not the prefect of Jingzhou. When you become the magistrate of Jingzhou, you can go and investigate this bronze cannon." Wu Zhirong was shocked and wanted to go. To be the magistrate of Jingzhou is to be demoted and demoted, and this matter cannot be mentioned again.When he was about to put the collection of poems in his sleeve, he took out two other books and said, "My lord, there is only a slight inadequacy in the poems written by Cha Shenxing. With the grace of your lord, I will not investigate them. But these two books are absolutely impossible. Ignore it." Wei Xiaobao frowned and said, "What kind of guy is that?"
Wu Zhirong said: "One is "Guo Shou Lu" written by Zha Yihuang, all of which praise the anti-Qing rebellion. The other is Gu Yanwu's poetry collection, which is even more supreme and lawless."
Wei Xiaobao was secretly taken aback: "Mr. Gu Yanwu and my master are both the chief strategists of the Turtle Killing League. How could his book fall into the hands of this official? I wonder if it mentions our Tiandihui?" He asked: "In the book What did you write? Tell me in detail."
Seeing Wei Xiaobao's sudden attention, Wu Zhirong's spirits lifted immediately. He opened the "Guo Shou Lu" and said, "My lord, this book describes all the rebels against the Qing as loyal ministers and righteous men. "The Biography of Shi Chazi" is about how his cousin Cha Meiji resisted my Qing Dynasty's rebellion, saying how he colluded with traitors and became an enemy of Wang Shi." Pointing to the text with his right index finger, he read: "'will be April On the 17th, the Qing soldiers attacked Yuan Huaji and retreated to Tongyuan. Mei followed Jianling, Yang, Zhou, and Wang's righteous divisions, with five hundred boats and more than five thousand people, all of whom had their heads wrapped in white. After noon, they raced to catch up In other words, cut the first hundred ranks, call it a great victory, and go ashore.'Look, my lord, he called the traitor a 'righteous teacher', but called me an 'enemy', isn't it a damn thing? "
Wei Xiaobao asked: "What is written in Gu Yanwu's book?" Wu Zhirong put down "Guo Shou Lu", picked up Gu Yanwu's collection of poems, shook his head, and said, "There is not a single poem written by this man that is not a rebellious speech. The title of the first one is called "Qiang Hu", which obviously slanders the Qing Dynasty." He pointed to the verse and read on:
"Our country has no shortage of Jin Ou, and the chaos is born from the barbarians. Conscripts are used to build the state, and wages are increased to build the state. The chieftain turned against the worries of Western Shu, the demon people sang the sorrows of Shandong, and even the semi-traitors in Shenzhou, whoever their arrows are from the barbarians .Four times entered the suburbs and ravaged Qilu, smashed cities and slaughtered countless cities. Cut off abdomen and intestines, folded necks and mouths, and measured the corpses with water. Fortunately, they were imprisoned, and they went to the barbarians. Flags, riding in reckless chariots. Looking at the bloodshed of a thousand cities, embracing beautiful women like flowers. Woohoo, the barbarians are so crippled, and it is said that Heaven wants to be with the country..."
Wei Xiaobao waved his hand and said: "Don't read it anymore, hey, I don't know what to say." Wu Zhirong said: "Return to your lord: this poem says that we Manchurians are barbarians, and it means that the dynasty wanted to fight against the Manchurians in Jianzhou. That's why the conscription and pay increase caused the world to be in chaos. They also said that we Manchus massacred cities, murdered people, disemboweled them, cut their intestines, and robbed beautiful women." Wei Xiaobao said: "So that's how it is. Robbing beautiful women is very good. Qing soldiers broke Didn’t Yangzhou kill many people? If it wasn’t for this matter, how could the emperor exempt Yangzhou for three years? Well, Gu Yanwu’s poems are honest.”
Wu Zhirong was taken aback, and thought to himself: "You are so young, you don't know the seriousness. Fortunately, you said these words. If it came from someone else, and I reported it to you, would you still be able to wear the gauze hat firmly on your head? "But he knew that Wei Xiaobao was favored by the emperor, so how could he have the guts to go against the imperial envoy?After saying "yes" a few times, he said with a smile: "My lord really has a good opinion, and I suddenly realized the humble job. I have to ask my lord to point out this poem "The History of the Well Center". There is a long preface at the beginning of this poem, which is really crazy." It’s paradoxical.” Picking up the booklet, he shook his head and began to read:
"In the winter of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Chengtian Temple in the city of Suzhou used a long drought to dredge the well, and got a letter. The outer part is called "The Classic of Iron Letters of the Great Song Dynasty". Iron box. Wei Xiaobao said: "Iron box? Are there treasures of gold and silver in it?") There is a book in it called "History of the Heart", which is called "The Guchen Zheng Sixiao of the Great Song Dynasty Baibai Feng". Sixiao, named Suo Nan , the adherents of the Song Dynasty, I heard about Yu Zhicheng. The date of his collection of books is the ninth year of Deyou. The Song Dynasty has died, but he still looks at Chen Chengxiang and Zhang Shaobao's overseas soldiers in order to restore the three hundred years of the Song Dynasty. (My lord, the article refers to the Song Dynasty, but it is actually an allusion to the Qing Dynasty. Gu Yanwu hopes that Taiwan's Zheng Ni will lead the overseas rebels to restore the Ming Dynasty's soil.) And drive Hu Yuan to Mobei, and weep bitterly, and pray The Heaven and Earth, the Great God of the League, said that the gas will transfer, and one day it will be reduced to Xia. (My lord, he called us Manchus as Tartars and wanted to drive us out. Wei Xiaobao said: "Are you a Manchurian?" This... this... humble job as a servant of the Qing emperor, and as a subordinate of Lord Manchuria, that is for the sake of Manchuria wholeheartedly.)
"So the people in the county were all surprised when they saw it, and Zhang Gongguowei, the governor of the capital, engraved it and passed it on. He also set up an ancestral hall for the south of the school and hid it in his ancestral hall. Not long after that, he suffered a national calamity, just like what happened in the last years of Deyou. Woohoo, sad! (My lord, when the Qing soldiers entered the pass, punishing the people and punishing crimes, Gu Yanwu said it was a national calamity, and said it was sad. Is this man's intentions questionable?)
"Few of his books have been passed on to the north, and after the accident, they are often kept secret. Those who have not seen this book for more than 30 years, now see it again in Fuping Zhu's family. In the past when this book was first published, Taicang Shouqian Junsu wrote poems The second chapter, Kunshan Guisheng Zhuang and the eighth chapter. And the fall of eastern Zhejiang, Mr. Zhang went back to Dongyang. He died in the pool. Qian Jun escaped overseas and died in Langqi Mountain. Guisheng changed his name to Zuo Ming, and he was especially generous and fierce. (Sir, these three rebels are all rebellious people who did not submit to our Qing Dynasty. Fortunately, they died early, otherwise they would all have to be executed.)
"I'm alone, I'm not talented, I'm ups and downs in the world, I'm sad as the years go by, and the forbidden network is getting more and more dense, (My lord, he said that the imperial court banned rebellious writing, and it's getting more and more serious, but this guy is so daring, even Don’t be afraid) and see the virtuous and think of the same, independent and not afraid, will play his role, to show that people and ministers are not afraid of changes, so I made this song.”
Wei Xiaobao yawned again and again, just wanted to know what was written in Gu Yanwu's book, so he listened patiently, and finally heard him read a long preface, and asked: "Is it over?" Wu Zhirong said: "The following is poetry. "Wei Xiaobao said: "If there is nothing important, you don't need to read it." Wu Zhirong said: "It's very important, very important." Read:
"There is Zheng Sixiao, a survivor of the Song Dynasty, who cried bitterly when Hu Yuan moved to the Nine Temples. It is difficult to support the Han Ding alone, and the lonely loyalty wants to go to Xianglei. The book is called "History of the Heart", and the heart is the same through the ages. Chihiro Youjing Set Iron letter, Baibai's heart is not dead now, the Hulu has never lived for a hundred years, and the heavens will be opened again after meeting the holy ancestor... (My lord, this sentence 'the Hulu has never been a hundred years', really deserves to die. He cursed me to enjoy the country of the Qing Dynasty It won’t be a hundred years, and it is said that the Han people will produce some kind of holy ancestor, and then open the sky. What open the sky? That is to overthrow my Qing Dynasty!)”
Wei Xiaobao said: "I heard the emperor said that as long as the Qing Dynasty treats the people well, it will be stable, otherwise it will be useless to talk about thousands of years. There is a foreigner named Tang Ruowang, he is the supervisor of the Qintian Supervisor, you Do you know?" Wu Zhirong said: "Yes, I have heard of it." Wei Xiaobao said: "This man made an almanac and calculated it for two hundred years. Some people sued him, saying that the Qing Dynasty has been in the world for thousands of years, why only Count two hundred years. At that time when Oboi was in power, he was so confused that he wanted to kill him. Fortunately, the emperor was wise enough to scold Oboi severely, and then beheaded the person who complained. I don't like people wronging good people and using lies to harm people. The emperor said that a real good official must cherish the people and do his job well for the court. As for falsely accusing others, he always Picking faults in poems and articles, this is called finding the bone in the egg, that is a traitor with a big face, tell me to tie up such a guy immediately and kill him."
Wei Xiaobao wholeheartedly defended Gu Yanwu, fearing that Wu Zhirong would not get through with him, he went to show his head to other officials and make trouble, the more he spoke, the more vehemently he sounded, to frighten Wu Zhirong so that he would not dare to bring up the matter again.He didn't know that the reason why Wu Zhirong became the magistrate was to sue Zhuang Tingyu of Huzhou, Zhejiang Province for using Zhengshuo of the Ming Dynasty and disrespecting the Qing Dynasty in the "History of Ming Dynasty".Instigating literary inquisition in order to seek fame and wealth was originally this person's forte.
This time Wu Zhirong found the clues in the poems of Gu Yanwu, Zha Yihuang and others, he was overjoyed, thinking that he was blessed by God and could be promoted to three ranks in a row, but the imperial envoy would say such words.All of a sudden, he was drenched in cold sweat, thinking: "My "History of the Ming Dynasty" case was handled by Mr. Oboi himself. Mr. Oboi dismissed the emperor, it seems that the emperor's temperament is indeed the same as Oboi's." Your Excellency is completely different, this time it is really terrible." How Kangxi captured Oboi was not very honorable, and all the ministers tried to figure it out, but few people in the officialdom talked about it. Resident officer, he didn't know that the only confidant in his life, Mr. Oboi, died at the hand of this Mr. Wei, otherwise, he would have died even more.
Wei Xiaobao saw that his face was earthy and trembling, and he was secretly happy, and asked: "Have you finished reading?" Wu Zhirong said: "This poem, there is... still... half of it." Wei Xiaobao said: "What shall I say next?" Wu Zhirong said Tremblingly read:
"The Yellow River has been cleared and people don't wait, and the sinking waters leave their brilliance. Suddenly, I saw a strange book coming out of the world, and I was shocked to ride all over the country. God knows that the world will repeat itself, so I published this book to show my ministers. See you again in more than 30 years, with one heart and one tune. At the same time, Duke Lu has died at Yamen, and Xin Guo sacrificed his life to go to Yan City. In the past, he recited poems to mourn the ancients, and the lonely bamboos and fallen trees worried about the mountain ghosts. Woohoo, there are so many people from Puhuang! What should Suo Nan do when he sees this?"
He was out of breath after reading, and he didn't dare to intervene in explanations. He finally finished reading, and the pages were dripping with sweat.
Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "This poem is nothing, what kind of mountain ghost and what kind of yellow-faced woman it is talking about is interesting." Wu Zhirong said: "Master Hui: the word 'Puhuang' in the poem refers to the surrender of the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty. Pu Shougeng and Huang Wanshi, who are high-ranking officials, ridicule the Han people for being Qing officials." Wei Xiaobao's face sank, and he said sharply: "I said yellow-faced woman, that is, yellow-faced woman. Is your wife's face very yellow? Why did someone Make poems to make fun of the yellow-faced woman, you can't see it?"
Wu Zhirong took a step back, his hands trembling, and with a slap, the collection of poems fell to the ground, and he said, "Yes, yes. Damn the humble job."
Wei Xiaobao seized the opportunity to get angry and shouted: "How courageous! I recite the emperor's oracle to enlighten you. You little official, how dare you throw something at me and lose your temper! You look down on the emperor's oracle, isn't that a rebellion?" ?”
With a thud, Wu Zhirong knelt down on his knees, kowtowed repeatedly, and said: "My lord, please forgive my life, please... please forgive my foolishness." Wei Xiaobao sneered, "It's fine if you throw something at me and lose your temper. At most, it is just a crime of insulting the imperial envoy. If it is serious, it will be decapitated, and if it is light, it will be a trivial matter..." Wu Zhirong heard that there was something more serious than decapitating the army. ...Little... I'm convicted." Wei Xiaobao shouted: "You look down on the emperor's oracle, so what's the matter? Your wife, aunt, son, daughter, mother-in-law, aunt, girl, concubine, all in one mind They were all pulled out and hacked." Wu Zhirong was trembling like chaff, his teeth collided, he rattled, and he couldn't speak anymore.
Seeing that he was scared enough, Wei Xiaobao asked, "Then where is Gu Yanwu?" He couldn't explain clearly, and after a long while, he said tremblingly: "The humble officer is bold, and he detained Gu Yanwu, the one named Cha, and... and one named Lu...all in the government office." Wei Xiaobao said: "Have you tortured him? What did they say?"
Wu Rongzhi said: "The lowly job is just to ask a few confessions casually, the three of them refused to ask for anything." Wei Xiaobao said: "They really didn't say anything?" Wu Zhirong said: "No...no. It's just...just in A letter was found beside that surnamed Cha, but it has a lot to do with it. Please read it, my lord." He took out a cloth bag from his side, opened it, and inside was a letter, and presented it with both hands.Wei Xiaobao didn't answer, and asked, "What poems and articles are there?"
Wu Zhirong said: "No, it's not. It was written by Wu...Wu Liuqi, the admiral of Guangdong."
Wei Xiaobao was taken aback when he heard the words "Wu Liuqi, Admiral of Guangdong", and quickly asked, "Wu Liuqi? Can he also compose poetry?" Wu Zhirong said, "No. Wu Liuqi conspired to rebel. I can't deny it. The confidential military situation that the humble official just said, is one of the great achievements, and that's it." Wei Xiaobao murmured, and secretly cried out: "Oops!"
Wu Zhirong said again: "Return to my lord: scholars write poems and articles, and some rebellious words, my lord is decisive, saying that it doesn't matter, and I admire the lowly position very much. As the saying goes: if a scholar rebels, it takes three years to fail. It is not a serious problem. But This Wu Liuqi always puts together a provincial soldier talisman, if he wants to start a rebellion, if the court doesn't strike first, then... that will be terrible." When Wu Liuqi said about the rebellion, his speech became sharp immediately, he knelt on the ground all the time, seeing Wei Xiaobao's dark face The weather was uncertain, and it was obvious that he was very concerned about this matter, so he slowly stood up.Wei Xiaobao snorted and glared at him.Wu Zhirong was startled, and immediately fell to his knees.
Wei Xiaobao said: "What was written in the letter?" Wu Zhirong said: "Return to your lord: the words in the letter are very cryptic, he said that there is a big event in the southwest, it is the autumn of the man's achievements. He invited this man surnamed Cha to go to Guangdong, Pointing out the opportunity. The letter said: "If you want to map the mountain and the great feat of Kaiping, you can't do it without Mr. Qingtian's planning." That is indeed a counter-letter." Wei Xiaobao said: "You are talking nonsense again. There is one in the southwest. Big event, do you know what it is? You little official, how do you know the secret decisions made by the emperor and the court?" Wu Zhirong said: "Yes, yes. But he clearly stated in his letter that he would rebel, so it cannot be ignored."
Wei Xiaobao took the letter and took out the letter paper, but seeing that the paper was covered with walnut-sized characters, he only knew that the ink was worn thickly and the strokes were thick, but he couldn't read a single word, and said: "The letter didn't say that we would rebel. "
Wu Zhirong said: "My lord: If you rebel, of course you won't write it openly. This Wu Liuqi will be the king of Zhongshan and Kaiping. If you ask that person named Cha to be Mr. Qingtian, this is a rebellion."
Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said: "Nonsense! Who among the officials doesn't want to be crowned king or duke? Don't you? This Wu Junmen has made a lot of contributions. He wants to make another great contribution to the court. I hope the emperor can make him a prince. Then He is very loyal."
Wu Zhirong's expression was extremely embarrassing, and he thought to himself: "With an ignorant person like you, I really can't explain anything clearly. I have offended you today, if I don't make meritorious contributions to this incident, my future will never be the same. I can't keep it anymore." So patiently, he laughed and said, "My lord, there are two great generals in the Ming Dynasty, one is Xu Da and the other is Chang Yuchun."
Wei Xiaobao had heard the "Biography of the Heroes of the Ming Dynasty" from Mr. Shu since he was a child, and he was familiar with the stories of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. When he mentioned the two generals Xu and Chang, he immediately lifted his spirits, and he was not as dizzy as listening to him reciting poems. Sleeping, said with a smile: "These two great generals are very powerful. Do you know what kind of weapon Xu Da uses? What kind of weapon does Chang Yuchun use?"
This time, Wu Zhirong was defeated. He became famous because of the "History of the Ming Dynasty" case, and he is very familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty, but what weapons Xu Da and Chang Yuchun used, he couldn't tell. I don’t know. Please advise me, my lord.”
Wei Xiaobao was very proud, and smiled and said: "You can only read dead books, and you don't know about such things. Let me tell you, General Xu is the reincarnation of Grandpa Yue Feiyue from the Song Dynasty. Eighteen spiked arrows pierced the Yang at a hundred paces, and the arrows shot without fail. General Chang was the reincarnation of Zhang Yide, a native of Yan during the Three Kingdoms period, and he used a snake spear with a length of eight feet, which was as brave as ten thousand people." Then Xu Chang, the second general, broke the Yuan Dynasty. The deeds of soldiers.These stories are all heard from the mouth of the storyteller, and they are more absurd than real.
Wu Zhirong knelt on the ground listening to him tell the story, his knees were getting more and more sore, in order to please him, he had to pretend to listen with gusto, praised him repeatedly, finally heard him say a paragraph, and said: "Your Excellency is well-learned and memorized, humble job I really admire them. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun made a lot of contributions. After they died, Zhu Yuanzhang named them kings, one was the king of Zhongshan, and the other was the king of Kaiping. Zhu Yuanzhang had a military adviser..." Wei Xiaobao said: "That's right. The military adviser is Liu Bowen, who knows astronomy from the top and geography from the bottom, and knows three thousand years before and one thousand years later.” Following the eloquent narration, how Liu Bowen has the ability to reach the heavens and the earth, the unpredictability of ghosts and gods, and the timely How is what, what is thousands of miles away.
Wu Zhirong's legs were numb, he couldn't bear it any longer, he sat down, and said with a smile: "My lord's story is really nice, and I can hear it like a charm. My lord is kind, I want to stand up and listen, I wonder if it's okay?" Wei Xiaobao smiled, Said: "Okay, get up."
Wu Zhirong supported the chair, stood up slowly, and said, "My lord: The Mr. Qingtian in Wu Liuqi's letter is Liu Ji and Liu Bowen. Then Liu Bowen is from Qingtian, Zhejiang. Wu Liuqi himself wants to be Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, but the surname is Cha Be Liu Bowen."
Wei Xiaobao said: "If you want to be Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, that's very good. The one whose surname is Cha wants to be Liu Bowen, hmph, he may not have such skills. Do you think Liu Bowen is easy to do? Liu Bowen's "Song of Shaobing" Said: "With a steel knife ninety-nine in hand, kill all Hu'er and stop." Hey, it's amazing, it's amazing!"
Wu Zhirong said: "Your Excellency is really clever, and he hit the point. Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Liu Bowen were all soldiers of the Yuan Dynasty, and they helped Zhu Yuanzhang drive away the barbarians. The words in Wu Liuqi's letter are clearly It means that they want to rebel and want to kill the Manchurians."
Wei Xiaobao was taken aback, and thought: "Don't I know Brother Wu's intentions? Do you need to tell me? This letter is really a great deal, luckily it fell into my hands." So he nodded repeatedly and stretched out his hand He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay! What luck! If you didn't come to tell me about this, it would be a big deal. The emperor said I was a lucky general, and it really is the Holy King's Jinkou. It's not bad. .”
Wu Zhirong patted him on the shoulder a few times, and all the bones in his body were crispy. He felt that he had never had such an honor since he was born. He couldn't help being grateful, and sobbed: "My lord is so loving, this kindness, this virtue, the humble job is It's hard to repay you even if you are broken into pieces. My lord is a lucky general, and I will follow you in a humble position. To be a lucky soldier, a lucky dog and a lucky horse is also a matter of glory to the ancestors."
Wei Xiaobao laughed out loud, raised his hand, stroked his head, and said with a smile, "Very good, very good!" Wu Zhirong was tall, seeing that it was inconvenient for him to reach out and touch his head, he quickly lowered his head and let him touch him overhead.Earlier when Wei Xiaobao lost his temper, Wu Zhirong knelt down and kowtowed, and took off his hat. Wei Xiaobao pressed his palm on his smooth-shaven scalp, and stroked it back slowly, just like stroking a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy. The back of the head, thinking: "I don't want you to be smashed to pieces, I just need to get a fucking knife here." Asked: "Is there anyone else who knows about this besides you?"
Wu Zhirong said: "No, no. The humble official knows the importance of the matter, and never dares to leak the slightest word of information. If Wu Liuqi, the rebel, knows that the plot has been exposed, and immediately starts an incident, the adults and the humble official will lose the slightest credit." Wei Xiaobao said : "Yes, you are very thoughtful. Let us be careful, don't let Futai and Fantai know, report to the court first, and take away your great achievements." Wu Zhirong was full of enthusiasm, greeted you one after another, and said: "Yes, Yes. It depends entirely on the adults to maintain the cultivation."
Wei Xiaobao put Gu Yanwu's letter into his bosom, and said: "These poetry collections are all left here. Go quietly and bring Gu Yanwu and the others. After I understand the questioning, I will order soldiers and horses and send you to escort them. Send it to Beijing. I personally pay homage to the emperor. You are the first for this great achievement, and I will be the second." Wu Zhirong was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "No, no. My lord is the first. First, inferior position and second." Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "After you see the emperor, I will teach you what to say later. As long as the emperor likes it, you can be a governor or a vassal, and I will do it for you. "
Wu Zhirong was so fond of it that he almost fainted. He put the anthology of poetry and essays on the table with both hands, kowtowed repeatedly, and then resigned.
Wei Xiaobao was afraid that there would be some changes along the way, so he ordered a group of soldiers from the Xiaoqi Battalion, and ordered a sergeant to lead him to accompany Wu Zhirong to pick up the prisoner.
He returned to the inner hall and sent someone to pass on Li Lishi and others to come to discuss.Shuang'er came to him, suddenly knelt down in front of him, sobbing, "Master, I beg you for one thing." Wei Xiaobao was very surprised, he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it up, but he didn't let go, and said softly: "Good pair, you are my lifeblood, if there is anything, I will definitely do it for you." Seeing her cheek Tears kept streaming down her face, she raised her left hand and wiped her tears with her sleeve.Shuang'er said: "Master, this matter is very difficult, but I...I have to ask you." Wei Xiaobao put his left arm around her waist, and said: "The more difficult it is, I will do it for you, the more it looks I dote on my sweet twin. Tell me what's the matter." A slight blush appeared on Shuang'er's pale face, and she said in a low voice: "Master, I...I'm going to kill that official just now, so don't be angry with me." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "We are like-minded in this matter. You come to beg me, that's very wonderful." Asked: "What did this official offend you?" Shuang'er said, sobbing, "He didn't offend me. This Wu Zhirong is my family's great enemy. The master and young master of the dealer were all killed by him." Wei Xiaobao suddenly realized that what he saw at the dealer that night, all of them were women and widows, and there were many spirit tablets in the house, so it turned out that this person was the culprit, he asked: "Did you recognize the wrong person?" Shuang'er's tears flowed down again, and she whimpered: "No...you won't admit it. That day he...he brought the official servants to the dealer to catch people. I'm still young, but his vicious appearance, I can't believe it. I will never forget anything." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "I have to be very embarrassed, so that she will show my affection." Frowning, he pondered for a while, then hesitated and said: "He is the official of the imperial court, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture, the emperor just sent me to Yangzhou If you kill him, I'm afraid my officials won't be able to do it. Just now he came to tell me another important matter. If you want to kill him, I'm afraid...I'm afraid..." Shuang'er was very anxious, and said with tears: "I... I knew that it would be difficult for my husband. However, the old lady of the Zhuang family, the third young lady... kowtow before the spirit tablet every day, and vowed to kill this wicked official surnamed Wu to avenge his revenge. .” Wei Xiaobao patted his thigh, and said: "Okay! It's my good twin who begged me, even if you want me to kill the emperor or commit suicide, I will obey you, let alone a little magistrate? But you have to give me a kiss." Mouth." Shuang'er was flushed with joy and shame, turned her head, and said in a low voice: "My husband treats me so well, I... I have already belonged to you. You...you..." He said in a low voice head to go.Wei Xiaobao saw her gentle and submissive, and his heart softened, he couldn't bear to treat her lightly, and said with a smile: "Okay, when we are done, I want to kiss, you are not allowed to run away." Shuang'er blushed, and nodded slowly.Wei Xiaobao said: "If you kill him now, the revenge will not be enough. I will let you take him to the dealer, teach him to kneel in front of the spirit tablets of the masters and young masters of the dealer, and let the three young mistresses kill this dog head with their own hands. What do you think?" Shuang'er felt that this matter was too good, but I was afraid it might not be true, and looked at Wei Xiaobao with round eyes, unable to believe it, and said, "Master, didn't you lie to me?" Wei Xiaobao said, "Why did I lie to you?" ? This dog official is your enemy and mine. I don’t care if he wants to give me a fortune. As long as Xiao Shuang’er treats me sincerely, it’s better than anything else in the world!” Shuang’er Grateful in my heart, I leaned against him and couldn't help crying again. Wei Xiaobao put his arms around her soft and slender waist, he was very happy in his heart, and thought: "This kind of ready-made favor, it's not too much to make him ten or eight every day. Why didn't Wu Zhirong, the dog official, kill A Ke's father too?" Wouldn’t it be good if A Ke also came to ask me for revenge and let me hug her?” Then he changed his mind: A Ke’s father was either Li Zicheng or Wu Sangui, how could Wu Zhirong be killed? He only heard the sound of footsteps outside, knowing that it was Li Lishi and others coming, Wei Xiaobao said: "Don't worry about this matter. Now I have something important to discuss with others, you stand guard outside the door, don't let anyone come in, but don't steal Listen to what we have to say." Shuang'er replied: "Yes. I never eavesdrop on you." Suddenly she took Wei Xiaobao's right hand, kissed it with her lips, and walked out the door.
Li Lishi and other heroes of the Heaven and Earth Association came to the room and sat down separately.Wei Xiaobao said: "Brothers, I heard a big news last night. The matter was urgent. I didn't have time to discuss it with you, so I rushed to Lichun Courtyard. Luckily, I finally saved Gu Yanwu despite the chaos. The lives of my husband and brother Wu Liuqi." The heroes were greatly surprised, what happened to Wei Xiangzhu last night was indeed too absurd.Staying in a whore house, that’s fine, but a big bed was carried out from the brothel, and seven women were brought out to show off in the market, in a mess that couldn’t be further improved. It turned out that it was to save Gu Yanwu and Wu Liuqi. Now let's ask for details. Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "When we were in Kunming, all the elder brothers pretended to be Wu Sangui's guards and went to the brothel to drink and fight. Brothers think this plan is good, so they did the same thing last night and came again." All the heroes nodded, thinking: "So that's how it is." Wei Xiaobao thought that if he said more, he would show his feet, so he said, "I don't need to go into details about it." He reached into his bosom, touched Wu Liuqi's letter and came out. Qian Laoben took it, spread it on the table, and read it with everyone, and saw that the letter read "Mr. Yihuang's Daojian", and the letter was signed "Iron Beggar in the Snow".Everyone knows that "Iron Beggar in the Snow" is Wu Liuqi's nickname, but no one knows who "Mr. Yihuang" is.The heroes all had limited ink in their bellies, and they guessed that the words in the letter that "there will be a major event in the Southwest" meant that Wu Sangui was about to rebel. But they didn't understand the allusions and hidden words at all. Everyone looked at each other and waited for Wei Xiaobao's explanation. Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "Brother's belly is full of Yangzhou soup dumplings and long fish noodles, and there is no ink at all. Brothers, there must be more old wine than ink. Mr. Gu Yanwu will come soon, let's invite him Mr. explained it." While talking, the guards reported that there were visitors, one was the great lama and the other was the Mongolian prince.Wei Xiaobao asked all the heroes of the Tiandihui to accompany him to the meeting as his own soldiers, fearing that these two "brothers who are sworn brothers" would become ruthless, and at the same time went to invite Aqi to come out. When they met each other, Sang Jie and Galdan were very affectionate, and praised Wei Xiaobao for his great loyalty.When Aqi happily came out to meet her, Galdan was even more elated. At this time, Aqi's handcuffs had already been removed, and she was reapplied with makeup and dressed neatly. Wei Xiaobao said with a smile: "Fortunately, the two elder brothers' martial arts are world-class, and they killed the demon, otherwise, the brothers' lives would be lost. This group of demons is not weak in martial arts, and there are a lot of people. The two elder brothers beat more with less, and they beat the shit out of them. The brothers admired me for fleeing in despair. Let's hold a celebration banquet to celebrate the two elder brothers who have shaken the world and returned with great victories." Sang Jie and Ge Erdan were clearly captured by the Dragon Sect, fortunately Wei Xiaobao released Madam Hong and brought them back, but from Wei Xiaobao's point of view, it seems that the two of them defeated the enemy.Sang Jie felt ashamed and secretly grateful in his heart.Galdan, however, was beaming with joy, triumphant in front of his sweetheart. The imperial envoy said to set up wine, and a banquet was immediately held in the lobby.Wei Xiaobao got up and held the cup with the two righteous brothers, flattering words flooded in, and even Sang Jie forgot the humiliation of being captured.It's just that Wei Xiaobao praised him as the best in the world in martial arts, but Sang Jie kept shaking his hands, knowing that he was far behind Hierarch Hong. After drinking for a while, Sang Jie and Galdan got up to leave.韦小宝道：“两位哥哥，最好请你们两位各写一道奏章，由兄弟呈上皇帝。将来大哥要做西藏活佛，二哥要做'整个儿好'，兄弟在皇帝跟前一定大打边鼓。”说到这里，放低了声音，道：“日后吴三桂这老小子起兵造反，两位哥哥帮着皇帝打这老小子，咱们的事，哪有不成功之理？”两人大喜，齐说有理。 韦小宝领着二人来到书房。葛尔丹道：“愚兄文墨上不大来得，这道奏章，还是兄弟代写了罢。”韦小宝笑道：“兄弟自己的名字，只有一个'小'字，写来担保是不会错的，那个'韦'字就靠不住了。这个'宝'字，写来写去总有些儿不对头。咱们叫师爷来代写。”桑结道：“这事十分机密，不能让人知道。愚兄文笔也不通顺，对付着写了便是。好在咱们不是考状元，皇上也不来理会文笔好不好，只消意思不错就是了。”他每根手指虽斩去了一节，倒还能写字，于是写了自己的奏章，又代葛尔丹写了，由葛尔丹打了手印，画上花押。 三人重申前盟，将来富贵与共，患难相扶，决不负了结义之情。韦小宝命人托出三盘金子，分赠二位义兄和阿琪，备马备轿，恭送出门。
回进厅来，亲兵报道吴知府已押解犯人到来。韦小宝吩咐吴之荣在东厅等候，将顾炎武等三人带到内堂，开了手铐，屏退亲兵，只留下天地会群雄，关上了门，躬身行礼，说道：“天地会青木堂香主韦小宝，率同众兄弟参见顾军师和查先生、吕先生。” 那日查伊璜接到吴六奇密函，大喜之下，约了吕留良同到扬州，来寻顾炎武商议，不料吴之荣刚好查到顾炎武的诗集，带了差衙捕快去拿人，将查吕二人一起擒了去。一加抄检，竟在查伊璜身上将吴六奇这通密函抄了出来。三人愧恨欲死，均想自己送了性命倒不打紧，吴六奇这密谋一泄漏，可坏了大事。哪知道奇峰突起，钦差大臣竟然自称是天地会的香主，不由得惊喜交集，如在梦中。 当日河间府开杀龟大会，韦小宝并未露面，但李力世，徐天川、玄贞道人、钱老本等人均和顾炎武相识。顾、查、吕三人当年在运河舟中遇险，曾蒙天地会总舵主陈近南相救，待知眼前这个少年钦差便是陈近南的徒弟，当下更无怀疑，欢然叙话。查伊璜说了吴六奇信中“中山、开平、青田先生”的典故，天地会群雄这才恍然，连说好险。 吕留良叹道：“当年我们三人，还有一位黄梨洲黄兄，得蒙尊师相救，今日不慎惹祸，又得韦兄弟解难。唉，当真是百无一用是书生，贤师徒大恩大德，更是无以为报了。” 韦小宝道：“大家是自己人，吕先生又何必客气？” 查伊璜道：“扬州府衙门的公差突然破门而入，真如迅雷不及掩耳，我一见情势不对，忙想拿起吴兄这封信来撕毁，却已给公差抓住了手臂，反到背后。只道这场大祸闯得不小，兄弟已打定主意，刑审之时，招供这写信的'雪中铁丐'就是吴三桂。反正兄弟这条老命是不能保了，好歹要保得吴六奇吴兄的周全。” 众人哈哈大笑，都说这计策真妙。查伊璜道：“那也是迫不得已的下策。'雪中铁丐'名扬天下，只怕拉不到吴三桂的头上。问官倘若调来吴兄的笔迹，一加查对，那是非揭露真相不可。”顾炎武道：“我们两次泄露了吴兄的秘密，两次得救，可见冥冥中自有天意，鞑子气运不长，吴兄大功必成。可是自今以后，这件事再也不能出口，总不成第三次又有这般运气。”众人齐声称是。顾炎武问韦小宝：“韦香主，你看此事如何善后？” 韦小宝道：“难得和三位先生相见，便请三位在这里盘桓几日，大家一起喝酒。再把吴之荣这狗官叫来，让他站在旁边瞧着，就此吓死了他。如果狗官胆子大，吓他不死，一刀砍了他狗头便是。”顾炎武笑道：“这法儿虽是出了胸中恶气，只怕泄露风声。这狗官是朝廷命官，韦香主要杀他，总也得有个罪名才是。” 韦小宝沉吟片刻，说道：“有了。就请查先生假造一封信，算是吴三桂写给这狗官的。这狗官吹牛，说道依照排行算起来，吴三桂是他族叔甚么的，要是假造书信嫌麻烦，就将吴六奇大哥这封信抄一遍就是了。只消换了上下的名字。不论是谁跟吴三桂勾结，我砍了他的脑袋，小皇帝一定赞成。” 众人一齐称善。顾炎武笑道：“韦香主才思敏捷，这移花接木之计，可说是一箭双雕，即以其人之道，还治其人之身。伊璜兄，就请你大笔一挥罢。”查伊璜笑道：“想不到今日要给吴三桂这老贼做一次记室。” 韦小宝以己度人，只道假造一封书信甚难，因此提议原信照抄。但顾、查、吕三人乃当世名士，提笔写信，便如韦小宝掷骰子、赌牌九一般，直是家常便饭，何足道哉？查伊璜提起了笔，正待要写，问道：“不知吴之荣的别字叫作甚么？吴三桂写信给他，如果用他别字，更加显得熟络些。”韦小宝道：“高大哥，请你去问问这狗官。” 高彦超出去询问，回来笑道：“这狗官字'显扬'。他问为甚么问他别字。我说钦差大臣要写信给京里吏部、刑部两位尚书，详细称赞他的功劳，呈报他的官名别字。这狗官笑得嘴也合不拢来，赏了我十两银子。”说着将一锭银子在手中一抛一抛。众人又都大笑。 查伊璜一挥而就，交给顾炎武，道：“亭林兄你瞧使得吗？”顾炎武接过，吕留良就着他手中一起看了，都道：“好极，好极。”吕留良笑道：“这句'岂知我太祖高皇帝首称吴国，竟应三百年后我叔侄之姓氏'，将这个'吴'字可扣得极死，再也推搪不了。”顾炎武笑道：“这两句'欲斩白蛇而赋大风，愿吾侄纳圯下之履；思奋濠上而都应天，期吾侄取诚意之爵。'那是从六奇兄这句'欲图中平、开平之伟业，非青田先生运筹不为功'之中化出来的了。”查伊璜笑道：“依样葫芦，邯郸学步。” 天地会群雄面面相觑，不知他三人说些甚么，只道是甚么帮会暗语，江湖切口。 顾炎武于是向众人解说，明太祖朱元璋初起之时自称“吴国公”，后来又称“吴王”，这刚好和吴三桂、吴之荣的姓氏相同；斩白蛇、赋大风是汉高祖刘邦的事，圯下纳履是张良的故事；朱元璋起于濠上而定都应天，爵封诚意伯的就是刘伯温。 韦小宝鼓掌道：“这封信写得比吴六奇大哥的还要好，这吴三桂原是想做皇帝。只不过将他比做汉高祖、朱元璋，未免太捧他了。”吕留良笑道：“这是吴三桂自己捧自己，可不是查先生捧他啊。”韦小宝笑道：“对，对！我忘了这是吴三桂自己写的。”查伊璜问道：“下面署甚么名好？”顾炎武道：“这一封信，不论是谁一看，都知道是吴三桂写的，署名越是含糊，越像是真的，就署'叔西手札'四字好了。”对钱老本道：“钱兄，这四个字请你来写，我们的字有书生气，不像带兵的武人。” 钱老本拿起笔来，战战兢兢的写了，歉然道：“这四个字歪歪斜斜的，太不成样子。”顾炎武道：“吴三桂是武人，这信自然是要记室写的。这四个字署名很好，没有章法间架，然而很有力道，像武将的字。” 查伊璜在信封上写了“亲呈扬州府家知府老爷亲拆”十二字，封入信笺，交给韦小宝，微笑道：“伪造书信，未免有损阴德，不是正人君子之所为。不过为了兴复大业，也只好不拘小节了。”韦小宝心想：“对付吴之荣这种狗贼，造一封假信打甚么紧？读书人真酸得可笑。”收起书信，说道：“这件事办好之后，咱们来喝酒，给三位先生接风。” 顾炎武道：“韦兄弟和六奇兄一文一武，定是明室中兴的柱石，邓高密、郭汾阳也不过如是。若能扳倒了吴三桂这老贼，更是如去鞑子之一臂。韦兄弟这杯酒，待得大功告成之时再喝罢。咱们三人这就告辞，以免在此多耽，走漏风声，坏了大事。” 韦小宝心中虽对顾炎武颇为敬重，但这三位名士说话咬文嚼字，每句话都有典故，要听懂一半也不大容易，和他们多谈得一会，便觉周身不自在，听说要走，真是求之不得，心想：“你们三位老先生赌钱是一定不喜欢的，见了妓院里的姑娘只怕要吓得魂不附体。我若是骂一句'他妈的'，你们非瞪眼珠、吹胡子不可，还是快快的请罢。” 于是取出一叠银票，每人分送三千两，以作盘缠，请徐天川和高彦超从后门护送出城。 顾、查、吕三人一走，韦小宝全身畅快，心想：“朝廷里那些做文官的，个个也都是读书人，偏是那么有趣。江苏省那些大官，好比马抚台、慕藩台，可也比顾先生、查先生他们好玩。若是交朋友哪，吴之荣这狗头也胜于这三位老先生了。”正想到巡抚、布政司，亲兵来报，巡抚和布政司求见。韦小宝一凛：“难道走漏了风声？”
韦小宝出厅相见，见二人脸上神色肃然，心下不禁惴惴。宾主行礼坐下。巡抚马佑从衣袖中取出一件公文，站起身来双手呈上，说道：“钦差大人，出了大事啦。”韦小宝接过公文，交给布政司慕天颜，道：“兄弟不识字，请老兄念念。”慕天颜道：“是。”打开了公文，他早已知道内容，说道：“大人，京里兵部六百里紧急来文，吩咐转告大人，吴三桂这逆贼举兵造反。” 韦小宝一听大喜，忍不住跳起身来，叫道：“他妈的，这老小子果然干起来啦。” 马佑和慕天颜面面相觑。钦差大人一听到吴三桂造反的大消息，竟然大喜若狂，不知是何用意。 韦小宝笑道：“皇上神机妙算，早料到这件事了。两位不必惊慌。皇上的兵马、粮草、大炮、火药、饷银、器械，甚么都预备得妥妥当当的。吴三桂这老小子不动手便罢，他这一造反，咱们非把他的陈圆圆捉来不可。”马佑和慕天颜虽听他言语不伦不类，但听说皇上一切有备，倒也放了不少心。吴三桂善于用兵，麾下兵强马壮，一听得他起兵造反，所有做官的都胆战心惊，只怕头上这顶乌纱帽要保不住。 韦小宝道：“有一件事倒奇怪得很。”二人齐道：“请道其详。”韦小宝道：“这个消息，两位是刚才得知吗？”马佑道：“是。卑职一接到兵部公文，即刻知会藩台大人，赶来大人行辕。”韦小宝道：“当真没泄漏？”两人齐道：“这是军国大事，须请大人定夺，卑职万万不敢泄漏。”韦小宝道：“可是扬州府知府却先知道了，岂不是有点儿古怪吗？” 马佑和慕天颜对望了一眼，均感诧异。马佑道：“请问大人，不知吴知府怎么说。”韦小宝道：“他刚才鬼鬼祟祟的来跟我说，西南将有大事发生，有人要做朱元璋，他要做刘伯温。劝我识时务，把你们两位扣了起来。我听了不懂，甚么朱元璋、刘伯温，胡说八道，正在骂他，你们两位就来了。” 两人大吃一惊，脸色大变。马佑庸庸碌碌，慕天颜却颇有应变之才，低声道：“那吴某如此说，是在劝大人造反。他不要脑袋了。”韦小宝道：“我可不懂他说甚么，要他说得明白些。他老是抛书袋，甚么先发后发。我说老子年纪轻轻，已做了大官，还不算先发吗？” 马佑和慕天颜均想：“这吴知府说的，是先发制人，后发制于人。钦差大人没学问，还道是先发达、后发达。”两人老成练达，也不说穿。哪知“先发制人”这句成语，韦小宝从小就听说书先生说过无数遍，这一次却不是没学问，而是装傻。 马佑道：“这吴知府好大的胆子！不知他走了没有？”韦小宝道：“他还在这里候着，说要跟我商议大事。哼，他小小知府，有甚么大计跟我商议？打吴三桂的大计，兄弟也只跟两位商议，不会去听他一个小小知府的罗唆。”马佑道：“是，是。可否请大人把吴知府叫出来，让卑职问他几句话？”韦小宝道：“很好！”转头吩咐亲兵：“请吴知府。” 吴之荣来到大厅，只见巡抚和布政司在座，不由得又喜又忧，喜的是钦差大臣十分重视自己的密报，竟将抚藩都请了来同一商议，忧的是讯息一泄露，巡抚和布政司不免分了自己的大功，当下上前请安参见，垂手站立。 韦小宝笑道：“吴知府请坐。”吴之荣道：“是，是。多谢大人赐座。”屁股沾着一点椅子边儿坐了。韦小宝道：“吴知府，你有一件大事来跟兄弟商议，虽然你再三说道，不可让抚台大人和藩台大人知道，不过这件事十分重大，只好请两位大人一起来谈谈，请你不可见怪。”吴之荣神色十分尴尬，忙起身向韦小宝和抚藩三人请安，陪笑道：“卑职大胆，三位大人明鉴。这个……这个……”要待掩饰几句，但韦小宝已开门见山的说了出来，不论说甚么都是难以掩饰。巡抚和布政司二人的脸色，自然要有多难看便有多难看了。 韦小宝微笑道：“吴知府讯息十分灵通，他说西南有一位手提兵马大权的武将，日内就要起兵造反。他这一起兵，可乖乖不得了，天下震动，皇上的龙廷也坐不稳了，说不定咱们的人头都要落地。是不是？”吴之荣道：“是。不过三位大人洪福齐天，那自然逢凶化吉，遇难呈祥，定是百无禁忌的。” 韦小宝道：“这是托吴大人的福了。吴大人，这位武将，跟你是同宗，也是姓吴？”吴之荣应道：“是。这是敝宗……”韦小宝抢着道：“你拿到了这武将的一封信，是他亲笔所写，这封信不会是假的罢？”吴之荣道：“千真万确，决计不假。” 韦小宝点头道：“这信中虽然没说要起兵造反，不过说到了朱元璋、刘伯温甚么的。兄弟没读过书，不明白信里讲些甚么，吴大人跟兄弟详细解说信里意思，要兄弟立刻动手，甚么先发后发的，说道这是一百年也难遇上的机会，一场大富贵是一定不会脱手的，兄弟可以封王，而吴大人也能封一个伯爵甚么的，是不是？”吴之荣道：“这是卑职的谬见，大人明断，胜于卑职百倍。那封信里写的，的确是这个意思。” 韦小宝从右手袖筒里取出吴六奇那封信来，拿到吴之荣面前，身子一侧，遮住了那信，说道：“就是这封信，是不是？你瞧清楚了，事关重大，可不能弄错。”吴之荣道：“是，是。正是这封，那是决计不会错的。”韦小宝道：“很好。”将那信收入右手袖筒，回坐椅上，说道：“吴知府，请你暂且退下，我跟抚台大人、藩台大人两位商议。看来我们三人的功名富贵，要全靠你吴大人了，哈哈。” 吴之荣掩不住脸上的得意之情，又向三人请安，道：“全仗三位大人恩典栽培。”侧身慢慢退了下去。韦小宝待他退到门口，问道：“吴知府，你的别字，叫作甚么？”吴之荣道：“不敢。卑职贱名之荣，草字显扬。”韦小宝点点头，道：“这就是了。” 马佑和慕天颜二人当韦小宝讯问吴之荣之时，心中都已大怒，只是官场规矩，上官正在说话，下属不敢插口。马佑脾气暴躁，待要申斥，韦小宝已命吴之荣退下，不由得额头青筋突起，满脸胀得通红。 韦小宝从左手袖筒中取出查伊璜所写的那封假信，说道：“两位请看看这信。吴之荣这厮说得这信好不厉害，兄弟没读过书，也不知他说的是真是假。” 马佑接过信来，见封皮上写的是“亲呈扬州府家知府老爷亲拆”，抽出信笺，和慕天颜同观，见上款是“显扬吾侄”。两人越看越怒。马佑不等看完全信，已拍案大叫：“这狗头如此大胆，我亲手一刀把他杀了。”慕天颜心细，觉得吴之荣胆敢公然劝上官造反，未免太过不合情理，然而刚才韦小宝当面讯问，对方对答一句句亲耳听见，哪里更有怀疑？昨日在禅智寺前赏芍药，吴之荣亲口说过吴三桂是他族叔，看来吴之荣料定吴三桂造反必成，得意忘形，行事便肆无忌惮起来。 韦小宝道：“这封书信，当真是吴三桂写给他的？”马佑道：“这狗头自己说是千真万确。”韦小宝道：“信里长篇大论，到底写些甚么，烦二位解给兄弟听听。”慕天颜于是一句句解释，甚么“斩白蛇而赋大风”、“纳圯下之履”、甚么“奋濠上而都应天”、“取诚意之爵”等典故，一一说明。马佑道：“单是'我太祖高皇帝首称吴国'这一句，就要叫他灭族。”慕天颜点头道：“吴逆起事，听说正是以甚么朱三太子号召，说要规复明室。” 正议论间，忽报京中御前侍卫到来传宣圣旨。韦小宝和马佑、慕天颜跪下接旨，却是康熙宣召韦小宝急速进京，至于敕建扬州忠烈祠之事，交由江苏省布政同办理。 韦小宝大喜，心想：“小皇帝打吴三桂，如果派我当大元帅，那可威风得紧。”马佑、慕天颜听上谕中颇有奖勉之语，当即道贺，恭喜他加官晋爵。 韦小宝道：“兄弟明日就得回京，叩见皇上之时，自会称赞二位是大大的好官。只不过二位的官做得到底如何好法，说来惭愧，兄弟实在不大明白，只好请二位说来听听。” 抚藩二人大喜，拱手称谢。慕天颜便夸赞巡抚的政绩，他揣摩康熙的性情，尽拣马佑如何勤政爱民、宣教德化的事来说，其中九成倒是假的。只听得马佑笑得嘴也合不拢来。接着慕天颜也说了几件自己得意的政绩，虽然言辞简略，却都是十分实在的功劳。 韦小宝道：“这些兄弟都记下了。咱们还得再加上一件大功劳。吴逆造反，皇上痛恨之极，这吴之荣要作内应，想叫江苏全省文武百官一齐造反，幸亏给咱们三人查了出来。这一奏报上去，封赏是走不去的。兄弟明日就要动身回京，就请二位写一道奏章罢。”抚藩二人齐道：“这是韦大人的大功，卑职不敢掠美。”韦小宝道：“不用客气，算是咱们三人一齐立的功劳好了。”慕天颜又道：“总督麻大人回去了江宁，钦差大臣回奏圣上之时，最好也请给麻大人说几句好话。”韦小宝道：“很好。说好话又不用本钱。” 马佑、慕天颜又再称谢，这才辞出。韦小宝吩咐徐天川等将吴之荣绑了起来，口中塞了麻核，叫他有口难言。吴之荣心中的惊惧和诧异，自是再也无法形容了。 次日一早，扬州城里的文武官员便一个个排着班等在厅中，候钦差大人接见。每个人自均有一份重礼。在扬州做官，那是天下最丰裕的缺份，每个官员
He returned to the inner hall and sent someone to pass on Li Lishi and others to come to discuss.Shuang'er came to him, suddenly knelt down in front of him, sobbing, "Master, I beg you for one thing." Wei Xiaobao was very surprised, he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it up, but he didn't let go, and said softly: "Good pair, you are my lifeblood, if there is anything, I will definitely do it for you." Seeing her cheek Tears kept streaming down her face, she raised her left hand and wiped her tears with her sleeve.Shuang'er said: "Master, this matter is very difficult, but I...I have to ask you." Wei Xiaobao put his left arm around her waist, and said: "The more difficult it is, I will do it for you, the more it looks I dote on my sweet twin. Tell me what's the matter." A slight blush appeared on Shuang'er's pale face, and she said in a low voice: "Master, I...I'm going to kill that official just now, so don't be angry with me." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "We are like-minded in this matter. You come to beg me, that's very wonderful." Asked: "What did this official offend you?" Shuang'er said, sobbing, "He didn't offend me. This Wu Zhirong is my family's great enemy. The master and young master of the dealer were all killed by him." Wei Xiaobao suddenly realized that what he saw at the dealer that night, all of them were women and widows, and there were many spirit tablets in the house, so it turned out that this person was the culprit, he asked: "Did you recognize the wrong person?" Shuang'er's tears flowed down again, and she whimpered: "No...you won't admit it. That day he...he brought the official servants to the dealer to catch people. I'm still young, but his vicious appearance, I can't believe it. I will never forget anything." Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "I have to be very embarrassed, so that she will show my affection." Frowning, he pondered for a while, then hesitated and said: "He is the official of the imperial court, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture, the emperor just sent me to Yangzhou If you kill him, I'm afraid my officials won't be able to do it. Just now he came to tell me another important matter. If you want to kill him, I'm afraid...I'm afraid..." Shuang'er was very anxious, and said with tears: "I... I knew that it would be difficult for my husband. However, the old lady of the Zhuang family, the third young lady... kowtow before the spirit tablet every day, and vowed to kill this wicked official surnamed Wu to avenge his revenge. .” Wei Xiaobao patted his thigh, and said: "Okay! It's my good twin who begged me, even if you want me to kill the emperor or commit suicide, I will obey you, let alone a little magistrate? But you have to give me a kiss." Mouth." Shuang'er was flushed with joy and shame, turned her head, and said in a low voice: "My husband treats me so well, I... I have already belonged to you. You...you..." He said in a low voice head to go.Wei Xiaobao saw her gentle and submissive, and his heart softened, he couldn't bear to treat her lightly, and said with a smile: "Okay, when we are done, I want to kiss, you are not allowed to run away." Shuang'er blushed, and nodded slowly.Wei Xiaobao said: "If you kill him now, the revenge will not be enough. I will let you take him to the dealer, teach him to kneel in front of the spirit tablets of the masters and young masters of the dealer, and let the three young mistresses kill this dog head with their own hands. What do you think?" Shuang'er felt that this matter was too good, but I was afraid it might not be true, and looked at Wei Xiaobao with round eyes, unable to believe it, and said, "Master, didn't you lie to me?" Wei Xiaobao said, "Why did I lie to you?" ? This dog official is your enemy and mine. I don’t care if he wants to give me a fortune. As long as Xiao Shuang’er treats me sincerely, it’s better than anything else in the world!” Shuang’er Grateful in my heart, I leaned against him and couldn't help crying again. Wei Xiaobao put his arms around her soft and slender waist, he was very happy in his heart, and thought: "This kind of ready-made favor, it's not too much to make him ten or eight every day. Why didn't Wu Zhirong, the dog official, kill A Ke's father too?" Wouldn’t it be good if A Ke also came to ask me for revenge and let me hug her?” Then he changed his mind: A Ke’s father was either Li Zicheng or Wu Sangui, how could Wu Zhirong be killed? He only heard the sound of footsteps outside, knowing that it was Li Lishi and others coming, Wei Xiaobao said: "Don't worry about this matter. Now I have something important to discuss with others, you stand guard outside the door, don't let anyone come in, but don't steal Listen to what we have to say." Shuang'er replied: "Yes. I never eavesdrop on you." Suddenly she took Wei Xiaobao's right hand, kissed it with her lips, and walked out the door.
Li Lishi and other heroes of the Heaven and Earth Association came to the room and sat down separately.Wei Xiaobao said: "Brothers, I heard a big news last night. The matter was urgent. I didn't have time to discuss it with you, so I rushed to Lichun Courtyard. Luckily, I finally saved Gu Yanwu despite the chaos. The lives of my husband and brother Wu Liuqi." The heroes were greatly surprised, what happened to Wei Xiangzhu last night was indeed too absurd.Staying in a whore house, that’s fine, but a big bed was carried out from the brothel, and seven women were brought out to show off in the market, in a mess that couldn’t be further improved. It turned out that it was to save Gu Yanwu and Wu Liuqi. Now let's ask for details. Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "When we were in Kunming, all the elder brothers pretended to be Wu Sangui's guards and went to the brothel to drink and fight. Brothers think this plan is good, so they did the same thing last night and came again." All the heroes nodded, thinking: "So that's how it is." Wei Xiaobao thought that if he said more, he would show his feet, so he said, "I don't need to go into details about it." He reached into his bosom, touched Wu Liuqi's letter and came out. Qian Laoben took it, spread it on the table, and read it with everyone, and saw that the letter read "Mr. Yihuang's Daojian", and the letter was signed "Iron Beggar in the Snow".Everyone knows that "Iron Beggar in the Snow" is Wu Liuqi's nickname, but no one knows who "Mr. Yihuang" is.The heroes all had limited ink in their bellies, and they guessed that the words in the letter that "there will be a major event in the Southwest" meant that Wu Sangui was about to rebel. But they didn't understand the allusions and hidden words at all. Everyone looked at each other and waited for Wei Xiaobao's explanation. Wei Xiaobao smiled and said: "Brother's belly is full of Yangzhou soup dumplings and long fish noodles, and there is no ink at all. Brothers, there must be more old wine than ink. Mr. Gu Yanwu will come soon, let's invite him Mr. explained it." While talking, the guards reported that there were visitors, one was the great lama and the other was the Mongolian prince.Wei Xiaobao asked all the heroes of the Tiandihui to accompany him to the meeting as his own soldiers, fearing that these two "brothers who are sworn brothers" would become ruthless, and at the same time went to invite Aqi to come out. When they met each other, Sang Jie and Galdan were very affectionate, and praised Wei Xiaobao for his great loyalty.When Aqi happily came out to meet her, Galdan was even more elated. At this time, Aqi's handcuffs had already been removed, and she was reapplied with makeup and dressed neatly. Wei Xiaobao said with a smile: "Fortunately, the two elder brothers' martial arts are world-class, and they killed the demon, otherwise, the brothers' lives would be lost. This group of demons is not weak in martial arts, and there are a lot of people. The two elder brothers beat more with less, and they beat the shit out of them. The brothers admired me for fleeing in despair. Let's hold a celebration banquet to celebrate the two elder brothers who have shaken the world and returned with great victories." Sang Jie and Ge Erdan were clearly captured by the Dragon Sect, fortunately Wei Xiaobao released Madam Hong and brought them back, but from Wei Xiaobao's point of view, it seems that the two of them defeated the enemy.Sang Jie felt ashamed and secretly grateful in his heart.Galdan, however, was beaming with joy, triumphant in front of his sweetheart. The imperial envoy said to set up wine, and a banquet was immediately held in the lobby.Wei Xiaobao got up and held the cup with the two righteous brothers, flattering words flooded in, and even Sang Jie forgot the humiliation of being captured.It's just that Wei Xiaobao praised him as the best in the world in martial arts, but Sang Jie kept shaking his hands, knowing that he was far behind Hierarch Hong. After drinking for a while, Sang Jie and Galdan got up to leave.韦小宝道：“两位哥哥，最好请你们两位各写一道奏章，由兄弟呈上皇帝。将来大哥要做西藏活佛，二哥要做'整个儿好'，兄弟在皇帝跟前一定大打边鼓。”说到这里，放低了声音，道：“日后吴三桂这老小子起兵造反，两位哥哥帮着皇帝打这老小子，咱们的事，哪有不成功之理？”两人大喜，齐说有理。 韦小宝领着二人来到书房。葛尔丹道：“愚兄文墨上不大来得，这道奏章，还是兄弟代写了罢。”韦小宝笑道：“兄弟自己的名字，只有一个'小'字，写来担保是不会错的，那个'韦'字就靠不住了。这个'宝'字，写来写去总有些儿不对头。咱们叫师爷来代写。”桑结道：“这事十分机密，不能让人知道。愚兄文笔也不通顺，对付着写了便是。好在咱们不是考状元，皇上也不来理会文笔好不好，只消意思不错就是了。”他每根手指虽斩去了一节，倒还能写字，于是写了自己的奏章，又代葛尔丹写了，由葛尔丹打了手印，画上花押。 三人重申前盟，将来富贵与共，患难相扶，决不负了结义之情。韦小宝命人托出三盘金子，分赠二位义兄和阿琪，备马备轿，恭送出门。
回进厅来，亲兵报道吴知府已押解犯人到来。韦小宝吩咐吴之荣在东厅等候，将顾炎武等三人带到内堂，开了手铐，屏退亲兵，只留下天地会群雄，关上了门，躬身行礼，说道：“天地会青木堂香主韦小宝，率同众兄弟参见顾军师和查先生、吕先生。” 那日查伊璜接到吴六奇密函，大喜之下，约了吕留良同到扬州，来寻顾炎武商议，不料吴之荣刚好查到顾炎武的诗集，带了差衙捕快去拿人，将查吕二人一起擒了去。一加抄检，竟在查伊璜身上将吴六奇这通密函抄了出来。三人愧恨欲死，均想自己送了性命倒不打紧，吴六奇这密谋一泄漏，可坏了大事。哪知道奇峰突起，钦差大臣竟然自称是天地会的香主，不由得惊喜交集，如在梦中。 当日河间府开杀龟大会，韦小宝并未露面，但李力世，徐天川、玄贞道人、钱老本等人均和顾炎武相识。顾、查、吕三人当年在运河舟中遇险，曾蒙天地会总舵主陈近南相救，待知眼前这个少年钦差便是陈近南的徒弟，当下更无怀疑，欢然叙话。查伊璜说了吴六奇信中“中山、开平、青田先生”的典故，天地会群雄这才恍然，连说好险。 吕留良叹道：“当年我们三人，还有一位黄梨洲黄兄，得蒙尊师相救，今日不慎惹祸，又得韦兄弟解难。唉，当真是百无一用是书生，贤师徒大恩大德，更是无以为报了。” 韦小宝道：“大家是自己人，吕先生又何必客气？” 查伊璜道：“扬州府衙门的公差突然破门而入，真如迅雷不及掩耳，我一见情势不对，忙想拿起吴兄这封信来撕毁，却已给公差抓住了手臂，反到背后。只道这场大祸闯得不小，兄弟已打定主意，刑审之时，招供这写信的'雪中铁丐'就是吴三桂。反正兄弟这条老命是不能保了，好歹要保得吴六奇吴兄的周全。” 众人哈哈大笑，都说这计策真妙。查伊璜道：“那也是迫不得已的下策。'雪中铁丐'名扬天下，只怕拉不到吴三桂的头上。问官倘若调来吴兄的笔迹，一加查对，那是非揭露真相不可。”顾炎武道：“我们两次泄露了吴兄的秘密，两次得救，可见冥冥中自有天意，鞑子气运不长，吴兄大功必成。可是自今以后，这件事再也不能出口，总不成第三次又有这般运气。”众人齐声称是。顾炎武问韦小宝：“韦香主，你看此事如何善后？” 韦小宝道：“难得和三位先生相见，便请三位在这里盘桓几日，大家一起喝酒。再把吴之荣这狗官叫来，让他站在旁边瞧着，就此吓死了他。如果狗官胆子大，吓他不死，一刀砍了他狗头便是。”顾炎武笑道：“这法儿虽是出了胸中恶气，只怕泄露风声。这狗官是朝廷命官，韦香主要杀他，总也得有个罪名才是。” 韦小宝沉吟片刻，说道：“有了。就请查先生假造一封信，算是吴三桂写给这狗官的。这狗官吹牛，说道依照排行算起来，吴三桂是他族叔甚么的，要是假造书信嫌麻烦，就将吴六奇大哥这封信抄一遍就是了。只消换了上下的名字。不论是谁跟吴三桂勾结，我砍了他的脑袋，小皇帝一定赞成。” 众人一齐称善。顾炎武笑道：“韦香主才思敏捷，这移花接木之计，可说是一箭双雕，即以其人之道，还治其人之身。伊璜兄，就请你大笔一挥罢。”查伊璜笑道：“想不到今日要给吴三桂这老贼做一次记室。” 韦小宝以己度人，只道假造一封书信甚难，因此提议原信照抄。但顾、查、吕三人乃当世名士，提笔写信，便如韦小宝掷骰子、赌牌九一般，直是家常便饭，何足道哉？查伊璜提起了笔，正待要写，问道：“不知吴之荣的别字叫作甚么？吴三桂写信给他，如果用他别字，更加显得熟络些。”韦小宝道：“高大哥，请你去问问这狗官。” 高彦超出去询问，回来笑道：“这狗官字'显扬'。他问为甚么问他别字。我说钦差大臣要写信给京里吏部、刑部两位尚书，详细称赞他的功劳，呈报他的官名别字。这狗官笑得嘴也合不拢来，赏了我十两银子。”说着将一锭银子在手中一抛一抛。众人又都大笑。 查伊璜一挥而就，交给顾炎武，道：“亭林兄你瞧使得吗？”顾炎武接过，吕留良就着他手中一起看了，都道：“好极，好极。”吕留良笑道：“这句'岂知我太祖高皇帝首称吴国，竟应三百年后我叔侄之姓氏'，将这个'吴'字可扣得极死，再也推搪不了。”顾炎武笑道：“这两句'欲斩白蛇而赋大风，愿吾侄纳圯下之履；思奋濠上而都应天，期吾侄取诚意之爵。'那是从六奇兄这句'欲图中平、开平之伟业，非青田先生运筹不为功'之中化出来的了。”查伊璜笑道：“依样葫芦，邯郸学步。” 天地会群雄面面相觑，不知他三人说些甚么，只道是甚么帮会暗语，江湖切口。 顾炎武于是向众人解说，明太祖朱元璋初起之时自称“吴国公”，后来又称“吴王”，这刚好和吴三桂、吴之荣的姓氏相同；斩白蛇、赋大风是汉高祖刘邦的事，圯下纳履是张良的故事；朱元璋起于濠上而定都应天，爵封诚意伯的就是刘伯温。 韦小宝鼓掌道：“这封信写得比吴六奇大哥的还要好，这吴三桂原是想做皇帝。只不过将他比做汉高祖、朱元璋，未免太捧他了。”吕留良笑道：“这是吴三桂自己捧自己，可不是查先生捧他啊。”韦小宝笑道：“对，对！我忘了这是吴三桂自己写的。”查伊璜问道：“下面署甚么名好？”顾炎武道：“这一封信，不论是谁一看，都知道是吴三桂写的，署名越是含糊，越像是真的，就署'叔西手札'四字好了。”对钱老本道：“钱兄，这四个字请你来写，我们的字有书生气，不像带兵的武人。” 钱老本拿起笔来，战战兢兢的写了，歉然道：“这四个字歪歪斜斜的，太不成样子。”顾炎武道：“吴三桂是武人，这信自然是要记室写的。这四个字署名很好，没有章法间架，然而很有力道，像武将的字。” 查伊璜在信封上写了“亲呈扬州府家知府老爷亲拆”十二字，封入信笺，交给韦小宝，微笑道：“伪造书信，未免有损阴德，不是正人君子之所为。不过为了兴复大业，也只好不拘小节了。”韦小宝心想：“对付吴之荣这种狗贼，造一封假信打甚么紧？读书人真酸得可笑。”收起书信，说道：“这件事办好之后，咱们来喝酒，给三位先生接风。” 顾炎武道：“韦兄弟和六奇兄一文一武，定是明室中兴的柱石，邓高密、郭汾阳也不过如是。若能扳倒了吴三桂这老贼，更是如去鞑子之一臂。韦兄弟这杯酒，待得大功告成之时再喝罢。咱们三人这就告辞，以免在此多耽，走漏风声，坏了大事。” 韦小宝心中虽对顾炎武颇为敬重，但这三位名士说话咬文嚼字，每句话都有典故，要听懂一半也不大容易，和他们多谈得一会，便觉周身不自在，听说要走，真是求之不得，心想：“你们三位老先生赌钱是一定不喜欢的，见了妓院里的姑娘只怕要吓得魂不附体。我若是骂一句'他妈的'，你们非瞪眼珠、吹胡子不可，还是快快的请罢。” 于是取出一叠银票，每人分送三千两，以作盘缠，请徐天川和高彦超从后门护送出城。 顾、查、吕三人一走，韦小宝全身畅快，心想：“朝廷里那些做文官的，个个也都是读书人，偏是那么有趣。江苏省那些大官，好比马抚台、慕藩台，可也比顾先生、查先生他们好玩。若是交朋友哪，吴之荣这狗头也胜于这三位老先生了。”正想到巡抚、布政司，亲兵来报，巡抚和布政司求见。韦小宝一凛：“难道走漏了风声？”
韦小宝出厅相见，见二人脸上神色肃然，心下不禁惴惴。宾主行礼坐下。巡抚马佑从衣袖中取出一件公文，站起身来双手呈上，说道：“钦差大人，出了大事啦。”韦小宝接过公文，交给布政司慕天颜，道：“兄弟不识字，请老兄念念。”慕天颜道：“是。”打开了公文，他早已知道内容，说道：“大人，京里兵部六百里紧急来文，吩咐转告大人，吴三桂这逆贼举兵造反。” 韦小宝一听大喜，忍不住跳起身来，叫道：“他妈的，这老小子果然干起来啦。” 马佑和慕天颜面面相觑。钦差大人一听到吴三桂造反的大消息，竟然大喜若狂，不知是何用意。 韦小宝笑道：“皇上神机妙算，早料到这件事了。两位不必惊慌。皇上的兵马、粮草、大炮、火药、饷银、器械，甚么都预备得妥妥当当的。吴三桂这老小子不动手便罢，他这一造反，咱们非把他的陈圆圆捉来不可。”马佑和慕天颜虽听他言语不伦不类，但听说皇上一切有备，倒也放了不少心。吴三桂善于用兵，麾下兵强马壮，一听得他起兵造反，所有做官的都胆战心惊，只怕头上这顶乌纱帽要保不住。 韦小宝道：“有一件事倒奇怪得很。”二人齐道：“请道其详。”韦小宝道：“这个消息，两位是刚才得知吗？”马佑道：“是。卑职一接到兵部公文，即刻知会藩台大人，赶来大人行辕。”韦小宝道：“当真没泄漏？”两人齐道：“这是军国大事，须请大人定夺，卑职万万不敢泄漏。”韦小宝道：“可是扬州府知府却先知道了，岂不是有点儿古怪吗？” 马佑和慕天颜对望了一眼，均感诧异。马佑道：“请问大人，不知吴知府怎么说。”韦小宝道：“他刚才鬼鬼祟祟的来跟我说，西南将有大事发生，有人要做朱元璋，他要做刘伯温。劝我识时务，把你们两位扣了起来。我听了不懂，甚么朱元璋、刘伯温，胡说八道，正在骂他，你们两位就来了。” 两人大吃一惊，脸色大变。马佑庸庸碌碌，慕天颜却颇有应变之才，低声道：“那吴某如此说，是在劝大人造反。他不要脑袋了。”韦小宝道：“我可不懂他说甚么，要他说得明白些。他老是抛书袋，甚么先发后发。我说老子年纪轻轻，已做了大官，还不算先发吗？” 马佑和慕天颜均想：“这吴知府说的，是先发制人，后发制于人。钦差大人没学问，还道是先发达、后发达。”两人老成练达，也不说穿。哪知“先发制人”这句成语，韦小宝从小就听说书先生说过无数遍，这一次却不是没学问，而是装傻。 马佑道：“这吴知府好大的胆子！不知他走了没有？”韦小宝道：“他还在这里候着，说要跟我商议大事。哼，他小小知府，有甚么大计跟我商议？打吴三桂的大计，兄弟也只跟两位商议，不会去听他一个小小知府的罗唆。”马佑道：“是，是。可否请大人把吴知府叫出来，让卑职问他几句话？”韦小宝道：“很好！”转头吩咐亲兵：“请吴知府。” 吴之荣来到大厅，只见巡抚和布政司在座，不由得又喜又忧，喜的是钦差大臣十分重视自己的密报，竟将抚藩都请了来同一商议，忧的是讯息一泄露，巡抚和布政司不免分了自己的大功，当下上前请安参见，垂手站立。 韦小宝笑道：“吴知府请坐。”吴之荣道：“是，是。多谢大人赐座。”屁股沾着一点椅子边儿坐了。韦小宝道：“吴知府，你有一件大事来跟兄弟商议，虽然你再三说道，不可让抚台大人和藩台大人知道，不过这件事十分重大，只好请两位大人一起来谈谈，请你不可见怪。”吴之荣神色十分尴尬，忙起身向韦小宝和抚藩三人请安，陪笑道：“卑职大胆，三位大人明鉴。这个……这个……”要待掩饰几句，但韦小宝已开门见山的说了出来，不论说甚么都是难以掩饰。巡抚和布政司二人的脸色，自然要有多难看便有多难看了。 韦小宝微笑道：“吴知府讯息十分灵通，他说西南有一位手提兵马大权的武将，日内就要起兵造反。他这一起兵，可乖乖不得了，天下震动，皇上的龙廷也坐不稳了，说不定咱们的人头都要落地。是不是？”吴之荣道：“是。不过三位大人洪福齐天，那自然逢凶化吉，遇难呈祥，定是百无禁忌的。” 韦小宝道：“这是托吴大人的福了。吴大人，这位武将，跟你是同宗，也是姓吴？”吴之荣应道：“是。这是敝宗……”韦小宝抢着道：“你拿到了这武将的一封信，是他亲笔所写，这封信不会是假的罢？”吴之荣道：“千真万确，决计不假。” 韦小宝点头道：“这信中虽然没说要起兵造反，不过说到了朱元璋、刘伯温甚么的。兄弟没读过书，不明白信里讲些甚么，吴大人跟兄弟详细解说信里意思，要兄弟立刻动手，甚么先发后发的，说道这是一百年也难遇上的机会，一场大富贵是一定不会脱手的，兄弟可以封王，而吴大人也能封一个伯爵甚么的，是不是？”吴之荣道：“这是卑职的谬见，大人明断，胜于卑职百倍。那封信里写的，的确是这个意思。” 韦小宝从右手袖筒里取出吴六奇那封信来，拿到吴之荣面前，身子一侧，遮住了那信，说道：“就是这封信，是不是？你瞧清楚了，事关重大，可不能弄错。”吴之荣道：“是，是。正是这封，那是决计不会错的。”韦小宝道：“很好。”将那信收入右手袖筒，回坐椅上，说道：“吴知府，请你暂且退下，我跟抚台大人、藩台大人两位商议。看来我们三人的功名富贵，要全靠你吴大人了，哈哈。” 吴之荣掩不住脸上的得意之情，又向三人请安，道：“全仗三位大人恩典栽培。”侧身慢慢退了下去。韦小宝待他退到门口，问道：“吴知府，你的别字，叫作甚么？”吴之荣道：“不敢。卑职贱名之荣，草字显扬。”韦小宝点点头，道：“这就是了。” 马佑和慕天颜二人当韦小宝讯问吴之荣之时，心中都已大怒，只是官场规矩，上官正在说话，下属不敢插口。马佑脾气暴躁，待要申斥，韦小宝已命吴之荣退下，不由得额头青筋突起，满脸胀得通红。 韦小宝从左手袖筒中取出查伊璜所写的那封假信，说道：“两位请看看这信。吴之荣这厮说得这信好不厉害，兄弟没读过书，也不知他说的是真是假。” 马佑接过信来，见封皮上写的是“亲呈扬州府家知府老爷亲拆”，抽出信笺，和慕天颜同观，见上款是“显扬吾侄”。两人越看越怒。马佑不等看完全信，已拍案大叫：“这狗头如此大胆，我亲手一刀把他杀了。”慕天颜心细，觉得吴之荣胆敢公然劝上官造反，未免太过不合情理，然而刚才韦小宝当面讯问，对方对答一句句亲耳听见，哪里更有怀疑？昨日在禅智寺前赏芍药，吴之荣亲口说过吴三桂是他族叔，看来吴之荣料定吴三桂造反必成，得意忘形，行事便肆无忌惮起来。 韦小宝道：“这封书信，当真是吴三桂写给他的？”马佑道：“这狗头自己说是千真万确。”韦小宝道：“信里长篇大论，到底写些甚么，烦二位解给兄弟听听。”慕天颜于是一句句解释，甚么“斩白蛇而赋大风”、“纳圯下之履”、甚么“奋濠上而都应天”、“取诚意之爵”等典故，一一说明。马佑道：“单是'我太祖高皇帝首称吴国'这一句，就要叫他灭族。”慕天颜点头道：“吴逆起事，听说正是以甚么朱三太子号召，说要规复明室。” 正议论间，忽报京中御前侍卫到来传宣圣旨。韦小宝和马佑、慕天颜跪下接旨，却是康熙宣召韦小宝急速进京，至于敕建扬州忠烈祠之事，交由江苏省布政同办理。 韦小宝大喜，心想：“小皇帝打吴三桂，如果派我当大元帅，那可威风得紧。”马佑、慕天颜听上谕中颇有奖勉之语，当即道贺，恭喜他加官晋爵。 韦小宝道：“兄弟明日就得回京，叩见皇上之时，自会称赞二位是大大的好官。只不过二位的官做得到底如何好法，说来惭愧，兄弟实在不大明白，只好请二位说来听听。” 抚藩二人大喜，拱手称谢。慕天颜便夸赞巡抚的政绩，他揣摩康熙的性情，尽拣马佑如何勤政爱民、宣教德化的事来说，其中九成倒是假的。只听得马佑笑得嘴也合不拢来。接着慕天颜也说了几件自己得意的政绩，虽然言辞简略，却都是十分实在的功劳。 韦小宝道：“这些兄弟都记下了。咱们还得再加上一件大功劳。吴逆造反，皇上痛恨之极，这吴之荣要作内应，想叫江苏全省文武百官一齐造反，幸亏给咱们三人查了出来。这一奏报上去，封赏是走不去的。兄弟明日就要动身回京，就请二位写一道奏章罢。”抚藩二人齐道：“这是韦大人的大功，卑职不敢掠美。”韦小宝道：“不用客气，算是咱们三人一齐立的功劳好了。”慕天颜又道：“总督麻大人回去了江宁，钦差大臣回奏圣上之时，最好也请给麻大人说几句好话。”韦小宝道：“很好。说好话又不用本钱。” 马佑、慕天颜又再称谢，这才辞出。韦小宝吩咐徐天川等将吴之荣绑了起来，口中塞了麻核，叫他有口难言。吴之荣心中的惊惧和诧异，自是再也无法形容了。 次日一早，扬州城里的文武官员便一个个排着班等在厅中，候钦差大人接见。每个人自均有一份重礼。在扬州做官，那是天下最丰裕的缺份，每个官员