Chapter 19 The Nineteenth Round

It was already midnight when Wei Dongting came out of Suo'etu Mansion after the meeting. At this time, the wind stopped and the rain stopped. Occasionally, the moon shed a clear light from the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the deserted streets and alleys, giving people a sense of mystery. a feeling of. As a result of the secret discussion between the three, the task of organizing Buku boy and capturing Oboi naturally fell on him.When he thought that he was about to serve the Holy One, he suddenly felt strong.But thinking of Oboi's influence all over the capital, my heart sank again: what kind of people should I choose?He Xinguo was weighing and thinking about their characters, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses one by one from the acquaintances he knew, and he listed a lot of people at once, including Sun Dianchen, Zhang Wanqiang, Zhao Fengchun, Lang Tan, Mingzhu... Before he knew it, he let go When he came to Weizi Lane in the northeast of Xizhimen, he suddenly thought that this place was not far from Yuepeng's shop, so he might as well meet He Guizhu and take him away overnight.If he refused, he had no choice but to silence the matter.

He didn't dare to think too much, turned the horse's head and whipped fiercely towards Yuepeng's shop.Just passing through a large Weizikeng by the side of the alley, a group of night watchmen came head-on, holding lanterns and shouting from a distance: "Who is riding a horse in front? Come down!" Before they could speak, the group of people had already rushed over on horseback. Seeing that Wei Dongting was wearing the uniform of a third-class guard, those people did not dare to neglect him.The leader came forward and tied a thousand and said: "The bid is to greet my lord, may I ask you where you are going late at night?"

Wei Dongting was about to answer, but he got more thoughtful and said: "Brother is a guard of the inner court. He just came out of the Aozhongtang mansion to discuss matters, so just walk around." The night watchman smiled and said: "I'm sorry, my lord, brother is on business. Please show me your license, so that we can let you go." Wei Dongting heard the voice of the person familiar, he became more alert, and replied without thinking, "I'm going to Aozhongtang Mansion on business, how dare you be so rude?" The man sneered and said, "This capital city belongs to the Son of Heaven. Even if Ao Zhongtang came in person, his license must be verified before he can let him go!"

Wei Dongting was about to have a seizure, and saw through the light that standing in front of him was none other than his brother Mu Zixu, who had sworn brothers in Karaqin Left Banner in the past. ! Do you want to invite me to eat dog meat?" Mu Zixu came forward in amazement, his eyes flashed and it was Wei Dongting, he threw the whip, turned over and bowed, "So it's the eldest brother! You made us think so hard." Wei Dongting took a step forward and rolled up, He asked, "Where are the donkey and the fourth child?" When the two in the crowd heard the question about themselves, they had already rushed over, holding hands, laughing and jumping.

It turned out that when he was in Harqin, this Mu Zixu was the head of a well-known horse thief in the local area, because he took a few scoundrels to steal Wei Dongting's pet dog. He also invited him to sit and share.Wei Dongting liked their boldness, so he simply paid for a large jar of wine, drank together for a long night, and later became sworn brothers.Because of Wei Dongting's high status, no one was ashamed to be his elder, so they jointly promoted him to be "big brother". After seeing them for so many years, Wei Dongting felt so unhappy when he saw them for the first time!After enjoying it for a while, he asked, "Why did you guys come to Beijing?"

Fourth Hao laughed. "Brother knows that our brothers have no home, so we go wherever there is food. Not long after you arrived in Rehe that year, the Karaqin land was enclosed, and the common people escaped completely. Our brothers kept drinking the northwest wind. I rushed to Rehe to join you, and I heard that you have come to Jingli. After we discussed it, we rushed to Jingli again..." "It's hard for you to come so far away." Wei Dongting was very moved, "I'm afraid it's more than three thousand miles away?" The stubborn donkey said with a smile: "We only do business with no capital, so we are afraid of the long distance!" Wei Dongting laughed out loud when he heard this.

Mu Zixu asked with a smile: "Brother is not an errand in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Why are you so proud that you are the emperor's bodyguard, and also in Aozhongtang's mansion?" Wei Dongting said with a grin: "It is true to be an errand for the emperor. Ao Zhongtang wants to raise the gate to scare you!" "Here, I almost misunderstood!" said the stubborn donkey, "didn't you know that the more you said you came from Oboi, the more difficult it would be for you! Don't look at the shabbiness of the brothers, once the power is in your hands, you have to deal with them! "

Wei Dongting's heart skipped a beat: "Zhengchou can't find anyone! These are a few good hands, all homeless and desperadoes," he said with a smile, "How many brothers are here? My brother is my treat!" Mu Zixu smiled and said, "Twelve in total—brothers, come and meet Master Wei!" The nine soldiers saw that it was their leader's sworn brother, and he was such a person, they rushed over to pay their respects: "Master Wei will spend the money!" Wei Dongting said with a smile: "That may not be my money. The owner of the Yuepeng shop is my friend. Let's disturb him at night!"

As the group entered the alley, they saw seven or eight people holding lanterns and supporting one person from a distance.Seeing them coming, these people hesitated for a moment, then turned into the alley and went east.Wei Dongting had something on his mind, so he paid extra attention, hurriedly called Mu Zixu over, and gave some instructions in a low voice.Mu Zixu turned his face and shouted: "Who is in front, stop!" The group of people walked faster in a panic. Mu Zixu ordered: "Third brother, fourth brother, you two ride around from the north to block the other end, and we squeeze from both ends here to see where he goes like a dog!" Wei Dongting said: "I Go and block it too." Then he rode away with the stubborn donkey Hao Laosi.

Hearing the sound of horseshoes, the group of people rushed to gallop.Just arrived at the entrance of the alley, Wei Dongting's three riders also arrived, and the horizontal horse blocked the way.The stubborn donkey couldn't help saying, and the first thing in his pocket was a horse whip, cursing: "Beast! Deaf!" When Wei Dongting glanced at it, he couldn't help screaming: "Oops!" In fact, it was He Guizhu who had a rag stuffed in his mouth. The leader was a big black man with braids around his neck and a knife hanging from his waist.The rest were all in Haiqing shirts, and the person walking in front was whipped until his face was covered with blood. The big black man was furious and was about to explode, when Wei Dongting asked coldly on the horse: "Who are you? Are you tied up?" Where are people going?"

The big black man saw Wei Dongting dressed in bodyguard uniform, and saw Mu Zixu and others catching up from behind. He knew that he would not be able to do so, so he rushed forward and slapped a thousand children: "I am Liu Jinbiao, now under Bumbleshan's sect. The errand—this man's name is Qian Ziqi, he is a servant of the Banfu, because he stole something and eloped, the master asked us to come out to investigate, and unexpectedly we bumped into..." Seeing his nonsense, Wei Dongting knew that he was also a veteran of the rivers and lakes. He sneered and said: "Do you have a license?" The big black man hurriedly said: "I came out in a hurry, so I didn't bring it. If the adults don't believe it, please come to the class with the younger one. Just ask there and you will know; otherwise, the little one can send someone back to get it!" "If you don't have a Shuntian Mansion license, you're committing crimes!" Wei Dongting shouted loudly, "Brothers, take it down!" "Zha—" Mu Zixu agreed, and waved his hand, a dozen people drew out their knives and surrounded them with a whoosh, ready to strike.When Liu Jinbiao was cold, he became tougher, arched his hands and said: "Biao Xia is bold, please ask your lord's name Taifu. This man is really a slave of my family..." Wei Dongting shouted: "We are acting according to orders , who will believe your nonsense! Tomorrow, you will go to patrol the yamen and tell them!" Liu Jinbiao drew out his waist knife in a "swipe", and said viciously: "Then don't blame the villain for being rude—" Unexpectedly, Mu Zixu had copied it behind him.He was born as a thief, and his footsteps were so light that Liu Jinbiao didn't feel it. He only felt his arm go numb like an electric shock, and it had been dislodged by Mu Zixu. He tried back and forth on his neck: "Do you still dare to be rude?" Hao Laosi and the stubborn donkey took a step forward, pushed away the kidnapper of He Guizhu, and pulled the shop owner over, but they didn't know what Wei Dongting wanted this person to do. Nor loose. Liu Jinbiao was disarmed, but his mouth was still stiff, and he yelled, "If you have the guts, kill me!" The stubborn donkey got angry, and said loudly: "I've killed fewer people, so it doesn't matter if I add another bastard to you—" Then, he stepped forward and grabbed Liu Jin's chest, and said with a smile: "It's hot, Let you get rid of your anger!" He snatched the dagger from Mu Zixu's hand and was about to stab him in the chest. "Brother!" Wei Dongting won He Guizhu, he didn't intend to escalate the matter, so he hurriedly stopped, "Don't get your hands dirty!" Seeing that he didn't dare to kill, Liu Jinbiao simply said, "Which temple are you the god of, bigger than Mr. Ban?" The stubborn donkey was furious, he thrust the dagger into his waist, and with his two fingers like an awl, he plunged straight into Liu Jinbiao's right eye, tearing out the eyeball alive. "I don't want to give you any color, I don't know that Lord Ma has three eyes!" Liu Jinbiao howled like a pig, struggled a bit, and was tightly held by Mu Zixu behind him, so he couldn't move!The people who followed saw that the short man with abnormal features was so cruel by nature, they all closed their eyes and shook their heads in fright, and kept silent like cicadas.The stubborn donkey threw the eyeball to Hao Laosi and said: "Next, it's best to drink!" Then he asked: "Liu Jinbiao, give this eye to brother too." Liu Jinbiao trembled in pain, unable to say a word, just He shook his head with his bloodshot eyes closed. Wei Dongting said with a "hum": "I'll teach you a lesson today, so that you know that there is no one named Ban in Beijing!" He shook his head, held He Guizhu and walked away. Wei Dongting and his entourage hurried for half an hour before standing there, got off the horse and untied He Guizhu, smiled and took out the tablecloth from his mouth and said: "Boss, I wiped my mouth clean this time, and I don't need to rinse my mouth for ten years... " He Guizhu took a long breath, stomped his feet and complained: "Good Lord Wei, you're suffocating me: why didn't you take it out for me earlier," Wei Dongting said, "If you shout my name out loud, then you won't cause trouble ,Ha ha ha ha." Mu Zixu asked coldly: "Brother, do you know each other?" "It's just acquaintances, old friends. Brothers, let me introduce you. This is the owner of Yuepeng Store. His surname is He and his name is Guizhu. Boss He, we wanted to eat your host, but unexpectedly we will compete for mine tonight! Let's go." , all to my place, let's have a good time!" It was already four o'clock when we returned to Tiger Crazy Wei Dongting's house.Shi Longbiao and Mingzhu were tossing and turning on the bed because they had their own concerns and couldn't fall asleep.The old man was too old to survive sleepiness; he sat on a spring bench in the corner of the hall and fell asleep.The servants of the family opened the door for Wei Dongting to come in without disturbing anyone. A group of people walked through the living room to the backyard without making a sound. Mingzhu and Shi Longbiao had already stood up to welcome them out.Wei Dongting took care of Mu Zixu and said: "These brothers live in the East Wing. Let's come here, we won't be able to sleep tonight, let's have a drink and chat!" He immediately led them into the West Room. Mingzhu saw that Wei Dongting was wearing a brand-new third-rank military officer's uniform, which was shining brightly under the lamp, and said with admiration, "Brother has been promoted to three ranks in one night, and my younger brother should congratulate me." Only then did everyone see Wei Dongting's bright attire tonight—— A big red coral hat, a gold thread palace made of river teeth and sea water under the mending coat, and a long sword inlaid with gold and jade hanging behind the azure robe, all brand new, truly heroic. Wei Dongting was embarrassed to be seen by everyone, he took off his sword with both hands and said: "This is a gift from the Holy Master, I dare not enjoy it to myself, so please open your eyes."Wei Dongting solemnly raised the sword above his head, then put it on the table, took a step back, and bowed again.When everyone saw him being so respectful, they couldn't help being awed. Mingzhu stepped forward and held up the sword to look at it, and then drew it out. As soon as she got out of the sheath, she felt the cold air, shaking it, it shone brightly on the whole room.Mingzhu was startled and said: "This is the sword worn by the Taizu. It is a great kindness to have it in the hands of my elder brother!" Wei Dongting suppressed his excitement and told everyone in detail about the sword presented by Kangxi in the Wenhua Palace At the end, tears were shining: "The Holy Majesty gave me this sword today. It is for me to make meritorious deeds. The Holy Majesty treats me as a soldier of the country, and I will repay him as a soldier of the country. Repay this kindness of knowledge!" "One will make all the bones!" Shi Longbiao sighed, and said in a voice: "You people who seek fame and fame have different thoughts from ordinary people." Everyone was immersed in a pious, solemn, and grateful mood, and they couldn't help being stunned to hear these words. Wei Dongting thought, this is an excellent opportunity to test Shi Longbiao, so he said with a smile: "Old man, do you see me as a person who is greedy for profit?" Shi Longbiao was in a very complicated mood. He lit a cigarette and took a puff. He sighed for a long time: "It can't be said that when the Manchurians entered the customs, the life of the common people is not at all good. You are talking about a man's life. How many people are there to sell their sons and daughters! What a pity!" "The old man is telling the truth," Wei Dongting said with a heavy heart, "but who made them throw the well and leave their hometown and end up like this, the emperor is not yet fifteen years old this year!" Shi Longbiao didn't make a sound, Wei Dongting knew that his words had hit the acupoints, and continued: "From the four years of enclosing land in Shunzhi to the few years of Kangxi's enclosing and changing, how many people in the world died of freezing and starving, old man, don't you?" I know it too. Last year I went hunting in Mulan with the emperor, and collected dozens of starved corpses along the way. The emperor was so sad that he wept and ordered someone to bury him. He said: "This is all caused by my failure to govern..." He glanced at Glancing at Shi Longbiao, he continued, "We also saw a father and a daughter. The child was pale from hunger, with a straw mark on his head. When he saw us approaching, he thought it was the buyer. He was startled and frightened, and threw himself at the old man trembling. In her arms, she cried hoarsely, "Dad, don't sell me, I can weave straw mats, cook, I can beg for food, and be a child bride... okay... Dad... you don't feel sorry for me..." Crying and beating the old man... The emperor immediately rewarded them with twenty taels of silver, and he didn't dare to look at them... Can this be said that the emperor is unsympathetic to the people and heartless?" Hearing this, Shi Longbiao couldn't help being moved, Xuan asked reluctantly: What does it mean to issue an edict to prohibit enclosing and exchanging land, and at the same time the courtiers are exchanging large circles? " "Yes, it is like this." Wei Dongting said: "This is the true purpose of the emperor calling me tonight. The emperor will say it, and the minister will continue to do as usual. How can the world be peaceful?" Wei Dongting saw Shi Longbiao's toughness on the outside and softness on the inside, and he was not polite at all: "The old man has been a hero and has been in the world for decades. He is known as an iron arhat. He is a top-notch good man. Sorry for my nephew's offense. I don't know How many thousands of people has the old man saved?" This sentence was very serious, and everyone was worried that Shi Longbiao would not be able to bear it, but Wei Dongting raised his voice: "This is not a matter of killing a few corrupt officials, nor is it a matter of restoring the Ming Dynasty. Now the emperor is determined to renew politics, Xia Su people's livelihood, and internal affairs Powerful ministers, outside the feudal towns are trying their best to obstruct, the throne is not secure, and life is not guaranteed—" At this point, Wei Dongting suddenly bowed to Shi Longbiao, and asked loudly: "Judging from the current situation of my nephew, how dare I ask the old man?" How should we deal with it, is it to help the emperor? Or Oboi? Wu Sangui? Or someone else?" Shi Longbiao was ashamed and embarrassed, and hurriedly took Wei Dongting with his hands: "Nephew, I don't need to talk about it. I have lived for fifty years in vain, and I don't understand it!" Sitting down with a red face, he sighed: "To tell you the truth, Jianmei and I I came to Beijing to look for you, originally to do some work to restore my mind. Now everything is wrong, Jianmei is a girl in Ao Mansion, and I often see you...just..." "Oh!" Mingzhu exclaimed suddenly: "I see, the old man came to Beijing for Nanming Yongli—" "Shut up!" Wei Dongting yelled in a low voice, "How can you say that, Yongli died long ago!" "What Mingzhu said is true, you don't have to hide it." Shi Longbiao smiled wryly, "To put it bluntly, I count him as a spy. After listening to your theory tonight, I understand that compared with Kangxi, Yongli is even more powerful than an earthworm." Why not!" "Let's not talk about this anymore." Wei Dongting said, "Old man is a hero, if he meets the Lord, he will have a long career in his life!" Mu Zixu, Hao Laosi, Stubborn Donkey and Shi Longbiao gathered under the lamp to appreciate the sword, Mingzhu was still very excited, picked up the cup and drank it with a swish of his head, walked around the hall for a few steps, and spoke slightly. Chanted: Fengyun meets Longquan, how brilliant is a sword! The Tianhe River is broken, and the rain is sprinkled on the world. Wei Dongting couldn't help laughing and said, "Brother is so ambitious!" Mingzhu was already drunk, and laughed loudly: "If you talk about the talents of brothers, even though they are not as good as brothers, it can be regarded as passable, but they just have a heart of serving the country. It's time, fate!" He has become crazy, and tears flow from his eyes .Shi Longbiao, Mu Zixu, and Hao Laosi were affected by this emotion, and they fell silent; the stubborn donkey only knew that the high wind set fire, and the dark moon killed people, but he ignored these, and just drank and gorged on his own. "Why do you have to be Sima Niu's sigh!" Wei Dongting stepped forward and lightly touched Mingzhu's shoulder and said with a smile: "Good brother, a hero creates the situation, it's up to people to do it!" Everyone suddenly felt that there was a difference in his words, and they all turned to look at him. Wei Dongting's eyes sparkled and he smiled. Silent.Mingzhu asked in a daze, "What time is it?" "Everyone," Wei Dongting put away his smile and said solemnly, "are you willing to follow me, Wei Dongting, to gain fame?" Mu Zixu said with a smile: "The reason why you came to Beijing is to take refuge with elder brother, why not?" "That's the case, then!" Wei Dongting said, "The emperor ordered me to choose young men of great potential to accompany him to practice martial arts in case of extraordinary changes. If all of you here today are willing to do this job well, I'm afraid that there will be no chance to make a name for yourself in the future. ?” Mu Zixu and the other three were overjoyed. "Let's just follow the elder brother!" Shi Longbiao also said: "As long as it is needed, I can also help." Only Mingzhu murmured: "Brother, I don't have the strength to restrain a chicken, how can I handle it? " "You are a better job than me!" Wei Dongting said, "Accompany the Emperor to study in front of Mr. Wu. I'm here to get this." Mingzhu immediately beamed with joy and said, "In the future, if I make progress, I will never forget my brother's support and support!" "Boss," Wei Dongting said with a smile seeing He Guizhu sitting silently in the corner, "what are you thinking?" He Guizhu said sullenly, "Pinch-tailed dog, what do you think?" Wei Dongting said with a smile: "You are so breathless, Confucius was also a dog who lost his family! I prepared funds for the boss, how about you and Uncle Shi reopening the business outside Xibianmen. It's just that everything has to be arranged by Uncle Shi and me, naturally. I will also give you a positive result!" "Baiyun Temple?" Shi Longbiao asked in surprise: "It's called Li Zicheng and burned it into a Poye Temple. If you open a shop there, what kind of business can you do besides the temple fair?" Wei Dongting said with a smile: "We only do big business, and small business can be used as a cover!" After some arrangement, everyone smiled.He Guizhu said: "The banquet is already broken. There are still several jars of twenty-year-old wine buried in the ground behind my store. It's a pity, otherwise everyone will have a good time tonight." Wei Dongting laughed and said: "You think you are the only one who has good wine, Please try the old bar buried in my backyard!" The old man had already been woken up by everyone, and came in to serve.Wei Dongting ordered: "Father, you take the fourth and the others to dig out two jars, one in each room in the east and west. Today I want to get drunk with my brothers."