Chapter 4 second quarter

Yang Ping rested his elbows on the side rail of the car, staring at the receding scenery in a daze. Yang Jun's attitude made him even more inexplicably panicked.In the past, every time we met, my father would pay more or less attention to his situation, but now my father has become a completely different person, like a cruel official escorting a prisoner to Beijing, extremely indifferent. This is not normal, this is absolutely not normal. Yang Ping has a weak personality, but he is not a fool.He knows that when something is out of the ordinary, there must be a reason.He had been expecting his father to tell himself the reason after he left Wen County.But Yeon Joon let him down.They had been driving all night, and Yang Jun didn't say a word to Yang Ping, he just kept urging the coachman to go faster, and closed his eyes at other times, as if he was thinking about something.

Full of doubts, Yang Ping fell into a deep sleep, secretly wishing that when he woke up, he would still be lying in the bedroom of Sima Mansion. ※※※ The wheels rolled silently on the road, and when the sky began to turn pale, Yang Jun suddenly opened his eyes, and said two words softly to the driver: "Stop." The coachman seemed a little confused about the order.Now they are among the continuous khaki hills, because of disrepair for a long time, the traces of the official road are almost invisible.There are dozens of miles of wilderness here, without any residents, not even many trees.Why did they stop at such a place after desperately driving all night?

"Stop." Yang Jun repeated with slight impatience. The coachman couldn't help feeling a little resentful.When he was sent from Xudu to Quliang to pick up Yang Jun, he didn't expect to make a detour to Wen County. He wanted to return to Xudu sooner.But he didn't dare to offend this lord holding the talisman, so he had to stop the carriage. "Forget it, just let the shaft horse rest for a while, feed some bean cakes, and I will also put something on." The coachman thought so. Yang Ping, who was half asleep and half awake, felt the vibration of the car stopped. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a bright dagger.Startled, Yang Ping subconsciously leaned back. Then he saw the coachman fall straight from the carriage. Yang Jun was holding a dagger with a few drops of fresh blood dripping from the blade.

Yang Ping's whole body froze for a moment, and he subconsciously tried to touch the saber at his waist, but he missed it all at once.He remembered that he was still wearing yesterday's hunting suit and didn't have time to change it. what did father doWill he kill me?Countless thoughts came out of Yang Ping's mind one after another. When Yang Jun saw Yang Ping wake up, he just nodded his head slightly and didn't say anything, as if he just finished a very ordinary thing.Yang Ping jumped out of the car in a panic, went to help the coachman, and found that he had passed away.Yang Jun's knife pierced the heart impartially, and blood gushed out from the dead man's chest.Yang Ping's eyes were occupied by large pieces of blood, and the pungent smell rushed into his nostrils. He felt a little difficult to breathe, and a strong convulsion gushed out of his throat.

"Ping'er, leave him alone, we still have things to do." Yang Jun said. Fear and anger surged out of Yang Ping's chest at the same time, his fair face began to turn red, he really didn't know whether he should turn around and run away, or rush over and grab Yang Jun's collar and yell loudly , let him explain how it all happened. At this time, there was a slight sound from the other side of the hill, and another carriage seemed to come out of the ground, and it rushed to the two of them and stopped. This carriage was larger than the one they were riding in, with big wheels and a high cover, but there was no sign, and black curtains were hung around the seat, making it impossible to see what was going on inside the carriage.The space between the spokes and the frame of the wheel is stuffed with sackcloth, and a circle of rushes is tied around the hub, so it runs with very little noise, like a ghost.The coachman was a big bearded man, under his thin clothes one could see the bulging muscles.Wearing a straw hat, the man stared blankly ahead, as if he didn't care about everything around him.

A withered hand lifted the curtain from inside the car, revealing an old face.The old man glanced at the coachman on the ground, then at Yang Jun, and finally focused on Yang Ping.The moment his eyes met Yang Ping's, his pupils shrank suddenly, and there was an imperceptible crack in his indifferent expression, but it was fleeting. Yang Jun said in a deep voice: "Uncle, everything is as promised." The old man lightly tapped the handrail with his fingers.The coachman immediately jumped down from the driver's seat and dragged a dead body from the carriage.Yang Ping noticed that the body was about the same size as his own, but the face had been chopped so badly that he couldn't tell his age.The coachman put the corpse next to the coachman, posed a posture of fighting to death, and finally clapped his hands with satisfaction, and straightened up.

Yang Ping felt his hair stand on end seeing his nonchalant appearance.At this moment, Yang Jun patted him on the shoulder: "Ping'er, get in the carriage." He pointed to the carriage.Yang Ping stood still: "Father, if you need me to die, I will do my filial piety. But I hope I can die clearly." Yang Jun frowned slightly: "No one wants you to die, get in the car, the people in the car will tell you everything." "No, I need to know now!" Yang Ping flatly refused.He was taken away from the home where he had lived for more than ten years by his father without saying a word, and then his father killed the coachman sent by the court in front of him on the way, and now there is a carriage of unknown origin and an old man.Yang Ping had had enough of this charade-like torture.

Just now, a person really died, and it was right in front of his eyes.This was the first time in Yang Ping's life that he witnessed a person die in front of his own eyes. The unusually clear sense of impact made him dizzy even now.Before Yang Ping's eyes, there seemed to be a scene of the pregnant elk being shot through by his own arrow, and something seemed to grab him in his heart. Seeing that Yang Ping refused to get in the car, Yang Jun wanted to go forward and pull his sleeve, but the old man stopped him: "Leave it to me." Yang Jun had to take a step back respectfully.

The curtain was opened further, and the old man poked his head out. This time he had something extra in his hand: "Son, come and see this." Yang Ping took it over suspiciously, and found that it was a golden yellow coin. The square seal of the tortoise button is made of silver and copper, and it is quite heavy in the hand.He turned over the bottom of the seal and saw four seal characters engraved on it: "Yang Biao letter seal". "Yang Biao...Yang Taiwei?" Yang Ping's hands trembled, and Fang Yin almost fell to the ground. "It's me." Yang Biao replied.

The old man in the car was actually Yang Biao!Yang Biao, the important minister who is a guard of integrity and famous all over the world! Yang Biao is a banner of the Han Dynasty in the precarious situation.From Luoyang to Chang'an, from Chang'an to Xudu, today's son has been displaced for several years, but he has always been loyal and will never leave him. He is the mainstay of the Han Dynasty.All scholars in the world praise him. Four years ago, the emperor moved to Xudu, and Cao Cao tried his best to bring down the Yang Taiwei and put him to death.But Yang Biao's prestige was so high that even Cao Cao had nothing to do with him. He could only force him to abandon his post as Taiwei and become a commoner who was unemployed in Xudu.Most people think that the political life of this loyal minister is over.

Yang Ping was amazed that this former captain, who had lost power, appeared in such a desolate place now. "I don't know the name of the old man, can I win the trust of the young master?" Yang Biao raised his chin slightly, showing a trace of reserve.Years of official career gave him a natural arrogance. "Naturally, naturally..." Yang Ping felt a little sweat on his forehead, "Yang Taiwei is famous, how dare this junior question it." The old man smiled slightly and lifted half of the curtain.Yang Ping hurriedly climbed into the car, and when he turned around, he found that his father Yang Jun was still standing outside.At this time Yang Biao said lightly: "Ji Cai, we are leaving, you can do it yourself." Yang Jun cupped his hands, his expression became resolute. "Won't father come with us?" Yang Ping asked suspiciously. Yang Biao said: "He still has his affairs." As soon as the words fell, the huge coachman walked forward with a steel knife in his hand, and with a flash of cold light, Yang Jun's right arm was chopped off to the ground.Seeing this unexpected change, Yang Ping stood up from the car with an "ah", clenched his fists, and wanted to jump over to help.Yang Jun pressed the bleeding wound, and restrained his son's impulse with his eyes.Yang Biao lightly put his hand on Yang Ping's shoulder, signaling him not to be restless. The coachman put away the knife, tore off a piece of cloth from the hem of Yang Jun's skirt, sprinkled some medicinal powder on him, wrapped up the wound, and then turned back to his car.Yang Jun staggered to the side of the road and sat down with his back against a rock. His face was pale, but he never said a word. "Let's go." Yang Biao didn't change his face, turning a blind eye to the bloody scene.In the carriage, Yang Ping's face was pale, and his mind was as chaotic as a ball of hemp rope. The curtain was slowly lowered, the outside scenery and light were completely isolated, the carriage shook slightly, and then began to accelerate.Yang Ping didn't know why his father, who had lost one arm, stayed in the same place with the two corpses, and his intuition told him that there was some kind of conspiracy hidden among all these unreasonable and weird things.But since returning to the city yesterday, one shock after another left him with no time to think. He desperately needs an explanation now, otherwise he might really go crazy.Yang Ping cast doubtful eyes on Yang Biao, and he found that the latter had been watching him. "Like...it's really too similar..." The old man squinted his eyes and patted his knees slowly. His expression was filled with relief, emotion, and even a trace of unnoticeable sadness. "Yang Taiwei, I..." Yang Ping was stopped by Yang Biao's gesture as soon as he opened his mouth. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything." Yang Biao said slowly, then lifted a small slit in the curtain to look at the sky, and quickly closed it again, "Before arriving in Xudu, there are some things that you must knew." "We still have to go to Xudu after all..." Yang Ping thought to himself. "Where do we start... Well, let's start with your father Yang Jun." Yang Biao spoke very slowly, as if he had to think carefully about every sentence in his mouth.Yang Ping sat opposite to the old man, with his legs together, his hands on his knees, and he concentrated his attention. "It was still in the Guanghe period. At that time, I was the guard of His Majesty Lingdi, and your father, Ji Cai, was a Marquis of Zuo under me. I think this young man is quite talented and I appreciate him very much. He is from Hanoi. Mr. Huojia, although I was born in Hongnong Huayin, but my surname is Yang, so I recognized him as a nephew. Ji Cai is a talented person with scales in his belly, and he is a person who can entrust important affairs... " Speaking of this, Yang Biao's stooped body straightened a little. "In the fourth year of Guanghe, a great event happened in the palace. One of His Majesty's concubines, Wang Meiren, gave birth to a prince and named him Xie. At that time, Empress He had already given birth to the prince Liu Bian, and this kind of behavior could not be tolerated. When the incident happened, Wang Meiren was poisoned. The Empress Dowager Dong was afraid that the prince Xie would also be poisoned, so she took him into the palace and raised him herself. Later, the young emperor was deposed by Dong Zhuo, and the prince Xie Zuo became the emperor, and he became the emperor today." Yang Ping tilted his head, feeling very strange, these things are known all over the world, why bother to say it again.At this time, Yang Biao raised his eyebrows suddenly, and said in a serious tone: "But what people in the world don't know is that at that time, Beauty Wang had twins and gave birth to two princes!" Yang Ping was startled, and a vague thought quickly passed through his mind. "The fortune-teller in the palace said that twins are very unlucky. Wang Meiren found me who was the guard of the palace province at that time, and begged me to take one of the children out of the palace, otherwise the two babies would not survive. I could not refuse her request , I also want to keep one more Miao descendant for His Majesty Lingdi. At that time, I thought, anyway, this is not without precedent, the young emperor Liu Bian was raised outside the palace at first, and then he was brought into the palace..." Yang Biao's voice immediately sank again. "...So I found Yang Jun and asked him to take one of the babies out. With my authority and my authority, this matter was done without anyone noticing it. But a few days later, Wang Meiren died suddenly and unexpectedly, I deeply feel that Luo Yang is too dangerous, even the Prince Xie who stays with the Queen Mother is always threatened, not to mention this child without any status. If his identity is exposed, the consequences will be disastrous. So I found an opportunity Let Yang Jun resign and return to his hometown with that child, claiming that he is his son. He has sacrificed a lot and done a good job over the years, it is really hard work for him." Yang Ping had already guessed what Yang Biao was going to say next. He stared into the old man's eyes and said word by word: "You mean, my surname is not Yang, but my surname is Liu, and I am the twin brother of today's emperor?" Yang Biao clasped his hands together, hugged him in the air, and said solemnly: "So your character is not Yihe, but Zhonghe, because the emperor's character is Bohe. You shed the blood of the Han royal family." Yang Ping licked his lips and suddenly felt his throat was a little dry.This matter is really absurd, one moment he was an ordinary son of a good family in Hanoi County, and the next moment he turned into a royal family, and he is the biological brother of the current emperor, an orthodox Han family clan who can no longer be orthodox! This explained why his father had placed him in Sima's house since he was a child; it also explained why his father had only been respectful to him for so many years—but it couldn't explain the series of events that started last night. Yang Ping, now called Liu Ping, took a deep breath and decided to listen to Yang Biao's words.He faintly felt that the mystery of his life experience was just the beginning. "My original intention was to save some flesh and blood for Beauty Wang. She only begged me once in her life, and I can't let her down no matter what. If there are no accidents, you will live this life as Yang Jun's son in peace. Life..." Yang Biao suddenly changed the subject: "But now things have changed, Your Majesty needs you." "Need me?" Liu Ping almost laughed. What would a monarch of ninety-five years need him, a country grassroots man with no political foundation or literary talent or military strategy? Yang Biao tapped his knees slowly with his fingers, staring at the thick curtain with his eyes, as if trying to see through it. "You also know the current situation. The Han Dynasty is in decline, and the government is completely controlled by the Cao family. The ministers and ministers like me have been purged one by one. The ministers who followed His Majesty from Luoyang are already If things go on like this, the Cao family will be the second Wang Mang—if we want to revive Chao Gang, our strength alone is far from enough.” Liu Ping smiled self-deprecatingly: "You are helpless, how can I help?" Yang Biao raised a finger: "Your Majesty has exhausted all his energy just by bearing the pressure from the Cao family. We need a shadow who can work in the dark and win over more loyal Han family members for His Majesty." People, accumulate the power to fight back. You are a royal family, and your identity can do many things that we cannot." "There are so many clansmen in the Han family, why bother to find me, who doesn't even have a title, who would believe it." "But you are the only real brother of His Majesty, you both look exactly the same, no one can replace you!" There was an embarrassing silence in the carriage, and the cold wind stubbornly penetrated through the gaps in the curtains, making the old and young shrug their shoulders unconsciously.After all, the weather is already December, and Xu Du is still far ahead. Liu Pingdao: "Yang Taiwei sent this piece of free money back then, did he already have a plan?" Yang Biao laughed bitterly: "You think too highly of this old man. We wouldn't have dragged you in if we hadn't been desperate... But the Han Dynasty has reached the edge of the cliff, and we have no choice but to fight for everything. Excavate every available power and never let go of every possibility." Having said that, his tone became more and more excited, and his beard trembled.Suddenly, Yang Biao straightened his body like an old lion, and suddenly grabbed Yang Ping's shoulders: "The four-hundred-year-old Liu family's foundation must not be destroyed by our hands. The emperors of the Han Dynasty are all watching us." Nah!" Liu Ping was stunned by the old man's sudden outburst. He had never seen a person so persistent.He didn't dare to face up to the old man's scorching eyes, and his eyes were a little dodged.Seeing his appearance, Yang Biao couldn't help laughing, and slowly let go of Liu Ping, helped the crown on his head, and regained his calm demeanor. "I can understand your feelings. It may be difficult to accept all this in a hurry, but we have no time." Yang Biao said, "Every day, the Han Dynasty is getting weaker and dying." Liu Ping took a deep breath: "That is to say, this time it's not Cao Cao's expropriation of my father, but you are looking for me?" Yang Biao said: "Not exactly. Cao Cao has admired your father's talent for a long time. This time the conquest is indeed an order from the Sikong Mansion. We are just pushing it quietly, trying to create an opportunity." "what chance?" "The court officials who were recruited were attacked by bandits on the way, and they lost the battle. The coachman and his own son were killed, and his arm was cut off. In the age of war and chaos, this kind of thing is very common." Yang Biao said lightly, Liu Ping felt a chill down his back. "But you don't have to go to this point..." He muttered, thinking of the two corpses and his father's pale face.Just to create this illusion, two lives and one arm were sacrificed. "Only in this way can we completely eliminate the traces of 'Yang Ping' and prevent people from being suspicious. You must know that Cao Cao's power is far more terrifying than you imagine. We can't make any mistakes, otherwise we will pay a heavy price. You Father has already realized this, and he can sacrifice his life for the Han family at any time." Yang Biao said with deep meaning, and looked at Liu Ping at the same time.Liu Ping closed his mouth and said nothing.Yang Biao did not continue to ask, and the two fell silent in a tacit understanding. The car continued to roll forward, and in the next few hours, Yang Biao did not continue this topic, but intentionally or unintentionally chatted up some gossip, from Confucian classics and metaphysics to the history of state affairs, famous things and anecdotes.Liu Ping was taught by a famous teacher invited by Sima Fang since he was a child, and he was knowledgeable, and he talked with Yang Biao and other great scholars in a clear and logical way. After noon, the official road has become more and more stable, and the road surface is getting smoother with the continuous stream of horses and horses.Abandoned post stations were also gradually re-established. The closer they got to Xudu, the more lively the roads would be. Farmers could be seen everywhere working hard on the vast wasteland.There are a few sparse newly planted small trees, motionless on the ridge like field guards. It is easy to distinguish between military fields and civilian fields. Fields where there are old, young, or even women holding plows are the fields of the common people; while the fields in charge of soldiers are all cultivated by strong males, which is much more efficient.Looking from a distance, the entire field is divided into square pieces of black and yellow land, like a huge jagged chessboard. In the evening, the tall city walls of Xudu could already be seen from a distance.Liu Ping thought they would go directly into the city, but unexpectedly the carriage made a sharp turn here, passed the edge of Xudu city, and continued to gallop to the right.Before the sky was about to turn completely dark, the carriage arrived at the foot of a small mountain and stopped in front of a single-family house. The hut is square and square, with two stone camels at the door, and pines and cypresses all around.When the night wind blows, there are low rustling sounds. "Get out of the car." Yang Biao said to Liu Ping. Liu Ping was a little surprised: "We... aren't we going to Xudu?" "Yes, but I can only bring you here," Yang Biao said, "My identity is too sensitive, you can't stay with me for too long, or the Cao family will suspect it. You get off here, and someone else will take you Into the city." Liu Ping lifted the curtain and jumped out of the car, and suddenly looked back awkwardly: "Taiwei Yang, I..." Yang Biao just waved his hand, as if he didn't intend to give him a chance to make a decision: "Whether you accept it or reject it, you can tell His Majesty face to face." The old man smiled slyly, and then disappeared behind the curtain again. The carriage quickly disappeared into the night, and Liu Ping stood blankly in the darkness. He suddenly realized: the pines and cypresses, the stone camels, these decorations only meant one thing - this room was an ancestral hall for offering sacrifices to the dead.When he thought of this, he suddenly felt that the wind was blowing, and his whole body was cold.He doesn't really believe in ghosts and gods, but this weird environment is really uncomfortable.Liu Ping looked left and right, suddenly his pupils constricted and his whole body became stiff. At some point, there was another person behind him, a woman with long hair and white clothes.