Chapter 28 first quarter

Wang Yue galloped for dozens of miles and came to a desolate valley near Xudu.He tightened the reins suddenly, and said in a loud voice: "Xu Fu, come out." His voice was so loud that it echoed in the surrounding rolling valleys, and it lasted for a long time before it gradually disappeared.Several treetop jackdaws were startled, flapping their black wings and "croaking" in the sky, showing the loneliness in the valley even more.But the mysterious master didn't hear any reply, and he didn't seem to be around here. Wang Yue waited for a while, his face showed displeasure, and he raised his head and shouted again: "You broke my sword skills with flying stones, but now you refuse to come out to meet each other, what's the reason?"

There was still no movement around.Wang Yue slapped the long sword on his waist, and the two scars on his face suddenly bent: "Okay! If you don't come out, I will kill you back to Xudu, kill Cao's family and today's emperor, and sacrifice to the grave with my brother!" As soon as the words fell, there was a sound of breaking wind. Wang Yue listened to the wind to identify his position. With a flick of his wrist, he swung his scabbard with a crisp sound, which just hit the flying stone far away and broke a small tree. "If Brother Wang returns to Xudu, I will have no choice but to fight to the death." The voice like sand grinding came out of nowhere.

Wang Yue sneered and said: "You were defeated by me in Yangzhai back then, but now you speak louder." The man called "Xu Fu" was hiding somewhere, only heard a voice saying: "The past is over. , now I am just a dead soldier under Yang Taiwei's command, and I was ordered to stop it." "What's wrong with me killing Cao Pi? I have an enemy, and you will benefit from it." Xu Fu said: "Brother Wang's knight-errant spirit is beyond words, but it is not the blessing of the country." Wang Yue flicked the blade of the sword with his nails disdainfully: "You can try to stop me."

"If you fight with me, there will be an injury, which will benefit Cao thief. You have a big revenge, why don't you stay in Guandu?" Wang Yue narrowed his eyes, touching the scar: "Is this what Taiwei Yang meant?" "yes." Wang Yue put the sword back into its sheath and said loudly: "Okay!"He clamped the horse's belly, the horse kicked its front hooves, and turned a few times on the spot.He suddenly said: "It's just that I'm in Xudu, and I still have an enemy to kill." "who is it?" "That ungrateful Tang Ji." Wang Yue sneered.

There was silence around for a while, before Xu Fu replied: "I can arrange for you to meet each other, how to solve it is up to you." This is almost equivalent to sentencing Tang Ji to death.Between a brilliant assassin and a useless concubine, everyone knows which is more important.Wang Yue nodded in satisfaction: "I'll wait for your news." Then he drove away. Seeing Wang Yue leave, Xu Fu slowly emerged from his hiding place.He was actually not very old, but his face was full of pits and ravines, and a few dabs of chalk were applied to his forehead and cheeks, making him look like a sorcerer from the Southwest, with only a pair of big eyes shining brightly.

※※※ The emperor's Jitian ceremony was accidentally disrupted by Wang Yue's assassination, so it had to end hastily.However, this is not a big sensation. The world has long been accustomed to any event in the Han Dynasty that did not end in haste over the years. On the contrary, the almost assassination of Cao Sikong's son can arouse people's whispers and speculations. After the emperor returned to Luan Xudu, the dying Cao Pi was sent directly back to the Sikong Mansion, and the distraught Mrs. Bian cried several times and fell to the ground.Several of the best doctors were called into Fuchu for further nursing diagnosis and treatment.

At the same time, Cao Ren issued an order to seal off the city. Thousands of soldiers stationed in Xudu. The whole city had a post every five steps and a sentry post every ten steps. There were heavily armored patrols all night. I was still nervous when I attacked. After he finished arranging all these, the first order was to summon Yang Xiu.The meeting place was at the Shangshutai in Xudu, accompanied by Xun Yu and Man Chong. "Mr. Yang, I heard that you have a master who is good at using flying stones?" Cao Ren slowly rubbed his fingers and asked.His saber was placed horizontally on the case. If Yang Xiu had any problems, he would directly chop him, regardless of what Xun Yu would say.

Faced with the questioning, Yang Xiu smiled: "My side? I'm sorry, I can't command that guy, he only listens to my father." "Who is he?" Xun Yu asked first, he didn't want Cao Ren's rough attitude to ruin the soon-to-be-improved relationship between the Cao family and the Yang family. Yang Xiu brushed the dust off his sleeves nonchalantly: "That man's name is Xu Fu, and he is from the same hometown as Xun Lingjun, from Yangdi. He was originally a knight-errant, probably in the reign of Emperor Ling Zhongping. Xu Fu took revenge for others. He killed a big family in the local area, which provoked the imperial court to encircle him, and ended up being thrown into a prison where he was tortured and almost died. My father rescued him, and since then Xu Fu has been hiding his name, willing to be an eagle dog for my father."

Xun Yu, Cao Ren, and Man Chong looked at each other. They didn't expect Yang Xiu to speak so bluntly, with no intention of hiding anything.Although it is not advocated by the imperial court for the ranger to avenge his friends, it is quite popular among the people. What Xu Fu did is also a common thing, and it happens from time to time in every county and township. Man Chong said: "During the chaos of Dong Cheng, he also killed my five Xu Duwei cadres, and flew stones to kill several masters around Dong Cheng, was he also?" "That's right. My father knew that it was too dangerous for me to wander between Dong and Cao, so he specially asked him to protect me. All possible threats to me would be erased by him one by one. It's a pity that once the situation calmed down, he would give Take it back." Yang Xiu tried to find out the expression on Man Chong's face, but failed.The focus of Man Chong's flat eyes fell on the darkness behind Yang Xiu, as if he wanted to dig out "Xu Fu" from it.

Cao Ren frowned and asked, "Do you know what happened with Liang Jitian today?" "I heard." Yang Xiu replied calmly. Cao Ren glanced at Man Chong: "We found a flying stone on the ground next to Wang Yue, which should be sent by that Xu Fu." "It's a good thing to be able to save Mr. Cao." "But!" Cao Ren suddenly raised his voice, and his expression became serious, "We also found several stones near the Xiliang cavalry who were chasing Wang Yue. Tell me, why did Xu Fu stop our men from chasing Wang Yue? Are you It’s not collusion, is there any ulterior conspiracy?! Huh?!”

"If we have a conspiracy, why does Xu Fu stop the assassination of Mr. Cao?" Yang Xiu didn't panic at all, and took time off. "Hmph, who knows. I only saw Xu Fu let Wang Yue go." Yang Xiu suddenly asked: "General Cao, if you catch the murderer who assassinated Mr. Cao, do you want to kill him with your own hands? Or do you want to give someone else a fake hand?" "Of course with my own hands! I will cut off his flesh one by one and let him die for a long time." Cao Ren stared at Yang Xiu's delicate neck, and began to touch the scabbard with his right hand. "Well said. In fact, Xu Fu's mood is the same as yours." "What?" Cao Ren was taken aback. "I haven't finished the story just now. I didn't mention a key person in the catastrophe that Xu Fu encountered in Yangdi. You know, Xu Fu studied under a famous master and has a high level of martial arts. The government sent people to encircle and suppress him many times. , were all unsuccessful, and finally had to ask the capital for support. And the catcher sent by the capital was none other than Huben Wang Yue." There was silence in Shangshutai, and the three of them were all waiting to hear what Yang Xiu had to say. "When Wang Yue arrived in Yangdi, he had a contest with Xu Fu. As a result, Xu Fu was pierced through the knee by Wang's Kuaijian sword, and he was captured without a fight. Since then, the two have had a blood feud and fought each other several times. Xu Fu regarded killing Wang Yue as a The goal of his life was to join my father's command, and he agreed that once he knew the news about Wang Yue, he would take revenge first. So General Cao, think about it, when Xu Fu saw Wang Yue appearing, how could he be willing to pretend to be someone else? To take his life?" Cao Ren snorted, "Then where is Xu Fu now?" "Since I heard the news about Wang Yue, I haven't returned yet. Now that Xu Fu is not in the city, I guess he has already gone to hunt down Wang Yue. I don't think you need to seal the city in Xudu, they must have been dozens of miles away from the city. In a few days, there will be news back." After hearing Yang Xiu's explanation, Xun Yu and Cao Ren's expressions softened.Yang Xiu's explanation is reasonable and detailed.If he wanted to rebel, he would have followed Dong Cheng a long time ago, and he would not wait until now to come out suddenly.Man Chong suddenly leaned forward: "Young Master Yang, there is no contradiction in your words, but how can you prove that what you said is true?" Not to be outdone, Yang Xiu looked at Man Chong, his eyes were burning: "Within three days, there will naturally be a conclusion—by the way, at that time, Master Jijiu will also be back, right? What else is there to worry about?" While he was talking, there was suddenly the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door.A guard said anxiously: "Ma'am, there is a discussion inside..." Then a woman's voice came: "A discussion? My son's life is about to die. What else do they have to discuss?" "Madam Bian?" Several people in Shangshutai could distinguish the woman's voice.Mrs. Bian has always been very knowledgeable about the general situation, she is willing to stay at home, and never oversteps political affairs.She suddenly came to the Shangshutai at this time, probably because of the news of Cao Pi's assassination, which touched the mother's most sensitive back. As soon as Cao Ren got up, he heard the wooden door being pushed open with a "bang". Mrs. Bian stepped in angrily, dressed in rough clothes and hair, completely different from her usual strict make-up and graceful demeanor. "Sister-in-law, you are..." Cao Ren hurried up to meet her, with a fearful tone, like a child who has done something wrong. Mrs. Bian glanced at the people in the room, and said sharply: "Zi Xiao, my son almost died today, I'll come here to make sure." Her eyes were swollen like peaches, obviously she had cried several times. Xun Yu said: "Madam, don't panic. The matter of the assassin has been discussed, and Zixiao will do his best to arrest him." Madam Bian widened her eyes, "Xun Lingjun, Mr. Cao has many enemies, and it will inevitably affect his family. Even if Pi'er dies, I also died for the country, and I dare not have any resentment about it. It’s just that it’s easy to hide from external troubles, but hard to guard against internal thieves. What I don’t understand is why such a thing happened in a well-connected place in Xudu?” The hearts of all the people present were stunned. When she said that, she obviously meant something, and everyone looked at Yang Xiu in unison. "I've heard about the specific situation from Deng Zhan. How did the assassin know the exact location and time of the emperor's Jitian? How did he avoid the search in advance, and he was in the snow hill? What's even more strange is why he knew that Pi'er was in the team ? I obviously only allowed him to go the day before." These questions were all very sharp, Man Chong nodded very slightly while listening, admiring Mrs. Bian's gaze.On the other hand, Yang Xiu's expression gradually became serious, and he lost the playful smile just now. "I've thought about these questions myself, but I really can't figure it out, so I have to come here and ask your lords!" Mrs. Bian's eyes became sharper, and the pain of almost losing her son made the mother's feathers stand on end vigilantly. Cao Ren was about to explain, but Mrs. Bian waved her hand, pointing her sharp nails like a sword at the chest of a person in the room. "Actually, I only have one question to ask: Xu Duwei claims to know everything. Xu Duwei can't even escape your eyes when a fly flies by. Why did he miss a killer like Wang Yue alone? When Pi'er was assassinated, everyone around Surprised, even those battle-tested people like Zixiao were confused, and the officer named Sun Li was so shocked that his voice lost his voice. Stones? Man Boning, do you have an explanation for me?" Man Chong was not mentally prepared to face Mrs. Bian's unexpected attack on him.He quickly knelt down on the ground: "Failed to clearly detect the culprit, resulting in the death of the lord. This is all a mistake of favor." Mrs. Bian didn't appreciate his submissive attitude at all, and said with a sneer, "Pi'er scolded you a few days ago, and I kindly defended you. Looking back now, since you let Zhang Xiu besiege the Sikong mansion, what you did Just aiming at our mothers everywhere. Pier can see through this point better than us adults!" Xun Yu was shocked, this accusation was too serious, he knew that Man Chong was definitely not that kind of person, so he quickly got up to persuade him.Mrs. Bian was relentless, her eyes were like knives, and she pierced Man Chong's heart: "I know that these are all empty words and cannot cure Man Boning's crimes. But you can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me. " At this time, Man Chong calmed down: "Since I became an official, I have been sincere and never hesitated." "That's right, your loyalty has never been delayed." Mrs. Bian stared at him resentfully, with the corners of her mouth twitching, "You have never delayed your loyalty to Mrs. Ding, right? You are from the same country, right?" When she said these words, the Shangshutai was immediately covered with frost, and everyone froze in place, unable to move.