Chapter 22 Section Three

The catastrophe of Qin's extinction was slowly overcome, and Qin Xiaogong breathed a sigh of relief. A chain of events all happened over a period of several months.Young Master Ang became the prime minister of Wei State, and opened the door to "Xue State Dashang Yiyuan", not only authorized him to buy the old weapons of the Luoyang royal family, and transported them to Qin State through Wei State Hangu Pass for "high price profit"; Moreover, all the obsolete weapons and chariots hoarded by Wei State were sold to "Yi Yuan", and he was allowed to dispose of them freely; only cast iron and raw salt were strongly opposed by the general Pang Juan, and the son had no choice but to give up.One month after "Yiyuan" transported the old weapons from Luoyang and Anyi across the border, "Yiyuan" returned to Anyi again, and presented a batch of priceless jewels to Prince An.Prince Ang was very satisfied, and allocated 20,000 gold from the prime minister's mansion to "Yi Yuan", entrusting him to buy 20,000 good horses from the Yinshan grassland to the state of Wei.After entering the autumn, civil strife of different sizes happened inexplicably in South Korea, Zhao, Chu, and Yan, and there was no time to ask about the division of Qin among the six countries.Qi State was not keen on the battle to divide Qin, and was busy rectifying the administration of officials, so it clearly declared that Qi State would no longer participate in the coalition forces attacking Qin.General Pang Juanjian ruled the state of Wei and immediately launched a fierce attack on the state of Qin alone.But the prime minister, Young Master Ang, strongly objected, saying that Qin State had assembled an army of 100,000 cavalry in Liyang.The king of Wei was hesitant at first, but his head was sweating because of what Gongzi Ang said, so he finally decided to put aside the attack on Qin.General Pang Juan was so angry and anxious that he became ill from depression and was bedridden for a month.Prince Ang felt that the time had come for him to display his talents, so he proposed to King Wei Hui the plan to move the capital to Daliang.I don't want this move to fall into the arms of King Wei Hui.This king of Wei, who was originally talented and tireless in the innovative life of pleasure, immediately buried himself in the bedroom with his son An, and under the care of the fox girl, he repeatedly pondered the construction pattern of the Daliang King City and the novel idea of ​​his own bedroom.Afterwards, Prince Ang took the post of special envoy to supervise the construction of Daliang Xindu, and started the large-scale Xindu construction project.The number of visits to Liang by Wei Huiwang has also become more frequent.Since then, all other plans for the struggle for supremacy, including the division of the Qin Dynasty among the six countries, have all been thrown into the sea, and there is no news.

The assistance of the Luoyang royal family is really timely.The most important thing is grain and green salt, which at least supported the military rations of the Qin army for nearly a year, avoiding the imminent food famine.Regarding the old weapons in Luoyang and Anyi, Qin Xiaogong and Zuo Shuchang Yingqian agreed that the former military commander Che Ying would lead the craftsmen in the army to check each piece. Aided pig iron blocks to forge new weapons.The senior doctor Qianlong led the middle doctor Du Zhi, recruited more than 5,000 craftsmen, together with all the military craftsmen, a total of more than 10,000 people, it took a full three months to remove the old copper axes that piled up like a mountain. The bulky spears, wet and deformed mulberry bows and corroded arrow clusters of chariot warfare have been rebuilt to create a uniform cavalry sword with 50,000 pieces, long-range crossbows with 3,000 pieces, light and hard bows with 10,000 pieces, and arrow clusters with 100,000 pieces. .At this time, "Yiyuan", who bought good horses from Yinshan, drove the horses through Qin State one after another, leaving five thousand horses for Qin State once.Within two months, Zuo Shuchang Yingqian "bought" 20,000 horses from "Yiyuan".The Prime Minister of the State of Wei, Prince An, also received 10,000 good horses from Yinshan Mountain and countless grassland treasures from "Yiyuan". He was so excited that he drank with "Yiyuan" all night.

Liyang City was very busy for a while, and it calmed down a little when the first heavy snowfall came in winter.Jingjian, who pretended to be Xue Guoda Shang Yiyuan, secretly returned to Liyang City on a snowy night.Qin Xiaogong and Zuo Shuchang Yingqian held a grand banquet to welcome Jing Jian.During the banquet, the three of them were deeply moved when they talked about the crisis in Xia Tian, ​​the internal and external corruption in Wei State, and the decline of Luoyang royal family.Qin Xiaogong toasted Yingqian and Jing Jian three times, and enthusiastically praised the two people's great contributions to resolving the disaster of the Qin State. On the spot, Jing Jian was canonized as the official internal history. and confidential matters.

It was already midnight when Yingqian and Jingjian left the Zhengshitang, and the snow was still falling heavily.Qin Xiaogong originally wanted to see his younger sister Yingyu, listen to her anecdotes about the past few months, and also see if this younger sister has become more capable.However, when he saw the heavy snow blowing in the sky and the howling wind from the corridor, his heart moved. He turned back to the study, took down the long sword, put on a black cloak, and strode out of the palace.Uncle Hei had already made his preparations, and followed him from a distance to step out of the palace through the snow.

It snowed heavily, and the streets and alleys in the city were already covered with snow.Qin Xiaogong stepped on the snow and walked towards the city wall, and Uncle Hei knew that the emperor was going to visit the barracks craftsmen in the urn city.The Chinese artisans recruited in Liyang City had already returned home a month ago, leaving only some military artisans to remake a batch of fine iron weapons which were very difficult.Liyang City is not big, Ximen Wengcheng is even smaller, and the horseway to enter the Wengcheng is only one car wide, but more than a thousand craftsmen are stationed inside.Qin Xiaogong had just walked to the crossing of the horse road when Che Ying, the former military leader in charge of weapon reform, brought a group of soldiers to inspect.Qin Xiaogong inquired in detail about the cold protection and military food of the craftsmen, and then went into the Wengcheng, checked more than one hundred military tents one by one, and then walked out of the Wengcheng.Uncle Hei, who was following from a distance, noticed that Jun Shang did not return the same way, but turned into an alley.Uncle Hei suddenly came to his senses, did your lord want to visit the old stone worker Bai Tuo?

Qin Xiaogong had just walked into the alley Zhang Xu, but suddenly stopped, and stuck behind the stone pillar at the door of a family.At this time, Uncle Hei saw a black shadow flying up to the wall in the depths of the alley, and suddenly disappeared.Uncle Hei had experienced many times, and he was not in a hurry to follow up. Instead, he stood still at the entrance of the alley.Qin Xiaogong flashed out from his hiding place, and slid forward lightly, without the slightest sound of stepping on the snow.He came to the wall of the house, flew up to the ridge of the roof, leaned over and looked into the courtyard, and saw that the main room in the courtyard was brightly lit, and a man with long hair and beard was flipping a big book reflected in the window lattice; A black figure was obviously listening to the movement inside the window.

Suddenly, a long black figure jumped up from under the window, and a dagger flew towards the person who was reading inside the window!The figure of the scholar inside the window did not move, but with a slight movement of a large pen in his hand, there was a crisp sound of copper and iron clashing, and the short sword flew out of the window and sank into the snow.When the man in black missed a hit, he jumped from the courtyard onto the roof, trying to escape from the courtyard.Unexpectedly, Qin Xiaogong stood up and pushed out the scabbard.The man in black exclaimed, and staggered and fell into the snow in the courtyard.Qin Xiaogong leaned back and stayed where he was, wanting to see how the master would deal with the assassin.

The scholars in the room heard the voice, stood up slowly, opened the door and went out.He stood on the steps of the corridor with the light behind his back, but Qin Xiaogong couldn't see his face clearly.He laughed loudly and said: "Differences in Taoism do not conspire with each other. Wouldn't it be ridiculous for the world to murder and rob books among schools? Please don't get in the way of the high-ranking scholar on the roof. Let this friend go." The man in black, who had fallen into a state of embarrassment in the snow, bowed deeply, flew up to the wall, and disappeared into the snowy night.

The scholar cupped his hands and said with a smile: "It's a great honor to have a guest on a snowy night. Please come to the humble house for a while." Qin Xiaogong from the roof was like a big black eagle, and fell silently into the snow in the courtyard.The scholars in the corridor stretched out their hands to salute: "Guests, please come in and talk." Qin Xiaogong cupped his hands and said: "Thank you so much." He shook the snowflakes and entered the room. The house is not spacious, but it is warm and tidy.The host let the guests into the inner room partitioned by wooden walls.Under the bright light, it can be seen that this is a small study.Bamboo slips and wooden frames on three sides, all four walls are white, without any decorations.In the middle is a wooden table of natural color, and a red brazier burning thick charcoal is set beside the large wooden table.The big book on the wooden case had just been closed, and Qin Xiaogong knew it was a book copied on sheepskin from the roughness and blackness, and there were three fist-sized characters on the book cover - Guiguzi!Next to the book is a large pen more than two feet long, but it is a rare bronze pen barrel.If it weren't for the cold wind coming in through the window lattices pierced by the dagger just now, this small study room would really be as warm as spring.Qin Xiaogong did not expect that the owner of the study was an old man with white hair, white beard and white eyebrows. He was dressed in white linen clothes, tall and thin, and his bright and deep eyes exuded a kind of fresh and hearty charm.Qin Xiaogong couldn't help bowing deeply: "Snowy night is abrupt, please forgive me senior." The old man said with a smile: "Wouldn't it be a good place to have a guest on a snowy night and have a chat with the stove? Please sit down, my lord."

"Father, did something happen just now?" Following the voice, a girl in white floated into the study. The old man said with a smile: "An unexpected visitor came to visit, this young master please help him to leave." The young lady in white smiled like a lady and said, "Thank you for your help, sir." Qin Xiaogong hurriedly cupped his hands and replied: "I dare not be the one. Senior is fine, but I am considered a thief." Old man: "Master, this is my granddaughter named Xuan Qi. My grandson has met you before." Xuan Qi clasped his hands again and said: "Xuan Qi has met the young master. Dare to ask the young master's name?"

Xiao Zheng wanted to speak, but he didn't feel right, so he stopped again.At this time, the old man smiled heartily: "It is a gift from God to meet a hero by chance. Why do you need to be famous? Serve tea." The girl said: "Young master, wait a moment." She set up a clay pot on the brazier to boil water, clean up clay pots and cups. Duke Xiao respectfully said, "Senior just used a pen to make a powerful enemy retreat in the face of difficulties. He can be called a master outside the world. It is very fortunate that future generations will not be able to meet senior." "The young master has wrongly praised the old man. It is probably God's will for the old man to meet the young master." "Senior, do you really believe in the will of heaven?" "The way of heaven is mysterious and far away, and the way of humanity is intuitive. The way of heaven is the foundation, and the way of humanity is the end. Mystery is straight from the bottom to the bottom, and there is a place to pass the customs." "Senior, could it be that you practice Taoism? Where?" Duke Xiao turned his gaze to the big sheepskin book, and the old man couldn't help laughing heartily. At this time, the tea in the brazier pot had already boiled, Xuan Qi gently and swiftly poured the thick tea into two pottery bowls and placed them in front of the two of them.The old man held up his bowl and said with a smile: "When guests come on a snowy night, make wine with light tea, and chat with each other in the stove, what a pleasure." While repairing the windows, adding charcoal, making tea and pouring tea, it seems that they are still listening to their conversation, but they are not in the slightest rush. Xiaogong asked: "Seniors read at night, and younger generations speculate that the unexpected guests came for it. Dare to ask seniors, but are you a master of Guigu Shensheng?" The old man nodded and smiled, "Young master, what's your opinion on Guiguzi's family?" "Today's schools of thought, the descendants only know superficially. I heard that Guigu's life is unfathomable, and he once taught disciples in the Tianmen Cave in Chu State. His disciples seem to be very mysterious. Those who entered the world, the descendants only heard of Pang Juan and Sun Bin. I don’t know much about Sun Bin, so I don’t dare to make rash comments. However, Pang Juan, the general of the Wei State, seems to have a lot of things that he dare not praise. What kind of knowledge is Guiguzi? The old man sighed with emotion: "When it comes to Guiguzi, it is really a vast ocean, and it is difficult to describe it all. Even in terms of disciples and students, each person learns independently, and they don't know each other. It is inevitable that fish and dragons will mix up during the period." "Everyone learns something?" Duke Xiao looked at the old man in surprise, "Is there such a knowledgeable person in the world?" The old man nodded and smiled, "Although Confucius advocated teaching students according to their aptitude, his students almost all have the same taste. Guiguzi is different. Each of his students is the best of his family. The world knows Pang Juan and Sun Bin as military strategists, and Su Qin who is about to leave the mountain Zhang Yi is a political strategist, and many students of Legalism, Yin-Yangism, and Taoism are still unknown to the world. These students are all talents that Guiguzi searched all over the world, and some children were even brought into the mountains by Mr. Guiguzi. What kind of learning is taught? It is completely determined by the master according to his temperament, aspirations, will, and talent, and he is taught alone or in the same school, and those who are not in the same school never communicate with each other. No one will ever know how many disciples Guiguzi has. " "In this way, Guiguzi has no knowledge of his own?" "No, no." The old man laughed and shook his head, "There is no school of ghosts in the world, but Guiguzi has reformed every school of knowledge. The legalism of Guiguzi's disciples is completely different from that of Li Kui, Shen Dao, and Shen Buhai. , military strategists are also very different from Sun Wu and Wu Qi. Why is this? It is because Guiguzi has infiltrated every student with an innovative spirit of seeking truth, seeking change, and being unique. Every time a school is taught, new results must be produced. This point will be discussed in The most unique Legalists and Strategists have been promoted. This is probably the knowledge of Guiguzi." "Ghost Valley is born with a god, and the highest person in the world is also!" Xiaogong couldn't help being fascinated. The old man stroked his white beard and said leisurely: "The old man knows that it is because he has a deep connection with the ghost sect, but he is not a member of the Guiguzi sect. It is all because the old man is indifferent in nature, and he can't cultivate the knowledge of the world to the extreme, so he can only follow Mr. If you specialize in academics, how can you know irrelevant things?" Duke Xiao pondered silently, and said for a moment: "Dare to ask senior, why did the other party's assassin not understand that he went to the government to punish him in order to eradicate future troubles? Instead, he let him go?" "Everything in the world, how much can the government control? It's inconvenient for me to travel all over the world and sue the officials frequently. Just now, the assassin didn't steal money and steal things, but intended to write this book, and he failed, so what's the use of suing the officials?" "Seniors are broad-minded in thinking about things, and future generations have benefited a lot. Today, I should ask my seniors about an important matter, but the night is coming to an end, and I will wait for my juniors to visit and ask for advice in the future. I hope that seniors will not shirk." The old man neither asked what was the matter nor declined, just nodded with a smile and said: "People who are predestined will finally get together." At this time, there was a clear sound of "clicking, clicking" from outside the gate.The white-clothed girl Xuan Qi smiled and said: "Father, there is another guest here." Duke Xiao listened attentively, and said with a smile: "Little sister, this is my friend. Senior, junior farewell." Walking into the courtyard, he Seeing that the sky was slightly pale, but the heavy snow was still falling. Xuan Qi laughed behind him and said, "Hey, don't worry, there's still a sword." Holding the long sword, he ran to the courtyard and handed it to Duke Xiao, smiling brightly, "You're still a swordsman, get up and forget the sword." With a smile, "It seems that no swordsman is wary, he is not qualified." The three laughed heartily in the heavy snow.Xiao Gong cupped his hands and said: "Please don't go out, I will go by myself." He opened the courtyard door and turned around to close it, and then heard the sound of stepping on the snow gradually going away. Xuan Qi smiled and asked: "Father, is this what people call an uninvited guest?" The old man pondered and said: "I met a genius in Anyi, and today I met another one. It is unusual to meet twice in half a year. It seems that something is going to happen in the Qin Kingdom." Xuan Qi smiled and said: "I see, big Father is going to be busy." While making naughty gestures to the guests, he said with a straight face: "I will pay a solemn visit to you in the future, Senior Wanwang, please don't shirk." The old man laughed out loud. When Qin Xiaogong returned to the state mansion, the sky had already revealed a hint of blue light amidst the heavy snow.He came to the study, put on a soft and loose sheepskin robe, sat in front of the charcoal brazier, and thought about what happened to Ye Lai, but he couldn't be calm for a long time.That old man with a sense of immortality suddenly reminded him of Jiang Shang who was fishing in the Weishui River, and Baili Xi who was a shepherd.The old man has profound knowledge, the meaning of his words is lofty, and he has a deep relationship with the unattainable Guiguzi, so he is undoubtedly a hermit.Even the granddaughter of the old man gave him a strong feeling that he had never felt before.A young girl is not considered a beauty, she is neither soft nor coquettish, she is dressed in common clothes and has long hair, and she even salutes like a scholar.But the clarity, intelligence, true nature, and innocence in her, as well as the charm in her heroic demeanor, are beyond the reach of any beauties.Especially her bird-like voice and tone of voice in the empty valley have always given people a great enjoyment.Xiaogong knew that she spoke the "elegant words" that ordinary women could not speak. Many scholars and government officials would find it difficult to speak well in their entire lives.The so-called Yayan is the official language as opposed to the dialects of various countries.When the capital of Haojing was established in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the official dialect based on the pronunciation of Wangji of Haojing was determined as "Yayan".This kind of elegant language cannot be promoted by the people in the mountains and fields. It is mainly used in the government, business travelers, people in the capital city, and scholars, especially in written texts.The students of Confucius once said proudly that when Confucius recited the "Poetry" and performed the ceremony, he used pure elegant dialect instead of the native language of Lu.Xunzi of the Warring States period put more emphasis on elegant words, advocating that "the evil sounds of the barbarians should not be messed with the elegant", and that whether to speak the elegant words or the evil sounds of the barbarians was a major matter of honor and disgrace for scholars. A person is in peace, a gentleman is in peace."That is to say, the Yue people speak the Yue dialect, and the Chu people speak the Chu dialect, but all gentlemen in the world should speak elegant words.Even so, due to various reasons, it is actually difficult for officials, businessmen and Ziguo people to be polite to everyone, let alone those women who seldom go out to socialize, let alone study and become officials.A young girl has a pure and fluent dialect, at least it can be seen that she was born in a family of scholars for generations, and the girl herself has the experience of traveling and studying.Xiaogong thought that his little sister Yingyu still couldn't speak well, so he couldn't help admiring this girl from the bottom of his heart, and he also faintly felt a mysterious aura about her, as confusing and confusing as her name "Xuanqi". "Brother, are you thinking about things, are you dumb?" A girl in red ran and jumped into the study. "Yingyu, did you scare me?" Suddenly, Xiao Gong felt a fever on his face, but deliberately put on a straight face and said: "What are you doing so early? Why don't you study hard?" Yingyu giggled and said, "Who told me to get up early every day? I still want to practice swords? It's not you?" She squatted next to Duke Xiao and held his arm, "Brother, I can go to Anyi, Luoyang, and Yinshan this time. I have learned a lot. Do you want to listen to it?" "Little sister, what do you think is the most suitable gift for a young aunt?" Duke Xiao asked suddenly, even he was surprised, his face turned red involuntarily. "Hey!" Yingyu jumped up in surprise, clapping her hands and laughing: "Sunrise in the west! Big brother, tell me, is it the young lady from there? From the palace? From the minister? Which family? Who is it? When is the wedding? " Xiao Gong said with a serious face, "Xianggu, just say, what is the most suitable thing?" Yingyu made a grimace and said with a smile: "Which country girl is so valuable? Well, let me think about it. You have to tell me, her preferences and temperament are different. Women are different." "How do I know what you said?" Duke Xiao still had a straight face. "Hey, my elder brother. Why are you so stupid to see a woman? I don't know anything, what kind of gift should I give? The ceremony is customized, and the princes can marry nine daughters. Is the elder brother going to take her as his wife? Or is it a concubine?" "Crack!" Xiaogong slapped the desk, "What nonsense!" Feeling unbearable again, he said in a low voice: "I just admire this young aunt and want to leave her a souvenir, but I don't know what is the best thing?" Yingyu knew that her eldest brother had a strong and dull temper, so he seldom talked or laughed with others, let alone women.The queen mother asked him several times about his plans for the wedding, but he kept silent.It is a great blessing to be able to talk about a young girl today.She regretted that when she was overjoyed, she talked too much and made her elder brother angry, so if she didn't mention this kind of thing to her in the future, wouldn't it be a big bad thing?The queen mother originally made her have more fun with her elder brother.Seeing that her elder brother is sincere and frank, Yingyu is very moved.She knelt beside her eldest brother, and said in a low voice considerately: "Brother, I think this young girl must be an extraordinary woman. Yingyu thought that a woman is extraordinary, she must be steadfast and intelligent, and she has nothing to do with Nianwu itself." It must be a hobby. The most important thing is that she must value whether the man is sincere and worthy of her miss. If it is worthy of her miss, even if you give her a leaf or a piece of thatch, she will treasure it forever, and she will not hesitate to protect it with her life. Otherwise, it is a Jinshan, she will treat it like dung." Duke Xiao listened carefully, and said with great emotion, "Little sister, what you said is really good. Big brother suddenly understood." He sighed softly, "No matter how she treats me, I will always think of her." In an instant, Yingyu's eyes widened in surprise, but she was speechless for a long time.The middle school officials all said that the eldest brother is firm, strict, resolute, thick and stable, but in the eyes of Yingyu and the mother, the eldest brother is more stubborn and stubborn, and he will do what he has decided to do even if the sky falls, and sometimes he is so fierce People tremble with fear.For example, the last time the National Monument of Disgrace broke off two fingers, the empress mother shed so many tears, she was so angry that she called him a "stubborn bull" behind her back, but she couldn't say that he did something wrong, she had to support him and comfort him.With a heart like his, today he can seriously say that he will miss a young girl forever, which shows that he is definitely in love with this girl deeply, and he will never change in the slightest.Yingyu felt strange, just such a period of time, the eldest brother has not left the city, where did he meet this mysterious young girl?She thought about it for a long time, and felt that she should tell her mother and ask Uncle Hei to find out.But no matter what, Yingyu was very excited.From Anyi's intoxicating luxury and Luoyang's decadence, she felt the elder brother's poverty.For several months, she was almost suffocated in the atmosphere of Beiqin that permeated the Central Plains. She deeply felt the disaster and humiliation suffered by the Qin State, and how many times she hid in the quilt and exchanged tears.After she came back, she began to have a new feeling for her eldest brother's stern black face, and she also had a deep understanding of his refusal to get married and focus on state affairs.She seemed to clearly see that her eldest brother was bleeding in his heart, and when she saw the blood-red monument of national humiliation, she also felt frightened for the first time.Now, there is a very attractive girl in the eldest brother's heart, and there is a ray of sunshine in the heart of the eldest brother, which is full of warmth.This kind of sunshine and warmth is something that her little sister and the queen mother can never give.Yingyu was grateful to the girl who had never met before, and thanked her for taking over a heavy burden... Thinking about it, Yingyu's tears welled up in her eyes. "Little sister, why are you crying? It's my elder brother who made my younger sister angry." Xiaogong hugged Yingyu and coaxed her with a smile. "Brother!" Yingyu threw herself on Duke Xiao's shoulder, crying and laughing, "Little sister is happy, for you." Xiaogong laughed loudly: "I'm really worried about you, if you can't get married, I'll let you cry enough." Yingyu giggled and said, "I can't get married! I'll marry you when you get married. Let's see how long you hang around?" The brother and sister laughed together. Uncle Hei came in and said, "Your Majesty, the old man lives in Wuxuan Village, and there are only two old people and his granddaughter at home. No one knows the old man's origin, but he has been traveling abroad for many years and rarely returns to Liyang." Xiao Gong restrained his smile and muttered: "Uncle Hei, talk to Jing Jian and prepare a good gift. When the sky clears, go to Wuxuan Village to visit seniors immediately." "Your Majesty, don't worry, I'll discuss it with the internal history of the Jingjian immediately." Uncle Hei went out of the palace in the heavy snow. Three days later, when the snow began to clear, the entire Liyang City was still buried in the snow.Although the sun is weak, it is very dazzling.According to Jingjian, it is best to wait two days before visiting Wuxuanzhuang.Qin Xiaogong was very anxious, thinking that there should be no delay.So in the afternoon, Xiaogong Jingjian and his party came to the alley on the knee-deep snow.When he arrived at the gate of Wuxuanzhuang, he saw that the gate was sealed by heavy snow, and there was no trace of snow shoveling. Qin Xiaogong felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that the old man left again?Jing Jian stepped forward and knocked on the door lightly for a while, and the simple wooden door "squeaked" halfway open.A young girl poked her head out and was about to ask a question, but she saw Duke Xiao following behind her. Feeling pleasantly surprised, she blurted out with a smile, "Ah, forgetting the swordsman, please come in quickly." Duke Xiao was always solemn, but However, Xuan Qi's slippery and playful title made her laugh, "If you don't hold that sword, you will become a swordsman without holding it, and I will come to get the sword all day long." The girl smiled brightly, and opened the door sideways to let the guests in. , turned around and shouted happily into the room: "Father, Master Wang Jian has arrived." Everyone laughed together.Only then did Xiaogong notice that Xuan Qi was carrying a short sword, and was wearing a white sheepskin robe, but inside was a tight-fitting tunic, as if he was about to go on a long journey, and he couldn't help feeling tense. At this time, the old man was coming out of the house, carrying a bamboo hat and a green cloth bundle, and wearing a short and coarse cloth clothes, obviously he was about to travel far.Duke Xiao hurriedly bowed deeply, "Backed by heavy snow, Qu Liang came late, and I didn't want to disturb my senior's outing, please forgive me." The old man smiled heartily: "It's very fortunate that the old man is here. Traveling in the clouds, there is no fixed time. Please come in and take a seat." While speaking, the girl Xuan Qi had already entered the room and opened the coarse cloth that was covered with household items, rekindled the charcoal fire, and set up the clay pot for making tea, quietly but warmly and cordially Xiao Gong and Jing Jian took their seats, and immediately went to the courtyard to arrange for Hei Bo and his party, who carried the gift box, to sit in the side room.In a moment, everything is in order.The old man also took off his luggage, put on a sheepskin robe, and sat leisurely in front of the desk. Xiao Gong pointed to Jing Jian and said: "Senior, he is the history Jing Jian in Qin Dynasty." Jing Jian bowed deeply to the old man. Xuan Qi was making tea, and smiled slightly surprised: "He is an internal historian, so who are you?" Jing Jian said: "Senior, little sister, he is my new king of Qin." The old man was not surprised at all, smiled and cupped his hands, "The honored guest is here, the hut is brightened." Xuan Qi stared blankly at Xiaogong, his bright eyes gradually dimmed.Duke Xiao smiled and said, "Little sister, don't treat me like a monarch, how about treating me as a friend?" There was obvious expectation in his sincere eyes.Xuan Qi remained silent, followed by a smile, and quietly exited the room. Duke Xiao bowed again to the old man, and said solemnly and humbly, "Senior, I was in a hurry on the snowy night the day before yesterday, and I didn't have time to talk about it in detail. I came here today to pay a visit, and I beg you to teach me." "I already know the purpose of the king's visit. I should do my best for Qin's affairs. However, I can only conspire with each other a little, and I can't be involved in the matter. Please don't place high hopes on this old man." "Senior, could it be that I'm guilty of not respecting the virtuous?" The old man laughed and said: "No. The old man has been idle all his life. He does not seek to be known to the princes, and he cannot bear the hard work of the state affairs. My teacher once said that I am a casual life for the rest of my life. If I am strong, I will destroy myself. , I have never studied the way of governing the country, I have no interest in government affairs and state affairs, and I really have no great talents for rejuvenating the country." "Senior has a deep insight into the world and great insight, but why do you believe in the illusory science? Could it be that the senior thinks that my country of Qin is too weak to be a king?" The old man smiled slightly, paused and said, "Does the monarch know who I am?" Duke Xiao was stunned, "Master Wuxuanzhuang, I don't dare to take the liberty to ask about senior's name and surname." In an instant, the old man's eyes were full of tears, and he said with emotion: "The king sincerely asks for it, but the old man can't bear to hide it. I am the sixth grandson of Bailixi when Duke Mu of Qin... how can I be indifferent to the state of Qin?" Qin Xiaogong was full of surprises, stood up solemnly from the table, and fell to the ground to bow down: "Senior Baili, Ying Quliang is unworthy of being late." The old man Baili helped Xiaogong up, and he hugged him with black hair and white hair.Xuan Qi was walking to the door of the study room, silently wiped away tears when he saw this, and stared at Xiaogong with bright eyes for a long time.After a long time, the two parted, weeping and wiping away their tears.Jing Jian stood up and bowed solemnly: "Senior Baili's hermit shows up, and the king will meet a great sage. Congratulations." Xuan Qi rubbed his eyes and smiled, "Father knew he couldn't bear it, and wanted to leave early, but he didn't escape, it's God's will." The old man Baili sighed leisurely, "Yes, it is God's will. To be honest with the monarch, after the death of Duke Mu, the ancestor Bailixi went back to the Chu State to live in seclusion and cultivate his morals. Before his death, the ancestor predicted that the Qin State would be prosperous in more than a hundred years. Move back to Qin to live, but not to be an official." Duke Xiao was surprised, "Why is this?" The old man said: "The ancestors considered that the descendants would not be able to achieve great things because of their ancestors' achievements. It is the sixth generation of Baili who studied and never became an official. This is actually the ancestor's legacy. Over time, it has become a family tradition." Duke Xiao sighed heavily, "Senior Baili, the state of Qin is now poor and weak, and the country has no great talents. Quliang is the king, and it is difficult to support him alone. I beseech the seniors to guide Quliang so that our people have food and clothing, soldiers and wealth. Otherwise, how can Quliang face it? The elders of the Qin State? Why face the ancestors?" Xuan Qi was moved by Duke Xiao's sincerity, he shook the old man's arm and said, "Father, tell me, didn't you already have a plan?" The old man stroked his long white beard slowly, "I have been thinking about the matter of Qin for a long time, and today, the opportunity has come. The way to rejuvenate the country is people-oriented, and it is the same for all countries. If Qin is to be strong, it must find this turning point. Great talent." "But there are no talents in the world, but where can you find them?" "Don't let the monarch say nothing. Now the warring states are fighting for the hegemony, celebrities come out in large numbers, the front wave has not receded, the back wave has surged, and the wind and dust are in the wild. There are so many magnificent things. It depends on whether you can get the law?" "Quliang sent many people to visit the mountains and cities of Qin State, why are the great talents hidden?" The old man laughed heartily, "When governing the country, how can seeking talents be limited to one's own country? Since ancient times, those who ruled the world, who didn't look at the world to search for talents? A group of important ministers dominated by Duke Mu, the ancestor Baili Xi was a slave of Chu State, and Uncle Jian was a minister who was able to govern the people. He is a commoner of Song State, General Pi Bao is a woodcutter of Jin State, Gongsun Zhi, a famous financial minister, is a minor official of Yan State, and Yu Yu, a military adviser, is a blond and blue-eyed barbarian. These five people are not from the old Qin, but Mu Gong entrusted them with important tasks Achieved hegemony. Confucius praised this, "Mu Gong's heart is small, the overlord is small, and he can be the king of the world"! From this point of view, the ruler of Qin is not necessarily the people of Qin, how can he travel far when he is bound by his hands and feet?" Mr. Xiao was originally a deep-thinking person, and once he was instructed, he couldn't help but suddenly realized, "Senior, did you say that you want to seek talents from other countries?" "Of course, we are looking for talents from other countries in Shandong." The old man responded with high fives. Duke Xiao couldn't help but excitedly said to Jing Jian: "Jing Jian, when you return to the country, the government will immediately draw up a merit-seeking decree and distribute it widely to all countries, big and small, not one single one will be missed!" Jing Jian replied excitedly: "Yes, it will be done immediately." The old man Baili smiled: "I will take the public to seek talents and go to Shandong to find a talent for Qin." Xuan Qi asked anxiously: "Father, who is it?" But the old man smiled mysteriously: "Who is it? I don't know." Xuan Qi made a face at Grandpa, and everyone couldn't help laughing. Seeing that the dusk is approaching, Qin Xiaogong stood up and ordered to carry in the gift box.The old man Baili waved his hands sternly and said: "I don't think the king is an ordinary person. Qin is currently in a difficult situation. These things should be used where they can be used. How can I accept the gift of national calamity?" , only bowed deeply, "Thank you for your great kindness, Ying Quliang will never forget the Baili family. It's getting late, Qu Liang said goodbye, and tomorrow I will send the order for seeking talents." The old man Baili sent Xiaogong and his party to the courtyard. The cold wind was blowing with snow powder, but Xiaogong insisted not to let the old man see him off.The old man bid farewell earnestly and asked Xuan Qi to see him off on his behalf. When they walked to the door, Xuan Qi didn't say a word.Duke Xiao had already stepped out of the threshold, but he was silently meditating as if he was nailed there, and suddenly turned around and cupped his hands at Xuan Qi: "Little sister, I see that you travel more than you live at home, and it is difficult to meet each other. Ying Quliang wants to give my little sister something , as a memory, I wonder if my little sister will accept it?" In an instant, Xuan Qi's bright eyes looked directly at Xiaogong, and Xiaogong's sincere eyes met calmly.The two pairs of eyes looking at each other are asking, answering, colliding and merging, turning into a raging flame in the cold winter twilight.After a long time, Xuan Qi stretched out his hands silently, a blush flew across his face.Duke Xiao took out a six-inch long copper-sheathed dagger from his bosom, and held it in Xuan Qi's palm with both hands.The short sword blade carried the warmth of Xiaogong's body, Xuan Qi couldn't help shaking his hands, and tears glistened in his eyes.Xiao Gong took a focused look at Xuan Qi, turned around and strode away.After walking a few steps, Xuan Qi silently caught up.Duke Xiao turned his head, Xuan Qi took off the one-foot sword he was wearing from his waist, held it in front of Duke Xiao with both hands, and his eyes shot out a hot and bright light.Xiaogong stretched out his hands slowly and with difficulty, his tightly pursed lips trembled, and his eyes firmly merged with the mysterious gaze.Xuan Qi slowly held the dagger into Duke Xiao's palm, but his eyes were hazy and his cheeks were blushing. As the night fell, the wind was cold, and the snow light reflected two figures standing for a long time. "Never move, not easy, never leave, never abandon." "Heaven and earth are united, and you dare to break with the king." Vigorous oaths and affectionate recitations are shaking and burning in the white world.