Chapter 607 Xu Jianwen's Story
Chapter 607 Xu Jianwen's Story
night.
When Zhao Duan returned to the temporary "Governor's Mansion" where he was staying, he found that the main room was brightly lit and three black shadows were reflected on the window paper.
"Squeak." Zhao Duan led Jin Jian and pushed open the door. The candlelight spread out from the threshold, as if burning a hole in the darkness.
Inside the house, Mochou, Yuxiu and Jiyue were sitting around a square table, playing mahjong.
There was a cushion on the table. At this moment, a new round of card drawing was completed. Hearing the sound, the three women turned their heads and looked over at the same time.
There was nothing unusual about Yuxiu and Jiyue, except Mochou...her entire forehead was covered with pieces of torn paper into long strips.
It was like hanging a curtain on my face.
The cold wind blew into the room from behind Zhao Duan, making the paper note on Mochou's face rustle.
"..." Zhao Duan took a breath of cold air: "What are you doing..."
Priest Yuxiu said in a calm tone:
"Mo Zhaorong said she came to wait for you to come back. She was bored anyway, so she played cards to relieve her boredom."
Jiyue, with disheveled hair, also nodded: "Yes."
No... I'm not blind, of course I can see that you are playing cards. What I want to ask is why only Mochou is losing... Zhao Duan was hesitant to speak.
Only Mo Chou lowered her head, glanced at the handful of bad cards in her hand, and breathed a sigh of relief silently.
He stood up pretending to be calm, put the cards on the table, and tore off the papers on his face with a nonchalant attitude:
"Now that the governor has returned, I was just about to discuss something with you."
After saying that, he walked out the door.
Seeing this, Yuxiu smiled obscurely and said to Jin Jian:
"Two missing one?"
Jin Jian hesitated and asked, "Are you playing for money?"
"Play."
Jin Jian's eyes suddenly lit up, he walked straight over, sat on the stool with his little butt, grabbed Mochou's cards, and frowned.
……
Zhao Duan closed the door silently and left the room to the three women who were playing cards.
Looking at Mo Chou beside him, he comforted her tactfully, "How much did you lose?"
"..." Mo Chou stared at him expressionlessly: "If you can't speak, you don't have to."
Kukuku... Zhao Duan tried hard to hold back his laughter, sighed softly, and said earnestly:
"The spiritual consciousness of the worldly realm sorcerers is released. With her mortal body, Miss Mo is bound to lose if she plays cards with them."
They cheated...why didn’t you tell me earlier...Mo Chou clenched her hands in her sleeves.
Fortunately, Mo Zhaorong is not a petty person.
He quickly gathered his thoughts and pointed to a swing in the yard opposite the Moon Gate:
"Come over and sit down."
The so-called "Dudu Mansion" was actually a local house in Huting. The owner fled during the war, and after the imperial court occupied half of Huting, they used the remaining house.
Therefore, many facilities remain in the house, such as this swing. The surface has been swept and there is no snow. It is woven with rattan, but it is more comfortable to sit on than the stone benches in the yard.
It's not too cold tonight.
Under the dim starlight, Zhao Duan and Mochou sat side by side on the swing. There was silence all around, except for the faint sound of "pa pa" from playing cards coming from inside the house.
"Is everything going well?" Mo Chou went straight to the point.
Zhao Duan nodded: "Jiang Wangsun has surrendered to us. This old man has a big appetite, but fortunately he is a little timid, so we can control him."
He briefly described the process of instigating Jiang Wangsun to rebel, then took out the intelligence on the enemy's deployment from his sleeve and handed it to Mochou.
"It went better than I thought," Mochou took the information, weighed it, and frowned.
"It's just that it's hard to determine whether the surrender was a fraud."
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"So to confirm the authenticity of this defense map, you can let Shi Meng and his men do it. In addition, the other party will release Feng Ju as a token of their loyalty. I have arranged for Song Jinxi to keep an eye on it."
Mo Chou was overjoyed:
"That's the best. If this is successful, it will greatly boost the morale of the army. Once we are sure that Prince Jiang's grandson is trustworthy and has an insider, we can take back Huting in no time. It just so happens that Prince Jing is going to Binhai, so we can catch him off guard now."
Imagine the future, in the military camp, the female prime minister in female official robes who was supervising the army on behalf of the emperor looked at him differently:
"You are a lucky star."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Don't say anything too early."
"how?"
"Nothing, I just feel like it's going too smoothly." Zhao Duan leaned against the swing, looked at the night sky and said softly:
"When I first arrived, Prince Jing was gone, and Prince Jiang's grandson also surrendered smoothly. The progress was much smoother than on the Western Front."
Mo Chou frowned: "Maybe you think too much."
"Maybe. Let's not talk about this for now." Zhao Duan suddenly changed the subject and turned to look at his rival:
"I have something to ask you. You have been in the palace for many years, so you should know the Second Prince Jian Wen very well. Can you tell me about him in detail? Well, you don't need to tell me the public information, just tell me what you think of him."
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment: "Why did you suddenly mention Jian Wen?"
"Curiosity, is this explanation enough?" Zhao Duan said in a cynical tone.
Although Mo Chou was full of doubts, she knew his temper and did not ask any more questions. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Jian Wen... was actually a very good person before the coup. Well, you could say he disguised himself very well."
"Tell me carefully."
"That is... He has been extremely intelligent since he was young, far surpassing the other princes, and is the most dazzling one in the royal school. Well... This is not what I said, but what His Majesty said in private.
Although Your Majesty is also very intelligent and appreciated by the Grand Tutor, you were born later. When you first entered the school, Jianwen was the most respected, and your teacher at that time was the Grand Tutor Zhuang Xiaocheng.
At that time, Jianwen was a very strong-willed person and liked to compare himself with the prince. "
Mo Chou seemed to be lost in memories, and she spoke slowly and leisurely:
"For example, when Jianwen and the crown prince were young, they often visited each other. At that time, the crown prince lived in the East Palace, and his residence was much more luxurious than that of other princes. He often held banquets to entertain brothers and sisters.
At a party, Jianwen was discussing articles and quoted classics, which made him stand out. Song Zhi, the Prince's groom in the Prince's mansion, smiled at Jianwen and said, "I understand everything you said. But you don't know what I know." Jianwen was suppressed..."
Zhao Duan interrupted: "Wait, this Song Zhi is..."
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment, and said with contempt:
"You don't even know Song Zhi? Oh, I almost forgot, you are a soldier of the Imperial Guard who just came to prominence a few years ago. It's reasonable that you don't know what happened more than ten or twenty years ago."
Zhao Duan: “…”
The prince and general Xiang Ning have the guts!
After slightly belittling Zhao Duan, Mo Chou was in a good mood and continued:
"Song Zhi is a very powerful person. He was the top scholar in a certain class and was appointed as a Hanlin. He is very knowledgeable and is said to have a photographic memory and the ability to draw inferences from one instance.
Well... if we make a comparison, he is probably much stronger than Han Zhou and Han Xue Shi of today. He was only in his thirties at that time, but he already had the aura of a great scholar. Well... if he had not disappeared later, Mr. Zhengyang might not have been able to rise. He might have been under Song Zhi.
By the way, he even had a relationship with Zhang Tianshi in the past, so they were close friends regardless of age difference. "
so smart?
Why have I never heard of it... Zhao Duan was surprised.
Mo Chou said:
"Because of his outstanding talents, he was promoted by the late emperor to be the prince's groom and to follow the prince in the Zhanshi Mansion as a future team member. Hey... I've strayed off topic. Where was I?"
Zhao Duan reminded: "Song Zhi criticized Jian Wen, saying that he was not knowledgeable enough."
"Oh, that's it." Mochou said:
"As a result, after Jian Wen returned from the banquet, he remained calm on the surface, but he went to the library more and more often.
A year later, when the prince was entertaining his brothers and sisters again, Jianwen actually dragged Song Zhi to the school library, pointed at the huge library, and asked Song Zhi to pick any book he could recite but Jianwen could not.
Wow, this guy also holds a grudge... Zhao Duan called him an expert.
What a great temperament... However, before entering the world of mortals, with no spiritual consciousness to assist him, being able to recite a whole book in a year is indeed abnormal.
Mochou recalls the past:
"It's interesting to say that it's true that there is no acquaintance without fighting. Because of this episode, Jian Wen and Song Zhi actually developed a personal relationship and became good friends.
Being good at studying was only one of Jianwen's advantages. In fact, in terms of riding and shooting, the ability to make friends, conversation and intelligence, and even martial arts practice, Jianwen stood out among all the princes, while the crown prince was dull in comparison.
If we compare them, the prince is only better than him in benevolence and righteousness."
Zhao Duan frowned and said, "This may not be a good thing."
Mo Chou nodded and sighed, "Yes, but the late emperor also loved and relied on Jian Wen very much. As he grew older, he kept arranging for Jian Wen to go out and handle some court affairs.
The crown prince seldom left the capital. Gradually, even the court at that time began to spread rumors that the late emperor intended to appoint a new crown prince.
As a result, some court officials gradually gathered around Jianwen, and the retainers under Jianwen were also raised during this period. "
No... Is the old emperor setting a trap for himself? Or does he really want to change the emperor? Zhao Duan was puzzled.
To be honest, although he had been facing the remnants of Jian Wen since the day he traveled through time, it was the first time he got to know the dead second prince in such detail.
Zhao Duan asked doubtfully, "Could it be that the late emperor really intends to...?"
Mo Chou shook his head and said:
"Who can guess what the emperor is thinking? However, it is true that just after Jianwen rose to power, the late emperor once became furious and severely punished Jianwen because his followers broke the law.
This action was interpreted as the late emperor still favoring the prince.
Jian Wen did behave himself a lot after that, but after the late emperor got angry, he didn't stop him from making friends with the court officials... In short, it's very confusing. Later, when the late emperor passed away and the Xuanmen coup took place, you knew everything."
I always feel like there’s something wrong… Zhao Duan muttered to himself.
He asked some more questions, but unfortunately Mochou was just a maid at the beginning. She remembered some small things in Jianwen's life clearly, but she was unclear about things involving the court affairs.
"By the way, who is Song Zhi? How come I haven't heard of such a famous person?" Zhao Duan asked.
He had read the files on the Xuanmen coup and did not remember this name appearing in them.
Mo Chou sighed softly:
"Song Zhiyin was too close to Jianwen, but his identity was the prince's groom, which was inappropriate.
At first, it was fine, but when Jian Wen became powerful and had followers, Song Zhi found it difficult to survive. Therefore, he resigned from his post a long time ago, left the capital, and went on a pilgrimage. He disappeared without a trace afterwards.
So that's how it disappeared... No wonder I didn't know... Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he said:
"Since Song Zhi is close to Jian Wen, will he..."
Mo Chou glanced at him and said:
"Aren't you responsible for investigating the Kuangfu Society? How could you not know if there is such a person in it?"
Well, there really isn’t someone like Song Zhi in the Kuangfu Society…
Zhao Duan shook his head and said self-deprecatingly: "It seems that I think too much."
Mo Chou picked up the military intelligence, stood up and said, "I'm going to find Shi Meng."
"Yeah." Zhao Duan watched her leave with her hips twisted. After a long time, he stood up, pushed the door and walked into the main room.
As soon as the door opens.
Then Jin Jian stood on a stool with his hands on his hips, and slammed the last two cards onto the table with great momentum:
"Win! Give me money!"
The priestess girl's palms were facing upwards, like an old general who had fought bravely in the battlefield and won the victory.
……
……
"Ah!"
Feng Ju woke up from curling up, opened his eyes, and saw the dim roof.
The room was very cold and there was no charcoal. It was a nice bedroom, but the bricks on the floor were almost covered with white frost.
Feng Ju sat up drowsily and wrapped his cotton coat tightly around him.
"Gululu."
...My stomach was rumbling with hunger.
Feng Ju struggled to stand up, supporting his weak body, and staggered towards the door. He pushed it open with both hands. The howling cold wind outside made him shiver.
What you see first is a government courtyard.
This is the government office set up by the imperial court in order to "open the market".
It used to be crowded with people and very grand. But now it is desolate and deserted, the whole yard is cold and deserted, all the doors are locked, and there are rebels stationed outside the yard all day long.
Feng Ju and a group of other officials in the government office were imprisoned here under house arrest.
With a lack of charcoal and food, this winter was extremely hard. The little bit of food delivered every day was just enough for them to avoid starvation, but it did not give them the strength to escape.
Feng Ju walked towards the main hall of the office, pushed open the door, and saw a fire burning in the room. The wood used for lighting the fire was the split plaque of the office.
A group of about ten people, with dishevelled hair and dirty faces, gathered around the fire like beggars.
There was a pot on the fire, with a pot of "soup" cooking in it. It was called soup, but it was just a thin layer of rice paste, mostly snow water, and some leaves or something.
"You! Why did you burn the plaque as well!?" Feng Ju's head buzzed.
Next to the fire, an official clerk looked weak and miserable:
"Master Feng, the cabinets and tables are almost burnt. We can't tear down the doors and windows that keep out the wind and cold, right? We will freeze to death if we do that. This government office is now in name only, so what's the point of leaving a plaque?"
The other person nodded: "Yes, yes."
"..." Feng Ju raised his hand and pointed at them feebly. Facing the faces one by one, he finally sighed deeply and waved his hand bitterly:
"That's it, that's all."
As he spoke, he moved forward, squeezed through the crowd, and sat down next to the fire.
"Sir Feng, it's just a plaque. There's no need to be sad. It keeps us alive. If we can return to the court alive in the future, we can build an office."
Across the crowd, a woman wrapped in a cotton coat spoke weakly.
Although the woman had not eaten enough for several months and her face looked pale, she was cleaner than the others.
If Zhao Duan were here, he would definitely recognize that this person looks very similar to Concubine Yuan in the palace.
She was the concubine, the geisha Lin Susu, who was snatched away by the "Little Prime Minister" Li Yinglong.
Next to Lin Susu, there was a dishevelled man almost curled up. He was the businessman Hu Xuezhai.
He is also her husband.
At the beginning, Lin Susu and Zhao Duan teamed up to plot against Li Yinglong. After getting Zhao Duan's promise, she would return to Huaishui to find her husband and become the first batch of imperial merchants together.
With the help of the east wind, the business was booming for a time. When Prince Jing broke into Hu Ting, Lin Susu and his wife were there, and they looked for Feng Ju to discuss how to take refuge.
As a result, they were also put under house arrest and detained together.
Feng Ju heard this, forced a smile, and tried to boost morale:
"Madam Lin is right. The rebels confined us but didn't kill us because they wanted us to be useful because we know how to open a market and do business. They wanted to use us to make money after they seized your majesty's throne...
However, although the rebels were dreaming, we were able to save our lives temporarily.
As long as we continue to be patient, and wait for Lord Zhao to destroy the rebels and rescue us, His Majesty will certainly take our suffering today into consideration, and will certainly have a good time in the future..."
"Pooh!"
Suddenly, the dishevelled Hu Xuezhai spat fiercely and interrupted Feng Ju's empty promises with a sneer:
"Master Feng, how many times have you said this? Ask yourself, do you still believe it?"
After several months of torture, this Jiangnan businessman, who once looked elegant and graceful, seemed to be on the verge of collapse. He gnashed his teeth and cursed:
"How long have we been imprisoned? If the court could come to rescue us, why haven't they come yet? You claim to be a direct descendant of Zhao Duan, so what if you can take the position of doctor with his connections?
How many days of glory did it last?
Aren't you also a prisoner with us? !
Still dreaming that Mr. Zhao will come to rescue you? Are you stupid or do you think we are all stupid? "
Feng Ju was stunned.
Lin Susu, who was standing by, was also stunned. She pulled her husband in a panic and said with a sullen face:
"You are so hungry that you are out of your mind! How dare you slander Lord Zhao?"
Hu Xuezhai waved his hand and threw Lin Susu off, revealing a frozen purple face with ferocious eyes and contempt:
"Bitch, I knew you had an affair with Zhao Duan, and now you're protecting him!"
……
ps: The plot has been dull recently, and I can't write enough words. I should have written a plot outline of several thousand words today... Never mind. I'll try to resume writing five or six words a day tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)