Do you know: I’m Xu Jiazi

Jingdong East Road,

In Laizhou City,

Standing on the roof and looking down,

There is a lantern wandering in the alley.

"Dang, dang! It's exactly the same time (four o'clock in the morning)! The weather is cold and the night is cold, be careful of charcoal!"

"Dangdang~"

It was very quiet in the early morning, and the watchman's voice could be heard in the houses along the street.

Suddenly,

"Woof! Woof woof woof~"

The dog's sharp, short warning bark suddenly sounded,

The watchman stopped,

The dogs in the city are accustomed to the watchman's voice and will not give warnings for no reason.

After the watchman pricked up his ears and listened, he glanced doubtfully in the direction of the barking dog, and then walked quickly in that direction.

Soon, the watchman carried a lantern and walked to the entrance of the alley. Just as he was about to turn to the street, two black figures suddenly came towards him in front of the lantern.

"Stop!"

The black shadow and loud shouts made the watchman tremble violently, and he almost dropped the lantern in his hand.

"The yamen is doing business, and those who are idle should stay away!"

One of the shadows continued.

In the light of the lantern, the watchman could see clearly that the two men in front of him were pawns wearing infantry armor and holding guns and knives.

The infantry uniform is black, which makes him look like a shadow.

Looking at the tall and strong figures of the two pawns, the watchman hurriedly bowed: "Yes, yes, the villain knows."

As he spoke, the watchman hurriedly walked in the opposite direction.

After walking a dozen steps and looking back, the watchman discovered that there were two rows of torches dozens of steps behind the two warriors.

Under the bright firelight were a group of capable pawns.

The watchman stared at this scene dumbfounded, not even noticing the cold wind blowing into his mouth.

After fighting for many years, he knew that it was the mansion of the aristocratic Gao family, otherwise he would not have walked over quickly when he heard the dog barking.

What he was thinking in his mind was that if he found anything strange related to the Gao family, he might give him a warning, and he might be able to get a reward for drinking.

As if aware of the watchman's gaze, a pawn under the torch turned his head and looked over.

Feeling the gaze that was colder than the surrounding air, the watchman quickly turned around and walked forward quickly, swallowing the cold saliva in his mouth.

in front of the gate,

The torchlight illuminated the stone lions on both sides of the door.

Under the eaves of the gate are carved beams with auspicious meanings, and the word "Gao" on the hanging plaque flickers in the firelight.

"唏伦~"

A horse was halted,

The knight who was too cold dismounted sideways,

After stamping his feet, the knight stepped across the threshold made of exquisite materials, passed the open heavy door, and passed two rows of warriors standing in the courtyard holding torches.

The partition in the main hall, which should be closed tightly on winter nights, is now wide open. After passing through, you can see the firelight on the other side.

Entering the inner courtyard,

The knight stopped in front of the main hall with the door wide open, and then stepped into the house after the announcement.

There was a fire burning in the house, and even though the door was open, it was still much warmer than outside.

Feeling the somewhat heated cheeks and the vague smell of blood, the knight bowed and handed over to the person under the candlelight behind the table: "Master, those who escaped have already left the city."

The person behind the table held a piece of letter paper in his hand, raised his head and said in a deep voice: "Where did you escape?"

"Back to the boss, it's different from what we thought. It's heading west."

"Um."

The knight finished his report and stood aside.

The person behind the table stood up, held the letter in hand and walked aside.

Passing around a screen, here stood a group of people kneeling in pajamas, tied up and shivering with runny noses and cold clothes.

There were old and young among these people, some had ropes tied in their mouths, some had red and swollen cheeks, and their teeth were all smashed, which is where the bloody smell came from.

Zhaotaifeng walked up to a person, knelt down and looked at the rich middle-aged man in front of him, and said: "Master Gao is really filial! Your mother worshiped Buddhism and was bewitched by a spy from the Northern Liao Dynasty. You, your son, didn't stop her. Instead, he surrendered!"

"Is what you have done worthy of your ancestor who entered Zhaoxun Pavilion?"

The middle-aged man's mouth was full of blood, and he said in a trembling voice: "Sir, sir, we are also being coerced! That Bei Liao spy is pinching my family's shortcomings. If we don't do it, they will accuse us of colluding with Bei Liao. We It’s out of necessity.”

There was a sarcastic smile on Zhao Taifeng's lips: "In the past few years, the father and son of your two families were forced to get together?"

"This is me."

The middle-aged man didn't say anything, but an old woman with messy silver hair who was slumped behind him spoke.

This old woman took good care of herself, but her eyes were a little devilish. She stared at Zhaotai Peak and said in a crazy tone:

"What do you, a stubborn thief who deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell, know? My son is merging with Maitreya Monk to explore what the future will look like!"

"Then the Kingdom of Jin will be trampled to pieces by the Northern Liao cavalry, and then turn around to deal with you! By then, my Gao family will be one of the most powerful families!"

Zhaotaifeng frowned and said, "Oh? Isn't your Gao family a wealthy family in the Great Zhou Dynasty? Is the gold mine given to your family producing stones?"

The old woman continued to stare at Zhaotaifeng and asked: "A high family? What kind of high family is it if you leave Bianjing? If it hadn't been for my dizzy parents-in-law who insisted on returning to Laizhou, how could the Gao family have fallen into this state?" To this extent? Even the gold mines given by the late emperor were given to the second room!"

Looking at the old woman, Zhaotaifeng looked at the people in the room and said to the middle-aged man with a mouth full of blood: "Back then, when your Gao family moved to Laizhou, I was still a child and didn't understand Boss Gao. Why do people insist on returning to their hometowns?”

"But looking at the daughter-in-law of Mr. Gao of your family today, I understand! Mr. Gao sees far! He is afraid that you will cause trouble in Bianjing, but hey! A good daughter will prosper for three generations. This Gao family of yours Now you look like you are harming three generations!"

"Nonsense! You stubborn prisoner! You are talking nonsense!"

As soon as Zhao Taifeng finished speaking, the old woman stood up suddenly, screamed angrily, and wanted to hit Zhao Taifeng.

But as soon as she stood up, she fell to the ground and was gagged by an official from the Imperial City Department.

The middle-aged man with a mouth full of blood looked back, took a few steps with his knees, and said urgently: "Sir, sir, listen to me, I. I have a way for you to make a fortune, a big fortune."

"Only I know this news, no one else in the Gao family knows."

As soon as these words came out, the other members of the Gao family in the room looked at the middle-aged man in surprise.

Zhaotaifeng's face was full of interest: "Oh! Your mother doesn't know, either?"

The middle-aged man looked at Zhaotaifeng's eyes and nodded repeatedly: "I don't know!"

"Okay, come and talk."

After Zhaotaifeng finished speaking, he walked out, and the middle-aged man was dragged out by two officials.

Come to the inner room on the other side of the main hall,

Zhaotaifeng looked at the head of the Gao family lying on the ground and said, "Go ahead."

The head of the Gao family raised his head and looked at the imperial city officials on both sides.

Zhaotaifeng waved his hand, and the capable officers exited the room.

"Sir, Sir, before, Bhikkhu Maitreya and I heard the bhikshuni say that King Yan had the spirit of an emperor, and my mother wanted her second cousin to become a concubine in Prince Yan's palace."

"But because the prince is healthy, the second brother disagrees. Even if the bhikshuni says that the prince will not live long, he is afraid that several princes will compete for the throne in the future. It will be disadvantageous for my Gao family to take sides too early! And because when my grandparents were here, the elders The two families were separated, so my mother thought of a way."

Looking up at Zhaotaifeng's expression, the leader of the Gao family ignored the pain in his mouth and continued:

"The first is to let the bhikshuni enter and leave the second room's house, and then find someone to ruin the reputation of the second room. The second is to reveal the whereabouts of my cousin's niece, giving King Yan the opportunity to kidnap the second room's girl. Mother will make the decision to let my cousin marry her. To Prince Yan."

"In this way, my nephews and nieces in the second house can't find good families, and my first house has the support of King Yan, so the gold mine will naturally return to the first house's name."

Zhao Taifeng's eyes were full of sarcasm and he said, "Aren't you afraid that your niece will be favored and cause trouble for you?"

The leader of the Gao family dodges his eyes but said nothing.

"Oh!" Zhaotaifeng nodded: "I must have the gold mine, and you have plenty of ways to send people down there."

"My lord, I am very impressed by your quick thinking and profound wisdom."

"What's the way to get rich? If something goes wrong with your gold mine, it's for the imperial court. How can I get rich?" Zhao Taifeng asked.

"Hey, sir, the way I mentioned is richer than a gold mine. When King Yan kidnapped my niece, he actually kidnapped the Chai family's legitimate daughter as well."

Zhao Taifeng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Nonsense, the daughter of the Chai family has been in Cangzhou and only came to Beijing two years ago. Why did you say she was kidnapped?"

"My lord, it is absolutely true!"

"After I revealed the whereabouts of my niece and nephew, my anxious mother urged me to inquire. As a result, when I arrived at the vassal territory of King Yan, I only got the news that King Yan had entered the capital."

"Later, King Yan passed away. Because of this, my mother was so frightened that she did not dare to leave the Buddhist temple, so we stopped. But the second wife only came back with my nephew and niece, and the accompanying servants were Don’t know anyone.”

"Seeing this, the villain knew something and used a trick to deceive his cousins, nephews and nieces. I knew it."

"How to cheat?"

The head of the Gao family was speechless for a moment.

"explain!"

"Uh, villain. He lied about knowing someone from the Imperial City Division."

Zhaotaifeng nodded: "Then why didn't we find anything related to your family in King Yan's secret room?"

"Sir, we have never interfered in these matters. They were all passed on by the bhikshuni in Beiliao."

"Sir, you have the leverage of the Chai family. As long as you reveal a little bit, the wealth of the Chai family will be much better than my family's gold mine!"

"Sir, I only want to trade this matter for my life. I am willing to exile or marry you as long as I don't die."

Zhaotaifeng said softly: "Then why don't you go to the Chai family to blackmail you?"

The face of the leader of the Gao family was bleeding and swollen, and his expression was stagnant.

"Have you told Beiliao about this?"

"The villain. The Emperor of Bei Liao personally asked, and the villain informed me."

A smile appeared on Zhaotaifeng's lips, and he nodded: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Gao, for explaining it! Your life can be saved through this matter."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" The leader of the Gao family was cocooning on the ground.

Zhaotaifeng: "Yeah! But we haven't thought about the fact that you asked the Beiliao people to use the marked gold nuggets to track me down and set up an ambush for me."

The eyes of the leader of the Gao family were full of fear, and he felt a heat in his crotch, and his soul came out of his body: "My lord, it's not me, it's..."

The first quarter of the hour (7 a.m.)

The sky is bright,

The elite archers standing on the roofs around Gao's house were slowly coming down from the roof to take their shifts.

When passers-by saw the street entrance guarded by tough soldiers, someone raised their head and said, "Master, what's going on?"

"Some pirates from the defeated Northern Liao army entered the city and plundered the Gao family last night!"

Hearing this, everyone looked surprised and scared.

"Ouch~ Are the Gao family okay?" someone asked.

The warrior shook his head: "Their big house is all gone."

The onlookers exclaimed.

At this time, two horses came over with white breaths.

One of the knights, whose body was covered with morning frost, pointed to the gate of the Gao family and said, "You will know at a glance whether the master is here or not."

Another knight who was also dusty nodded.

Soon, the two entered the heavily guarded Gao family through the communication.

In the courtyard,

Standing in the room were the trusted officials of Zhaotai Peak.

Zhaotaifeng was sitting on a chair. When he was unpacking the bamboo tube and unfolding the letter, he raised his head, looked at the Imperial City Cavalry Army who was bowing in front of the table, and asked doubtfully: "Where do you think the urgent report came from?"

"Back to the boss, the pigeons from Bianjing have arrived in Weizhou!"

Zhaotaifeng: "That means the pigeons sent from Weizhou to Dengzhou have been released. Did you take the land route to ensure that the message was delivered?"

"Yes! The villain met our colleagues from the Imperial City Department on the road and said that you were in the city, so he entered the city."

"Well, let's go down and warm up."

The cavalrymen saluted and retreated.

Zhaotaifeng nodded and looked at the letter in his hand.

Looking at Zhaotaifeng's face, the subordinate on the side asked doubtfully: "Chief, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the cavalry?"

Zhaotaifeng shook his head and said: "No! The letter said that Yongyi Hou Xu Jiawulang will follow the Dong family's funeral team north to Beizhou today."

The confidant on the side asked in confusion: "How are the Dong family and Xu family related? They actually want to send their legitimate son to follow!"

Zhao Taifeng shook his head: "Junior brother said that Xu Jiawulang came into the palace last night. His Majesty was originally in a bad mood that night, but Xu Jiawulang also said something strange about Beizhou Tong's death, which made His Majesty angry. A temper."

"So, His Majesty ordered Xu Jiawulang to go to Beizhou and let him see with his own eyes whether there is anything fishy about what he said!"

The cronies on the side widened their eyes: "Huh? This winter is so cold, Wu Lang is going to suffer!"

"It just so happens that the released Northern Liao spy went west. Let's head towards Qizhou (today's Jinan)."

"Yes, chief!"

When everyone in the Imperial City Department was handing over to the Laizhou government office,

There are also horses entering the city from the east,

He came from Dengzhou to deliver the letter, and the content was the same as what Zhaotai Peak had seen.

Yin Shizhengji (after four o'clock in the morning)

Xingguofang,

Ningyuan Hou Mansion,

inner courtyard,

Gu Tingye sat at the dinner table, stirring the meat porridge in the bowl with a spoon in his hand.

After glancing at his sister-in-law Pingmei, who was looking sad, his eyes turned to his father Gu Yankai and his mother Bai Shi.

Pursing his lips, Gu Tingye opened his mouth to speak, but looking at Gu Yankai's stern expression, he suppressed his words.

Gu Tingyi sat aside, his expression changing with his brother Gu Tingye's movements.

Seeing that Gu Tingye wanted to speak, her eyes relaxed; then seeing her brother shut his mouth again, Gu Tingyi had a hesitant look in his eyes.

Gu Yankai stood up, took the handkerchief handed over by Grandma Chang, wiped his mouth, and said in a deep voice, "Well, I'm going to court."

Bai quickly stood up and walked aside, and together with Aunt Chang helped Gu Yankai put on his winter clothes.

"I'm full too." Gu Tingye stood up and said.

The father and son put on their winter clothes and walked to the door.

Looking at Mr. Bai who was following him, Gu Yankai waved his hand and said, "It's cold at the door, so don't follow me."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Bai lowered his head and responded. After raising his head, he looked at Gu Tingye who followed him out with some worry in his eyes.

It's still early, the morning is dark,

Fortunately, lanterns have been hung on the verandah along the way out.

Gu Yankai held his hands behind his back and led his relatives around. Hearing the footsteps behind him, he said, "I thought you stopped exercising this morning."

Gu Tingye hurriedly walked a few steps and came to Gu Yankai's side: "No, father, I want it in the morning. Father, I"

"A man, just say what you have to say, why are you so coy?" Gu Yankai stopped, with a scolding tone in his voice, "Is this what the academics taught you in school?"

Gu Tingye stood in front of his father. Although he was not very old, he was already slightly taller than his father, Gu Yankai.

Gu Tingye pursed his lips and bit his back teeth tightly, bowed and said, "Father, I want to go to Beizhou with Brother Jing!"

After speaking, Gu Tingye raised his head and glanced at Gu Yankai.

"Hmph! You are quite well informed! I thought you would leave without saying goodbye and follow me secretly!"

Gu Tingye pursed his lips, he had this plan.

"No." Gu Yankai started to walk forward.

"Ah? Father, why!"

"Why? Think more about your mother! In such weather, can she feel relieved when you go out? Besides, we don't know the situation over there yet!"

The father and son talked as they walked.

"Father, you often say that I lack experience, but today I want to go to practice but you stop me! Why can't I go when Brother Jing goes? Am I worse than him or something?"

Hearing this, Gu Yankai's eyes showed slight approval, but they quickly covered his eyes. He stopped and looked at his youngest son.

Gu Tingye continued:

"Father, Brother Jing went to the northwest battlefield, wouldn't Aunt Sun be worried at that time?"

"The Guangrui Army under your command is stationed in the north! Beizhou is still within the territory of our Great Zhou Dynasty. If my son dares not go here and cannot go, do you want your son to be a cucumber that has never seen blood for the rest of his life!?"

"Brother Jing can go deep into Bai Gao and risk his own life to save his eldest brother. I know this but I don't accompany him! Being ungrateful and greedy for life and fear of death is not what a member of the Gu family does!"

Gu Yankai looked at his little son who was clenching his fists and his chest was heaving. He tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth and said in a deep voice:

"snort!"

"Let Gao Puyu follow you. If you delay, I will come back and break your legs."

After saying that, Gu Yankai strode forward.

The chief at the side, Sui Qisheng, raised his head towards Gu Tingye with a surprised look on his face, smiled, cupped his hands, and quickly followed.

Outer courtyard,

After getting on the carriage, no one saw Gu Yankai in the dim carriage, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Gu Tingye’s courtyard,

Grandma Chang and Pingmei supported Bai, looked at Gu Tingye who was packing his bags, and said with a worried look:

"Brother Ye, otherwise we won't go! It's freezing cold, aren't you suffering!"

"The same goes for Mr. Marquis, and I won't stop you at all! You are still a child!"

Gu Tingye looked back at his mother Bai, who looked worried, and said, "Mother."

Bai took a deep breath and said firmly: "It's time to go! Brother Jing is younger than you. He went to the northwest, so you will go to Beizhou too!"

"You have been practicing martial arts for so many years, but if you don't see real swords and spears, you are just showing off! You should go."

As if to convince herself, after Bai said "should go" twice, she said to Gu Tingye's female envoy: "Give me your tears, what does it look like!"

Ping Mei, whose face was full of apologies, said to Mr. Bai, "Mother-in-law, I, I shouldn't have asked my father-in-law to write a letter to the Gu family, otherwise I wouldn't have let Sister Yi listen to it and tell Erlang."

Mrs. Bai patted Pingmei's hand: "Brother Jing went to the northwest to rescue Erlang's eldest brother. He should accompany him this time! We don't have any relatives fighting for our family. When our family is needed, our family can stand by and watch."

Pingmei pursed her lips and nodded repeatedly: "Yeah! Actually, mother-in-law, they just went to Beizhou to have a look, and they are still under our rule, Da Zhou! We shouldn't be like this."

Gu Tingyi, who was behind the three of them, nodded repeatedly.

Ch'en hour (after seven o'clock in the morning)

Northwest of Bianjing,

Xinfengqiumen,

The red sun will appear on the horizon.

Xu Zaijing, Qingyun and Alan walked out of the doorway with a flat carriage and a horse and a man.

After crossing the bridge over the Hulong River,

Xu Zaijing saw Gu Tingye, Zhao Meifeng, He Guan and others beside the bridge.

Xu Zaijing, the men led by He Guan, Zhaomeifeng and the others knew that,

But Gu Tingye and the others were unexpected.

As he rode his horse forward, Xu Zaijing cupped his hands and said, "Erlang! Brother Gao! What are you doing?"

Gu Tingye looked proud: "Brother Jing, I will accompany you to see the world this time!"

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded, then he said apologetically to He Guan and Zhao Meifeng, "This time."

He Guan pointed at Xu Zaijing and said loudly: "Hey, Wulang, you have to think clearly about what you are saying! You will save yourself from being beaten by us."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Then I have nothing to say."

"Hahahaha!" Zhaomei Feng patted his shoulder.

When everyone was about to set off,

Rong Xian chased him out on horseback. Both he and his mount were breathing heavily: "Oh, I'm exhausted! Hey, brother Jing, this is a list of people who are close to me and my family in Hebei Province. You can use it as you like."

After Xu Zaijing thought for a while, he reached out and took it: "Thank you, Concubine Rong, for me."

Rong Xian smiled and nodded repeatedly.

After setting off for a while,

He Guan walked to Xu Zaijing and said softly: "Your Majesty and Your Majesty, please tell me to tell you, Wu Lang, that you have been wronged."

Xu Zaijing smiled and shook his head: "No grievance, I hope nothing happens in Beizhou!"

He Guan also laughed.

Chai family,

Autumn Sound Garden.

I don’t know when,

Chai Zhengzheng also has an exquisite large vat in his house.

There are also extremely beautiful fish swimming in the tank.

The fish swim,

The reflection of the noble lady beside him shook.

A burst of fish food was sprinkled down, and the reflection shook even more.

"Girl." Yun Mu's voice sounded behind Chai Zhengzheng.

"Has the message been sent?"

"Yes, girl, I sent it to the store in Beizhou at full speed without sacrificing power. News was also sent to our stores around Beizhou."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded.

outside the city,

Xu Zaijing, He Guan and others looked at the distance, and the knights who passed them ran away with all their strength, bringing with them a burst of snow and fog, and looked at each other.

With an excited look on his face, Gu Tingye rode his horse to Xu Zaijing's side: "Brother Jing, what is that for? Aren't you afraid of killing the horse?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head in confusion: "Maybe there is something urgent!"