Peerless Pirates

Xue Qimeng and Song Zheng both rode tall horses, heading all the way to Fengjie City to summon the latest chapter of the book. The horses were very tall, and at first glance they were not from Shu. Considering the relationship between Shu and Xixia, the origin of these fine horses is self-evident. It's a metaphor. However, such a magnificent horse should belong to the vast grassland. Nesting in this mountainous Fengjie is a bit "untimely".

Su Chan and Xiao Yun were sitting in a carriage, but the curtains of the carriage were hanging down. They seemed to have no interest in this mountain city. Even Song Zheng's deliberate greetings to her almost didn't respond, which made Song Zheng quite strange.

"Fengjie was named after Zhuge Wuhou. The first lord Liu Bei died, and Wuhou was ordered to come here. People in the Tang Dynasty named it Fengjie because they entrusted an orphan with their orders and could not take them away during the big festival. To the east of this place is the Qutang Gorge. Brother Song must have seen the beauty of the scenery."

Xue Qimeng was already convinced, and his attitude was naturally courteous. The arrogant Tanhua Lang disappeared and turned into a polite Shu diplomat, carefully introducing the natural scenery of Fengjie to Song Zheng.

"Yes, even if there are thousands of exquisite pens, it is difficult to describe the mountains on both sides of Qutang. Especially the steaming clouds and the rosy clouds, the cries of apes and the singing of kites are particularly touching. When I pass by, I always think about it, could it be that God has dropped a piece of fairyland in the human world?"

Xue Qimeng laughed, "Brother Song's words are interesting, but this scenery is true."

Song Zheng was also easy to talk to, and the two quickly became brothers.

During the chat, everyone entered Fengjie City. After walking towards this place and having a cup of tea, a tall mansion appeared in front of them. The mansion was built on the mountain and covered an area of ​​40 to 50 acres. The houses in the courtyard were scattered in an orderly manner. You can see it from outside the mansion. Especially one of the stone towers, built on the hillside, is seven stories high and has octagonal cornices piercing the sky. It is very impressive.

As soon as he got off his horse, a middle-aged scribe in green official uniform came out to welcome him. From a distance, he cupped his hands and said, "Scholar Xue, is this the envoy of Da Qi?"

Xue Qimeng said hurriedly, "Exactly, this is Lord Song Zheng, the envoy of Da Qi."

"I have admired you for a long time. I am Lou Jing, Magistrate of Fengjie County. I respect the orders of Your Highness and are here to greet you! Mr. Song and Mr. Xue, please come in quickly."

The Shu Kingdom had long known the composition of Song Zheng and his party. Others had already come over and took the escorting Daqi sergeants elsewhere. Su Chan was also taken to a courtyard not far away to rest. Zhang Chonghe Together with Zu Jie, he followed Song Zheng into the mansion.

Except for the main hall on the slope of the front door, the rest of the buildings in the mansion are cleverly arranged according to the mountain topography, and many flowers, plants and trees are planted. Even though it is autumn, they are still lush and green.

Lou Zhixian introduced Song Zheng into a nearby house and arranged for someone to serve him tea. "His Second Highness is in the martial arts field. Please sit down and wait a moment, Your Highness. I'll go down and invite Your Highness."

About a quarter of an hour later, Song Zheng heard the sound of many footsteps outside, and there was a faint sound of the friction of armor. Both Zu Jie and Zhang Chong couldn't help but lean towards Song Zheng. Song Zheng waved his hand, "It doesn't matter, I think it's His Highness the Second Prince. I just came back from the martial arts arena. I will be summoned soon."

Sure enough, a moment later, Lou Jing sent word that the second prince met the envoy in the main hall.

After adjusting his official uniform, Song Zheng, accompanied by Xue Qimeng, left the room and came to the steps at the entrance of the main hall. He saw eight tall sergeants standing on the steps above the door, holding long-handled knives and spears. The sharp blade shines brightly, and a murderous aura rushes towards the face.

Seeing this posture, Zu Jie and Zhang Chong quickly stepped forward and pressed against Song Zheng from the left and right. He said, "The envoy from Qi State has arrived!"

"Pass!" came a loud and majestic voice.

Song Zheng patted Zu Jie and Zhang Chong, "You guys stay here." After saying that, he stepped on the steps and walked towards the entrance of the palace step by step. His speed was neither fast nor slow, and he was calm and measured. Xue Qimeng was a little nervous. The fists in his sleeves were clenched, walking in sync with Song Zheng.

Passing by the eight tall sergeants, Song Zheng looked directly at the man in the middle of the hall without squinting. The man was twenty-five years old, but he had a half-foot-long black beard. He was wearing a scarlet court uniform with a four-claw embroidered on it. The golden dragon, with its mouth wide open, was pointing straight at Song Zheng. At this moment, the man was lowering his eyebrows and eyes, sipping tea, and had no intention of looking this way.

On both sides of the man, there were eight Shu generals in full armor sitting there with their hands on their thighs, looking at each other. No one looked in the direction of Song Zheng.

Song Zheng shook his head secretly, how could Lang Boyan have the same virtue as when he first met Xue Qimeng? He was setting up a battle to scare people? I have seen so many big shots, how could I be afraid of these?

With a slight cough, Song Zheng stepped over the threshold and said loudly, "Qi Envoy Song Zheng, please read the complete account of His Royal Highness the Second Prince of Shu's Journey to Xianxia!" After saying that, he took a few steps forward and bowed in a neither humble nor overbearing manner.

Lang Boyan took a sip of tea, put the cup aside, then raised his head and waved his hand casually, "No need to be polite, please take a seat. Mr. Xue, you will also sit down."

Someone quickly added a chair to the left and right next to him. Song Zheng thanked him and sat directly on the chair on the right.

"We, Shu and Qi, have not communicated with each other for a long time. I wonder why Mr. Song is here?" Lang Boyan still looked careless. After glancing at Song Zheng quickly, he picked up the tea again. It seemed that drinking water was a very important thing to him. Important things.

"The purpose of Mr. Song's visit, Mr. Fan, our military envoy on the right side of Shuguan, has been mentioned in the letter before. It is for the two countries Qi and Shu to negotiate an alliance and trade with each other."

"Covenant? Trade?" Lang Boyan laughed and said, "Daqi has sent troops to Shu several times since Taizu. The two sides have not been able to communicate with each other for many years. Why do you want to make an alliance with Shu now?"

"It's very simple. Fighting together will waste people and money, and it will be detrimental to both countries. If the two countries form an alliance, stop fighting each other, and check with each other whether there is any transportation, it will be a good thing for the country and the people."

"Oh! So that's it!" Lang Boyan looked at Song Zheng playfully, his eyes full of teasing.

Song Zheng was unmoved, still sitting on the chair with a sinking face.

"I heard that Daqi is attacking Daxia, my long-standing ally of Shu, but they sent envoys to Shu to make peace. Why do I feel something is wrong?"

Song Zheng said sternly, "The Dangxiang people occupied the territory of Guanzhong, our Han people, and repeatedly sent troops to provoke and attack our Daqi. It is only natural and right for our Daqi to use troops against Xixia. Moreover, this year there is a severe drought in Guanzhong and starvation is everywhere. Daqi is trying to save the Han people in Guanzhong." The people have to do it."

"Nothing..." Lang Boyan almost cursed. Song Zheng made a double entendre and used the conflict between the Han and the Dangxiang people to satirize Lang Boyan. You, the Shu Kingdom, are also Han people, but you allowed the Dangxiang people to ravage Guanzhong. You are really the scum of the Han people.

"How come I heard that the Jin Kingdom is also attacking Xixia? Isn't it ridiculous that the Qi Kingdom and the Jurchens are jointly tackling key problems?" Xue Qimeng recovered from the shock and quickly retorted.

"How is that possible when we jointly attack Guanzhong? We have made peace with the Jin Kingdom, and we have also increased border markets to exchange what we have, but how can we collude to use troops in Guanzhong? Guanzhong is hungry. For the Jin people, it is taking advantage of the situation, and we It is to save the people from fire and water, how can it be the same?"

"Master Song is so eloquent!" Lang Boyan chuckled, "No matter what, I still admire this eloquence."

"Your Highness, you are highly praised. I don't have any eloquence. I just have a righteous heart, so what I say will naturally make sense. As the saying goes, 'I know how to speak, and I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring spirit.'"

Lang Boyan laughed and said, "Sir Song, your awe-inspiring aura is quite powerful. I heard that you can exchange sentences with Academician Xue without falling behind?"

"I'm ashamed of my humble position!" Xue Qimeng quickly bowed deeply and his face turned red.

"Since ancient times, there has been no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Song Mou admires Brother Xue very much. Bashan Shushui is indeed a place where talents come out in large numbers." Song Zheng wanted to lighten the atmosphere. After all, from the moment he entered the palace, the atmosphere of the conversation had changed. It's not good. Although it was because of Lang Boyan's provocation, as a professional diplomat, he still has to strive for peace without being humiliated.

Song Zheng wanted to coexist peacefully, but Lang Boyan had no such plan. He raised his eyelids and said, "Speaking of martial arts, I think of it, it seems that Mr. Song is not only the number one scholar in literature, but also the number one scholar in martial arts. He is famous for both civil and military skills." .Since I and the generals under my command have the honor to meet Mr. Song, we must ask for advice on the style of the number one man in Da Qi."

"This... still don't want it? Song was walking along the way and was frightened by the rolling river water. Now he has not recovered. Let alone asking for advice, I am not even sure whether I can hold a knife." Although Song Zheng spoke softly, his body was very straight, the corners of his mouth were raised, and he had a sense of pride all over his body.

How could Lang Boyan fail to see Song Zheng's expression? A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he laughed again, "What Mr. Song said is really interesting. Anyway, I will hold a banquet for you tonight. Sir, please have a drink. Fan, please give me some advice tomorrow."

After saying that, without waiting for Song Zheng to answer, he stood up and walked out of the hall, looking very domineering.

The corner of Song Zheng's mouth twitched, and then he cupped his hands at Lang Boyan's back as if nothing had happened.

That night, Lang Boyan held a grand banquet, but the guests were all the local gentry, celebrities, literati and bachelors from Fengjie. None of the generals from the day were seen, which greatly surprised Song Zheng.

When a scribe drinks, he does not need to dance with a gun or a stick, but it is inevitable to fight with poems and deliver orders. After drinking a few drinks, Song Zheng also appeared to be frivolous, and he was very happy to talk about essays with Xue Qimeng.

When Lang Boyan was halfway through drinking, he left the banquet. After changing into black clothes, he, accompanied by two servants, secretly left the mansion through the back door and appeared at the entrance of another courtyard. Here, it was Su Chan's residence.

The sound of pipa came from the house, making people cry and complain. Lang Boyan stopped in the yard and stared at the window with candlelight.

"You asked me if my return date has not yet been announced. The night rain in Bashan floods the autumn pond. Why should we cut the candles from the west window together? There will be no more night rain in Bashan."

Li Shangyin's lyrical short chapter is lingering and pathos, and Su Chan added a melody to it, like a trickling stream, lingering and circling. A smile appeared on Lang Boyan's face. He took a few steps forward and was about to push the door open, but he heard

By the last sentence, he seemed to be immobilized and could no longer move.

That sentence was originally "but saying nothing when it rains at night in Bashan", but Su Chan changed two words, "but saying nothing" became "no more", and the longing in the poem also became absolute determination.

After a long time, he gritted his teeth and left the yard with a gloomy look on his face.