Taiping Inn

After several days, Li Xuandu and his group arrived at Sanhu County in Jiangling Prefecture. This county was named after three lakes in the territory. It is not far from Jiangling City. Because this place is dangerous, there are about a thousand people stationed there. The defenders were guarded by a guerrilla.

Don't underestimate the guerrillas of the third rank. For the people of a state, this is a big man like heaven. The governor who is in charge of the government affairs of a state is just a second rank. A third rank Qingluanwei Governor can let Lu The prefecture has been turned upside down, and even the seventh-rank magistrate is known as the "Horse of Baili". Therefore, these third-rank and fourth-rank chief officials are real local emperors in the local area. They can be said to have turned their hands into clouds and rain. There are also those who have been in business for decades, which are deeply rooted. It is not an exaggeration to say that they have one hand to cover the sky. Even the first and second-rank officials in the Imperial Capital may not have such majesty.

After Li Xuandu and his group changed a new road guide, they successfully entered the county town. Because this place is close to Jiangling, known as the "bridge of the Seven Prefectures", there are a lot of merchants and pedestrians, this county town has a bit of a mixed meaning, and is far from being as uncontested as Ping'an County. As soon as the three of them entered the city, they saw a group of strong-looking riders riding their horses, hanging their waists without any concealment, and there were bows and arrows and other objects on the backs of the horses that the court ordered to register in the yamen.

These people passed by Li Xuandu's carriage. After he walked away, Hu Liang said, "These people are from the Yuzhou Sanhui Escort Agency. They probably have around the Yuqi Realm, and they are already among ordinary e-mailers. It's pretty good. Have you seen those bows? The worst one is two stone bows, one stone is 120 kilograms, and its arm strength is comparable to that of the soldiers in the army's main camp."

Li Xuandu sighed: "Since ancient times, if there were peace and prosperity, the temple would have overwhelmed the world, and all the masters of the world would have been in the imperial court. Both civil and military officials would have been able to push forward the imperial family for more than a hundred years. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the six gates and eight masters, the thirteen Grandmasters of Qingluan Guards, made such a huge world of martial arts and rivers and rivers and lakes bent down. In the chaotic times, the world is better than the temple, and the court declines, and now the six gates are only big. With a few cats and kittens, Qingluan Guard is no longer as glorious as it was back then. It can be seen that the people in the martial arts world can even intervene in the battle for the throne. "

Hu Liang said, "The country is unhappy and poets are lucky. The world is generally like this. Where did the world come from in peace and prosperity? They all cultivate their own character, and only in troubled times can they see the world."

The little girl sat obediently in the deepest part of the carriage. When she heard the conversation between the two, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what are the six doors? Is it also a yamen?"

Li Xuandu explained: "Strictly speaking, there is no 'Six Gates' in the court. If there is no such thing as a yamen, it should refer to the general term of the three judicial departments, namely: the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple and the Supervision Bureau, among which The Ministry of Justice was the main one. In order to compete with Qingluanwei, who was still affiliated with the Grand Governor's Office, the Ministry of Justice established a secret agency to deal with cases related to the jianghu people with the support of the cabinet, because its headquarters hall faces north and southeast The doors are opened on the three sides of the west, and each side has a total of six doors, so they are called "Six Doors". The members are also called the headquarters "Six Doors" because of their secrets. The people in the six doors have strange actions, fierce means, and specialized in large numbers. The case, if you enter the yamen and leave the yamen, you are considered a figure in the yamen, and you also represent the yamen to monitor the yamen and have great power in the yamen. Therefore, you are despised by the jianghu people who do not serve the court, and your reputation is as good as the Qingluanwei. They are almost the same, they are regarded as hawks in the court."

Zhou Shuning asked curiously, "Since the Six Doors are so famous, why have I never heard of it before?"

Li Xuandu sighed lightly: "The Six Gates are directly obeyed by the Ministry of Justice, and are also controlled by the Dali Temple and the Supervision Bureau. These three yamen are all subordinates of the cabinet. To put it bluntly, the Six Gates are actually directly obeying the orders. The dispute between the Six Gates and Qingluan Guard was first a dispute between civil and military officials. Later, the military officer lost his power and became civil officials to control military generals. Then the Qingluan Guard became directly obeying the emperor, which became a dispute between the monarch and the ministers. If the monarch has a strong power, then Qingluan Guards pressed over six doors, and the power of the prime minister was strong, and the six doors pressed over Qingluan Guards. During the battle of the imperial capital, the six doors obeyed the cabinet, and the Qingluan Guards obeyed the orders of the Sili Supervisors, and the Sili Supervisors obeyed the orders of the Sili Supervisors. Empress Dowager Xie, now the empress dowager is in power, and the Six Gates are naturally suppressed. Among them, members are either dead or demoted or deposed. Now there is little news about Six Gates in the world."

Hu Liang interrupted, "As the saying goes, "the court hawks and dogs", Qingluan is a bird, so Qingluan guards are an eagle, so the six doors can only be a little aggrieved, be a "dog", one eagle and one dog, intimidating the world. In those years, how many people in the world who were self-reliant on their superior force died at the hands of both? After their death, their heads would be cut off and hung on the city to be displayed. Speaking of which, half of the people on the Taixuan List served in the court. Xu Shisong became the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, which is an example. Two of the 13th Grand Guards of Qingluanwei were listed on the list, which is also an example. However, these are all things in the past. Whose ancestors have not had a wealth of wealth? Today, Qingluan Whether it is a guard or a six door, it is no longer as powerful as it was back then.”

Because Zhou Shuning was deeply harmed by Qingluanwei, she was particularly sensitive to the three words "Qingluanwei" and asked again: "Who is Qingluanwei's 'Thirteen Taibao'?"

Li Xuandu said: "Since the Emperor Taizu of this dynasty established the Qingyi Department, all Qingluan Guards have elected the highest thirteen people, known as the 'Thirteen Taibao'. The thirteen seats have been passed down, and one of them has died. Maybe one left, and one was selected to add one. These thirteen people were well-known among the tens of thousands of Qingluan Guards, regardless of their position. The Qingluan Guards who died at Chengtian Gate back then, He is one of the thirteen people."

As they were talking, the group had already arrived at the door of an old inn in the downtown area, so they stopped talking about this matter and went into the store to ask the shopkeeper. Because of the frequent business trips, only the last two upper rooms were left.

Hu Liang and Li Xuandu discussed: "I will have one room by myself, so that it is convenient for drinking and avoid being suffocated by the smell of alcohol. Old Li and the girl will have one room for you to take care of each other."

Li Xuandu nodded and said: "I just want to urge Shu Ning to practice."

The little girl naturally had no objection.

After paying the room fee and coming to the room, the little girl obediently took off her embroidered shoes, sat cross-legged on the bed and entered into a state of meditation, circulating the Qi in the posture of five hearts facing the sky. This is her daily compulsory homework. The key to practicing is perseverance. Whether you are a person with excellent bones or a person with dull talents, you must adhere to the way of perseverance.

Li Xuandu sat beside the table, with his back to Zhou Shuning, pouring the tea from the teapot onto the table, then using his index finger to draw on the table, using simple lines to outline the sword moves. At the same time, the "Green Dragon" flew out from Li Xuandu's sleeves, following the sword moves drawn by Li Xuandu. It seemed to be light, but in fact, it was full of mysteries.

After about two hours, the sky was completely dark. Zhou Shuning woke up from her meditation, quietly turned on the light, and lay on the bed, holding her cheek and looking at Li Xuandu's back, in a daze.

Li Xuandu poured out all the water in the pot. When he reached out to pick up the teapot again, he found that it was empty. Then he came to his senses, put away the "Qingluan" and returned it to his sleeves. He let out a long breath, turned his head and looked at Zhou Shuning, and asked: "Shuning, what are you thinking about?"

The little girl came to her senses and replied: "I'm thinking about Xuannv Sect."

Li Xuandu joked: "Can't wait to go to Xuannv Sect?"

The little girl was immediately very nervous. She took a closer look at Li Xuandu. Seeing that he didn't mean to misunderstand, she was relieved and whispered: "I don't want to go to Xuannv Sect, I want to follow my brother."

Li Xuandu paused for a moment and remained silent.

The little girl hurriedly said, "I can take care of myself and won't drag my brother down."

Li Xuandu smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "The place I'm going to next is very dangerous. I'm afraid I can't protect you."

The little girl's expression suddenly became lost, and she said, "Then... I won't go. I'll listen to my brother and go to Xuannv Sect."

Li Xuandu said softly, "It's not a life-and-death separation. When I finish the things at hand, I will go to Yunv Peak of Xuannv Sect to see you."

The little girl nodded heavily, and her face became a little more energetic.

Li Xuandu joked, "In fact, Yu Qingning is a very good person. I'm just afraid that after you get familiar with her, you will forget your brother."

The little girl said loudly, "I won't!"

Li Xuandu couldn't help laughing, blew out the oil lamp on the table, and smiled, "Go to sleep."

The little girl turned over, just took off her coat, got into the bed, and soon fell asleep.

Li Xuandu just sat on the bench in front of the table, closing his eyes to rest.