Fu Tang

"You...you tell me, I can handle it!" Li Congjia took a deep breath, feeling that Shi Xueting even did something like robbing people in public, and he wouldn't feel so bad if he did something else. Strange.

Seeing Li Congjia's face as if he was facing a formidable enemy, Shi Xueting flashed a smile in his eyes: "It's nothing, but I asked Shi Shilang and Wu Niang to take people out of the customs first."

After hearing this, Li Congjia breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, this one, didn't we discuss about going out a long time ago, it's nothing."

Shi Xueting hesitated a little and continued, "But...something went wrong."

"What's the trouble?"

"After leaving Jiayuguan, we met Ganzhou Uighurs."

Li Congjia frowned when he heard this. He tried to think back and found that the Western Regions were also in chaos at this time. In the flames of war.

It seems that the whole world is at war. In this sensitive period, a team of more than 2000 people is not small. Some tribes of those ethnic minorities even have only one-tenth of their population.

It is normal for such a huge team to attract the attention of others.

Li Congjia asked casually, "A fight started?"

Shi Xueting also nodded unexpectedly, Li Congjia felt a little helpless, and just asked, "Did you win?"

"It's not a win or a loss, but they've been repulsed anyway."

Li Congjia asked: "What happened later? Just because of this matter, what's there to be angry about?"

Li Congjia always felt that Shi Xueting didn't tell him something. They had known each other for so long, and it was impossible for the other party to know something that made him really unhappy, so this kind of question and answer... probably something really happened. troublesome thing.

Shi Xueting continued: "I don't know if you have ever been outside the pass. That place... was full of wind and sand, and it was not a suitable place to live. Later, we walked all the way to the Kunlun Mountains and found a valley with a source of water. come down."

"Isn't that good?" Li Congjia raised his eyebrows and said, "What happened later? It's not like you to hesitate like this."

Shi Xueting sighed and said: "The problem is that outside the customs, gold is worthless."

Li Congjia was at a loss: "Huh?"

"Yes." Shi Xueting said: "It's all gold and silver transactions now, and gold and silver are worthless. Before that, it was food and water. The gold and silver that can buy a lot of food in the customs may only be able to buy a few dozen people outside the customs. We are full, the supplies we brought... are not enough."

Li Congjia had never thought of this matter, but in fact, when Li Congjia let them go, he didn't bring much. After all, the gold and silver that the more than 2000 people got back then cost almost the same.

Li Congjia asked, "Didn't you find the treasure?"

Shi Xueting sighed softly: "I don't dare to let others know, but I can't see it myself, not to mention that even if I can see it, it will take time, and I always think of other ways in a short time."

Li Congjia felt that he seemed to be asking the main point until now: "So what did you do?"

Shi Xueting coughed lightly and said: "That's how it is. The place we were looking for was originally a colony of horse thieves. Those horse thieves had no eyes and wanted to snatch our advance team, but we took them down instead. Later... Later, Yang Xin said that they had a lot of money, so I asked them...to become horse thieves too."

"What?" Li Congjia looked at Shi Xueting in disbelief: "What did you say? Say it again, I didn't catch it."

Shi Xueting was also a little embarrassed, but still bit the bullet and said: "Now the Jinghuai army is led by Shi Shilang and Wu Niang, and they are acting as horse thieves."

Li Congjia didn't speak for a long time, his eyes were full of despair. He thought that being a bandit leader for half a year was the end of his life, but he didn't expect... there was something more exciting waiting for him.

The most deceitful thing is that although he occupied the bandit's stronghold back then, he never robbed anyone from the beginning to the end. Now Shishilang is really leading his men to become horse thieves.

When Li Congjia thought that he had changed from a bandit leader to a horse thief leader, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

Shi Xueting also seemed to sense the despair in Li Congjia's body, and quickly said: "We have never robbed Han people."

Oh, then you are great.

Li Congjia thought blankly, he has already been robbed, who is the point?As soon as he thought that in the future history books, Li Yu's biographies would say that he had been a bandit and a horse thief, he couldn't help but want to cry bitterly, and wanted to erase this paragraph. The only thing he could do was to become the emperor himself. Then all these historical materials were deleted when the history was compiled.

Just when Li Congjia was disheartened and didn't want to talk, Shi Xueting said: "There is a ruined temple in front, let's go there and make a living for the night."

Li Congjia followed the past listlessly. After entering, Li Congjia saw Shi Xueting took a package from the beam of the ruined temple, and then calmly changed into a monk's robe. ?”

Shi Xueting nodded lightly: "I can't run too far at night. This place is relatively remote, and the pursuers may not be able to find it."

Li Congjia laughed: "You are really thorough in your preparations, why didn't you notify me in advance?"

Shi Xueting explained: "The move of the capital was too sudden, and this plan is also a temporary decision. The opportunity is fleeting, and there is not so much time."

Li Congjia watched him light the fire silently, without saying anything else. Shi Xueting looked at him silently, knowing that it might be a blow to him if his subordinates went to be horse thieves, so he had to change the subject: "The king asked before Why did my master change his temperament? I can only say that power and money can really confuse a person."

Li Congjia's attention was indeed attracted: "But, before you led the troops, he didn't react that much."

Shi Xueting chuckled: "His point is not that I lead troops, but that I am out of his control."

Li Congjia frowned: "But when you were hunted down by Zhou Guo before, didn't you also separate?"

Shi Xueting lowered his eyes and said: "Yes, but because at that time, he hadn't changed, and later he had tasted the taste of power and money, even he was not exempt, several times he wanted me to fetch the treasure, but I disagree."

Li Congjia's eyes widened slightly: "Master Qingsong, after all, he can be regarded as a generation of eminent monks and great virtues, how could...couldn't withstand the temptation of Qian Quan?"

Shi Xueting shook his head, it was obviously difficult to accept, Li Congjia was very curious about what happened between him and Shi Qingsong, but he held back from asking.

Shi Xueting really respected him as a master, otherwise he would have been safe after fleeing to Southern Tang, and there was no need to sell himself just for the chance to save Shi Qingsong and the others, but he never expected to become like this today.

Li Congjia thought about it for a while, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Your master shouldn't know the treasure map on your back, right? He didn't go to get it, is there... something unspeakable?"

Shi Xueting looked up at Li Congjia quietly and said, "No, only I can take out that treasure. If I die, even if someone gets the treasure map, they won't be able to take out the treasure."

Li Congjia was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Shi Xueting shook his head: "I don't know too well, I only know this one, maybe it has something to do with my background."

"Birth...life experience?" Li Congjia wanted to ask, but didn't dare to ask.

Shi Xueting came to Shaolin Temple when he was young, so there must be some big change in his family, and the treasure map on his body, wait... wait... The treasure map on his body is said to be the treasure of Li Tang's royal family, could it be...

Seeing Li Congjia's expression, Shi Xueting said slowly, "Does Your Majesty know the story about the thirteen stick monks saving Tang King?"

Li Congjia nodded: "I know."

Shi Xueting nodded: "My master and the others are the apprentices of the thirteen stick monks who protected Tang King back then. This branch has protected important figures in Li Tang's royal family for generations, even in the Great Tang Dynasty. After the annihilation, the Li family's inheritance was also kept alive."

Li Congjia came to a sudden: "So that's the case, could it be that you..."

Li Congjia originally wanted to say, are you the monk of this generation who was chosen to protect the descendants of Li Tang?

In the end, I heard Shi Xueting say: "That's right, I am the descendant of the Li family who are protected by them."

Li Congjia: I really... never expected it.

Seeing Li Congjia's shocked expression, Shi Xueting smiled and said, "Didn't you expect that? We are still somewhat related."

"No." Li Congjia blurted out: "My family should not be Queen Wu."

Shi Xueting didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and didn't know whether to praise Li Congjia for his straightforwardness, or criticize their family for posting about other people's ancestors.

Li Congjia came back to his senses, with a slightly embarrassed face: "Then what do you think?"

Shi Xueting was inexplicable: "What idea?"

Li Congjia tilted his head and said, "Didn't you say before that the treasure was prepared by the Li Tang royal family for the descendants to restore the country. Since you are a descendant of the Li family, then...do you want to restore the country?"

Shi Xueting was silent for a while, with a little confusion in his eyes: "I don't know."

Li Congjia didn't speak, just waited quietly for him to speak, after a while Shi Xueting said: "It's too difficult, Zhou Guo has become a big trend now, I'm afraid it's..."

"Guo Rong is not in good health, I'm afraid it will be the past two years. I have to say that Guo Rong is indeed a very good emperor. If he lives for two more years, the world may really belong to him. It's a pity... he After all, there is no such fate. As for his son... His son is only four years old now. If he was okay in peaceful times, in today's troubled times, ascending to the throne is just a puppet, and he might be forced to abdicate at any time. I went to find his father after a glass of poisoned wine, so if you want to, there is always a chance."

Shi Xueting said seriously: "But where is the foundation of Zhou Guo, and whoever can abolish Chai Zongxun and ascend to the throne is probably not a good person."

Li Congjia said with a smile: "There will definitely be many people staring at that seat. Wouldn't it be good to find a way to split it up? The demise of a country is often not due to the invasion of foreign enemies, but due to internal strife."

Shi Xueting raised his eyebrows: "So, Your Majesty is not afraid of dying?"

Li Congjia said that your question is too sharp, I need to think about it.

The result after thinking about it was that Li Congjia said happily: "Even if we don't make a move, there will always be a move. Do you think the Hou Shunan Han will sit and wait for death?"

Shi Xueting thought that this was really the case, finally he could only sigh and said: "We'll talk about the future, let's talk about it now that we have a firm foothold in the Western Regions."

Li Congjia's face froze, thinking that a firm foothold meant that he would become a horse thief leader in the past, he couldn't help feeling sad, and almost choked up: "When we go back and the arrangements are almost done, let's go find the treasure."

Shi Xueting looked at Li Congjia with a smile and asked, "Your Majesty has finally made up his mind?"

Li Congjia said tearfully: "I think if everyone becomes a horse thief, I'm afraid they will starve to death. None of our soldiers... can ride a horse."

Shi Xueting finally couldn't help laughing out loud, Li Congjia was right, if he really relied on the soldiers under his command to become horse thieves, he might not be able to rob anyone, but it wasn't because they were taken by them in the first place horse thief?

Anyway, they are all going to be horse thieves, and the original leaders have been chopped off. What else can they do besides being honest?What's more, the new leader is more lenient than the original one, and the money distributed to them will be more than the original one every time. Over time, those horse thieves live happily under the leadership of Yang Xin and Tian Wuniang.

After Li Congjia heard Shi Xueting's words, he was funny and helpless, so he had to say: "Forget it, let's talk about it when I go over, these days are also hard for you, hey, you, you should discuss it with me, at least let me Bring out some of the gold and silver at home, even if it is not much, it will last for a while."

Shi Xueting looked at the fire and said: "It doesn't matter if you don't bring it, I also made a temporary decision. I just wanted to meet the king, but I didn't expect to catch the opportunity."

Li Congjia said: "Don't call me Dawang, otherwise when I leave the customs, your name will reveal my identity."

"Then what should I call it?" Shi Xueting jokingly said, "Should I go to the village and do as the Romans do, and call you the leader?"

leader?Li Congjia was stunned for a moment, and then realized that it was probably the horse thief's name for the leader of the horse thief, and he couldn't help but said dumbly: "Whatever you want."

His subordinates are all horse thieves, what else can he be if he is not the leader of the horse thieves?

Shi Xueting smiled lightly and said, "It's more customary to call Mr. Lang."

Li Congjia looked at Shi Xueting's face that looked more and more warm under the firelight, and reached out his hand to lift Shi Xueting's chin like a ghost, and said, "My concubine can shout whatever she wants."

Shi Xueting was not angry when he was molested, he just said: "The king's concubine is in Kunlun Mountain."

Li Congjia didn't see Shi Xueting's face changing, so he withdrew his hand regretfully and said, "Go to sleep, we have to go on the road tomorrow."

Naturally, Shi Xueting did not object.

Li Congjia originally thought that he might not be able to sleep that night. After all, what happened today was too exciting, and Shi Xueting brought him a lot of information. He didn't sleep well these days, or he returned to Jiangning Mansion I haven't slept very well until now, so I'm afraid I will have insomnia tonight.

As a result, he never expected that he would fall asleep lying there in a situation where there was only a cloak spread on the ground, which was so hard that he didn't even have a pillow.

When he woke up the next morning, it was already daylight. Li Congjia sat beside the extinguished fire and thought about it for a while, and finally thought that maybe the sandalwood on the cloak was more soothing.

Shi Xueting had already woken up, and somehow got a bunch of steamed buns for breakfast.

"I bought it in the county seat." Shi Xueting said, "I have a guide prepared by the king."

Only then did Li Congjia remember that the first thing he did after he returned to Southern Tang was to get someone to identify the people under his command, including household registration and road guides.

So, the current situation is that he was suddenly taken away as a black householder, while Shi Xueting was an upright monk. Thinking back when Shi Xueting was a black householder by his side...it was really a turn of events.

After eating and going on the road, Li Congjia looked at their only horse and said, "Is this not possible?"

Shi Xueting led the horse and said: "Your lord called me my concubine last night, so you won't even share a horse today?"

Li Congjia couldn't laugh or cry, Shi Xueting, you have changed, you can tease people!

I don't know if it's because the biggest secret in my heart has been revealed, or because I don't have to live in the shadow of Southern Tang or Zhou Guo, anyway, Shi Xueting's eyebrows and eyes are stretched now, without the gloomy look before, and his beauty has increased several times percentage point.

Li Congjia said helplessly: "Even if I am willing, the horse is not willing."

Although this horse is strong, but if he really let him carry him and Shi Xueting all the way to the outside of the pass, it is estimated that the horse will lie down and die immediately if it finds out.

Shi Xueting seemed to know Li Congjia's concerns and said, "I can't take this horse with me. We'll go to Shuzhou to buy it after crossing the river."

After Li Congjia heard about Shuzhou, he sighed slightly: "That's fine, but at that time you were a criminal like me."

Shuzhou is now the territory of Zhou State, not only Shuzhou, but the fourteen prefectures of Huainan fell into the hands of Zhou State just like in history.

Li Congjia's current Southern Tang Dynasty is really mourning his misfortune and angering him for not fighting, so he simply walked away and didn't want to care about it.

The two rushed all the way to the Yangtze River Port. They originally wanted to find a boatman to cross the river, but because of the frequent wars between the two sides of the strait, there are almost no boatmen crossing the river.

Li Congjia: I knew it would not be so easy to get out.

In desperation, Shi Xueting simply bought a boat.

When Li Congjia saw him dragging a boat back, he was dumbfounded: "What are you going to do?"

"Without boatmen crossing the river, we can only cross by ourselves."

Li Congjia couldn't help asking: "No...I just want to ask, who will row the boat? I don't know how to do it."

Shi Xueting smiled and said, "I will."

You can do it, brother, tell me what you can't do.

Shi Xueting looked at the sky and said: "The weather is fine these two days, let's cross the river in the afternoon, it's best to find a place where no one is around at night."

Li Congjia felt that this plan was too dangerous, but he couldn't come up with any other suggestions that were not dangerous, so he could only acquiesce. Fortunately, the weather has gradually warmed up, and the spring breeze is not too strong. Even if he crosses the river in the middle of the night, the boat will be blown over chances are much lower.

After Shi Xueting took Li Congjia across the Yangtze River with difficulty, they all the way to Shuzhou. Li Congjia took Shi Xueting's road guide directly. Fortunately, for convenience, Shi Xueting's road guide did not say that he was a monk. It's not written as a bald head either.

In terms of appearance description, except for those who have special characteristics, it is often difficult to tell whether this person is a fake or not. Li Congjia went into the city calmly, and then bought a bunch of dried meat and other non-perishable food and clothes. After buying two horses, I walked around and couldn't think of anything to buy, so I left the city.

Shi Xueting had been waiting for him for a long time, and the two of them rode their horses away from the patrol area of ​​Shuzhou City Guards and started galloping wildly.

This run lasted for more than ten days, during which the two of them almost lived in the wild. If Li Congjia hadn't bought clothes, the two of them would have become savages again.

Going west, it gets colder and more desolate, especially after leaving the customs, you can only see the vast Gobi, and often you can't see a single person after walking for several days.

Such a vast Gobi, when you see it for the first time, you may feel that your heart is open, but after a long time, people will fall into a kind of emotion that is difficult to extricate themselves, and become a philosopher, feeling that life is like this quicksand In general, time is fleeting and difficult to retain.

Of course, besides feeling this way, Li Congjia was thinking about whether his time travel posture was wrong. Otherwise, why would there be fewer days of stability and more days of escape?

After walking for a few days, Li Congjia couldn't help asking: "Are we going in the right direction?"

Shi Xueting said firmly, "That's right, don't worry."

Li Congjia looked around and asked in a daze: "However, there is not even a marker in such a place, how do you recognize the way?"

Shi Xueting turned his head to look at him for a while, and replied: "I have seen the map, and it is almost the same as the direction we are walking in."

Li Congjia was a little bit unconvinced, the maps these days couldn't be more rudimentary, with such a map coupled with the vast Gobi, Li Congjia almost felt that he and Shi Xueting might have to confess in this piece of yellow sand.

After walking like this for a few days, Shi Xueting saw that Li Congjia became more and more depressed and silent, so he had to comfort him all the time.

Li Congjia also knew that he was not in the right state. It might be the emotional disorder caused by the environment. He tried hard to cheer up but couldn't lift his spirits. The more I think about it, the more I feel that I am suffering, and I am almost crying out of aggrievedness.

Seeing that it was useless to say anything, Shi Xueting finally just hugged the person on his horseback. Although he knew that this was not right, he couldn't find any other way now. The only way to make Li Congjia feel that there are people around him accompany.

In any case, if there is someone beside him, he will not really fall into a gray mood and cannot extricate himself. Holding Shi Xueting's beautiful body and smelling the faint sandalwood on his body, Li Congjia's mood finally calmed down.

After walking like this for a few days, they finally saw someone.

When he saw a group of people riding horses whistling and galloping towards them in the distance, Li Congjia couldn't help holding the reins tightly and asked, "These people...can't be...are they horse thieves?"

Shi Xueting replied calmly: "It should be true."

Li Congjia this time... really wanted to cry, what evil did he do.