Those years when I climbed the wall

A mere three or four days, to Guo Kai, seemed as long as several years, especially when the news of the fire in the Li Palace in Yueyang Mountain came back.

Another cold night fell.

Sitting next to the porch, Guo Kai was absent-minded while holding the military book.Just at the time of chaos and sorrow, when I heard a soft knock at the door, I thought it was a boy who came to deliver water, but when I looked back, I was surprised—a face covered in thick pink!

When did a new maid come to the house? ?

"Brother!" The visitor stopped where he was, and it was a man's voice who spoke!

"Ah... Ah Jian?" Guo Kai hurriedly got up to meet him, looked him up and down, and frowned: "How did you do this?"

"I..." He smiled contemptuously, and dust fell from his face.

Guo Kai had an epiphany: "To avoid people?"

Nodding and tugging at the green skirt on his body, Guo Jian said that he seemed proud: "I was afraid that someone would watch outside, so I went back to the powder shop first, changed into Jinfu's clothes, and made light embellishments before I dared to come."

Glancing at the pink and white face that is better than three spring peaches and plums again, the corners of Guo Kai's mouth twitched: This is actually called "light embellishment"?But... Forget it, this moment is not the time to worry about unimportant things.Take him to the table and sit down, and get down to business: "Go back this time, have you seen the official family?"

Guo Jian was ashamed: "Never, I went that day, but was stopped at the gate of the other palace. The guards said that the official's family came here to recuperate, and no outsiders were seen."

Guo Kai was surprised: "Didn't you reveal your identity?"

"Of course!" The speaker resented, "I listened to Jin Fu's words, put on her and my palace clothes and went up the mountain to avoid people's eyes and ears. I only showed my identity to the guards when I arrived at the palace gate, but it was useless..." The elder brother was disappointed, and urgently said: "But I didn't return empty-handed! The truth of the fire case in the Li Palace has been found out now!"

"The truth?" Guo Kai's eyes lit up: "Quickly tell me, what's going on?"

Swallowing, Guo Jian took the teacup on the table, Guo Kai poured tea for him when he saw it, and drank two cups of warm tea at once to relieve his anxiety, he breathed a sigh of relief but said to himself.

On that day, Guo Jian was stopped outside the Li Palace and was not allowed to see him. He was unwilling to reconcile himself: once he got away in vain, it would be difficult to explain to his elder brother and princess when he came back!So he wandered in front of the door for half a day, thinking hard about the countermeasures, but he was also lucky: in case any acquaintance of the palace came out, he might ask one of them and lead him to see him.However, it didn't come true until the sun set, so I had no choice but to go down the mountain to find a restaurant in a nearby town to rest for a while, and talk about it the next day.Unexpectedly, the sky was dark and the mountain road had many forks. After walking for half a day, he knew that he had taken the wrong road before he reached the foot of the mountain. At that time, night fell, he was hungry and cold, and he was too tired to walk, so he had to sit down and rest on the spot. , Unexpectedly, after a while, several figures appeared on the cliff ahead!I thought I was dazzled, so I rubbed my eyes and looked again—it was true!Under the cold moonlight, as many as seven or eight figures are quietly climbing up the cliff!

This is weird!A few thoughts flashed through Guo Jian's mind, he didn't dare to move rashly or make a sound, he squatted carefully in the same place until those people went up, and then hurriedly got up and ran towards the place he came from - if his thinking is right, he will leave the palace tonight I'm afraid something will happen!

as predicted!

Before reaching the mountain gate, he saw the fire flashing in the palace, Guo Jian knew something was wrong, so he quickened his pace, and finally arrived at the gate, but the fire inside was already big, thick smoke billowed in his eyes, and the cries for help kept coming and going.The guards rushed to rescue each other, and Guo Jian also rushed inside.

Panicked palace people and guards can be seen everywhere in the palace.Guo Jian asked and groped all the way, and finally found the emperor's bedroom, but there was already a sea of ​​flames there!It was half an hour after the fire was extinguished, the sleeping hall was set ablaze, there were dozens of charred corpses inside and outside, and they never saw the official house, Guo Jian almost despaired.After several times of questioning, unexpectedly things turned around again, and I heard that the official family is not there!

"What? Not there?" Guo Kai was startled: "What do you mean?"

Guo Jian frowned: "At that time, I heard the inside story from the conversation of the palace servants. When I asked again, he kept his mouth shut. It seemed that he was covering up something."

After pondering for a while, Guo Kai turned the subject: "Those men in black, will you see them again after the fire starts?"

Speaking of this, Guo Jian still seemed afraid, and after thinking for a while before answering: "I haven't seen it again. However, according to the surviving palace man, he seemed to see a few black shadows before the fire started, but it is unclear whether they were those who climbed the cliff. Know."

"In other words," Guo Kai thought to himself, "everyone who clearly saw the face of the perpetrator that day was killed!"

"It should be like this." But sighing, Guo Jian closed his eyes.

"It's a medicine man!" After thinking about it, Guo Kai was decisive, "It seems that King Jia has lost his patience and is about to die!"

"Then what should I do?" Guo Jian trembled, his voice panicked: "I don't know where I am because I was born in an official family..."

"But luckily I'm fine." Sighing, Guo Kai got up and walked around twice, then said in a slow tone, "You've tried your best, so it's best to stay at home and rest, don't go out."

"However, when I appeared on Yueyang Mountain that day, I must have been in court..." Guo Jian expressed doubts.

"I will deal with external matters." Guo Kai turned his back, and his words were light but convincing.

It was a peaceful night.On the second day, the sun was covered by yellow clouds early in the morning, and before noon, a violent snowstorm came and swept back Yanjing City.

At dusk, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes on the empty street in the south of the city. Passers-by along the road only felt the wind pass by, and they looked up, and one person and one horse had gone away.

Going south all the way out of the new gate, turning the horse westward, walking for two quarters of an hour, and finally stopped in front of a cold nunnery.Get off the horse and enter the nunnery, the visitor whispers a few words to the welcoming little nun, and then enters.

The nunnery is not big, except for the Buddhist hall, there are only two or three guest rooms inside.Following Xiao Ni to a guest room, someone opened the door and entered.The lights in the room were dim, and there was no one there.The visitor was a little puzzled, seeing the curtain hanging down in front of him, and a vague figure lying half-lying on the couch behind, he strode forward.He opened the curtain with one hand, but before he could clearly see the person on the couch, he saw a sword shadow coming!His heart trembled, and before he could dodge, his throat tightened—he was strangled by an arm stretched out from behind!Immediately, a wet handkerchief was pasted on his mouth and nose, and a strange smell entered his nostrils. After several struggles, he finally lost consciousness.

I don't know how long it has passed, and when I woke up, my eyes were dark, and I found myself tied to a chair with my hands and feet.Knowing that it was a trick, but he could only blame his own carelessness, Zhao Yude had no choice but to look up and sigh.

"Zhao Duzhi woke up?" The voice of a nearby voice did not seem to be familiar.

Zhao Yude was at a loss: "Who are you?"

The other said mockingly: "Who am I, you really don't know?"

Zhao Yude was stunned: "If it's the enemy, since I'm here, I'll let my mother go. She's old and sick, so she can't be frightened!"

There were two chuckles in the dark: "Zhao Duzhi is really sincere and filial! Don't worry, Lingtang is still good, and the disease is just to urge Zhao Duzhi to come as soon as possible! But now you answer my question, and you will come here as soon as possible! You can safely leave with Lingtang."

"What's the matter?" The eyebrows tightened suddenly, and Zhao Yude thought a lot in his mind.

There was a bit of evil in that voice: "Guan, where are you?"

"That's why you arrested me?" Zhao Yude calmed himself down, and said calmly, "The official family is in Yueyang Mountain, everyone knows about it!"

There were two strange laughs, and the voice in the dark showed disdain: "Everyone Zhao knows what he said, so he just uses it to fool others. How can he fool the high officials?"

"High official?" Zhao Yude was puzzled, "Which high official?" He pondered: "He ordered you to arrest me for interrogation?"

He didn't say yes or no, but the other seemed impatient: "Zhao Du knows that the plan to attack Yueyang Mountain failed, and the high-ranking officials have been implicated. If you still persist in your obsession, you should know the consequences!"

"I said—" Zhao Yude's tone remained the same, and he paused every word: "The official's house is here, and Yueyangshan is here!"

"I said it too," the voice in the dark revealed angrily, "The high officials won't believe what you say!"

"What does it matter to me whether he believes it or not?" Zhao Yude sneered, "Why should I submit to please everyone in my life?"

There was a moment of silence.

The person in the dark opened his mouth again, as if to warn: "Zhao Du knows, my words have come to an end, if you are still stubborn, even if the high officials have the heart, they may not be able to protect you. King Jia is furious right now..."

"King Jia?!" Shocked, Zhao Yude interrupted him: "You mean King Jia? He...is the main messenger??"

After a short pause, there was a killing intent in his words: "Zhao Yude, life or death is only in one thought, so you can think about it!"

There was silence for a moment, Zhao Yude seemed to be thinking to himself.After a while, a heavy sigh shook the silence under the dark.

"The officials are here—" He spoke slowly, his voice was like still water, "Yueyang Mountain!"

"Zhao Yude!" shouted angrily in the dark, "You really are looking for your own death!"

There was a clanging sound, and the sword was unsheathed.The sound of footsteps coming from here, Zhao Yude closed his eyes.

After a slight cracking sound, his eyes lit up.Moving his hands and feet freely, Zhao Yude opened his eyes suspiciously, and saw a beautiful figure standing in the light!

"Zhao Duzhi, it's been a long time." The voice was pleasant, and the woman stepped forward...

An hour later.

Outside the Suzaku Gate, Qingfeng Pavilion, a brothel that attracts customers on the surface with women's charms, but actually takes care of men's style, at this moment is the time when it is welcoming and welcoming.

Guo Kai went into the hall and found an elegant room. After sitting down for a while, a man in green shirt pushed the door in and made a salute.Seeing that he is about seventeen or eighteen years old, he has beautiful features.Guo Kai nodded and smiled, and ordered him to sit down beside him, drinking and chatting and laughing together.However, this young man may not be able to bear the strength of alcohol, he became dizzy after three cups and two cups, he seemed to be unable to sit still at the moment, he just leaned against Guo Kai and laughed foolishly.

His eyes swept across the figure wandering outside the door, Guo Kai's mouth curled up, and an evil voice could be heard clearly from outside: "Since you can't drink, let's rest, don't miss the business!" After speaking, he helped the crumbling man to the bed .As soon as he entered the curtain, he quickly took off the youth's coat, put it on the couch, and then undressed himself...

A quarter of an hour later, a man in a green shirt came out from behind the curtain, his long hair loosened casually, half covering his face.He took a few quick steps and looked down from the open window. After confirming that there was nothing suspicious, he jumped out, grabbed the nearby tree trunk, and slid down the atrium from the height of the second floor without a sound.After passing through the path, he went up the corridor, went a few feet forward, and knocked on the door of a pavilion.

In the pavilion, one person sits alone, dressed in white towel and dressed as an official.

After closing the door, Guo Kai turned around and cupped his hands: "Princess said, Zhao Duzhi wants to see me?"

The other nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by laughter from the neighboring room.The cubicle was noisy, and music and human voices were mixed together, which was particularly ear-piercing.Guo Kai couldn't help frowning, and took a few steps forward: "It's too noisy here, why don't we talk in a quiet room?"

The first comer got up and whispered to him: "I did this on purpose, the neighbors are my family."

Guo Kai had an epiphany, and he admired his hard work, so he sat down and the two talked.

Zhao Yude cut to the chase: "Brother Guo made this plan today to test me?"

Guo Kai was ashamed: "Zhao Duzhi forgive me, it is about the safety of the country, and Guo has to be careful!"

"It doesn't matter." The man smiled, "But you should know that if I am the same as the one who conspired against him, then the son-in-law may not be able to leave Yueyang Mountain safely."

Guo Kai clasped his fists: "Guo really wants to thank Zhao Duzhi for his kindness in protecting this matter. If the news of Ah Jian's appearance on Yueyang Mountain is known to King Jia and Gao Shiju, we will be in dire straits!"

Zhao Yude nodded: "I heard that the son-in-law had gone to the mountains to ask to see the official family, so there was something wrong with the governor. It is reasonable to invite the son-in-law to inquire, but the first son-in-law has not returned to Beijing. Second, until the inside story is clear, Zhao does not want to startle the snake. So I suppressed it."

Guo Kai smiled knowingly: "In this way, Zhao Duzhi actually suspected Guo and the princess?"

With a smile, Zhao Yude returned to the topic: "General Guo Daojia rebelled, is there any evidence?"

Guo Kai nodded: "If Zhao Duzhi sent someone to guard the Jianning Temple for a long time, he would find that one day King Jia happened to go to pay respects to the Buddha with the former Deputy Duzhi Gao Shiju, and both of them would meditate alone in the temple for half a day. It's a conspiracy together." A pause: "Otherwise, if you go out of Dailou Gate and go west for twenty miles, there is a dilapidated Taoist temple Zhengyang Temple, which is the place where Gao Shiju makes people make alchemy!"

"Alchemy?" Zhao Yude was puzzled when his face changed.

Before clearing his doubts in a hurry, Guo Kai lowered his head and picked up the cloth bag that had just been thrown at his feet.Zhao Yude glanced at it, and saw that the bag was still wriggling, and there was a slight creaking sound in his ears, which was scary at first----there was a living thing inside!

He untied the cloth bag and caught a two-inch-long gray-haired living rat. Guo Kai tied it to the corner of the table with a rope, took out a paper bag from his sleeve, opened it, took out half a yellow elixir, and broke off some of the crushed mixture. Put it into the meat on the table and throw it with the squirrel.

After swallowing the meat, the squirrel was refreshed, and rushed forward with all its strength, apparently wanting to escape.After several attempts, the table was pulled and shook, and the cups, dishes and saucers on it shook accordingly, and there were clanging sounds one after another.

"This..." Zhao Yude changed color and looked at Guo Kai.

"It's the effect of the Golden Elixir." Leaning over, he untied the mouse and threw it out. Guo Kai closed the door and turned around: "Zhao Duzhi still remembers the so-called rumors of ghosts in the northwest?"

Zhao Yude frowned: "You mean, those..." His eyes moved: "It's not ghosts, but people who have taken this pill?!" His face was full of confusion, "What is the purpose of this move?"

Guo Kai paced back to the table: "What does Zhao Dou know?"

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Yude raised his eyes hesitantly: "Trying medicine? Or...spreading rumors to confuse people's hearts?"

"It's both." Guo Kai sat down with a serious expression on his face, "However, Guo thinks that besides this, the chief envoy has other plans. Everyone in Zhao should know that, if this matter is reported back to the court, how will it be discussed inside and outside ?”

As if enlightened, Zhao Yude came to a sudden: "Could it be to blame? Just put the crime on Shao Jingheng's head, let the officials think that he is rebellious, or make an order to punish him, then the real mastermind , you can enjoy the benefits of being a fisherman!"

"It's just like forcing Shao Jingheng to force the palace that day to bring about the change of Qixi Festival. It's really a repeat of the old trick." Guo Kai continued.

Zhao Yude was even more surprised: "The Qixi Festival change was also caused by King Jia?"

Guo Kai sighed: "Returning to Yungu to hide soldiers is the envoy of King Jia. This incident has really aggravated the court's suspicion of Shao. The case must have been created by King Jia." After a pause, "Shao Chenye's assassination must have strengthened Shao Jingheng's determination to force the palace!"

Zhao Yude thought for a moment: "So you think that King Jia may have used other means to force Shao Jingheng to take action? In other words, the purpose of those unsolved cases mentioned earlier is really to drive Shao Jingheng into a desperate situation?"

However, Guo Kai shook his head: "This is not to be generalized. Let's not mention the matter of returning to Yungu, but the case of the Yaohua Palace has already been concluded at that time. The murderer is determined to burn the Yaobi Pavilion. The purpose of the other palace in Yangshan is mediocre, it is all about assassination! Therefore, it should not be alienation."

"This..." Zhao Yude was a little confused.

"In short," Guo Kai said slowly, "King Jia wants to seize the throne, but he is also afraid of Shao Jingheng, so as far as he is concerned, if he can get rid of Shao Jingheng while stabbing him, he will be done once and for all!"

After careful consideration, Zhao Yude understood: "So your intention is that the assassination of Guiyun Valley and the arson of Yaohua Palace are not intended to cause divorce, but to kill two birds with one stone!"

"Exactly!" Guo Kai nodded, "although alienation is the best policy, it is far less effective than assassination. It's a pity that the time and place are right in the future. The opportunity is rare, but he misses it again and again. As a last resort, he has to go back to the old way. The change of Qixi Festival, The success is on the verge of failure, King Jia and Gao Shiju must have never imagined in their dreams that Shao Jingheng would give up halfway, and leave Beijing before King Jia, as a supervisor or even a new king, can order the world and summon troops to serve the king! This has made him put all his painstaking efforts in vain."

Zhao Yude twitched his fake beard: "Now that things have come to an end, King Jia has exhausted his patience, and Shao Jingheng has gone away, and he is no longer a threat for the time being, so he put all his eggs in one basket and tried to assassinate first. After all, he is the only sibling in the official family. Once the emperor In the event of an accident, he is the best candidate for succession! Even if there is an unexpected event..."

"There are still medicine men!" At this point, Guo Kai's worry must be obvious, "The power of medicine men cannot be underestimated! In the past two days, Gao Shi ordered me to step up training for him. Although there are only a few hundred mobs at present, if If you take the golden elixir, you may be invincible!"

Zhao Yude was in a hurry: "Is it impossible to break?"

Guo Kai frowned: "As far as I know, medicine is powerful and invulnerable, so it's really hard to find a flaw. However, I tried my best to get two golden pills in the past two days. Suddenly, but the effect of the drug seems to be difficult to last, it can only last for a quarter of an hour in a short period of time, and some mice die of exhaustion after the effect of the drug wears off, but I don't know if it is also common in humans."

"That's it..." Zhao Yude thought for a while: "If the effect of the medicine can't last long, presumably the high priest will not be able to order the gangsters to take the pill in advance, so you will tell me the location of the Tibetan soldiers immediately, and I will report it to the Privy Council. Send troops to seek rebellion, preemptive strikes, and eliminate hidden dangers!"

Guo Kai smiled wryly: "This is not the best strategy. For one thing, these gangsters will only show up every time they are training soldiers. I don't know where they usually hide, and when and where they are training soldiers are all temporary reports. Ju didn't completely trust me; secondly, Gao Shiju had heavy guards on his side, and this dry man must have golden pills on him, and he would take it at any time in danger, and then rashly begged for rebellion, which was nothing more than a waste of life; Wang Mouni, there is no real evidence at the moment, even if you and I follow the clues, it will take time to track down, the official is not in Beijing, there is no proof, no one can take him against him, and if you act lightly, you can only scare the snake, the gain outweighs the loss .”

Thinking it made sense, Zhao Yude frowned and remained silent.

"Guo Mou's opinion," Guo Kai already had an opinion on this: "Zhao Duzhi should report this news to heaven in time. Please return to Beijing as soon as possible to determine the overall situation."

"The medicine man..." Zhao Yude was in a dilemma.

Guo Kai said: "This time the medicine man went to Yueyang Mountain to assassinate the air, which shows that King Jia and Gao Shiju still don't know where Yu Jia is really going, so the official family is safe now, but as time goes by, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not reveal their whereabouts. Because Zhao Du knew that he had to make a decisive decision, and quickly asked the emperor to return to Beijing to avoid danger."

Hearing the words, Zhao Yude looked at him with light eyes: "From what you said, it seems that the official family is not in Yueyang Mountain?"

Before answering, Guo Kai dipped his fingers in water and wrote two words on the table, and seeing the man's expression frown, he knew that the prediction was right.Erasing the handwriting on the table, he said again: "Guo also thought about it for a long time before he dared to make this idea. The official's move was unexpected, but it was reasonable. However, everyone in Zhao knew what to do. Since Guo could think of it, King Jia and Gao Shiju will think about it sooner or later."

With a gloomy face, Zhao Yude got up: "Thank you, brother Guo, for your suggestion, Mr. Zhao will think carefully when he goes back!"

Guo Kai then stood up, "During these days, everyone in Zhao knew that he had to be more cautious. The Yueyang Mountain was flying in the air, and King Jia was impatient. If he couldn't guess the whereabouts of the official's family for a while, it would inevitably cause trouble for the medicine man and bring harm to others." Those who know."

Zhao Yude smiled awe-inspiringly: "Thank you again, Brother Guo. The way to serve the king is to be selfless in life and death, and to be loyal and fair. No matter what the situation is, Zhao will not betray the Lord and righteousness! A gentleman keeps upright, so what's the harm in killing one's life for benevolence?" Say goodbye to him and stride out.

Looking at his back, Guo Kai felt mixed feelings.How could he have imagined that what he said was actually a prophecy, and that night, there would be no future.