red cliff top

In Ningcheng in September, it was freezing cold, but Gu Zhuozi was shaking a feather fan seriously in his hand. Hearing that he was going to return to Jinyuan, he fanned a cool breeze without hesitation: "But Liaodong? wars..."

King Jin lifted his cloak and sat down on the chair: "What do you think of my king's complexion?"

Gu Zhuozi hesitated for a while, and immediately realized the deep meaning of King Jin's words, and replied with a sly smile: "The prince has been trapped for more than three months. He has been restless and unwilling to eat for days, so he is physically and mentally exhausted and seriously ill. If you can’t even leave, how can you go to Liaodong to supervise the war?”

The King of Jin nodded approvingly: "It's not just a serious illness, it's a serious illness that's hard to recover. It won't be long before such a happy news reaches the little emperor's ears as soon as possible so that he can feel at ease."

Gu Zhuozi is the most effective counselor around the King of Jin, and he is the best at figuring out the will of the Lord. Maybe the King of Jin did not go to Liaodong to supervise the war because he was afraid of reckless calculations, but this "passing" Yizhou Mansion, it is clear that the ulterior motives are not drinking up.The prince's character is precious, and it is inconvenient to say some things directly. At this moment, a person like him should come in handy.Gu Zhuozi waved his feather fan and rolled his eyes: "My lord, I don't know if I should say something..."

Jin Wang rolled his eyelids, alas, this trick again, the sourness of scholars is really annoying!He waved away a few attendants, then smiled patiently: "Ah Yuan, but it's okay to say."

Gu Zhuozi confirmed that there was no one around, and then he closed the doors and windows and lowered his voice to analyze: "Since the little emperor came to the throne, he has always been quite afraid of our Jin Palace, but he used to take actions secretly. This time he changed his tactics. , blatantly issued an order not to send troops to reinforce Ningcheng, and it was clear that he wanted to put the prince to death. The root cause is that Shen Wei's 20 troops stationed in Yifuwei is his reassurance, and the left army governor Gu Mingzhang also It's his confidant and favorite minister, and with these two people taking care of each other to contain the troops of Jin Yuan, the little emperor is more confident."

"Oh, that's true," King Jin sighed softly, "Then what's the best way to do it in your opinion?"

"My lord has three things to do now..." Gu Zhuozi caressed his short beard on his lips with two fingers, and said, "First, Shen Wei and Gu Mingzhang have always been at odds, and we can create troubles and provoke them. This caused a growing rift among them, making it impossible for them to speak out together. Second, since there was no hope of winning over Gu Mingzhang, they simply got involved with Shen Wei. Regardless of whether it was true or not, as long as they made a show for the little emperor, I forgive him for not daring to act rashly again. Thirdly, Shen Wei is upright and not greedy for fame and fortune, so it is not easy to buy him off, so he can only find out his weak point and insist on it, and now there is a 'weak point' that comes to your door..."

Seeing that he had gone around for a long time and finally got to the point, King Jin couldn't help smiling slightly, knowingly asked: "Could it be that the weakness you're referring to is... Shen Nianqing?"

Gu Zhuozi worked diligently with the master to stage the play: "This subordinate boldly proposes that the prince would adopt Shen Nianqing as his adopted son. In this way, he can keep him safe and make him feel grateful, and at the same time, he can use him to control Shen Wei everywhere. At the same time, it can also let the little emperor see that you have a great relationship with the Shen family, and it is a plan to kill three birds with one stone."

What Gu Zhuozi said was exactly what King Jin had in mind.

Once the weather in the Great Zhou Dynasty is smooth and the world is peaceful, the little emperor will free up his hands to deal with his uncle.Shen Wei and Gu Mingzhang, one who is good at fighting and has repeatedly made outstanding achievements, and the other who is slavish and charming, has won the favor of the gods. If these two people fight, they will definitely stir up a tsunami in the court and the opposition.At that time, several parties will hold back each other, and no one will be able to move. How can he care about Jin Wang, who is so tall and far away from the emperor?

Withdrawing his thoughts, King Jin laughed and said, "Ah Yuan, with your temperament, since you can come up with such a strategy, you must have some odds of winning in your hands, right?"

Gu Zhuozi took the feather fan away, and seized the opportunity to flatter him: "Your lord really knows things like a god, and your subordinates can't escape the lord's eyes. Some time ago, your subordinates received news that Huo Duan, the commander of the rebel army, had surrendered. She is from the same town as Shen Wei, and the two families have been in touch for a long time, Huo Duan's daughter-in-law is also the distant niece of Mrs. Shen." He paused, and his smile added a bit of cunning, "If Huo Duan repairs a book and sends it to Shen Wei, lobbying others Leading the army to rebel, and this letter happened to fall into the hands of Gu Mingzhang, I think Gu Dudu will definitely make things difficult for Old General Shen."

"No, no, no..." King Jin shook his head again and again, "My emperor's nephew is suspicious by nature, if the words in the letter are too straightforward, he won't be convinced easily, but some homely greetings are more realistic. Let him make random guesses and make far-fetched conclusions, which are much more effective than what we say."

Once the word "anti" is clearly mentioned in the letter, it is a certainty and there is no room for mediation.King Jin just wanted to use Shen Wei to protect himself, and he didn't want him to be ransacked and beheaded. After all, his son had just saved his life.As for Gu Mingzhang, King Jin is not worried at all. It can be seen that Wei You and Shen Si have a close friendship. Wei You's younger brother Wei Qian is now a celebrity in front of the emperor, and Gu Mingzhang's every move cannot escape his eyes.In case of any disadvantage to Shen Wei, Brother Wei You will definitely not stand by and watch.

After hearing King Jin's words, Gu Zhuozi quickly nodded and praised: "It's still the prince who is considerate and thoughtful, and I am far inferior to him."

Gu Zhuozi is a real smart guy who knows how to pretend not to be so smart.Although he had [-]% calculations in his heart, he only revealed [-]% of them, and the remaining [-]% was deliberately showing a flaw and let the prince point it out. This not only showed himself, but also flattered the prince.Otherwise, if everything is perfect, wouldn't it appear to be more clever than the prince?

Flattery is also a kind of knowledge, at least Gu Zhuozi's flattery is so soft and silent, so that King Jin is very useful: "Okay, let's stop gossip, and send a group of people to Yizhou Mansion first to replace it This king explores the truth..."

-

In Yifuwei, which is [-] miles away from Ningcheng, Shen Si was captured as soon as he rushed back to the camp, Wu Huada was tied up and taken into the commander's tent, and thrown on the ground like a rice dumpling.

At that time, his father, Shen Wei, was at his desk approving official documents, and his brothers stood side by side with their heads bowed. The third brother kept winking at him and whispering code words, indicating that his father was in a fit of anger, and taught him to be careful in dealing with everything.

Hearing the movement, Shen Wei asked in a deep voice without raising his head: "But Nizi Shensi brought?"

Without waiting for the guards on the left and right to speak, he meditated and replied calmly: "Yes, my son has come back to accept the crime."

Hearing this confident tone, Shen Wei became more and more angry, grabbed the inkstone from the desk and threw it at his son.The square inkstone flew over Shensi's forehead, and fell to the ground with a "slap", smashing into pieces.From the beginning to the end, Shen Si knelt straight and did not move, not even blinking his eyelids.Shen Wei understood his son's temper, and knew that this kid would never dodge, so when he threw the inkstone outside, he missed it by an inch.

"Okay, okay, since you came back to accept the crime, I won't waste any more time with you, come here, pull it down..." Shen Wei took a deep breath, but cut off the text, he was a little unsure what to do Deal with the younger son.He has led the army for decades, and he has always been confident in his command, but this time he has become indecisive, alas, maybe he is old.

If you don't call your name, if you don't arrive on time, if you fail to meet the deadline, you will change the teacher's law. This is the crime of slowing the army, and the offender shall be executed.But let Shen Wei personally order his own son to be beheaded, how can he do it?

This time, Shen Si not only disregarded the military law, but also openly disobeyed the sacred order. The trouble was too great. If someone with a heart made a big fuss, it might harm the whole family.If he was easily bypassed, not only would he not be able to convince the crowd in front of the soldiers, but it would be even more difficult to explain to the emperor.Holding a heavy army is easy to be jealous, so it is not good for the youngest son to save someone, but why did he save the little emperor's confidant, the troubled King Jin!

After much deliberation, Shen Weiyang gave the order: "Pull this scoundrel down, have the military judge flog him a hundred times, tie him up and hang him on the shaft gate for three days, as a warning to others!" The elder brother was just about to speak, when his father added , "Anyone who intercedes on his behalf will be punished as the same crime!"

The brothers exchanged glances with each other, and then retreated to their original positions and fell silent.

The children of the Shen family have been in the military camp since they were young, eating and sleeping in the open, drinking ice and lying in the snow like ordinary soldiers. If you hang it inside for three days, it must be bad luck.Shen Wei can only accommodate his son so far, as for whether he will live or die after three days, it depends on his personal fortune.

The whip is made of high-quality cowhide, soaked in water, and is full of toughness. When it dances vigorously, it makes a "slap" sound on the back.

With one whip, a red mark as thick as a finger swelled up immediately, and with another whip, the skin and flesh were cracked and blood beads splashed.Every time he was whipped, Shen Si would grit his teeth and shout loudly: "Father, you taught me a good lesson! My son thanked you, father!"

This is a rule handed down by the ancestors of the Shen family. When a filial son is born under the stick, the parents and elders punish the child not only not to resist, but also to kowtow to thank the parents for their kindness in teaching.

The three older brothers have long been accustomed to this, and only the brother-in-law from an aristocratic family saw this kind of scene for the first time. The whips were obviously on Shen Si, but as the whips rose and fell, the brother-in-law also followed in a barely perceptible way. He trembled, his face full of fear and pity.

Shen Wei listened in the tent and still couldn't get over his anger, he said sharply: "Don't show mercy, hit me hard!" He was really pissed off.

Shen Wei has four sons and one daughter, the eldest son Shen Guan, the second son Shen Wen, the third son Shen Zhi, the daughter Shen Yu, and the youngest son is Shen Si.In the past, family members often joked that among the brothers and sisters, only Xiao Wuer had a "heart" and was the one who was most favored by his parents.Since Shen Si is the youngest son and the son of old age, the father inevitably favors him a bit, so his discipline is not as strict as that of the three elder brothers.Whoever imagined it, even though he was born with a wild temperament that is not afraid of anything, it has caused a catastrophe today.

The whip lasted for more than half an hour, and when it was over, the back of Meditation was already bloody.Before he lay on his stomach to catch his breath, he was immediately tied up with both hands and hung up on the shaft gate.The body hangs in the air like a piece of dried bacon, and from time to time it is involved in the criss-cross wounds on the back, causing a burst of burning pain.The blood stains trickled down the skin, soaking through the underwear, and when the wind blew, it was all sticky to the body, cold to the bone.

After nightfall, the pain was gradually replaced by the cold, and the back and limbs were numb, as if it didn't grow on me at all.He kept trembling slightly, and a fine mist of water condensed on his eyebrows and eyelashes.

The candles in the father's tent were always on, and the elder brother was playing chess with him.The eldest brother is well versed in the art of war, and knows how to move in a roundabout way, avoiding the real and attacking the weak.He holds black pieces, first puts a certain number of pieces on the board, and then starts with his father holding white pieces. This behavior is called "handing off".

Let the son, let the son, father and son, you look at me, I look at you, all silent.

The brother-in-law took advantage of the convenience of being in charge of the military supply, commanding the staff to carry the charcoal back and forth. He only hoped that the moment of contemplation around him would add some warmth to him.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, the third brother walked over with a porcelain pot. Before he could get close, the guard in charge of law enforcement in the distance shouted to stop him and ordered him to leave quickly.The third brother shook the jug in his hand when he heard the words: "Shen Shuai only said that he would hang him here to show the public, but he didn't say that he would not give him water."

The guard thought for a while, and it seemed reasonable, so he stood still and did not stop him.The third brother quickly stuffed the mouth of the pot into his younger brother's mouth, and secretly winked at him behind his back.The third brother always has the most ghostly ideas, and I don't know what tricks he is up to this time.Shen Si rushed back from Ningcheng non-stop all the way, and only ate dry food in the river water on the way. He has not had any water or rice since he was tortured, and he has long since starved of hunger and cold.

"Gulu" swallowed it in one gulp, his eyes widened in amazement in thought, what kind of water was in the pot, it was clearly filtered ginseng and chicken soup.After pouring down a whole pot of chicken soup, he felt that half of his foot that had stepped into the gate of hell withdrew again.

The second brother is the dullest among the brothers, he is not good at words and follows the rules.He couldn't think of any way to make his younger brother feel better, so he stood by the side like a stake, blowing the night breeze along with his meditation.Every half an hour, he would call softly: "Little Wuer?"

When Shen Si replied with a sullen "hmm", he became silent again.He was afraid that if his younger brother really fell asleep in such a cold day, he would freeze to death silently.

In a daze, meditating as if he heard someone calling him: "Nian Qing! Nian Qing!"

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, and a winding path appeared in his vision. He rushed along the path, crossed Xixin Spring, crossed Yupai River, and climbed to the top of the red cliff. The sound of flying water was like silver bells and drums. , the two teenagers were standing on the top of the cliff and looked around, looking at the size of the mountains.

Wei You pointed to the south and asked him, "Nian Qing, what did you see?"

He rubbed his eyes: "I saw the Xixin Temple on the mountainside, and the Mingde Courtyard at the foot of the mountain..."

Wei You smiled and shook his head: "After leaving Lanyue Mountain, how about going south?"

He thought for a while: "Is it Jeju Prefecture? Luyang Prefecture?"

Wei You smiled generously: "How far away? Farther away!"

He tried to ask: "The capital?"

Wei You raised his head and laughed loudly, "It's a world of thousands of miles."

Hearing this, he boasted brazenly: "In his year, the iron cavalry conquered the world, and thousands of miles of rivers and mountains sent Bo Ling off!"

Wei You hurriedly covered his mouth: "It's just you and me here, it's okay, don't talk nonsense when you go out, it's a serious crime to lose your head."

Meditation is never afraid of losing your head, it used to be, and it still is.He was afraid that he would not be able to fulfill the oath he made.For Wei You, he has always buried some unspeakable feelings in his heart.He respects Bo Ling like his father, relies on Bo Ling like his mother, can't help but take advantage of opportunities to tease Bo Ling like his elder sister, and trusts Bo Ling like he treats his brothers... Yes, then It's his Boling...

In the distance, on the official road, Fengduo's horseshoes were rattling, as if a large group of carriages were galloping towards them.He drooped his head, only to hear a faint human voice: "My lord is here to pay a visit to Old General Shen..."

My lord, which lord?Is it Wei Boling, king of Xianghuai County?What is he here for?Bo Ling, you are too strong to drink, how did you rest well these two days?

Shen Si blinked vigorously, and a pair of pine yellow soft boots appeared in sight, with the majestic five-clawed dragon embroidered on the boots.The owner of the boots leaned into his ear and whispered, "Nianqing, bear with me for a while, and you will be my king's man from now on..."