Jiang Qing

Cheng Nian was a little embarrassed, she didn't want to ask the old man what he was going to do in Cangzhou, but she could vaguely feel that there must be something very important for an old man over seventy to go out in the cold winter despite the Forbidden City Order.

Although Cheng Nian is quite accomplished in Feixianmen's unique lightness kungfu, one person and one bamboo can cross the river, but it is not difficult to take a person to fly over the eaves and walls. can't do it.

Nowadays, the blockade of Pingdong is extremely strict. Even the docks on the waterway are strictly checked, and the land road is even more...

Zhang Huailiu saw the hesitation in her eyes, and her eyes showed anxiety, "Girl, I... really have something urgent..."

He paused, but still revealed something, and said sternly: "The Benzhou Uprising, the Shencheng Rebellion, and the current Pingdong blockade all have hidden secrets. I went to Pingdu to report this matter to the imperial court."

Cheng Nian fell silent.

If he hadn't said this, she might have thought of ways to take him out, but after saying this, Cheng Nian knew that she would not interfere in this matter again.

She didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the court at all.

Xie Huaide looked at Cheng Nian's dodging eyes and Zhang Huailiu's pleading expression, and broke the embarrassment of this moment, "Mr., you can't say such a thing without real evidence, besides..."

He looked at Zhang Huailiu's clothes, and said the rest, "We are just common people, even if we leave Pingdong, who can the old man find to listen to you tell this secret?"

The person who was recuperating on this bed last time appeared in his mind, the person he had always regarded as his faith, but just because he had read his essay on world affairs in the year when he won the first prize, he firmly believed in the swearing method written in the ink. Qiu must also match his temperament.

Xie Huaide lowered his head with a wry smile, and repeated it very softly, "We are just people..."

Zhang Huailiu said firmly: "I have someone to sue. After leaving Pingdong, I will go to Pingdu to find... an adult who studied under the door back then, and tell him the whole story. I believe He will definitely uphold justice, and I believe that the few common people will never slaughter them arbitrarily and do nothing."

"Mr...." Xie Huaide saw that he was a bit stubborn, and he kindly persuaded him: "Even Mr. Mei, who came to Pingdong to rescue, can't do anything about such a big event. We simply..."

"Which Lord Mei?" Zhang Huailiu suddenly grabbed Xie Huaide's hand and asked eagerly.

Cheng Nian also frowned.

"It's an accident in Shencheng, Mr. Mei who came to appease Pingdong, the government's mansion newspaper is posted at the gate of the yamen..."

"what is his name!"

"I didn't pay attention to this...it seems to be the adult who came to Cangzhou to control the water last time..."

"Mei Shao...it's Mei Shao." Zhang Huailiu murmured a few words to himself. He was locked up in the Nanyang Marquis Mansion and could not receive any news from the outside world. He had no idea what happened outside. So many things.

An accident happened in Shencheng, Mei Shao came to Pingdong to appease...

"Is he still in Pingdong?" Zhang Huailiu asked eagerly.

Xie Huaide was stunned for a moment before he realized, "The lord you are looking for in Pingdu is Lord Mei? He just left Pingdong two days ago..."

"Mei Shao?" Cheng Nian's expression became weird, "You know him?"

Xie Huaide keenly caught her emotional fluctuations, and cast his eyes suspiciously.

"He has already left Pingdong..." Cheng Nian unconsciously repeated Xie Huaide's words, his eyes gradually became firm, and he turned to Zhang Huailiu and said, "I'll take you to Pingdu."

Zhang Huailiu looked at Cheng Nian with a cold face, and thanked her repeatedly, regardless of how strange her expression was.

"It's nothing, it's just on the way." Cheng Nian sneered.

"Are you going to Pingdu too?" Xie Huaide pondered: "You can't get out now, since the old man ran out with a secret, there must be someone to guard and follow along the way, especially you rescued the old man in Shunjiang, The control of the waterway is probably stricter than that of the land. And now even on the land, traders are not allowed to enter and exit at will, and when entering and leaving the city gate, they must thoroughly check the paperwork and interrogate the entry and exit situation. Without a proper name, there is no way to go out. "

Xie Huaide grabbed the corner of his clothes, seemingly calmly analyzing, but struggling in his heart.

"There will always be a way." Cheng Nian replied flatly, obviously determined.

The room was silent for a while, and no one spoke aloud. When Wang Poppi led a country doctor back, he saw Xie Huaide sitting with his head down, looking listless.

After sending the doctor into the house, he took Xie Huaide out, and asked with concern: "What's the matter, what's the matter, are you chatting with your brother Wang?"

Xie Huaide raised his head to look at him, and asked a strange question, "Brother Wang, what do you think is the reason for me to obtain merits again and again?"

Wang Poppi was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "I don't know, but this is what you want to do, and there is no reason for what you want to do."

Xie Huaide smiled wryly, and said softly: "Obtaining fame is naturally for fame. Every student rushing for the exam is like this. It is for the official robes. In order to be able to honor the ancestors, I can't be exempt. But after wearing the official uniform I admit that I still have a bit of arrogance and hypocrisy in my heart, thinking that if I ever become an official, I must be a clean and good official and do some practical things..."

"What are you trying to say?" Poppi Wang realized something was wrong and asked.

"If there is such an opportunity in front of me, tell me that I can do something for the benefit of the people even if I am not an official, why should I hesitate to have the vanity of wearing an official uniform?" Xie Huaide seemed to be talking to him Said, but it was more like saying to myself, "They want to go to Pingdu, and I can do it. Does this count as contributing to the people of Pingdong?"

"Who are they? Is there anything you, a scholar, can do?" Wang Poppi's tone became urgent, "Your father didn't entrust you to me to watch you take the initiative to take risks!"

After Xie Huaide finished speaking, he had already made a decision in his heart, and said calmly: "The old gentleman rescued by Cheng Nian knew the inside story of the First World War in Shencheng, and wanted to go to Pingdu. But now that the road is blocked, he can't go out. If I can help him, in two days it will be time for me to go to Pingdu Chunwei, and the gatekeeper will not refuse this reason."

"Don't talk about how strict the interrogation is, do you really believe that those high-ranking officials in Pingdu will listen to the complaint of a commoner?"

Although Xie Huaide didn't say anything, Wang Poppi knew that what happened to Bai Bingchen last time still left a big wave in his heart. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Xie Huaide to return to his original state, and he continued to study and take exams without any slack.

Xie Huaide heard the meaning of his words, smiled softly, and said: "Brother Wang, I regard him as my faith because of his talent and his ambition to govern the world under his talent. If one day I find that he is not what I want I should not change my belief because of this. Because, I have to know whether I am looking up to a person, or a heart that he once gave me to serve the people with my youthful ambition. As long as this heart does not change, people If you change, your heart will not change."

Wang Poppi was silent for a moment, and said solemnly: "If you are involved in this matter, there will be no chance to look back and regret it."

"I know, I don't regret it."

The emotion in Wang Poppi's eyes flickered, and he said after a while: "Okay, I will help you. Three days later, Shangpingdu."

-

West of the city gate.

In the past, there were very few people at the gate of the city.

There were twice as many armored soldiers as before. They were divided into two teams and stood outside the city gate, checking the students who entered Pingdu Chunwei today.

Although the Marquis of Nanyang hinted that Sun Zhe sealed off the cities of Pingdong and Sanzhou, this was only a private order. For such a major event as Chunwei, he would not dare to detain the candidates and not allow them to leave the city.

It's just that the search was more stringent than before, especially after Zhang Huailiu escaped, the number of armored soldiers assigned to the city gates by the Marquis of Nanyang was doubled.

Candidates who were preparing to enter the capital all gathered at this time for the inspection. After carefully watching the previous inspection process for a while, Xie Huaide rolled the speeches he had prepared in his mind several times.

"Get out of the carriage, who is the examinee to enter the capital?" The armored soldier at the door stopped a carriage and asked.

Wang Poppi jumped off the shaft of the horse, and lifted the curtain, Xie Huaide walked down from above, followed by a woman dressed as a maid.

The armored soldier picked up the curtain, and after making sure that there was no one inside, he turned his gaze between them again, and settled on Xie Huaide.

Xie Huaide saluted and said, "Officer, I am a candidate for admission to the capital. This is my coachman and maid."

He introduced the identities of Wang Popi and Cheng Nian to Jiabing in turn, and stood obediently aside, waiting for Jiabing's next instruction.

Jia Bing spread out a scroll, pointed to the old man on it and asked, "Have you seen this man?"

Xie Huaide took two steps forward, looked at it carefully, and replied: "Never."

The two armored soldiers surrounding the carriage also inspected the carriage roughly, and after finding nothing, they waved at them, "Let's go."

Xie Huaide got back into the car, and Wang Poppi drove his horse out of the city gate with a whip.

At the gate of the city, the armored soldier who had just inspected Xie Huaide's carriage was about to inspect the next one. A few officials from the government came and brought some food. Well, when did he become so rich that he could afford a carriage and a maid."

Jia Bing paused, and asked: "The maid and the coachman have never been in his house?"

"The coachman? You mean Wang Poppi? He is a famous rascal in our town. He has never been in tune. He almost took his life. No one would dare to mess with him. But Mr. Xie still owes the grain shop How about the rice money, how can I have the money to buy a carriage and a maid? Seeing the beauty of that maid, she will draw some blood."

Jia Bing's expression became serious. He squatted down, looked at the traces of the carriage, made a slight comparison with his fingers, stood up abruptly, and shouted: "Stop them!"

It is abnormal enough for a student from a poor family to buy a carriage and a maid instead of repaying rice money when he has money.The ruts were obviously deeper than the weight of the three people, there must be other people hidden in the carriage!

As soon as he finished speaking, the two armored soldiers around him quickly got on their horses and chased after him.

The person driving the carriage seemed to feel something was wrong, and the speed of driving the horse also increased.

"Sit still, they must have noticed something is wrong!" Wang Poppi yelled into the carriage against the wind.

Cheng Nian poked out half of his head, grabbed the window wall of the carriage with one hand, took out two hidden weapons with the other, flew out, and knocked down the two horses in response.

Wang Poppi glanced to the left and right. The two armored soldiers chasing behind the carriage had split into several groups, and several of them hid in the woods on both sides, trying to encircle them.

Seeing their intentions, Wang Poppi's subordinates waved their whips more urgently, with only one thought in mind: they must not be allowed to encircle successfully!

But the horse under his crotch was not as high-quality as the armored soldiers, and it was carrying four people, and it didn't take long before he lost the wind. Seeing that the armored soldiers who copied the road and encircled him were about to copy to the opposite side of him, Wang Popi gritted his teeth and walked towards the carriage. Nei yelled, "Feixianmen! Can you drive?"

"Yes." Cheng Nian stabilized his figure, walked to the front of the carriage, and asked, "Why?"

A armored soldier had already caught up with the carriage and drove alongside Wang Poppi. He threw out his iron claws, threw them on the carriage frame, grabbed hold of them, and dragged them fiercely in another direction. The carriage became unstable for a moment and was dragged obliquely Pulled several meters.

Wang Poppi held the reins in one hand and the epee in the other, and slashed towards the iron claws. Suddenly, the carriage lost its strength and swayed violently a few times. The horse hissed in shock and staggered forward. several steps.

"Come and ride the horse!" Wang Poppi put the reins into Cheng Nian's hands, and glanced into the carriage.

Xie Huaide saw his action of putting on the rein, and felt a strong uneasiness in his heart, and asked sharply: "Brother Wang! What are you going to do!"

He barely took two steps forward, trying to get to the front of the carriage.

"Protect him to Pingdu safely." Wang Poppi withdrew his gaze, squeezed Cheng Nian's hand holding the rein heavily, his eyes were full of earnestness, "Promise me."

Cheng Nian realized what he was going to do and nodded reluctantly.

"Let's go!" Wang Popi laughed loudly and jumped on the horse beside him, and the armored soldier who was knocked down on the horse fell heavily to the ground.

"Brother Wang!" Xie Huaide grabbed the window and shouted, "Brother Wang, come back!"

Wang Popi didn't move, he just stood there, holding the epee, facing dozens of armored soldiers head-on, without retreating at all.

The scabbard hits the horse, and the sword kills.

He firmly guarded the line standing under his feet, each person seemed to be a wall, standing still.

None of the armored soldiers could step out of that line. Behind him, Xie Huaide's roar was torn apart by the wind, sobbing and desolate.

Hearing his yell, Wang Popi laughed softly, and smashed the epee on the head of a armored soldier, cutting off most of it.

He has always disliked Xie Huaide as a sour scholar, he read some sour poems all day long, but now he thinks one is good, but unfortunately he only remembers a few lines.

The iron claws flying from the side pierced Wang Poppi's knee, causing him to become unsteady and kneel down.

The hooves of the horses were about to hit his face, he grabbed the iron claw and pulled it out, the blood spattered on the gray-yellow withered grass, trickling down along the top of the grass.

Wang Poppi simply knelt down on his knees, slashed at the horse's legs and then lowered his waist to avoid it. The neighing of the dying horse resounded in the sky, the scorching blood of the horse flowed on his face, and the four hooves of the horse broke on the dry grass. Here, it jumped twice, but there was no sound.

Holding his sword, he stood up, met the armored soldier who was thrown to the ground by the horse, and recited the poem that he only remembered a few lines.

"The silver saddle shines on the white horse, like a shooting star."

Regardless of the pain in his knee, he leapt forward, rode on the armored soldier, and cut off his head.

"Kill one person in ten steps, leave no name for thousands of miles."

Grabbing the severed head and smashing down the armored soldier on another horse, Wang Popi dragged his sword and bloodstains, chopped it on his shoulder, and laughed loudly: "It's over, go and brush your clothes..."

The laughter stopped in summer.

More than a dozen swords passed through his body, Wang Poppi seemed to be frozen, he stopped in place, blood slowly overflowed from the corner of his mouth, he tilted his head, his eyes gradually became confused, and whispered: "The last sentence... What is it...forget it, next time, you..."

The poem only recited fragments, but the words fit his mood. Wang Poppi felt that the literati who wrote this poem really suited his wishes, as if he was a literati who had really been a knight.

A small breath broke in a smile at the corner of his mouth, and he closed his eyes contentedly.

On the long-distance carriage, Xie Huaide ruthlessly choked his jaws, and continued the last sentence for him, in a voice so soft that even the wind could not move, "Flick off your clothes when it's over, and hide your achievements and fame."

Xie Huaide didn't turn his head back. Behind him, Wang Poppi was picked up on more than a dozen swords, tilted up in the air, and a round sun was climbing up inch by inch from his back full of sword edges.

He never lied, he really was a ranger.

Xie Huaide raised his tearful face and took a deep breath.

A bunch of winter jasmine flowers outside the window seemed to have popped up, and they disappeared very quickly.