Minister Gu Ming can't take care of himself

Three people are sitting under the eaves, from left to right are Xu Guanchen, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Jue.

Xiao Jue didn't dare to be next to Xiao Zhi, and drank mulled wine by the side.After two mouthfuls of strong wine, the wind blew, and he became more courageous. He quietly changed his seat and sat next to Xu Guanchen.

After two more sips of wine, he became more courageous.

Holding the wine jar, Xiao Jue pointed at Xiao Zhi, and began to complain to Xu Guanchen: "He's avenging himself."

Xu Guanchen quickly held Xiao Zhi's hand, comforted Xiao Zhi, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"He made me guard the city gate every day!"

Xu Guanchen glanced at Xiao Zhi, and lowered his head embarrassedly: "I actually came up with the idea of ​​guarding the city gate."

"Now he still wants me to go to Yanbei."

Xu Guanchen lowered his head even more: "I actually came up with the idea of ​​going to the northwest."

"Huh?" Xiao Jue turned his head to look at him, his eyes were clear and he was not drunk, "You just want to die in Yanbei like your father, brother and uncle?"

"I do not want."

"I don't want to either."

Xu Guanchen said softly: "This time I don't want you to go to Yanbei, but to go to Tingyun Town to be an envoy to welcome the third prince Yuan Ce of Xiling."

Xiao Jue was so angry that he wanted to throw the wine jar, but he still didn't throw it, his eyes were piercing: "What do you choose me for?"

"Prince Duan's mansion and Xiling are feuds, and Yuan Ce has been fighting in the northwest all year round. He is considered half a general. After we have a general here, if the seniority is the same, we can only choose you."

Xiao Jue said: "Are there no other generals in our court?"

"Yes." Xu Guanchen pointed to himself, "And me."

"You..." Xiao Jue looked him up and down, looked at his figure and complexion, and waved his hands, "Forget it, then I'll go."

Xu Guanchen smiled at him: "This time the third prince came to Jinling to discuss the demarcation of the northwest. If things go well, not only you and me, but also the common people and soldiers will not die in Yanbei."

"I know." Xiao Jue turned his head away and touched his ear, "I just need to send him to Jinling safely, right?"

"Welcome and see them off. You will be in charge of their affairs in Jinling."

Xiao Jue compared the sword with his hand, raised the sword and lowered it: "Then can I kill two Xiling people to vent my anger?"

"I'm afraid not." Xu Guanchen shook his head, "It's about the national affairs of the two countries. The lives of thousands of people in Yanbei cannot be compared with two people from Xiling."

Xiao Jue propped his head up, and said casually: "They claim to be strong soldiers and horses, so I'll take them to the gambling hall and music workshop, make them turn upside down day and night, their physique gradually weakened, can we corrupt their lives?"

Xu Guanchen laughed: "You can have this."

Sitting quietly for a while, the moonlight soaked the stone steps, and the sound of insects penetrated into the gaps between the bluestone bricks.

Xiao Jue took a few sips of his drink, and suddenly thought of something: "You just said, the third prince of Xiling, Yuan Ce?"

Xu Guanchen said: "It's him, he's the envoy over there."

"Yuan Ce." Xiao Jue hugged the wine jar, and said in a daze, "It's the one 13 years ago, who almost conquered the entire Yanbei, and caused you and my father and brother to die in Yanbei."

"It's him."

"At that time, my mother and I lived in Linyang Town—Linyang Town is a Chinese name, and it was originally called the place where the sun sets. There was a young general who led an army and stalemate with Yuan Ce for half a month, but in the end, The town still fell. The night before, the general sent people to send the women and children in the town to flee to the east. It happened that Xiling’s army was also outflanking from the east. That Yuan Ce was riding on a horse, his armor was shining, and the point of his knife was on my heart. I said a word, said... that there is no one in Liang Guo, and the thousands of acres of good land in the south of the Yangtze River belong to Xiling. I said, my mother pressed my head into the sand and asked me to tell, so he let us go gone."

Xiao Jue smiled, and his smile was full of humiliation, bitterness and unwillingness: "I took a last look back, and I saw that young general's helmet hung on the highest point with a long sword. How many times I dreamed, I couldn't Dream about this."

Xu Guanchen remained silent for a long time, Xiao Jue turned to look at him: "Why don't you speak? I'm not pitiful."

"That young general..." Xu Guanchen's hand was tightly held by Xiao Zhi, "It's my brother, he died in Linyang Town."

"I'm sorry." Xiao Jue patted the back of his hand, "But your brother is still very powerful."

Late at night, the insects gradually died down.

Xiao Jue turned the empty wine jar upside down on the stone floor, leaned back, and fell on the stone steps, saying: "You have stayed in Yanbei for a year, and there is a song in Yanbei, can you sing it?" ?”

"Which one?"

He sang lightly, and when he couldn't remember the place, he hummed and took it over: "Leading the horse to drink the Tianshan Mountain, the river is full of white moonlight. The barbarians invade at night, and the enemy washes their spears with blood.... Thousands of lamps come at night, and there are packs of wolves everywhere. Sister I got married the day before yesterday, and the child learned how to support the bed. Women and children plow the fields, and plowing with each other can't do it.... Looking beyond the barrier, where is my hometown?"

After the last syllable fell, Xiao Jue stood up: "It's getting late, don't bother you, my mother is still waiting for me to go home and have soup."

He picked up the empty wine jar, ran two steps, tiptoed, and climbed over the wall.

At this time the wind blew up, Xu Guanchen sniffled, stood up holding Xiao Zhi's hand: "It's cold, let's go back too."

Xu Guanchen didn't sleep well that night. He dreamed of Linyang Town—he had been to this town in Yanbei for a year.

He dreamed that Linyang Town was on fire, and it really looked like the place where the sun had set.A long sword stood on top of the earthen wall that was gradually collapsing.

There was only a long sword on it, but no elder brother Xu Wen's helmet.

Xu Guanchen stood on the sand dune, behind him at the foot of the mountain, there were small white flowers called Zhijielian.He called "Brother", woke up from the dream, poked his forehead, his face was covered with cold sweat.

Xiao Zhi stretched out his hand to hold him in his arms, and patted his back.

When he woke up, it was still early morning and the sky was light.He didn't feel sleepy anymore, he lay in Xiao Zhi's arms for a while, then got up.

Last night he was studying the iron certificate of the alchemy book under the lamp, but he didn't have time to put it away, so the alchemy book was still on the case.

When Xu Guanchen was changing his clothes, he glanced casually and suddenly remembered something, so he ran over to read the alchemy book with his clothes on.

Danshu Iron Coupon is just a board made of a large iron block, and the words cast on it are traced again with cinnabar.In order to win the trust, it is usually divided into two halves, one half is held by the courtiers, and the other half is kept in the palace.

If there are no more than ten families of heroic and important officials in the court, there will be half an iron coupon like this.And because the merits of each family are different, the characters cast on them are also different.

At first, Xu Guanchen only focused on reading the words on it, to see if there was a palindrome Zangtou, and then to see if there was a mechanism or something, but he didn't remember to look at the alchemy itself.

At the beginning, he held the Danshu with both hands and raised it above his head.

At that time, he only felt that this thing was thick and heavy, and it was too heavy, but now that he picked it up, he seemed to understand a little bit.

Xu Guanchen ran to Xiao Zhi with bare feet, "Xiao Yuzhi, this alchemy seems a bit too heavy."

Xiao Zhi picked up the Dan book, weighed it, and nodded.

Xu Guanchen thought for a while: "I'm afraid there are other things cast here."

After breakfast that day, the two of them went back to the palace together.

Xu Guanchen held the box containing the alchemy books in his arms, the carriage was rattling, and the copper bell was ringing under the eaves, passed the triple gate of the palace, and stopped directly in front of the Hall of Valor.

In the Hall of Valor, there are nine iron coupons of Danshu that are only half of the price, and the Dingguo Mansion's are naturally there.

The two of them entered the hall together, Xu Guanchen handed over the iron coupon of the alchemy book in his arms to Xiao Zhi, made three bows towards the position of the Duke's mansion, and then stepped forward to hold the other half of the alchemy book.

Xiao Zhi took out the alchemy book in the box, and the two halves just closed.

Xu Guanchen held the alchemy book in his hand, thinking back to the half of the Duke's mansion, it seemed to be heavier.

He also put the other half of the Danshu into Xiao Zhi's hands, Xiao Zhi weighed it, exchanged a look with him, and nodded firmly.

"If you want to, let the craftsman melt it down and have a look." Xiao Zhi said, "It doesn't matter if you cast another alchemy book."

"It's a matter of great importance. Do you have a craftsman you can trust?"

Xiao Zhi stacked the two Dan books together and put them in the box.Holding the box in one hand and leading Xu Guanchen in the other, they left the Hall of Valor.

The carriage left the palace, traveled for about half an hour, left the city, and stopped at the military camp outside Jinling City.

This is where the army under Uncle Pei's command is stationed. Uncle Pei has obtained special permission to make weapons in the army, so Xiao Zhi brought Xu Guanchen here to find a blacksmith.

Uncle Pei happened to be in the camp today, and knowing that the two of them wanted to borrow some craftsmen, he called out the people from the military department, leaving only one old blacksmith.

Xu Guanchen opened the box and handed the two pieces of alchemy to the old blacksmith: "Please take a look, are these two pieces of iron different in weight?"

Although the old blacksmith was old, he had great strength. He weighed one in one hand, and then weighed it again: "Master, the two things are indeed of different weights."

Xu Guanchen thought for a moment, and said again: "Can I trouble you to melt the thing?"

The old blacksmith nodded in agreement, and walked to the stove with the alchemy book in his hand.He was illiterate, so he didn't know what it was, and Xu Guanchen melted when he let the melting happen.

He held it and looked at it for a while: "This thing is heavier. If there is something inside, it is probably copper or gold. Melt the outside, and even the inside, it will be melted as a whole."

"Then... can it be like how people in the north chop iron birches, melt some of it with a hot iron block first, and then split it with something? Isn't it said that there is a sword that cuts iron like mud?"

The old blacksmith raised his eyelids, picked up the tool, and said with a smile: "The sword that cuts iron like clay is in the book, but there is still a sharper sword that was forged a few days ago."

The stove was burning hot, and the armory was very hot.

The old blacksmith wiped away the hot sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, and before waiting for a long time, he said, "My lord, there is a compartment."

Xu Guanchen leaned over to look, the edge of the alchemy book was burnt reddish, only a thin layer melted away, and he saw a thin crack in the middle of the thick alchemy book: "Can you pry it open?"

"it is good."

The old blacksmith picked up the hammer and chisel and knocked around the alchemy book. He fixed the alchemy book on the stone table and raised his long sword.

With a loud noise, the Dan Shu was split into two pieces again.Until today, he didn't know that the alchemy book of Duke Dingguo's mansion was made of an iron box and a gold plate hidden inside.

The gold plate was huge, and fit the iron box perfectly.Because it took some effort to take it out, it was a little deformed.

The old blacksmith said: "Similarly, gold is heavier, so this thing is also heavier. Cast a gold plate, then cast an iron box, which fits perfectly, and finally seals it up. Only a craftsman who is used by the queen has such skills. "

Xu Guanchen picked up the other half of the alchemy book: "This one, please melt it down and have a look."

In another piece of alchemy, there is a small gold medal, which is also very suitable.

Xu Guanchen glanced at Xiao Zhi, thanked the old blacksmith, told him not to tell the story, picked up his things, and went out of the military department together.

In the tent of the garrison camp outside Jinling City, Xu Guanchen put the alchemy book cut into four pieces, a gold plate, and a gold token on the case.

Because things need to be put into the alchemy book exactly, the gold plates and tokens are not very finely cast.

There is a word "御" and "Ling" on both sides of the golden token, which was taken out of the alchemy book in the palace. Naturally, it is a token for orders and is kept by the emperor himself.

There are only very simple lines on the gold plate. When I took it out, I didn't pay attention to which side was down and which side was up.Now Xu Guanchen looks at it over and over again, but he can't tell what is painted on it.

He picked up a pen and ink, and drew the lines on the gold plate.

Still unable to understand, Xu Guanchen looked up at Xiao Zhi: "Xiao Yuzhi, what do you think this cast looks like?"

Xiao Zhi watched with him for a while, Xu Guanchen glanced casually, and suddenly saw the sheepskin map hanging in the tent.

When marching and fighting, one must carry a map. It is not unusual for Uncle Pei to have such a thing here.

With a flash of inspiration, Xu Guanchen picked up the gold plate and placed it in front of the map: "Does it look like it?"

The same simple lines, valleys, passes, and rivers are all on it, but there are signs on the map, not on the gold plate, and it looks simpler.

Holding the gold plate, Xu Guanchen looked at the map up and down: "But which place does this refer to?"

Xiao Zhi said, "That's the map of Yanbei."

When Xu Guanchen raised his head, he saw the word "Yanbei" in official script on it, and nodded helplessly: "That's it."

"If you want to check, go back and find another picture."

"Okay." Xu Guanchen glanced at the map again, and sat back beside Xiao Zhi.

All the things hidden in the alchemy book were taken out, and the alchemy book became four pieces, and without any other clues, Xu Guanchen put all the things into the box.

He returned the gold token to Xiao Zhi: "It was originally something from the palace, so it's better to give it to you."

"it is good."

Xu Guanchen supported his head, and said thoughtfully: "If the map is drawn on it, it refers to a certain place. Is there any treasure in that place?"

"If it's a treasure, why would you need a token?"

"Maybe there is some mechanism, or there are guards, and you need a token to get it... Wait..." Xu Guanchen suddenly realized, "Could there be something hidden in the alchemy books of the other eight important ministers in the palace? I will remember, first When the emperor was in power, it was clearly the wealth of An Guogong and the world. If there is a treasure, it is impossible to put it in the alchemy of our Dingguo government. The Dingguo government is in charge of the soldiers. This thing should be related to the soldiers. What needs Only tokens can be used to command, so it is naturally a person. That is—"

Xu Guanchen raised his eyes suddenly: "An army that is always on standby and trained secretly."

He thought for a while, and then felt that there was something that didn't make sense, and rubbed his brows: "It's all the old emperor's fault, he died if he didn't speak clearly."

After a while, General Pei called out in a low voice from outside the tent: "Brother Xu?"

"Hey." Xu Guanchen responded, stood up and bowed to Xiao Zhi, "I'll go out and have a look."

He opened the curtain and walked out. Uncle Pei pulled him away and asked in a low voice, "That thing... His Majesty wanted it?"

Xu Guanchen was puzzled, and asked suspiciously, "What is it?"

Uncle Pei said, "Why do you let him mess around?"

Xu Guanchen still didn't understand: "What?"

"This." Uncle Pei took out a blueprint from his sleeve, and looked around guiltily.

Xu Guanchen opened the drawing.There are two bells drawn on the paper, made of gold, hollowed out with cloud patterns, and specially marked, the metal tongue in the bell is made of a special kind of magnet.The two bells are divided into male and female, and when approached, the female bell will ring.

Just two bells are divided into male and female...

A string in Xu Guanchen's brain broke, and he quickly explained: "It's not..."

He suddenly remembered that when he came out of the armory department, he specifically asked the old blacksmith not to let others know what happened today.

Presumably Uncle Pei went to ask the old blacksmith, but the old blacksmith couldn't explain it, so he took this thing out and talked nonsense.

To make this kind of gadget, naturally, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

Xu Guanchen's ears and cheeks were flushed, and he muttered: "Who knew that a blacksmith who makes weapons would still make such things?"

"That is the best craftsman in Jinling City."

Xu Guanchen glanced at Uncle Pei again.

"Okay, okay." Uncle Pei smiled knowingly, "Uncle pretends not to know. If Your Majesty asks what Uncle wants you to do, just say, Uncle asked if you would like to stay in the camp for lunch."

Xu Guanchen was powerless to defend himself: "I'm not, I don't have... this thing..."

Uncle Pei persuaded: "But don't let Your Majesty do too much. It's unmanly to wear this kind of thing on your body and be seen by others."

"No, uncle, I really don't have one." Xu Guanchen scratched his hair vigorously and stomped his feet angrily, "This thing is really not..."

"Don't uncle know you yet? This kind of dishonest thing must be what His Majesty wants."

"No, Xiao Yuzhi didn't..."

It really didn't make any sense, Xu Guanchen was so angry that he turned around in circles.

"Okay, okay." Uncle Pei fake coughed twice, "Uncle doesn't know anything, you go back."

Xu Guanchen returned to the tent, angrily slapped the blueprint on the desk in front of Xiao Zhi, flipped up his clothes, sat down beside him, and held his forehead.

Xiao Zhi asked, "What is Uncle looking for you for?"

Xu Guanchen said in a muffled voice, "Ask me if I want to eat at the barracks at noon."

"What are you upset about?"

Xu Guanchen didn't answer, just thinking about how to explain this matter clearly to Uncle Pei.

When he raised his eyes again, Xiao Zhi had already pinched the blueprint, as if he had been looking at it for a while.

Sensing that he was looking over, Xiao Zhi also raised his eyes to look at him, with a faint smile: "How do you... know these things?"

"not me."

After a while, Xiao Zhi still looked at him, and occasionally lowered his eyes to look at the bell on the paper, as if he was very interested in this matter.

"Don't look at me." Xu Guanchen brought over the blueprint, "I don't want it."

Xiao Zhi's gaze fell from his face to the blueprint in his hand: "If you don't want it, what else are you going to grab?"

Xu Guanchen choked, rubbed the drawing, and returned it to him.

He had lunch in Uncle Pei's barracks at noon, and when he was going back in the evening, Uncle Pei let Xu Guanchen get into the carriage first, and quietly gave Xiao Zhi the bell that the old blacksmith had pressed hard.

Xiao Zhi put the brocade box with the bell into his sleeve, and raised his eyes to see Xu Guanchen not far away staring at him.

Seeing him looking over, Xu Guanchen turned his back quickly, panicked, and wanted to climb into the carriage.But he was tripped by the corner of his clothes, and finally supported himself with his hands, and climbed into the carriage with hands and feet.

"That...Your Majesty..." Uncle Pei finally plucked up the courage and wanted to tell Xiao Zhi something, but in the blink of an eye he saw a smile on the corner of his mouth, why?

Seeing how strange it was, he followed his gaze.

Xiao Zhi withdrew his expression and looked at General Pei seriously: "What's the matter, uncle?"

"No." Uncle Pei clasped his fists, "Send off Your Majesty."

Xiao Zhi nodded, took the brocade box and walked towards the carriage.

Just after opening the curtain of the carriage and stepping up with one foot, Xu Guanchen who was sitting in the carriage stretched out his hand towards him with an unhappy expression.

Xiao Zhi pretended to be stupid and handed him his hand.

"I'm not trying to help you." Xu Guanchen wanted to withdraw his hand, but he held it tightly and didn't let go for a moment.

"You want this." Xiao Zhi understood, and after sitting firmly, he let go of his hand and gave him the brocade box in his sleeve.

Inside the box were indeed two bells, hollowed out with cloud patterns.Originally, when the two bells were close together, the smaller one was about to ring, but the brocade box was separated by tightly pressed sawdust, so now that they were close together, there was no response.

Xu Guanchen picked up the big one, and threw the small one, including the brocade box, to Xiao Zhi: "I'll take this."

After a while, Xiao Zhi said: "Go back to Funing Palace and live here."

"Okay." Xu Guanchen responded casually, "It also saves you from running to the Duke's mansion all the time."

He thought about it carefully, and said again: "But the master may not enter the palace, he doesn't like it."

At this moment when Yu Qingzi was mentioned, Xiao Zhi asked: "You haven't been sick for two months, just in case, you'd better go back to live in Funing Palace."

"I know." Xu Guanchen thought for a while, "But Master said, I won't get sick in the future. Take two more medicines and I'll be fine."

"it is good."

The journey back to the city was long, and Xu Guanchen was so bored that he shook his arms and legs.

"Didn't I lose my memory before? These days I slowly remembered something. Master also said that I will remember the events of the past three years from the back to the front." Xu Guanchen smiled, but suddenly stopped talking, " Guess what I'm thinking now from the 25th of the twelfth lunar month in Jingming March?"

Xiao Zhi said, "I don't know."

"You're so boring." Xu Guanchen complained, but sat beside him, "I dreamed the day before yesterday that my aunt came from Yanbei to accompany me on June [-] of the next year, and she left on this day. I dreamed yesterday Tomorrow, the third day of June..."

Xu Guanchen didn't say anything, but turned his head and asked him: "What did you do on the third day of June?"

Xiao Zhi replied, "I don't remember."

Xu Guanchen opened his palm, revealing the bell in his palm: "Try to see if it works."

He stuck the bell on the brocade box, only a piece of wood was separated, the other bell moved, and then two crisp sounds came from the box.

Xu Guanchen played for a while, held the bell in his hand again, and said softly to Xiao Zhi: "Unexpectedly, on the third day of June next year, I went back to the Duke's Mansion during the day, and it was late, so you probably thought I wouldn't come back. You are alone in the Funing Hall, panting and calling my name, and sometimes calling the Taoist priest. I waited in the side hall for a long time, and when I fell asleep, when I went back, I changed a bedding and even the curtains Changed."

He continued: "At that time, I thought my life was not long, and I didn't dare to make you a widower in the future, so I pretended not to know."

Xu Guanchen chuckled lightly: "But how...you can bear it so much?"

Xiao Zhi pressed his head and kissed him hard.