Zhu Nao

Langzhou City.

The teahouse is always one of the liveliest places in town.Ordinary people would go into the teahouse to have a sip of hot tea when they had nothing to do, and gossip with the guests at the next table whether they knew or didn’t know them. It's quick to spit out here.He wiped his mouth after the matter, took a few pieces of tea money, brushed off his clothes and left, hiding his fame deeply.

Almost all news spreads about fermentation in teahouses.Therefore, the quality of teahouse business also often depends on the current situation in the world.If the world is peaceful, the business of the teahouse is often tepid; but whenever something important happens, the teahouse will be overcrowded, and even those who don't like tea will squeeze in to listen to the excitement.

And from the past two days, the teahouse suddenly became crowded with people, and the heat never faded from early morning to night.There were no more chairs in the teahouse, and there were still many people standing in the teahouse just to listen to other people's discussions.

Because there was a sensational news that spread to Langzhou City two days ago.

……

Qian Qing followed Zhu Nao to the door of the teahouse. Seeing that Zhu Nao was about to go in, he was shocked and said, "Zhou, Zhou Mu?"

Zhu Nao turned around: "What's wrong?"

Qian Qing's expression was strange: "This is the place you said you brought me here?"

Junao nodded: "Yes."

Qian Qing: "..."

He was dumbfounded, but Junao had already entered.He could only follow along.

Entering the teahouse, seeing the bustling scene inside, Zhu Nao couldn't help but "hoo": "There are so many people."

Qian Qing said with a dry smile: "There were more people in the past two days. I heard that the people who came to drink tea couldn't turn away..."

Although there were many people in the teahouse, Zhu Nao and Qian Qing were both wearing casual clothes, covered tightly in winter, but no one recognized them.

The two went upstairs to the private room.

There was a lot of voices in the teahouse, and everyone was talking about the big event that Qian Qing was very concerned about. It didn't happen in Sichuan, and it wasn't even a new thing recently. It happened two months ago It was not until recently that the news finally reached Langzhou.

——He Qian, the great general in Beijing, died of illness at home two months ago.

The reason why this matter caused a sensation among the people is not because of He Qian's status or reputation, nor because of what He Qian did.But what kind of impact will this death have on the future situation.

This will start with the situation in the DPRK.

Today's emperor came to the throne very early, and he was hugged to the throne when he was still a babbling child.As the saying goes, if the emperor is too young, the imperial power will fall; once the imperial power falls, there will be people fighting for it.

Ever since, the people fighting for power in the DPRK and China were roughly divided into two factions.One of the factions is the eunuch party headed by the three major servants; the other faction is the scholar party headed by General He Da.

Over the years, the eunuch party and the scholar party have fought very fiercely, and this vigorous struggle has even spread to the whole country.

Officials from all over the country, even local officials in a remote place, have to choose their positions in these two factions as long as they have reached a certain level.Sometimes they choose on their own initiative, and sometimes they choose passively due to family background and other reasons.Those who want neither side to offend often end up offending both sides.And once you choose a position, you will naturally be involved in party struggles.Even if there are those who do not want to form a party, without friends, enemies are indispensable.Therefore, the less intriguing one is, the easier it is to become a victim of party struggle.It is simply that people sit at home, and disaster comes from heaven.

And the richer the job in the richer place, the more fierce the fight.Sometimes a state magistrate can change four terms in a year.In this way, how can anyone be a good official?Those who can stay in the officialdom are mostly those who devote all their energy to forming cliques for selfish purposes.

The imperial court is like a dangerous boat, tossed and tossed in two huge waves, perilously ups and downs, and it has been ups and downs for many years.

But now, He Qian is dead.

In the past, no matter how fierce the battle between the two parties was, the fierce battle itself was a kind of balance.But with He Qian's death, can the balance be maintained?If not, will the world be in chaos in the future, or will it return to peace?Will the rebel army in the north take advantage of the situation and go south?Who can replace the former General He's position?How will the power of the eunuch party expand?

These things are no longer just a battle between a few powerful people, but are related to the livelihood of all the people.Let’s just say that in the land of Shu, Chengdu Yin Yuan Jilu is an eunuch, while the young Yin Lu Qinghui of Chengdu Mansion is an out-and-out scholar party. Who will be dismissed in the future?Who will stay for a long time?Will the decrees of the Shu region change?

——The above questions were all asked by Qian Qing after chasing after Zhu Nao for the past two days.

After all, Qian Qing is an official, and he is also a worry-loving person. He must be very concerned about such important national affairs.Although Langzhou is not under the control of the land of Shu now, in any case, Langzhou is in the land of Shu after all, and it is even in the king's land. It is impossible that the changes in the world will not affect the people in Langzhou city.So he was very disturbed.

Jun Nao was annoyed by his questioning, and taking advantage of today's public holiday, he said to take him out to hear what others had to say.Qian Qing thought that Zhu Nao was going to take him to meet some kind of expert, but in the end...he brought him to the teahouse.

Qian Qing is so depressed.What's the matter?Does the teahouse still need Zhu Nao to bring him?

The two sat down in the private room of the teahouse. Zhu Nao ordered two pots of tea and some melon seed snacks. When the waiter in the teahouse left, Jun Nao asked him to keep the door open.As soon as the door was opened, the noisy discussions downstairs could be clearly transmitted into the private room.

"Hey, you said that the death of General He will make those dog eunuchs gain power from now on?"

"My God, if the eunuchs really gain power, how will we live in the future?"

"Thinking of our hard work, all the money we earn is spent by those filthy bastards who don't have chicken bullies, I really wish I could just kill myself!"

Zhu Nao happily knocked on the melon seeds, and said to Qian Qing, "There are quite a lot of people who worry like you."

Qian Qing laughed dryly.

To be honest, Qian Qing hasn't slept well for two days since hearing the news.It's not that he has any longing for General He, but at least in this Shu land, the common people generally hold hatred for the eunuchs.This is why healthy people often regard people who lack a piecemeal as a different kind; this is why there are two living examples in Chengdu Mansion.As an eunuch, Yin Yuanjilu of Chengdu was notoriously licentious and immoral. I have never heard of him doing anything that an official would do except for extorting money and robbing civilian women.As for Lu Qinghui, who is a scholar party, not to mention what a good official he is, at least he still looks like an official under the background of Yuan Jilu.These two people are also like the epitome of most eunuchs and scholars.

The common people are very worried. If the eunuch party gains power, some decent officials like Lu Qinghui will be dismissed and replaced by Yuan Jilu. Will everyone's life be better?

Qian Qing sighed and looked at Zhu Nao.Seeing that Zhu Nao didn't look worried at all, he suddenly regained his spirits: "Zhou Mu, can it be said that the death of General He may not be a bad thing?"

"It looks pretty bad to me." Junao smiled, and grabbed another handful of melon seeds, "But you don't have to worry about it."

Qian Qing was puzzled: "Why?"

Zhu Nao knocked on the melon seeds and said, "Anyway, bad things can't turn into good things."

Qian Qing: "..."

The people downstairs are still discussing impassionedly.

"Don't think too badly. General He is dead, but those scholars are not vegetarian. On the contrary, I think that the death of General He is likely to unite those scholars. They are excited, In a single blow, the dog eunuchs were brought down!"

"If only this were the case..."

"I hope that the rebel army will hit the capital as soon as possible, enter the palace and kill all those dog eunuchs!"

Hearing this, Qian Qing thought for a while, and felt that this possibility was not impossible.He Qian's death, not to mention those scholars, even the common people were excited.If the scholar party can take advantage of this breath to rise, perhaps this matter will really become a boost.

Zhu Nao shook his head while drinking tea, as if he thought what the man said was ridiculous.

The conversation continues.

"No matter how I think about it, I feel that General He was killed by those eunuchs! He was never ill before, why did he die so suddenly?"

"That's right! At the beginning of this year, didn't you say that the emperor was seriously ill? It must be that the group of eunuchs were afraid that the dog emperor would die. They had no backing, so they acted first and killed General He at this juncture. !"

The common people hated the eunuch so much that the topic turned to the cause of He Qian's death for a while, and people scolded the eunuch one after another.At this moment, someone suddenly interjected: "You are all mistaken! He Qian was not killed by an eunuch, it was the news released by the scholars to confuse you. The court will never announce the real cause of He Qian's death."

People were immediately attracted by this trickster, and hurriedly asked: "The real cause of death? Tell me quickly, what is it?"

The man said: "The real cause of death... He Qian committed suicide!"

"what?!"

This person's words stirred up a thousand layers of waves, and the teahouse suddenly boiled.

"Suicide? Impossible!"

"Aren't you talking nonsense? Why did he commit suicide?"

"That's right, why did General He commit suicide?"

The man might have made a silent gesture, and the noise gradually became quieter.Only then did the man explain in an orderly manner: "Think about it, that group of officers and soldiers fought in a mess, suppressing the rebels every year, and failed every year. Even Jinzhou was taken by the rebels this year—Jinzhou! If the rebel army travels a few hundred miles further south, it will enter the capital!"

After taking a breath, he continued: "The battle has become such a shit, how could he shirk his responsibility as a general before? The emperor wanted to dismiss his general, and the people in the north complained about him. A defeated battle is about to cause a rebellion! Think about it, how could he bear this kind of grievance after being prosperous and rich all his life? So he couldn't think about it for a while, so he hung to death on the crooked neck tree in his yard..."

There was a moment of silence in the teahouse, and soon there was another commotion.

"You, you, where did you hear the news?"

"That's right, you said that the court would not make it public, so how did you know about this?"

The man said triumphantly, "Me? Of course I heard it from a reliable person."

When Qian Qing listened to this man's words, at first he was just as unbelievable as those who questioned him, but after hearing the man's explanation, he felt that it was reasonable and began to doubt it.Hearing that person say that he has a reliable source of information, I can't help but think: Does that person really know someone so powerful that he can even inquire about the secret information in Beijing?

The people downstairs were not so easily persuaded, clamoring for the man to explain the source of the news, otherwise they would not believe his words.The man was forced to do nothing, and finally let go.

"Okay, let me tell you the truth. I have a friend who is an official in the state capital. ...Which friend? Qian Qing, do you recognize him? He used to be the chief bookkeeper! Qian Qing told me these words himself of."

Qian Qing: "???"

"What? Where did the news about Qian Qing come from? Of course it was Zhuzhou Mu who told him!" The man said triumphantly, "What is Zhu Zhoumu's identity? Think about it, the secrets in the capital can be hidden from others, and even hidden from others. He!——I have the fate to drink tea with you here today, so I will tell you this. You must never talk about it later.”

Qian Qing: "..."

Zhu Nao couldn't straighten up because of Qian Qing's dumbfounded expression, and greeted the outside, "Dude!"

Hearing the call, the waiter in the teahouse hurried into the private room: "Guest officer, what are your orders?"

Zhu Nao smiled and said, "Did you hear what the man downstairs just said? Go and find out his name and address and write it down. I'll send someone to pick it up later."

The waiter at the teahouse recognized Zhu Nao at this moment, couldn't help sweating for the braggart just now, and hurried out.

In fact, there are such nonsense people in the teahouse every day, and they don't want to do anything, just want to have a good time.It's just that there are really not many people who can boast so well, and I'm afraid there is only one who can boast so much that the righteous master can hear it with his own ears.

Qian Qing said speechlessly: "Does Zhou Mu want to arrest him and punish him?"

"What crime?" Zhu Nao grabbed another handful of melon seeds, "It's a pity that such an eloquent person doesn't do business. It just so happens that there is a shortage of manpower in the caravan, so I asked him to come to me to find a job."

Qian Qing was stunned again: "...Huh?"

Zhu Nao said helplessly: "It's not like you don't know how short I am. By the way, speaking of this, if you know any smart people, you must remember to recommend them to me."

Qian Qing: "..."

Zhu Nao was short of men, of course he knew it.Right now, Zhu Nao's subordinates either followed him when he was in business, or picked them up from the Langzhou mansion after he became the shepherd of Shangzhou.But when he took over the Langzhou Mansion, the Langzhou Mansion itself was dilapidated, and nearly half of the officials were killed by bandits.Although Zhu Nao has recruited some people in the past two years, not to mention outstanding talents, there is even a shortage of available people, and some positions are still vacant, which is really a headache.

But picking people up at random in a teahouse, probably no one else can do it except Zhu Nao...

I don't know if the waiter in the teahouse went down and said something, but the braggart fell silent in an instant.The topic of discussion among the people came back again.

People scolded the eunuchs, cursed Yuan Jilu, and worried about the hardships ahead.Occasionally someone mentions Junao again.

"It would be great if Zhuzhou Mu could replace that dog official Yuan Jilu and become Chengdu Yin. Then our life would be easier."

"I hope that Zhuzhou Mu is just our Langzhou Mu. If he really goes to Chengdu, the land of Shu is so big, can he still care about our Langzhou?"

"Don't be short-sighted. Do you think that Zhuzhou Mu has managed Langzhou well, so he doesn't have to worry about the outside world? What's the mess in Yuzhou and Jianzhou? If the thugs from Jianzhou break into Langzhou, don't you be afraid Is it?"

"Uh... also..."

Someone followed suit: "Then if you say that, instead of letting Zhuzhou Mu be the Yin of Chengdu, it would be better to let him be the emperor directly! The whole world will be at peace!"

This is too far-reaching, everyone laughed, no one took it seriously, and no one continued.The subject quickly changed again.

When Qian Qing heard this, he couldn't help but smile.He hurriedly patted Zhu Nao's ass: "The state shepherd is really loved."

Zhu Nao didn't take it seriously: "You go to the teahouse to sit more, sooner or later you will hear someone praise you."

Qian Qing was ashamed.If you really want to do this, it's too wretched...

The two were speechless, and Qian Qingjian was a little dazed.

Seeing his confused face, Zhu Nao asked, "What's wrong?"

Qian Qing scratched her head and said awkwardly, "I still don't know why Zhou Mu brought me here today."

He really cared about current affairs, and asked Juno many questions.But the reason why he asked Junao was because he felt that Junao knew everything—at least he knew much more than him.

The situation was too turbulent, too disturbing, and he was eager to predict some future developments, so as to calm his anxiety.Except for Zhu Nao, no one can make him believe what anyone said.

Zhu Nao seemed to understand his thoughts, and said, "Do you think what I said must be true?"

Qian Qing looked at him with wide eyes, as if approving.

Zhu Nao laughed and said, "Okay. Then if I say that within a year of He Qian's death, the world will definitely be in chaos. How about you?"

Qian Qing opened her mouth wide in surprise: "Really, really?"

Zhu Nao was noncommittal, and only said, "How are you doing?"

Qian Qing was at a loss.Got it... so what can he do?

Zhu Nao said: "There is a saying that one step is taken, three steps are seen..."

Qian Qing thought he was going to talk about vision, so he pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

But Zhu Nao said: "Three paces is at most, and you can't see three hundred paces. If you walk ten paces, you may sprain your ankle. If you walk one hundred paces, you may meet another fast horse. You can see Seeing through the general trend, is it possible to see through the variables? Then life is too boring."

Qian Qing thought about it, and it was true.For example, even if you beat him to death in the past, you would never have thought that he would meet someone like Zhu Nao...

Zhu Nao glanced outside and said, "If you know what they want and what is lacking in the world, you can also be a variable in the current situation."

Qian Qing was stunned.At first he thought Jun Nao was joking, so he quickly laughed a few times.But he was the only one in the room laughing, and he froze when he smiled.Then he was a little surprised.

Finally, he fell into a blank silence.

=====

Jing Zhe and Pei Ziqi escorted Tao Bai and Wei Yue to the downstairs of the teahouse.

Today is a public holiday, and they didn't know that Zhu Nao was not in the state capital until they entered the city.Due to the urgency of the matter, they did not dare to delay, so they simply escorted the two prisoners to the teahouse to find Zhu Nao.The rest of the teenagers had already gone back to rest, Wei Yue and Tao Bai were chained by them, so they were not afraid of running away.

After entering the teahouse, Cheng Jingzhe dragged Wei Yue upstairs, while Pei Ziqi dragged Tao Bai to follow behind.

Along the way, Wei Yue knew that he couldn't escape, so he was very honest.But after entering the teahouse, he couldn't help but stop when he heard the passionate discussions of the guests.

Seeing that he was not moving, Jing Zhe glared at him: "Go!"

Wei Yue said dissatisfied: "What's the rush? Didn't you hear that General He died? I didn't even know such a big thing happened. Let me hear it again."

Jing Zhe said coldly: "What does this matter have to do with you?"

Wei Yue was helpless: "Is it okay to listen to it? I like listening to people bragging the most. It's so interesting."

The teahouse was crowded with people, Jing Zhe was afraid that he would cause trouble, so naturally he would not be allowed to delay.Without any explanation, he dragged him upstairs.

……

When we got outside the private room, the door of the private room was wide open.The four entered the house, and Pei Ziqi closed the door.

Wei Yue looked up and saw two men sitting in the room, both wearing casual clothes.He glanced at Qian Qing first, then immediately ruled it out, and turned his attention to Zhu Nao.Zhu Nao's appearance made him a little surprised, but he still kept his eyes on Zhu Nao and didn't look at Qian Qing again.

Sure enough, Jing Zhe took a step forward and bowed to Zhu Nao: "My lord."

Zhu Nao also looked at Tao Bai, and then began to look at Wei Yue: "This is?"

Jing Zhe lowered his eyes, and blamed himself: "Jing Zhe is not good at doing things..." He briefly explained the process of his arrest, saying that he might have stunned the snake, and if he wanted to catch the rest of the refugees, he might have to send another policeman from Zhu Nao. Multiple hands.

After hearing what he said, Zhu Nao already understood, and was not in a hurry to arrange arrests, and looked at Wei Yue with great interest.He didn't ask Wei Yue's identity, but instead asked, "So, are you smart?"

Wei Yue was taken aback for a moment: "Huh?"

Before he came in, he had thought about how he would answer if Jun Nao asked him about his identity and what he had committed, but he never expected that Jun Nao would ask such a question.For a moment he didn't know whether to admit it or deny it.

Zhu Nao casually pointed to a pair of couplets in the private room, and asked, "Can you read the characters?"

Wei Yue looked at it for a long time, and then said: "Bai... what day? What flower?"

Zhu Nao said, "Haven't you ever studied?"

Wei Yue laughed at herself: "I look like someone who has studied?"

Zhu Nao nodded, and asked again: "Then where did you learn your skills?"

"What can I do?"

"Scheming, cheating, stealing, looting, anything."

Wei Yue: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he said, "It seems, I heard, I figured it out myself."

Zhu Nao nodded, and said: "I sent someone to check your background. You lost your parents when you were 12 years old, and you have been hanging out with various religions since then. All your abilities are obtained through hard work, right?"

With his words, it was as if he already knew Wei Yue's identity.Wei Yue didn't know whether he was probing, or if he really knew it in his heart, he hesitated for a moment, and then missed the opportunity to deny it.

Zhu Nao said: "According to the law, what you committed is a capital crime. Do you want to live?"

The more troubled times are, the stricter the laws.Those who steal the hook will be punished, and those who steal the country will be martyred. This is the truth in troubled times.What Wei Yue has done in the past few years has really committed more than ten capital crimes.

He was silent for a moment, then grinned again and said, "Zhu Zhoumu asked this... If people like us don't want to live, why should we commit capital crimes?"

Zhu Nao was not surprised, and said "hmm" again, "When you came up, did you hear the discussion outside? General He is dead."

He changed the topic too quickly, Wei Yue was taken aback for a moment before saying: "I heard."

Zhu Nao said: "Tell me about how the situation in the world will change after the death of General He. If what you say is interesting, I will give you a chance to make a contribution."

Wei Yue was dumbfounded: "...Huh?"

Can you do this?