The prince is very fierce

"The trees are old, the leaves are sparse, and the people are old and have their heads lowered~

A mother sells her son, a father sells his daughter, and no one picks up the horse-drawn carriage~

…”

The cold wind carried snow particles and fell on the small square of Fenglingdu Town. An old beggar, wearing a tattered quilt, huddled beside the steps outside the inn, banging an old bowl and humming a ballad made up by someone.

At the entrance of the inn, two wolf guards dressed in black stood with swords in their hands. They were so solemn that the Jianghu people who were joining in the fun under the 'Guimenguan' archway disappeared without a trace. The Jianghu people who had just arrived also backed away after seeing it, for fear of attracting the attention of the wolves. Wei's attention.

The waiter had a towel on his shoulders. Seeing that no customer dared to come to the door, he felt anxious, but he dared not speak out and stood in the lobby honestly waiting for orders.

As for why the old beggar who sang folk songs was not chased away, it was not because the Wolf Guard was reasonable, but because he had just chased him away and was stopped by someone.

The brazier was still burning in the lobby of the inn. Song Ying, the chief officer of the Wolf Guard, held a poker in his hand and sat on a stool to fiddle with the charcoal fire.

At the table where Xu Bu Ling used to eat noodles, there was an old man in red robe with gray hair. He folded his sleeves with his hands and squinted at the archway outside the door. He had a gaunt figure and his face was full of wrinkles left over from the years. How energetic is the old beggar outside the door?

As one of the three chief officers of the Criminal Investigation Department, Song Ying holds the position of head catcher. She is used to frighten the Jianghu and arrest the A-level gangsters. She is regarded as the double red stick of the imperial court and one of the most capable warriors under the emperor.

At this moment, facing the sleepy old eunuch in front of her, Song Ying looked somewhat respectful, like a junior warming up by the fire with his elders.

The old beggar's song was finished.

Eunuch Jia, who had half-closed eyes, finally came to his senses and whispered in a hoarse voice:

"When I followed Emperor Xiaozong into Chang'an and passed by Fenglingdu, I heard this ditty. At that time, we had been fighting for more than ten years, and there were ten houses and nine empty houses everywhere. Anyone who could hold a bowl and beg for food was considered a strong man... "

Song Ying was less than forty years old, the age at which a martial artist was at his peak, and he came from a wealthy family. He might have heard what he said to Eunuch Jia, but he had certainly never experienced it. He responded softly:

"I heard from my grandfather that at that time, even the Cao family had to tighten their belts and live a life. If they had not had some status in the world, they might have been robbed by the mob... Emperor Xiaozong loved the people like his sons. After the governance of two monarchs, , the world is much better."

Eunuch Jia shook his head and sighed softly: "Our family watched Emperor Xiaozong found the country, and watched the late emperor return to the prosperous times of the Central Plains Dynasty. Now we are worried, and then watch this hundred-foot-high building collapse... When a war begins, the person who benefits will However, it is true that the people of the world are suffering. You are young and have never seen it with your own eyes, so you don’t understand what kind of life it was like. "

Song Ying was indeed a young boy in front of Eunuch Jia. She nodded and chuckled without denying it.

After resting for a while, Eunuch Jia stood up, walked out of the inn, and said: "Actually, our family also sneaked into this archway back then, but it's a pity that we have never been to the Jianghu in this life. Now, in this life, we have never been there." It’s almost finished…”

After saying that, he passed through the 'Ghost Gate', which can be regarded as a beginning and an end, and then together with the wolf guard, embarked on the road to Youzhou...

-------

Chu land, Ezhou.

Two fast horses galloped across the wilderness covered in snow.

Riding on the snow horse from Mobei, the swordsman Ding Yuan glanced back at the guest pavilion that was getting further away. King Song Zhengping of Chu stood in it, seeing each other off from afar.

Next to Ding Yuan is a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a black Quanzhen Taoist robe. The Taoist magic sword engraved with Yin and Yang fish is slung on his back. He is extremely tall and has slender limbs. His wide Taoist robe sticks to his body in the wind. His waist is as strong as a tiger and leopard. He looks like He doesn't have the immortal spirit of an ordinary Taoist priest, but is rather domineering.

If a Taoist priest can be dubbed the 'Wudang Killing God', it can be seen that he is by no means a calm and gentle person.

Compassion is the essence of Buddhism. Since Chen Daozi came out of the mountain, he has been famous in the world for his thunderous temper. He is surrounded by a forbidden land of thunder and fire. Dragons and tigers have to lie down, and the guests in the world are difficult to deal with. Counting, no one dares to take revenge so far.

Seeing the figure of Chu King Song Zhengping disappear from sight, Ding Yuan turned around and whispered:

"The prince has repeatedly warned that the thing must be brought back, otherwise it would rather be destroyed than fall into the hands of others. I also hope that Master Chen will do his best to assist Ding..."

Chen Daozi raised his hand casually, stopped Ding Yuan from speaking, and said calmly:

"Wu Dang has been under the care of the King of Chu for many years. No matter what he is looking for, if he asks me for help, he will help me and keep his mouth shut. No need to say anything."

Ding Yuan thought carefully and then said: "Xu Buling, the prince of Prince Su, has also been in Jiangnan recently. The prince speculates that the Xu family is also related to this matter. If he meets Xu Buling in Youzhou, Daochang Chen should not kill him and drive him out. That’s it, otherwise it won’t end well.”

"knew……"

------

Huainan, Xiaojiazhuang.

In the ancestral house of the Xiao family, Xiao Ting succeeded the family head and was listening to many uncles discussing matters in the meeting hall.

Xiao Qi had almost finished the handover and was already at leisure. She was rummaging through the boudoir alone, neatly placing the items she had collected since she was a child into a box, preparing to take them to Suzhou as a souvenir for her wife.

The Xiao family may have a collection habit inherited from their ancestors. Xiao Xiang'er liked to collect strange and clever objects. He once filled a palace with them. After his death, Xiao Qi brought them back from Chang'an and loaded them on a ship.

Xiao Qi is different from her sister in that she likes to collect books, especially rare and rare books, like "The Jade Tree in the Spring Palace". As long as it is rare, no matter what is written on it, she likes to collect it, and rarely shows it to others. This may also be related to Xiao Qi's character who likes to control the overall situation. Only if she knows more than others can she gain the opportunity to control the situation.

The carefully organized books in the study were piled up like a mountain. Xiao Qi was looking through them. She was about to get married. The evil books such as "Secrets of the Jade Room" and "Top Ten Famous Weapons" should have been destroyed, otherwise they would be destroyed by future generations. The husband realized that something must have happened.

But Xiao Qi hesitated for a long time while holding it in her hand, but she still didn't want to throw away the lone copy that she had finally collected. She found a small box and put it neatly, and locked it with a copper lock, and then she felt at ease.

While they were sorting things out, Lanhua walked to the door and said that Zhongli Jiujiu was visiting.

Xiao Qi put down the things in her hands and went out to the living room. When she saw Zhongli Jiujiu sitting in the living room, she was slightly confused:

"Miss Jiujiu, do you have anything to do with me?"

Zhongli Jiujiu stood up and bowed gently: "Miss Xiao, do you know where Prince Xu and Ning Yu went together?"

Zhongli Jiujiu woke up this morning and found that a bunch of girls were suddenly missing from the house. After searching around the house for a few times, she found that her rivals Ning Yuhe and Xu Buling had run away. Lu Hongluan only knew that Xu Buling had gone out, not Know where to go.

Zhongli Jiujiu didn't know why, so he could only ask Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi asked the maid to get a cup of tea, and said with a chuckle: "I'm going out to do some errands. Miss Jiujiu has something to do with Xu Buling?"

"Well……"

Zhongli Jiujiu didn't know what to say. Her purpose of staying with Xu Buling was to compete with Ning Yu, and Xu Buling was the key. Without these two, she would have no meaning of existence. .

However, these words obviously cannot be said to the outside world. Zhongli Jiujiu thought about it and said softly:

"Last month, Prince Xu gave me a monthly salary and asked me to stay with him so that I could seek medical advice. I left in such a hurry yesterday. I must have done something important. If I was injured or something, no one in the world can compare to me. It’s more useful. I have a salary and can’t just eat at home, so I came here to ask if I could follow.”

Something happened suddenly last night. Xu Buling was a contemporary military leader and he went to chase someone. Xiao Qi never thought that Xu Buling would be injured. Now when I heard Zhongli Jiujiu talk about it, I felt that I should take a doctor with me when I go out. After all, Xu Buling has a bit of an impulsive personality. If he meets a certain Wu Kui on a narrow road, something may go wrong. Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi did not hesitate and said softly: "I'm going to the Tang family in Youzhou, but Xu Buling's horse is very fast, and Miss Jiujiu may not be able to catch up."

Zhongli Jiujiu smiled softly: "You just need to know the place. Taking a boat is too slow. I'll ride over there and I should be able to catch up. I'll be more at ease if I arrive a day early."

Seeing this, Xiao Qi nodded lightly and didn't say much.

Zhongli Jiujiu stood up to say goodbye and quickly returned to the house to pack her things and prepare to go out to catch up.

But after Zhongli Chuchu got up, she also found that Xu Buling and Ning Qingye were missing, and they were wondering about their whereabouts.

Seeing Zhongli Jiujiu packing his things when he came back, Zhongli Chuchu quickly stepped forward and asked;

"Master, where are you going?"

Zhongli Jiujiu put away the bottles and jars, glanced at his apprentice, his eyes flickered, and he didn't mean to let Zhongli Chuchu follow him, he just said:

"I'm going to the Tang family in Youzhou. You can take the boat with Xiao Qi and the others. Don't run around these days."

Zhongli Chuchu knew about the grievances between Ning Yuhe and the Tang family in Youzhou, and understood that Xu Buling should have gone with Ning Yuhe to seek revenge. Seeing that the master did not take her, she felt unhappy. She was not powerless. Miss Song, it’s not a bad thing to have a lot of helpers by your side...

Zhongli thought for a while and said softly: "Master, let's go together. It just so happens that I can also help Mr. Xu. He has helped me many times before..."

Zhongli Jiujiu was afraid that she would not be able to catch up with Xu Buling after a long delay, and had no intention of discussing it. She carried the small package and walked out: "Chu Chu is obedient and stay on the boat honestly. I will come find you in a few days..." As he said Then he jumped out of the courtyard wall and disappeared into the courtyard.

"Eh..."

Zhongli Chuchu looked at the courtyard wall, slightly confused, feeling that his master was a little weird these days.

But the master didn't let her follow him, maybe because he had something important to do, and it was hard to force him.

With this in mind, Zhongli Chuchu returned to the back house and sat alone for a while, but felt something was wrong again.

Ning Qingye can follow, why can't she?

It’s not like she’s not as good as Ning Qingye!

Zhongli frowned and thought for a moment, a little unconvinced, and with the intention of following him to have a look, he moved his white camel out of the stable...

After a long time, in the empty house.

Song Yufu, who was tired of reading in the room, walked out of the boudoir, stretched, walked slowly to the yard, walked around a few times, and then...

"Chuchu? Manzhi? Qingye? Mr. Xu?...Huh? Where is the person...stop hiding, I saw you, just behind the flower pot...ha-I found you...hey?..."