Chapter 191: The tip of the iceberg (edit)

Chapter 191: The tip of the iceberg (edit)

The Tatars were in the north of the Central Plains. They were repulsed by Daqian iron hoofs decades ago. Since then, they withdrew from the southern desert. They have surrendered to the Central Plains for many years and never invaded the border. The land is vast and barren, and the people live nomadicly, with few fixed homes, and only the Oron River flows through the territory. Because of the abundant water and grass, they gather into communities over the years.

The capital of the Tatar kingdom was built in the middle reaches of the Oron River.

After nightfall, lights are lit inside the tooth tent decorated with five-color silk sash, which looks like a huge lantern from the outside.

There are a few small hills in the distance.

On one of the south-facing hillsides, a tall horse can be seen faintly, and beside the horse stands a woman in a Hu suit.

The maid came from a distance, seeing this slender figure, almost shed tears.

She managed to calm down, walked forward with a smile on her face, and shouted happily to the front: "Your Highness, it's getting late, and the wind is so strong at night, you should be careful not to damage your body." .Let's go back to the tent!"

Shen Zhiyi stood still.

Looking at the homeland in the southeast submerged by the desert smoke and deep purple darkness, she only asked: "Is there still no news?"

The weather in the north is cold, dry, and windy and sandy.

Without the feng shui of the Central Plains, her old delicate cheeks inevitably left some traces of wind and frost. Although they are as fresh and beautiful as before, the slightly plump cheeks in the past have lost a lot of weight, and they are almost fractal. feeling.

It's just that compared to the change in appearance, the most astonishing thing is probably the pair of eyes.

The deep twilight fell into her eyes like ink.

The vivid divine light of the past has disappeared under the tempering of suffering, but it is like a dagger hidden in its sheath, with an unprecedented and forbearing edge!

The servant girl naturally knew what the princess had gone through these years.

When they first entered the court of the Huns, they had more than 20 palace servants.

However, in less than a year, there were only four left. Some of those who left couldn’t stand the hardships of fleeing in Beimo, some missed their homeland thousands of miles away, and some were tortured and punished by the Tatar nobles, so they couldn’t make it through...

On the surface, she looks like an extremely noble imperial princess who came to make peace;

But under the gorgeous crown, there is a pair of cruel shackles!

She is not so much a princess of a dynasty, a princess of Tatar, but a prisoner who cannot help herself.

The maid couldn't bear to reveal the news from outside, so she came up and gently tugged on the princess's sleeve, saying: "The secret letter has only been sent out not long ago, presumably even if they reach the border, those people will not dare to act without authorization, they must be sent to the capital to report You are the princess of Daqian, the blood of the royal family, the Holy Majesty and the Empress Dowager will definitely order troops to attack the Xiongnu and rescue you!"

Will save her?

Shen Zhiyi's gaze from afar fell down. In late autumn, when the trees were withered and yellow, and the grass was rotten to the sky, she only looked at the turf under her feet that had been gnawed by the horses. She bent down and picked up a piece of rotten grass root from the yellow and black soil. , with a sharp smile.

The peonies in the Forbidden City are carefully cared for by people, so they can't be blown by wind or rain.

The weeds in Mobei are deeply rooted in the barren soil, throwing away their delicate and beautiful colors, and putting themselves low, just to find an inch of land to survive in the dry and cold invasion.

Under the wind blowing, the fingers are already cold.

Looking at the grass root, she sighed a long time: "I used to think that if I turned into a blade of grass, I could wait for spring one day. But whether it's autumn or winter, it's too long, too long... "

In the distance, a night horn sounded beside the tent of teeth.

In the bleak wind, it resembled a long whimper.

The last bit of skylight on the hillside disappeared, and Shen Zhiyi's figure finally merged with the boundless darkness, without distinction.

On the night before departure, Jiang Xuening had a nightmare.

Dreaming that she was standing on the high city wall of the capital, the faces of the people around her were blurred, and the voices were too noisy and difficult to distinguish. She seemed to be trying to distinguish something from them.

It was the cry from the end of the long street.

The snow-white guard of honor is like a thin river, gradually approaching, and a grand and solemn coffin floats silently on the river.

She was on the city wall, clearly separated so far away, yet she could see clearly at once.

So, at this moment of seeing clearly, the city wall under his feet suddenly collapsed.

She fell down from a height, and in panic, she shouted in a panic: "Don't—"

The person suddenly sat up from the bed, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, but the vague and paradoxical feeling in the dream still lingered in his body, Jiang Xuening slept under the bed curtain for a long while, and slowly stroked his chest, the lingering fear still persisted.

She got up and opened the window, looking outside.

This time the sky in the south of the Yangtze River is only dimly lit.

A single lamp hangs in the hallway.

Xiebai House was originally located in the bird clothing alley, and there were no merchants nearby. At this time, there were no hard-working people, and no merchants who were late at night, so it was quiet, isolated like an isolated island.

Today we are going to leave for the border.

Jiang Xuening didn't know what her dream meant, and she didn't want to speculate whether everyone in the world had their own destiny. She only knew that if she wanted to change, she had no choice but to move forward.

Even if you seek skin with a tiger, you will work as a minion for the tiger!

At the end of Mao's time, two maids carried the bags, and Jiang Xuening went out from Xiabaiju.

A carriage has stopped outside the door on time.

The sky will be bright.

Standing next to the carriage was neither Daoqin nor Jianshu, but Lu Xian in a literati gown.

This profiteer from the capital has knowledge and insight that his peers cannot match. Even though he is full of philistine calculations, he looks elegant and dignified, which makes those who don't know it heart-wrenching.

When Jiang Xuening saw him, her footsteps stopped.

Lu Xian met her face to face outside the Xiewei gate of the other building yesterday, now he bowed his hands as a salute, and said with a smile: "Ms. Ning, she seems not very happy to see Lu."

Jiang Xuening didn't have much opinion of him, but the conversation with Xie Wei yesterday was very unpleasant.

She has never been willing to be held down to do things.

Although the accounts of the big and small ones have been sorted out, in order to save the princess, they have indeed made plans to sacrifice all their wealth, but these plans do not include being threatened by others.

But Xie Wei used the eldest princess as a threat.

So right now, seeing the number one dog-headed army division under Xie Wei's command is not so enjoyable.

Her attitude was not warm, and she only returned the courtesy lightly: "Yesterday, I told Fang Yin to stay in the south of the Yangtze River. Whenever Boss Lu has a job, she will listen to him. Everything is complicated. Although the property is not big, there are tens of thousands of cash. But it can be done. Boss Lu must be very busy right now, so he came here in person today. Could it be that there are some accounts that are not up to date, and I have some advice?"

Lu Xian shook his head: "Not really."

It must be known that he appeared here at this moment, but even Xie Wei kept it a secret.

Jiang Xuening raised her eyebrows: "Oh?"

Lu Xian looked at her and said, "I'm here because I have something to ask."

something?

Jiang Xuening was confused.

It's just that they are going north today, and she and Xie Wei agreed to meet outside Jinling City on the second quarter of Chenchu, so there is not much time to waste.

She asked, "Long story short?"

Lu Xian was startled: "It's a long story."

Jiang Xuening waved her hand and said, "I'm going on my way, so let Boss Lu get in the car, let's talk as we go."

Lu Xian: "..."

His eyes turned to the carriage, his face almost turned green, as if he was not looking at a well-built carriage with a spacious carriage, but a death cell.

Jiang Xuening was surprised: "Boss Lu won't come up?"

Lu Xian pressed his twitching eyelids, gritted his teeth, thinking that it might not be so unlucky, he turned around and was caught straight, closed his eyes cruelly and followed into the carriage.

The two sat opposite each other.

Jiang Xuening ordered the coachman to go outside the city first, then turned to Lu Xian and said, "Boss Lu, what do you want me to do?"

Lu Xian rested his fingers on his knees, but looked Jiang Xuening up and down.

It took a long while before he said: "Miss Ning Er has been selling silk and salt all these years, and traveled all over the world. I wonder if you have ever heard of a place called 'Yin County'?"

Indeed, as Lu Xian said, Jiang Xuening has been to many places over the years.

The map of the Central Plains is basically engraved in my mind.

It is a small place in Ningbo, Zhejiang.

She thought for a while and said, "I've heard of it, but I haven't been there."

A look of reminiscence appeared on Lu Xian's face, and he said with a slight smile: "To be honest, Lu once visited this place when he was a young man studying abroad. The folk customs are simple and the countryside is safe. It's just that many years ago, this place As a magistrate of a county, there is an unwritten rule in collecting taxes and taxes in those years. When ordinary people pay taxes, they seal the money with white paper and put their names in the box; , also put into the box.”

Jiang Xuening frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Although she didn't know why Lu Xian said these things, common people paid taxes from country gentry and wealthy households, and they were separated by different colored paper, so she knew that the government was tricky.

Sure enough, Lu Xian continued: "Where taxes are paid on red paper, the government should act in accordance with the law; but when taxes are paid on white paper, the government servants will ask the people to charge more money on top of the taxes set by the court. Officials and gentlemen paid for their hard work in tea, at first it was only 10% more, and later they had to give 20% more."

Jiang Xuening said: "The dog officer is courageous enough."

Lu Xian laughed: "That's right, I'm so daring. So over time, the tax became heavier, and the people were not happy. So there was a commotion, and people gathered to petition. It happened that a person who could read and write passed by. Here, knowing that what the government did was not in compliance with the law, they wrote a complaint for them. A group of people headed by this person entered the city from the countryside and went to the yamen to ask the government to abolish the distinction between red paper and white paper and equalize the food tax. "

Jiang Xuening said: "There are soldiers in the government. It's easy for the people to make troubles, but it's not necessarily easy to make things happen. This scholar knows the law by reading, but also meddles in other things. I'm afraid he will get angry."

Lu Xian glanced at her, and his smile faded a little.

He just said: "That's right. It's nothing more than a group of rural folks asking someone to write a complaint. How can the county magistrate pay attention to them? As the saying goes, kill chickens to scare monkeys. The county magistrate can't help but arrest this person and put him in prison. , Convicted of the crime of 'gathering crowds'. I am going to the law, gathering crowds is a felony, and the lightest one should be sentenced to death."

Jiang Xuening frowned.

She already felt that Lu Xian's storytelling was secondary, and talking about this person might be the main point.

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Could it be you who you're talking about?"

Lu Xian shook his head immediately, and said: "Lu is an ordinary person who seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages. When encountering such a thing, it's too late to hide and walk away. How can he go into this muddy water?"

Jiang Xuening was noncommittal: "What happened later?"

Lu Xiandao: "This man pleaded for the people's life, but he was suddenly sentenced to death. Who in the countryside is not angry? Moreover, in times of calamity, internal and external difficulties, in a fit of anger, many people gathered in the city and surrounded the county government. Not only did he rescue the man, but he also dragged the county magistrate from the hall and beat him up, took him outside the Town God’s Temple, exposed him to public humiliation, and forced him to write a notice to flatten the grain tax from now on. Burned."

As the saying goes, troublemakers come out of poor mountains and rivers.

The folk customs are simple and honest, and the aggressiveness is also true.

Jiang Xuening said: "This is a big disaster."

Lu Xian sighed softly: "Who said it wasn't? Every case is the crime of the lord, and burning the county government is tantamount to treason. It's useless for the magistrate to do this. The governor's yamen soon sent a new magistrate named Zhou Guangqing. The second girl Ning has been to Ningbo, so she should know that this person is now an official and a prefect, and she is quite capable. "

Jiang Xuening was curious: "How does he solve it?"

Lu Xian said: "When Zhou Guangqing is in office, first call these troubled villagers over and ask them one by one, are they plotting rebellion?"

Jiang Xuening's heart was slightly cold.

Lu Xian ridiculed: "The villagers got angry when they did things, and only after they calmed down did they realize that burning the county government office was a crime of treason. How could they dare to admit it? They just wanted to equalize the grain tax. In front of Zhou Guangqing, they repeatedly denied it. Zhou Guangqing asked the reason, but he shouted and asked harshly. The yamen was burned, and they still called it not rebellious? The villagers didn't see much, didn't know much, and panicked, they all came to ask Zhou Guangqing what to do."

The villagers don't know the law, and burning the yamen is a moment of unbridled madness, but with a knife on the neck, who can not be greedy for life and afraid of death?

Jiang Xuening had already expected this result.

She said: "Even coaxing and intimidating, it's effortless to settle the matter."

Lu Xian sneered: "Not only that! Zhou Guangqing has been an official for many years, and he knows that an official must govern the people, but taxes should come from the people. If so many people's crimes are to be investigated, the officials will force the people to rebel. So he gave these people The idea, said, the matter is such a big mess, the imperial court will definitely send imperial envoys to investigate, if you are afraid, you might as well clear yourself up first, write a letter to the county government, declaring that you have not entered the city to make trouble. He also said, immediately settle the case for them They are required to pay the food tax for this year as soon as possible to prove that they have no intentions. In this way, when the imperial police sent officers and soldiers to investigate, they were also catching thieves and kings. They only went to catch the leaders, but they couldn’t catch them.”

At this point, he paused.

Jiang Xuening admired it very much: "Divide and dissolve, cut and beat. It's a pity for this nosy person, I'm afraid it will be bad luck."

Lu Xian listened to the sound of cart wheels rolling over the ground, as well as the bustling voices in the passing market, and smiled faintly: "Within seven days, hundreds of papers to clear the relationship were handed over to Zhou Guangqing's desk. Did not cause trouble, obeyed orders, obeyed the law, paid taxes as usual, and drew a clear line with the "leader". This person has been rescued and is nowhere to be found. The government posted a notice to arrest this person, offering a reward of three hundred taels, not allowed Hidden, call the villagers to report his whereabouts to the government."

Jiang Xuening was silent.

Suddenly, I felt a bit sad: "The common people support their families, who can not shrink back in the face of life and death? It's just human nature. It's just that this person has helped them, shouldn't he report it to the government?"

Lu Xian laughed loudly and said, "Ms. Ning and I have already said it. This is human nature. In this way, money is in front of people's hearts, and if you can't catch people, the matter will not be settled for a day. How can you know that you won't blame again?" To the villagers? Within three days, someone reported to the government."

Jiang Xuening was speechless immediately.

Lu Xian leisurely: "It's just that this person was not captured by the government's officers and soldiers in the end, he came to surrender himself."

Jiang Xuening was suddenly stunned.

This was beyond her expectation: "How could it be?"

Lu Xian said: "I thought the same way back then, how could it be?"

It was a sunny afternoon.

Everything in the county is bustling as usual.

Lu Xian was in the inn, thinking about composing a poem, when suddenly he heard an officer running by on the street, shouting as he ran, saying that he was the chief culprit who gathered a crowd to rebel, and he had come to surrender himself and went to the county government.

All of a sudden, the streets were empty.

When the villagers heard about it, they all went there.

At the gate of the rebuilt county government office, there are crowds of people, and there is a crowd of spectators.

Zhou Guangqing sat high in the hall.

Lu Xian squeezed into the crowd, but looked down the hall.

He has always been a man who has nothing to do with himself, thinking that this person got involved in the game, covered in mud, he is already stupid enough, and now he surrenders himself to the crime, what kind of bookworm and reckless man is he?

However, after seeing clearly, he was startled.

Standing at the foot of the hall, he was dressed in a snow-white Taoist robe, standing tall and upright.

Where is the half-mob and gangster attitude?

Only five points calm and composed, five points calm and calm, although standing in the dangerous yamen, being witnessed by everyone, but without the slightest anxiety or uneasiness.

On the other hand, the surrounding villagers all looked away and looked ashamed.

That day was the court trial conducted by Zhou Guangqing himself.

Lu Xian thought that Zhou Guangqing should be just like himself, and he still remembered that day: "This person confessed to what he did. Although Zhou Guangqing came up with such a plan to divide people's hearts, he didn't expect that this person would kill himself. Surrendered. At that time, I probably felt that a man should be like this, so he couldn’t help saying that he was doing things alone. But he looked at the villagers for a long time, and everyone dared not look at him directly, and lowered their heads. This man was still calm It was very, and I couldn't see the joy or anger. Then, I said a word."

Jiang Xuening was already fascinated by what she heard, and subconsciously asked, "What did you say?"

The wind blows the curtain of the car, and pedestrians pass by outside.

Lu Xian's gaze fell outside the window, recalling this incident, he felt like a dream, and said: "He said, the world has been settled, and I will definitely cook it!"

The world has been decided, and I will definitely cook it!

In the history books, when Han Xin was at the end of his life, he once said: When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog cooks; when the tall birds are exhausted, the good bow is hidden;

It is the prosperity of the world for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world for profit.

People's opinions can be changed in an instant.

After Jiang Xuening thought carefully, she was silent.

Lu Xian said: "What do Miss Ning think of this person?"

Jiang Xuening stared at him for a while and said: "Boss Lu is from Chen Youshi, and he is a man of high ambition and talent. There are not many people in the world who you can look up to. I didn't know that Mr. Xie had this past incident on him. "

Sure enough, she guessed it.

Lu Xian couldn't help sighing.

Jiang Xuening was very indifferent: "But what does this have to do with me?"

Lu Xian stared at her, only recalling Xie Wei's abnormal appearance in the past two years, and he said after a long time: "Lv was born in the imperial examination in the old year, and was a Jinshi, but he is willing to serve under Xie Ju'an's command. Miss, do you know why?"

Jiang Xuening said: "Isn't it because he might not win all the time, but he won't lose anyway?"

Lu Xian was stunned at first, then laughed out loud, and said, "That's not bad, either."

Jiang Xuening scoffed lightly.

Lu Xian continued, "It's not just that."

Jiang Xuening said: "Could it be that we still respect other people's character?"

Lu Xian was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "You may not believe it, the reason why I serve my life is not only to admire his strength, but also like to meet a drowning person on the road and want to help him."

Drowning man, help me?

With such a vicious method surnamed Xie, where does he need pity from others?

Jiang Xuening felt that Lu Xian had a hole in his head.

Lu Xian said: "I come here, just thinking that the world is like an oven, and the world of mortals is like purgatory. Xie Ju'an is just a poor man struggling in it. This journey is far away to the frontier, and it is unpredictable. If something happens, the sword, the zither and the sword Although the book is there, Lu Mou knows that it may not be useful. Therefore, I implore the second girl Ning, with a bodhisattva heart, to give him a hand."

This is an ordinary entrustment, but it sounds quite heavy.

Jiang Xuening didn't understand the meaning: "What accident could happen?"

Lu Xian only hoped that those clues in the past two years were his unfounded worries, but he couldn't explain it to Jiang Xuening, so he just said: "I hope Lu Mou thinks more about it."

After finishing speaking, he heard a coachman shouting outside: "The city gate is here."

He was startled and almost jumped up and hit the roof of the car. He fell down and regretted, "It's broken, it's broken!"

Jiang Xuening was at a loss: "What's broken?"

Without saying a word, Lu Xian lifted the curtain of the car and was about to go outside.

However, the carriage had stopped at this time.

The gate of Jinling City is in front of you.

Xie Wei's carriage waited quietly under the city wall.

Standing beside the car in a green Taoist robe, he stared at Lu Xian who got out of Jiang Xuening's car, his pupils shrank slightly, and then glanced at Jiang Xuening in the car, a smear appeared on his expressionless face. Laughing, he only said to Lu Xian indifferently: "You seem to be very free?"

Lu Xian's hairs stood on end!

The man got off the carriage, almost like a conditioned reflex, and immediately said: "Ms. Ning Er invited me to the carriage!"

Jiang Xuening: "..."

No, although I invited you to the car, does it matter?

Before she could react, she just wanted to say "that's it", but she turned her head and met Xie Wei's eyes.

For some reason, I felt a cold war all over my body.

At that moment, her intuition of danger made her subconsciously deny the blame: "No, it was Boss Lu who asked me for something!"

Lu Xian:? ? ? ? ?

Can't believe what I heard!

He instantly turned his head and glared at Jiang Xuening—

How can you throw the pot away casually, this mother will sue for life, okay!

However, Xie Wei's gaze has already fallen lightly on him at this moment: "Lu Xian?"

Lu Xian: "..."

Whoever is not a girl is still **** jealous. Please stop shouting, call your grandfather again and I will show you to death on the spot!