The dream of a lonely hero

Zhao Guangyi, the governor of Zhangzhou, Prince of Liang County, defeated Centipede Mountain and achieved great victory. When the emperor heard the report, Longyan was overjoyed. Immediately, an edict was issued, ordering the Ministry of Household Affairs to issue grain, grass and colorful satin, the Ministry of Works to issue three hundred jars of royal wine, and the Ministry of Rites to seal it. Wang Jisheng, the governor of the Privy Council, was sent to command 500 royal camp troops and horses to Zhangzhou to reward the three armies. The imperial decree posthumously named the fallen generals Zeng Yangang, Deng Yanfei, Bai Yanwang, Li Yanchang, and Anguofangzhen's pro-camp Ding Yong as the 33rd-ranked Wuyi captain of the seventh rank. The family members were given five hundred guan and eight colored satins. They were also granted the title of injured generals. Wang Neng, Zhang Xu, Lu Bin, Fu Qian, Cen Chongxin, and Anguo Fangzhen's pro-college He Yong were appointed as the 35th rank Yihui captains of the seventh rank, and were each given three hundred guan; they were granted the title of Yangmao, Wang Rong, and Yan Yun. In order to accompany the Rong lieutenant from the 51st rank of the ninth rank, each person was given five hundred guan of money, ten brocades and a set of imperial flower robes; Wang Xijie was granted the title of"Kaishan Yaksha" to accompany the Rong lieutenant from the ninth rank to the lower rank, and was awarded the title of"Zhan Wen Dao"."Ke" understands the Taoist priest Zhang Yugui,"Yu Yong Jun Ke" Shang Feng,"Fierce and Valiant Jun Ke" Ge Ba,"Qiang Yong Jun Ke" Sang Zan,"Fighting Wu Ben" Zhou Ying,"Fighting Wu Ben" Dai Xing, Zhang Ning, the"Chi Meng Wu Ben", was a lieutenant of Yihui in the 35th rank of the seventh rank. Each of them was given three hundred guan of money and colorful satin on the outside and inside; he was also granted the title of Shi Jiasu, the chief minister of the palace, to invite officials to the court from the fifth rank. , given three hundred guan in money, and eight colored satin coats and linings; additionally, he was granted the title of Sima Chai Yuxi, the seventh-rank official of the imperial palace; he was also granted the title of minister of the imperial palace, Cheng De, of the ninth rank; , gave two hundred guan in money; Chen Xin gave up his covert secret and turned to the bright side to help the king of Liang County defeat the grass bandits in Centipede Mountain, and was awarded the title of Medical Officer of the Prince of Wenlin Langjun from the ninth rank, and was given 500 guan in money and eight layers of colorful satin; Wang Yuanyou, a doctor in Zhangzhou, cured Liang The king of the county was injured by an arrow and had meritorious service. He was granted the title of a ninth-rank general, a minister of the royal palace, and a doctor. He was given three hundred guan of money and eight layers of colorful satin. Zhao Guangyi, the prince of Liang County and the governor of Zhangzhou, was given 500,000 yuan, three sets of royal robes, a famous horse, and fifty brocades.

Although none of the official positions granted by the imperial court were actual duties, it relieved Zhao Guangyi's considerable burden. Since ancient times, raising scholars has relied on money. It can be said that if the army does not have money, the soldiers will not come, and if the army does not reward the soldiers, they will not go. Don't look at these casual officials without deacons, the monthly salary (salary) is distributed by the court according to their rank. To put it bluntly, the court uses money to support them, and they work for Zhao Guangyi, the king of Liang County. These casual officials may be recruited by the court and assigned to actual official positions at any time.

Wang Jisheng, the governor of the Privy Council, came to Zhangzhou with an order. On the one hand, he rewarded the soldiers, and on the other hand, he was ordered by Jun, the Prime Minister of the Privy Council, to select the bravest among the minions recruited and add them to the imperial army. Whenever local bandits were appeased, a common practice of the imperial court was to send Privy Council officials to select brave men to be incorporated into the Forbidden Army. Of course Zhao Guangyi knew that, and had already made preparations. First, he selected eight hundred brave men to be his subordinates; second, he rewarded the remaining ones generously. Many of them would be selected by the Privy Council to join the Forbidden Army. They would naturally be grateful to him. It If things change, these minions who have been included in the Forbidden Army may not necessarily obey the imperial court's orders, but most likely they will obey their own orders. Zhao Guangyi's vision was far-reaching, and he included his confidants Wang Xian, Chen Zhan, and Wang Bin in the minions recruiting soldiers. Privy Council Governor Wang Jisheng has always been close to Zhao Guangyi. In the past, Zhao Guangyi's confidants"Dark Faced Tiger" Du Yanjin and"Bin Iron Tiger" Fu Yanhan were all arranged by him to join the Forbidden Army. Of course, this selection will not carefully check whether it is Zhao Guangyi. Do it intentionally.

Although Zhao Guangyi got a lot of benefits this time, it was far from what he expected. He originally wanted to return to the center of Kyoto, which he had been away from for a long time, and regain control of Kaifeng Prefecture in the capital to restore its past glory by wiping out the grass bandits in Centipede Mountain. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Privy Council Governor Wang Jisheng returned to the capital with seven thousand selected Zhangzhou soldiers who were to be incorporated into the Forbidden Army. Zhao Guangyi stood in the ten-mile pavilion for a long time and looked at Wang Jisheng's retreating figure. His thoughts were mixed and he kept asking himself: When can he return to Kyoto? when? How could Zhangzhou, a tiny place like this, stretch out its arms and legs? When will this dark time end?. midnight. Yan Yun was very depressed: Gao Qiong, Wang Zhao, etc., who were reckless and unruly from the green forests of the rivers and lakes, the generals under the command of the county king, Zhou Ying, the"fierce Wu Ben" who was born as a general, Zhang Ning,"Jian Wu Ben" who came from the military camp, etc. Fu Qian and others are incompatible with each other and cannot get along with Jia Su, Chai Yuxi and others who are subordinates of the prince. The second brother Chen Xin, Dumen Xie Ke, devotes himself to medicine, the eighth brother Yuanda does not only work as an errand, he drinks, eats meat and gambles, but the fifth brother Ma is an idiot. Communication is difficult; he has become a solitary, solitary deformed person. Wandering aimlessly on the streets, my heart was empty, thoughtful, and thoughtless. I felt an indescribable loss in my heart. My legs and feet seemed not to be controlled by my brain. As I walked, I suddenly noticed that the two figures in front of me were taller and shorter. Sneaking into the"Peach Blossom Tower", the figure looked very familiar. Yan Yun"Teng Teng" followed quickly. Entering the"Peach Blossom Tower", I asked the madam where the two guests who had just entered had gone. The old bustard said:"What does he care about? You come to my Yanhua Pavilion just to find girls. Come here, the girls will serve our master well!" Yan Yun was surrounded by three or five pink heads with red willows and green flowers. Yan Yun separated the fans, grabbed the old bustard's wrist and shouted:"If the old bustard doesn't reply to my words, I will crush your bones!" The old bustard shouted in pain:"Master! Be gentle--be gentle! I said it, I said it.——‘"Yanhua Pavilion" Yan Yun left the madam behind and hurried upstairs to look for it. After searching for a long time, he found it and broke in. He saw Yang Mao dressed in bright clothes and three or four fans surrounding him, drinking and having fun. Before Yan Yun could say anything, , Yang Mao skin smiled but not smiling, and said:"Colonel Yan is so elegant and happy! Don't mind coming and playing together.

Yan Yun frowned angrily and said,"Bah!" As an official of the Song Dynasty, don't you know that the laws of the Song Dynasty strictly prohibit officials from having sex with prostitutes? I'm going to take you to the Yamen and at least ask you about embezzlement.

Yang Mao said angrily:"Take me!" Pooh! You are so innocent, but you still have the nerve to call me a prank when you come to Fireworks Alley. Why? In terms of rank, I am from the ninth rank to accompany Rong Xiaowei. In terms of being in charge of affairs, this Rong Xiaowei is just a sinecure, not a casualty, so what right do you have to take advantage of me?"

Yan Yun said:"The imperial court has used money to support you in vain. Not only do you not know how to serve the imperial court, but you sleep on flowers and willows and stir up grass and attract wind. You are a scum! With this I can take you. Who is your other companion? Where did you hide? Hand it over quickly, I will take you to the Yamen." Seeing a string of rosary beads on the table, they felt familiar, and suddenly remembered: These are the rosary beads that Prince Liang never leaves. He said,"How dare you steal the rosary beads from Prince Liang?!"

Yang Mao suddenly turned pale with fright, and he hesitated:"I—I was given—by—the reward from the king of the county."

When the fans in the room saw that the two of them were not talking to each other, they became tense and ran out like mice.

Yan Yun was sure that Yang Mao had done something wrong, so he grabbed the rosary with one hand and his wrist with the other and walked out. Said:"When you get to the county prince, you will naturally understand. When you get to the Yamen, I'm not afraid that you won't tell who your companion is. Neither of you can run away!""

Yang Mao couldn't get away, so he had to stagger and follow Yan Yun. When they arrived at Zhangzhou Yamen, the yamen were all asleep at three or four in the morning. It took them a long time to open the door. The yamen guarding the door was about to have a seizure. He saw that it was the county prince driving The two red men below had no choice but to swallow their anger. Yan Yun and Yang Mao came to the door of Zhao Guangyi's bedroom in the back hall. Yan Yun asked Ge Ba, the"brave soldier" who was guarding Zhao Guangyi on duty, to report.

Ge Ba rubbed his sleepy eyes and nodded. Lantern said:"You two have drunk too much and are causing trouble. If you insist on disturbing the county prince, go back!""

Yan Yun said:"Don't be nagging, I won't give up until I see the prince!" Pushing Ge Lai aside, he broke into the bedroom door and said,"Report to Your Highness! Yanyun Youruo is playing with each other."There was no reply.

Yan Yun didn't know where he got the courage. He walked to the bed, and using the light of the lantern outside, he found that there was no shadow of Zhao Guangyi on the bed. He hurriedly walked out and asked,"Where is the prince?

Ge Ba said in horror:"How did I know!""

Yan Yun knew very well that Yang Mao was a despicable and dirty person who was afraid of the Five Poisons. He didn't know why he was favored by Prince Liang. When the battle to annihilate Centipede Mountain was being rewarded, Yang Mao was also ranked first, and he felt indignant. , I had no intention of catching Yang Mao in the Peach Blossom Tower, looking for flowers and asking Liu, and I thought: If I tell the prince truthfully, Yang Mao will not only be punished, but also expelled by the prince.

In the early morning, Yan Yun did not care that Prince Liang had not yet sat in court. He couldn't wait to go straight to the back hall to see Prince Liang to sue Yangmao, but Prince Liang was not in the bedroom, and Ge Ba who was on duty was also panicked. At this time, Prince Liang Zhao Guangyi came in from the back door wearing casual clothes and tired. Yun hurriedly saluted and said:"I am reporting to Your Highness the Prince that Yangmao, the 51st rank of the Ninth Rank, accompanied the military commander, went whoring with a prostitute in Peach Blossom Tower last night, and also stole the Prince's rosary. Please punish him.""Hand the rosary to Zhao Guangyi; thinking: Yangmao, this time you will not be able to escape the punishment!

Zhao Guangyi took the rosary and put it on his wrist. Thunder was furious and said:"What crime should Yan Yun deserve! Before the Gu family was promoted to court, you made trouble in the Yamen. Do you think this Zhangzhou Yamen was opened for you alone? Do you think that the governor of Zhangzhou, Prince of Liang County, was appointed to you alone? Yan

Yun was startled and thought for a moment. His master was sternly reprimanding him. He felt aggrieved and said with tears in his eyes:"Your Highness!" Yang Mao—he—he committed the crime of embezzlement!

Zhao Guangyi was furious and said:"What crime Yangmao committed will be judged by the palace chief Shi Jiasu, Sima Chai Yuxi, and the new Zhangzhou judge Wei Qi." Such trivial matters have to make noise and annoy others. You think they are too leisurely! oh! The rosary was given to Yangmao by the Gujia, and he was asked to change the beads and thread them on the Gujia."

Yan Yun was extremely persistent and said:"I don't know this (I am suspicious of my master's words). I only saw Yang Mao in the Peach Blossom Tower leaning against the red and green. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, he was at least guilty of embezzlement. Please make your decision clearly.

Zhao Guangyi was angry and said:"Shame on you!" The imperial court had just promoted and rewarded you two, so you two came and dragged Yan Yun and Yang Mao out and beat them with twenty butt sticks, then went back and thought about their mistakes behind closed doors. Without anyone to call you, you would not be given trouble by the Yamen! Yang

Mao hurriedly knelt down and cried:"Your Highness, please wait a few days before asking the little one to be punished. The little one was beaten dozens of times in the past few days and his injuries have not yet healed. I beg Your Highness to have mercy!" Yan Yun has never been hit by a board before. He has a good physique and is a martial arts practitioner. He can hit hundreds of boards with ease. A small one can't compare to a small one!

Zhao Guangyi glared at him fiercely and said,"Useless bones!" I'll write it down for you for now. He tossed his sleeves and entered the back hall.

Yang Mao was secretly proud, pretending to be pitiful and said:"Your Highness is kind!" Your Highness is merciful! Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration for the frail children!"He looked back at Yan Yun triumphantly and said,"Hey! I can't compare to Yan Xiaowei's steel and iron bones. I can't compare to him. Go and get the reward! Yan

Yun was so angry that he was pulled out by several government officials who were executing the execution.

Yang Mao said to the government officials:"I remind you, don't bully me!" Your Highness is talking about hard hitting, hard hitting! I need to have my injuries examined after the beating!"

Zhangzhou Post House. The eldest princess, Zhao Yuanchun, was sitting in front of the bookcase, holding a book in her hand and reading. The second princess, Zhao Yuanrong, was holding a letter in his hand. He was happy in his heart, but pretended to be serious. He walked in lightly and said :"elder sister! Daddy asked Privy Council Governor Wang Jisheng to bring a submission. What do you think Daddy will say?"

Zhao Yuanchun looked at his expression. It was probably good news, but he didn't show any emotion. He smiled and said:"Yunren is making things difficult again. How could my sister know if she didn't see it? Zhao

Yunrong said with his father's reproachful tone:"Yuanchun and Yuanrong are having so much fun!" He even forgets his family, and wonders if he still has his parents. It’s true that the mother worries when the son travels thousands of miles, but the son doesn’t worry when the mother travels thousands of miles! He glanced at Yuan Chun secretly, and saw that Yuan Chun didn't look nervous or timid, and said,"Why is my sister so abnormal? She usually respects her father very much, but today she is so calm in writing a letter to question and condemn him." Does the sister really know that the father did not blame her?"

Zhao Yuanchun said:"My sister and I have a good understanding of each other. When my sister reads my father's letter, it is like my sister has read it. My sister is not worried, and I don't need to be worried either."

Zhao Yunrong smiled in admiration and said:"Okay, okay! My sister’s book is really not in vain. I thought it would be enough to have two more mental eyes. I didn’t expect that my sister actually had five mental eyes. Sister, how do you grow your mental eyes? Can you teach me how to do it?

Zhao Yuanchun said:"I think dad can teach you a few lessons.""

Zhao Yuanrong said:"You were right again! It's not fun. Daddy said that you and I should not just be playful, but pay close attention to the people's sentiments, and that Daddy would ask for more information when we got home. Usually I am the one who is taught the most lessons by Daddy, but this time it is for you. Daddy reminds you not to rely on your talents and get into trouble."

After Centipede Mountain was cleared, Prince Liang, dressed in casual clothes, watched as several Xiaosi brought a famous green Qin, two blue and white Duanzhou inkstones, three kilograms of Bai Zhuo incense, five kilograms of daughter's tea, and eight Zhao Yuanchun knew that the fine brocade and five thousand taels of silver were the reward for her decision-making by the county king Zhao Guangyi. He wanted to shirk it, but his sister complained that Rong was present and was afraid that the conversation with the county king would be lost, so she had to accept it. Zhao Guangyi and his entourage Also left in a hurry.

Zhao Yuanchun frowned slightly when he heard"Father told you not to rely on your talents to be meddlesome." He took the letter and read it carefully, thinking:"Relying on your talents and meddlesome" cannot refer to anything else. It must mean that he is helping Prince Liang to exterminate centipedes. Shanshi came up with a plan; at that time, Prince Liang came to the posthouse to ask for advice. Only Prince Liang and himself were present; no one else was present; Prince Liang presented his famous piano, Duanzhou inkstone, Bai Zhuo incense, daughter's tea, brocade, and silver patterns as gifts. , the two sides never said a word about plotting to wipe out the grass bandits in Centipede Mountain, and the county prince Xiaosi and sister Qianrong who were present never knew about it; how could dad know? It's Prince Liang - no, because of his noble status, he will never publicize this matter, and this is no exception to his father; how could his father know? Daddy is unpredictable, this - this is so awe-inspiring, this shows that Prince Liang's ability to control the civil and military staff, dad is well aware of it, and the word"strategizing and decisive victory thousands of miles away" is just right for dad -"

Zhao Yuanrong saw his sister She pondered silently and said:"Sister, I'm not too worried, and dad didn't reprimand me harshly. We, sisters, just follow dad's teachings and carefully understand the people's sentiments, and report back to dad when we go home."

Zhao Yuanchun said with a smile:"You are right to complain, how can you lose your mind to your sister! Zhao

Yuanrong beamed when he heard Yuan Chun's compliment and said,"It is said that most smart people come from compliments. Sister, please don't be stingy in praising your sister in the future!" Only in this way can I hope to catch up with my sister in the future. The two sisters are called companions."

Zhao Yuanchun smiled and said:"Yan Rong is good at everything, just——"

Zhao Yuanrong said:"What is it?"

Zhao Yuanchun said:"It's just too modest!"

Zhao Yuanrong smiled happily.

Since Chen Xin and Yuanda were pardoned by Liangjun Prince Zhao Guangyi at the execution ground, the eldest princess Zhao Yuanchun and the second princess Zhao Yuanrong have never seen Yan Yun. Zhao Yuanchun thought that Yan Yun had to face many things at this time and had to go through too many obstacles for Yan Yun, who was deeply in love with him. He tried every means to divert his sister Zhao Yuanrong's lovesickness and invited her to Jizhou to visit her aunt and uncle. The commander of the Ma Bu Army in Jizhou Hou Renyu. Zhao Yunrong was eager to return home. After staying at his aunt's house in Jizhou for only a few days, he and his sister returned to Zhangzhou Posthouse.

Zhao Yuanrong put on men's clothes and hurried to the gate of Zhangzhou Yamen. He waited on the roadside for Yan Yun to leave. After waiting for almost an hour, he saw many gentlemen coming out of the Yamen gate, but there was no trace of Yan Yun. He thought to himself: Was it the prince who sent Yanyun on official business? Just when he was thinking about it, he saw Yuanda walking out of the gate of the state government office. He hurriedly stepped forward to ask,"Yuanda! Yuanda, how long has it been since Yanyun Sanzhi?"