Chapter 149 – Three Tripods

Today’s morning court of the Liyang Dynasty, the civil and military officials wearing court uniforms entered the city in a line, and the sound of jade knocking was still loud and clear, and it lasted for a long time.

A gentleman listens to the sound of jade in order to regulate his behavior. Jade specifications as rank, but also pay attention to a step by step, can not exceed the thunder pool, away from the Yang party dispute, although under the control of the Chief Minister Zhang not to get out of control, but the official in the chicken hair and small matters on the more serious that is also easy to come by. Jin Lanting today appeared in the court, appeared particularly eye-catching, half a year ago, he lost the noble Huangmen, but always live in the capital, at first that the door of the residence, in his impeachment of the king of the northern Liang Xu Snapdragon was removed from the official hat, visitors, but instead of an endless stream, this time by decree of the early morning court, fools know that the court has been hidden for half a year, but also to give enough face to Xu Snapdragon, it is time to give JinSanLang increased rank and title. This is not the Jin Lanting this court, waiting outside the door, around a circle of colleagues are warm and attentive to greet the sound, he also hung a set of brand new jade waist, jade Juan jade beads hit each other, jade pendant drops and jade teeth collide, issued a clear sound, walking in the temple between the ah, the sound of the rhyme is very beautiful.

In addition to Jin Lanting is the attention of the eye-catching characters, from the northern frontier rushed back to the capital of the general Gu Jiantang side there is another person, the same eye-catching. Is a new face, but the capital this half a year has long heard the ears are cocooned, a surname Yuan jianghu piker, carp jump dragon door, suddenly became the general’s half of the righteous son, is said to be stubborn, ruthless, the border on the jianghu sects are tossed half dead. Yuan Tingshan followed behind Gu Jiantang, coincidentally with walking behind Zhang Julu Zhang chief minister Jin Sanlang almost shoulder to shoulder, compared to Yuan Tingshan waist peyote is very simple, rough wash, the typical swimmer depicted plus Han eight knife knife work, Jin Lanting gentle and elegant, in the capital officialdom dipped in the small two years after the experience of the pain and hardship of the world, cast in the door of the Zhang party, there is no half a point to get rampant, at this time to see Gu Jiantang Great General today At this time, see Gu Jiantang general now the righteous son, the future board on the nail son-in-law, when Yuan Tingshan to look over to him, Jin Lanting immediately reported a smile, but did not expect this first time to participate in the court meeting of the small flow of the official was actually bah a sound, low spit a mouth, Jin Lanting is not embarrassed, but the skin than the beginning of the Beijing thick I do not know how many inches, a smile to put it. Yuan Tingshan’s blatant action, so that some of the distant Secretary of the Imperial Supervisory Supervisory Eunuchs are heart trembled a little bit, get, obviously another prick.

Yuan Tingshan accelerated his steps, and Gu Jiantang asked in a low voice: “Great General, when can I wear a sword to court like you?”

Gu Jiantang ignored it.

Zhang Julu glanced at the young martial artist whose voice was heard before he was seen in half of the capital, and seemed to find it amusing and smiled.

Yuan Tingshan was still going to nag, when Gu Jiantang said in a cold voice: “Say one more word and get out of the capital.”

Yuan Tingshan smiled and said, “No more words, no more words.”

Jin Lanting slandered in his heart, your kid has already said six words.

But Great General Gu, who had been firmly in control of the Ministry of War for more than a decade, did not countenance such slippery behavior, which made Jin Lanting instantly think highly of the surname Yuan.

Gu Jiantang and Zhang Julu looked at a distant corner almost simultaneously, and Jin Lanting froze for a moment.

Wearing the red python coat of a great eunuch, like a red cat that had been hunting mice in the palace for years, he stood there quietly.

Yuan Tingshan tsked Master ah.

Jin Lanting just looked at it from a distance and didn t dare to look at it again, quickly bowing his head for fear that he would be memorized by that infamous eunuch in terms of his appearance.

The world has no impermeable wall, now there is news from the palace out of the dynasty of 100,000 eunuchs at the head of the power of the castrate is still in a respected position, but no longer the first ten years of that kind of motionless. Because of a young eunuch who entered the palace at an early age was Zhao Zhi Empress, and several living together with His Majesty can be said to be spending time together, the name is Tang Lu, only recently was the Prince of Heaven, the Golden Mouth gave the surname of Song. Song Tanglu originated from the twelve supervisors in the Indian Shou Supervisor, the world of innocence, the master is within the official supervision of the chief eunuchs, over the years is one of the few people who can walk side by side with the cat Han Sable Temple Palace old eunuchs, Song Tanglu so many years without a time in the enjoinment to paste the yellow thing on the mistake, and people are good, gentle, in addition to the status of the Han Sable Temple and a world of difference, the character is also the opposite.

In this capital several imperial son will soon be outside the king of the sensitive moment, His Majesty the emperor close to the empress “promotion” and rise of the Song Tanglu, and alienation and the imperial son of Zhao Kai close to the Han Woliji, undoubtedly let the powerful ministers of the nobility have smelled a trace of blood.

Those who want Han Diaoji to die are no less than the officials who want Xu Snapdragon to fall.

Some of the wild officials of the capital who had quietly bet on the princes were secretly glad that they hadn’t wasted their energies on that Zhao Kai with his vague origins.

The red python clothed eunuch who had not appeared in the great hall of the court for the only time in more than ten years gently turned around and walked silently.

Han Diaoji habitually walked in the shadows of the palace’s great wall, unable to see the expression on that beardless, white face.

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North Mang has no capital city, until Murong female emperor usurped the throne, used 400,000 soldiers and people 900,000 to build the capital city, took up to nine years, by the North Court king Xu Huainan and the Central Plains a pair of father and son scholar Zhang Rou Zhang Liao is responsible for the planning, but also, for example, Kirin real people as well as a number of masters of geomancy to participate in it, after the completion of the new city, the first is the royal family, the nobility and the civil and military officials to move into, and then there is the various branches of the guards stationed outside the city, family members The families moved in. Today, only the prostitutes who are engaged in the business of skin and flesh are said to be 30,000 people, which shows that the grandeur of the Imperial City of Beimang is not inferior to the capital city of Liyang. Just after the capital, the empress is still to take the four seasons tent bowl of the ancient system, the four seasons travel patrol, was criticized by the Central Plains dynasty and field of the North Mang painting gray deliberations will come from this, this year’s autumn tent hunting tiger deer hunt slightly pushed back, the North Mang royal court power and nobility are discussed, many previous years have the qualifications to participate in the tent bowl of the hunting but not to go to the excuse of the elderly nobility, without exception, attentive to participate in it, only a pity to let a person was greatly disappointed, they want to see! But unfortunately, to their great disappointment, the person they wanted to see did not appear.

In the capital city, a declining branch of Taoism ancestral temple Chong Qing Guan, in the Taoist sect with the defeat of the state religion of the North Mang, incense has long since ceased to flourish, the door is cold, only some of the older few incense customers, will be in the Yanjiu Festival days to pray for blessings and set disaster, it is hard to believe that twenty years ago this place was known as the crown of the North Mang Taoist forest, every festival, the dignitaries and the people gathered together with the people of the marketplace, only because the real person in the Guan widely opened the Taoist temple, “the gods are willing to teach the immortality of the immortal. “The gods are willing to teach the secret of longevity”. These years Chong Qing Guan only rely on letting some of the examination students lodging to maintain, perhaps Chong Qing Guan really gas number has been exhausted, there has never been a scholar here after landing on the list of nominees, over time, the two years within the view of the twenty-some Taoist days on the more and more live in despondent and miserable, well in the previous period of time to an old Confucian, gave a pen number of silver, only to open the pot. That is only rented a shady room of the old Confucianism is not bad, and the old Taoist often chat is an afternoon, alone, the old Confucianism will go to the view of some of the years no one asked for the scriptures, living a leisurely and peaceful.

This day, Chong Qing Guan came a drowsy half-squinting tall man, sweeping Taoist boy eyelids did not take a moment, sweeping always feel that year after year for a lifetime can not be finished sweeping the ground full of leaves, the incense guest warmly inquired twice, the small Taoist boy lazily lifted up the broom to give him the old Confucianism pointed to the remote residence, the man smiled and walked, after two courtyards, only to find the old Confucianism in the courtyard sitting in a state of mind.

The man said from the bottom of his heart: “Jingyan has met the Order of Peace.”

The old Confucian recovered his thoughts, smiled, and reached out his hand to gesture for this Chess Sword and Music House more leaky son to sit down at will.

Hong Jingyan took on the posture of listening and being taught.

The old Confucian looked at this once has been his own deliberately “suppressed” the favorite disciple, softly said: “know what you come to ask, may as well be clear with you, Zoran five towns of iron horsemen, if I have the cheek to go to His Majesty to ask, can also be handed over to your hands. But this will be the inferior, for you to later unfavorable to show their skills, the five towns of Johor Bahru around, not the eye of the Dong family army, or the capital city, casually take out a general with outstanding achievements, are not you can compare. Even if you get it, how many points of open space? That’s why this kind of rote robbery is not as good as a small tip strike without evil hands.”

Hong Jingyan laughed and asked, “Go directly to Wazhu Junzi Hall?”

The old Confucian nodded.

Hong Jingyan said bitterly, “I have to gather up tens of thousands of soldiers and horses by myself?”

The old Confucian gently laughed and scolded, “Thick-skinned as always, don’t think that I haven’t been in the Chess Sword and Music House for all these years, so I don’t know that you are hooking up with those north and south powerful and noble children, not to mention tens of thousands, as long as you dare, a hundred thousand won’t be a problem, right? If you dare, you can even get 100,000, right? How can those noble princes and grandchildren of the capital who are crazy about military honor not bring their soldiers and swarm into Longwai Prefecture, piling up tens of thousands of people? I’ll say it in advance, this time his majesty use who to confront the northern Liang army, whether to use Huang Song Pu or use Tuoba Bodhisattva, there is hesitation, I mentioned in passing, before using Huang Song Pu, because I do not want to let the north-south confrontation situation into a full line of beacon, I know that using this to keep the south of the court of the great king, the northern Liang will not be to tear their faces, and be happy to see the good to the end. So I have enough time to layout, take chestnuts in the fire, that is Huanglongshan this lack of morality old turtle only love to do the lack of morality, how about you, on the North Mang’s new bureau of the first piece of chess, vital, how? Go or not?”

Hong Jingyan frowned and did not give an immediate reply.

The old Confucian who was already an Imperial Master said, “There is no rush, wait for you to think it over before deciding, if you feel that controlling the Zojiran Iron Cavalry is more favorable and can give me a convincing reason, I can let you go to the Zojiran Mountains to be the Mountain King.”

Hong Jingyan said softly, “To be honest, regardless of whether I go to the Gentleman’s Pavilion or the Johoran Mountain Range, now that Sword Qi Near is not by your side, I don’t feel at ease.”

The old Confucian shook his head, “I have my measure.”

Hong Jingyan looked around and laughed, “You really don’t want to see those royal tent powerbrokers who want to find you even if they dig into the ground?”

The old Confucian said in an indifferent tone, “Burning cold stoves in the officialdom is a big question, those guys who run to hunt to find me, in fact, at this moment to give Xu Huainan a few incense burns is the proper thing to do, his majesty will look at it in the eyes. I’m a fool to come to me to burn incense and worship Buddha to seek the Bodhisattva, are portable pig head big meat and meat, even if I’m a real Bodhisattva, also have to eat tired of it. When the stove is cold, others give me a bowl of porridge and a dish of pickles to fill the stomach and warm the heart.”

There was a long period of quiet and speechlessness.

Hong Jingyan suddenly stood up, bowed and said, “Please play a game with me, Mr. Taiping!”

The old Confucian waved his hand and gave the expulsion order.

Hong Jingyan smiled to himself and did not insist, leaving Chong Qing Guan.

The old Confucian slowly came to the entrance of the temple, sweeping the ground Taoist boy exhausted sitting on the steps, feet have been several baskets of fallen leaves.

The old Confucian scholar smiled and bent down to pick up the broom, to help the little Taoist boy sweep the ground.

※※※※

The poor scholar Chen Liangxi in a small tea shop, confused, met a talk about the same smell of the rich family of Northern Liang, and confusedly followed some hunchbacks and some limp old man into a mansion.

There are two jade lions in the mansion, there is a big plaque with gold characters.

Along the way with him to read and recognize many words of the little beggar gently raised his head and read: “Northern Liang Wang Fu.”