Chapter 169: The test in front of the palace, the undercurrent in the blind chess room
"Princess, there are indeed about five or six people sneaking around outside the mansion! There are candy sellers, some pretending to be beggars, and some street vendors..."
Ling Ye reported the situation outside Prince Lanling's palace to Xiao Jinyu and Gao Changgong.
Xiao Jinyu nodded.
"This Lord Lu is so arrogant that he ignores the law and can even use the power of the emperor at will. Since the law cannot punish her, then we should adopt another method!"
Phoenix's expression showed a little guilt and desolation.
"Brother Qing, is there anything you want me to do?"
Xiao Jinyu shook his head.
"No, you can't leave the house these days, so you just pretend to be Axiu."
He turned to look at Ling Ye:
"Ling Ye, I need you to help me assassinate someone. However, I don't need his life, just let him lie half-dead on the bed!"
After saying that, he asked Fenghuang to take out a medicine bottle and handed it to Ling Ye, "The medicine inside can temporarily make him appear in this state."
Ling Ye took the medicine bottle and didn't ask what kind of medicine it was inside. He just asked, "Who does the princess want me to assassinate?"
Xiao Jinyu paused for a moment and replied:
"Xin Deyuan from Zhongshushe!"
After saying that, he stood up, looked at Gao Changgong and Fenghuang, and explained, "Zhongshu Sheren can be regarded as a close minister of the Emperor. Since Lord Lu has control of all the ministers around His Majesty, I will take her into my hands." Remove these chess pieces one by one!"
"Then let's start with Xin Deyuan from Zhongshushe, and then..." She smiled, "I will be the person from Zhongshushe!"
Zhongshu Sheren was responsible for drafting edicts and was also involved in keeping secrets. Whenever there were reports, Sheren would take part in them and participate in the decision-making.
This is a true minister of the emperor. Although he is not as powerful as the third-grade servant He Shi held, he still needs to be at your Majesty's side.
Gao Changgong was a little worried when he heard this, but when he saw her bright eyes and white teeth and her clear smile, he couldn't bear to offend her, so he could only nod with a smile.
At this time, Ling Ye took the order and said: "Yes!" He was about to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Xiao Jinyu: "Wait a minute -"
"There is one more thing, Chang Gong, Phoenix, I need to confess to you!"
Gao Changgong and Fenghuang both looked at her in surprise and heard her say, "I have some connections with the Xie family..."
"I know!" Gao Changgong replied, with relief and trust in his eyes.
Fenghuang also said with tears: "I also know, brother Qing, you don't need to say more, no matter what little secrets you have in your heart, to me, you will always be my brother Qing!"
Xiao Jinyu nodded with a smile and looked at Ling Ye solemnly:
"Ling Ye, I also need you to send a letter to Ah Zhen and Ah Xuan of Zhou. I want them to help me establish our own intelligence network in the land of Northern Zhou!"
Then, he looked at Gao Changgong and said with a smile, "Then, we will also set up our intelligence network in Yecheng!"
Gao Changgong said hello with a smile.
Ling Ye was stunned for only a moment, and then answered: "Yes!"
But she thought in her heart: It turns out that the girl has trusted Prince Lanling and this Xianbei boy to this extent. The identity of the Xie family in Chen County is a secret that she cannot tell the outside world. Now, she is willing to share this secret with them.
I hope these two people will not betray her like Chen Xu did. If so...
Ling Ye secretly clenched the hilt of the sword and was silent for a long time, as if he remembered something from the past, and was struggling in his heart. It was not until Xiao Jinyu called him again that he suddenly woke up.
"Ling Ye, what's wrong with you?" she asked.
Ling Ye shook his head.
"It's okay, girl, please take care of yourself, Ling Ye will go and clear the obstacles for girl right now!"
…
The residence of Xin Deyuan, a member of the Zhongshu family, is in Zhongtanli. It is not far away from Li Mi's residence in Beijing. Today, a happy event is being held in Xin's mansion. Xin Sheren brought several concubines into the door and decorated them with lanterns and colorful decorations. Lively, at night when the bridal chamber is decorated with candles, the hustle and bustle and the melodious sounds in the night are even more fascinating!
"What's there to be proud of? She's just a cheap maid from Qin Lou Chu Pavilion. Lang Jun is just a novelty for a while. After a while, she will be abandoned in the mansion and ignored!"
A beautiful woman was tearing off flower petals and talking to herself by the pond not far from her new house. Suddenly, a black shadow fell from the sky, a coldness came from behind, and a sword lay across her face. on her neck.
The woman was so frightened that she lost her mind and stammered: "Don't... don't kill me, I can do anything you want..."
At this moment, a hand reached out from behind and handed her a packet of medicine.
"No matter what method you use, make your husband take this pill, and I will keep watching you from behind until you get it done!"
It was a man's voice, so deep and cold, and there was a chilling murderous intent in every word!
"Yes, sir, what do you say to me, this servant?"
Ling Ye put away the sword light, and the woman was so frightened that she ran forward, but before she could run far, she saw a man in black wearing a half-mask standing in front of her.
He didn't draw his sword, but he already felt like his whole body was like a sword with cold light, which was intimidating!
The woman was so frightened that she fell to her knees again.
"Master, please don't kill me. I will do it now without any hesitation!"
The next day, the first thing Xin Deyuan did when he woke up was to have sex with the two new beauties again. As if that wasn't enough, he called a maid in.
"Mr. Lang, this is the five stone powder you want!"
The maid respectfully held up a celadon porcelain plate and presented a pill to him.
Xin Deyuan opened his sleepy little eyes slightly and saw that the pill seemed a little different from before, so he asked: "Why does the Five Stone Powder look a little strange today?"
The maid raised her head and smiled and replied: "Mr. Lang, this is the five-stone powder that was newly paid as tribute from the East China Sea. I heard it has some wonderful properties, so I got it from my brother!"
"Oh? What's so wonderful about it?"
"I heard from my brother that this thing can enhance the interest between husband and wife and make the husband..."
Before the maid finished speaking, Xin Deyuan had already swallowed the food on the plate. After swallowing the pills, Xin Deyuan felt even more powerful and full of desire. He suddenly pulled the maid into his arms and pushed her down on the couch.
"Are you Shu'er? I remember that you entered the house three months ago. It seems that I haven't favored you for a while..."
After saying that, the curtains flew down, the phoenixes were knocked upside down, and the roaring sound continued.
But what people didn't expect was that what was originally a ridiculous love affair turned into a hilarious and tragic incident.
Xin Deyuan, a member of the Zhongshu family, suddenly suffered a stroke after courting three women in one night and became bedridden!
When this news spread, the Emperor of Qi, Gao Zhan, was in the Tai Chi Hall personally nurturing the talents. At that time, after the famous students in the world were recommended, nearly a hundred people gathered in the Tai Chi Hall!
The gates of the Northern Qi Palace are majestic, with majestic eaves and decorated with treasures and bells, making clanging sounds as the wind chimes move.
In front of the Tai Chi Hall, under the closed door, it was also the place where the emperor lectured on martial arts, observed soldiers, and climbed up to watch Lin Xuan's strategy and test talents. It could accommodate thousands of people. The ancient trees on both sides of the imperial road are towering, blocking out the sky and the sun, making the place full of vitality and refreshing.
At this time, Xiao Jinyu entered the Northern Qi Palace with Gao Changgong as Xie Zhen. After passing the Changhe Gate, he saw from a distance a magnificent palace supported by 120 large pillars and with a foundation about nine feet high. , the entire roof tiles are painted with walnut oil, and there are tassels hanging all around, making it even more dazzling in the sunlight, and it makes you feel awe-inspiring!
It turns out that the Yecheng Imperial Palace is no less private than Jiankang Fengliu!
Xiao Jinyu sighed inwardly, feeling a slight warmth on her shoulders. Feeling Gao Changgong's concern and encouragement for her, she turned around, smiled slightly, and whispered: "Chang Gong, don't worry!"
"good!"
Gao Changgong also nodded, and then took her to the front of Taiji Hall. At this time, the hall was full of people. In addition to the civil and military officials and ministers, there were also many white-clothed scholars who had been exempted.
After the scholars of Qi were recommended, they had to sit for examination in front of the palace. Of course, if the emperor himself did not want to sit for examination, he could also directly have the Ministry of Personnel issue the appointment document.
Gao Zhan was addicted to pleasure and was not diligent in this matter. However, he was really curious about Xie Zhen, so he took this opportunity to get a glimpse of these literati!
Seeing Gao Changgong bring a young man in black clothes to the palace, Gao Zhan's expression changed slightly, and he squinted his eyes and looked at the slender young man in black clothes.
"It is said that Jiangzuo is romantic, and Wang Xie's descendants are number one. Today I met the Xie family's descendants, and they are really good-looking!"
Gao Zhan praised him sincerely and asked, "I wonder what Xie Qing is good at?"
"Your Majesty, my Xie family has hundreds of thousands of volumes of books. Zhen has loved reading since he was a child. I don't say that I am familiar with all schools of thought, but at least Confucius, Mencius and Zhuang are my teachers. I have dabbled in law and medicine, and I am also good at chess, musical instruments, calligraphy and painting!”
As soon as she said these words, there were a lot of whispers in the palace, some were surprised and sighed, and some were sneering and disbelieving.
It is not easy for talented people in this world to be able to excel in one field, let alone to be able to master hundreds of schools of thought.
This boy from the Xie family is too young and too arrogant!
However, Gao Zhan’s eyes were filled with interest, surprise and curiosity: “Do you also know medicine?”
"Xie Zhen" said: "Yes, a brief introduction!"
"Well, our Qi State's Zu Zhongshu is also a combination of the strengths of hundreds of schools of thought. He is erudite and versatile. He is knowledgeable in musical instruments, painting, yin and yang divination, medical skills, etc. He is not as good as today's scholars. You and Zu Zhong How about testing your talents in books?"
"As you wish, you should accept your orders!"
Gao Zhan was a little surprised when he saw that the young man answered without hesitation, and that his rather elegant eyebrows seemed to have strong confidence and control that was not inferior to that of a man.
After a while, he said, "Let's start with chess!" Then he asked Zu Jue, "What do Zu Zhongshu think?"
Zu Jue also raised his hands and replied: "That's what you wish for!"
As he spoke, Gao Zhan had already ordered people to prepare the chess pieces. When seven or eight panting chamberlains brought in two boxes of chess pieces, everyone was dumbfounded. How big the chess pieces were and how heavy they were!
When the waiters took the chess pieces out of the box, they discovered that each chess piece was as big as the mouth of a bowl!
At the same time, everyone discovered that there was a painted chessboard within ten steps of a piece of land in the palace.
Could it be that Gao Zhan actually asked the two of them to use the ground in the palace as a chessboard and let them play chess on this!
How to do this?
With Xie Xiaolangjun’s slender body, it would be difficult to pick up this big bowl of chess pieces!
Thinking about this, some people could not help but laugh.
At this time, He Shikai said: "In order to allow Your Majesty to better see the fighting on the chessboard, I specially drew this chessboard for Your Majesty, so that Zu Zhongshu can play chess with Xie Xiaolangjun!"
Is this called convenience?
That's right, it's convenient for His Majesty to observe the overall situation from a high position!
Gao Zhan watched "Xie Zhen's" reaction with great interest. Speaking of it, He Shikai came up with this idea yesterday. He said it was enough to frustrate Zu Jue's spirit and test this person. Thank you for your wisdom!
At this moment, he really saw the extremely rich expression changes on the face of Xie Caizi, but it was definitely not an embarrassing expression caused by being suppressed by the momentum, but an "interesting", "original", "and relevant" expression. "It's different", that expression seemed to say: Hmm! The emperor of the Gao family is indeed extraordinary!
"In that case, let's play blind chess! I won't take the chess pieces. Please ask your Majesty's two chamberlains to help me move them!"
Almost as soon as the word "blind chess" came out, the whole hall was in an uproar!
Even Li Mi, who was taking notes next to Gao Zhan, raised his eyes in surprise and looked at "Xie Zhen" who was standing proudly in the hall.
The game of chess was booming during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Almost every emperor was good at chess. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, there was a national Go player named Chu Yin. , has reached the first level of chess, and is also the first chess player in history to memorize and review the game!
Even such a person would not dare to talk arrogantly about playing blind chess!
Lu Lingxuan thought that she had seen this person's chess skills three days ago. He was indeed superb, but at that time he was only tied with her. Now that he heard that this person actually wanted to play blind chess, one can imagine the surprise on his face. !
At this moment, Xiao Jinyu also turned his attention to her!
Lu Lingxuan saw a hint of panic and smile in her expression, which was also half-smiling but not smiling.
"Blind chess!" Gao Zhan was so shocked that he almost stood up, "Okay! Today I want to see what blind chess is?"
"Zuzhongshu, do you dare to play blind chess with me?"
Zu Jue looked a little embarrassed, but before he could answer, he heard this "Xie Zhen" cut off: "Your Majesty, Zu Zhongshu can read the chessboard, as long as Zhen is facing away from the chessboard!"
Hearing this sentence, Li Mi's eyes brightened even more!
Gao Changgong's expression had undergone an incredible change, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat of worry!
"If this is the case, even if Zu Zhongshu wins, it will still be a weak victory!" someone said.
"No, since I propose to play blind chess in this game, no matter who wins or loses, Zhen can be convinced!"
After saying this, Xiao Jinyu looked at Lu Lingxuan again, and Lu Lingxuan felt the chill from her slightly provocative eyes.
She suddenly called Muti Po to her side and whispered: "You must guard the Yecheng Post Station today. Anyone who is suspicious can be arrested!"
"Yes! Mother!"
Mutipo left quietly!
The surprised discussion in the hall became even louder. After Gao Zhan gave an order: "Okay, let's start!", the hall suddenly fell silent, and Xiao Jinyu, dressed as Xie Zhen, had already used a silk gauze Cover your eyes, turn your back to the chessboard, and face the emperor!
"Sixteen out of four, star!"
With Zu Jue's voice, the chess game begins!
As a result, everyone in the hall actually looked at the young man in black clothes, and heard him say loudly: "Three out of four, star!"
"Sixteen of seventeen, Xiaomu!"
"Three out of four, Xiaomu!"
"..."
As the pieces were placed on the chessboard, the expressions on the faces of the surrounding crowd changed drastically, and the sounds of sighing could not be heard. Cold sweat gradually broke out on Zu Jue's forehead, but joy gradually appeared in Gao Changgong's eyes, and even Li Mi couldn't wait to see it. He clapped his hands in admiration, and silently recorded every move on the chessboard in his books while making daily notes.
Gao Zhan no longer knew what words to use to describe the expression on his face. He just stared silently at the blindfolded young man facing him in front of the palace. Even he couldn't help but be moved by the young man's calmness and strong confidence.
So is this the proud son of heaven raised by a thousand-year-old family?
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Lu Lingxuan's face became darker and darker, and she suddenly thought of what this "Xie Zhen" said three days ago:
"Instead of loving your son in order to survive, it is better to abandon your son and gain power, than to force yourself when you have nothing to do, it is better to rely on it to replenish yourself..."
What does he mean by this?
There is a saying that a game ends in the setting sun. This game of chess was played for two hours without even realizing it, until Zu Jue pursed his lips and could no longer utter a word.
Mutipo also rushed back when the Golden Crow sank, and replied in her ear: "Still not found, not only the Yecheng Post Station did not find the boy, but also the Lanling Prince's Palace, there was no one similar to him. Suspicious people are coming in and out!”
"But my son still caught a few people from the people passing by Yecheng Station. It is said that they were people who came to Yecheng with Princess Lanling!"
Lu Lingxuan stood up again in shock and looked at "Xie Zhen" with a suspicious and surprised expression.
At this moment, I heard Zu Jue lower his head and say: "I lost!"
"I heard in the past: Zi rushed to conquer the law, Chu Yin hung the cannon, the chariot looked like Jinglan, the goodness of the central government. Today I know the beauty of playing chess at the first level!"
Zu Jue was willing to admit defeat and actually sighed this sentence!
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.
"First rank?" Suddenly hearing this sentence, Mutipo's eyes showed surprise and disdain, "Is Zu Zhongshu's words too exaggerated? Can a young man reach the first rank in chess?"
(End of chapter)