Chapter 1: At the beginning, I wanted to enter the palace to meet the Saint
In the second year of Tianfeng, it was in the southern suburbs of the capital.
Black clouds pressed over the city, as if the Tianhe River had burst its banks, and heavy raindrops fell in torrents, hammering the ground like drums, and raising mist as short as smoke and dust.
In the past, this place would have been bustling and bustling, with merchant fleets from the Nine and Eighteen Prefectures of Dayu gathered here, and only the entry fee to the city could support the huge expenses of the palace.
It's just a little different today.
As early as last night, Si Tianjian posted a rainstorm warning, and the priest of Tianshi Mansion also issued a celestial warning. The Yamen ordered a "day ban", and the people in the capital voluntarily closed their homes and closed businesses until the ban was lifted at noon.
The city gate only has a side entrance, which cannot be entered or exited without permission.
The great city is at a standstill, and the people are deserted.
The world seemed to fall into silence with the rain.
But there are exceptions to everything.
At this time, a lightning bolt shaped like a spider web tore through the dark sky, illuminating the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs. At the edge of the thick green bamboo sea, two armored soldiers looked into the distance.
The sound of hooves is like thunder!
A troika crashed through the rain curtain, moving from far to near, its wheels rolled up a large amount of mud, and finally stopped outside the bamboo forest path.
The dirt road was muddy and narrow, making it difficult for the carriage to move. The driver jumped down, put down a small stool, and stood beside the carriage with an oil-paper umbrella open like a lid.
The car curtain opened, and two young men in Tsing Yi filed out, each holding a heavy wooden board.
Zhao Duan raised his eyes lazily, stooped slightly and got out of the spacious car. Without squinting, he stepped out of the car.
The hem of the splendid clothes was hanging down, and the expensive moiré boots were trampled on the mud at will. However, the moment before they became dirty, a wooden board was placed under their feet.
He walked forward casually, the umbrella above his head moving with it.
Two young men on the left and right were half-kneeling in the mud, their faces wet from the cold rain. They moved the two wooden boards alternately to pave a dry and clean road.
"In ancient times, there were nobles who used their accompanying maidservants as spittoons for human flesh. I used my servants to pave the way. It's not as far away as that."
When Zhao Duan was distracted, he saw two warriors from the army running towards him, cupping their hands and holding their fists:
"The rebels are trapped in the forest, waiting for you to be punished!"
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "He should have this great achievement in my hands, lead the way!"
"promise!"
…
The forest is covered with fallen leaves, and green old bamboos point straight into the sky.
It was stormy outside, but it was much warmer when we walked into the forest. Zhao Duan was escorted by his entourage. After walking for a short time, he saw an abandoned temple peeking out from the rain curtain.
Seal-engraved couplets on the left and right pillars:
"Honorable people carry great virtues."
"Life goes on forever."
An earthly temple!
Compared with the main altar of Tianshi Mansion in the capital and the dojo of Shenlong Temple, the small temple in front of me is quite shabby. Not to mention the courtyard, only one temple is dilapidated.
At this moment, the temple door was closed tightly, and there were more than a dozen fierce soldiers of the Imperial Guard surrounding it, blocking the way.
Seeing Zhao Duan's arrival, a black-clothed official was busy flattering and asking for credit: "Sir, the old thief and his disciples have been injured by us. They are just waiting for your order to arrest them!"
Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction and praised: "Not bad."
If the subordinates arrest first, the boss will inevitably have a shortcoming in his reputation. Now if he surrounds but does not kill, then the full credit will be given. This is the basic operation of an officialdom veteran.
"In that case, I will take the person personally." Zhao Duan changed the subject and said, "Here comes the knife."
The official was stunned and hurriedly held up his saber with both hands.
Zhao Duan didn't raise his eyelids and held the handle of the knife in front of him with one hand.
Think for a moment...
Clang!
The blade was unsheathed, a burst of energy shot out, and the rotten wooden temple door immediately fell into pieces! !
When sawdust was flying, Zhao Duan had already stepped into the palace.
In the ruined temple.
He saw a silver-haired old man in his sixties wearing a Confucian robe, facing him cross-legged, with a calm expression on his deeply wrinkled face. Although he was embarrassed, he had the demeanor of a national scholar.
Behind the old man, on the altar, stood a stone statue as tall as a god. It had a sinister appearance. It held the stele in one hand and covered the ground with the other. It was hung with spider webs and was in disrepair.
"As expected of the previous generation of Grand Tutors, he was able to remain calm even when death was imminent," Zhao Duan said with a slow smile: "But who could have imagined that Mr. Zhuang, a remnant of the second prince, would face the world's sea of arrests? , is hiding in the capital, under the nose of the saint, is this the so-called great hermit in the city? "
An old man named Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was revered as "Taifu" and was once one of the emperor's masters, looked at him coldly:
"In my wise life, I never thought that I would be found by you, a lackey who seeks glory behind the master's back and is willing to serve as the face of the false emperor."
"Be bold!"
The official in black who was following behind him yelled angrily, but Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop him.
I saw this well-known male favorite of the empress in the capital, sharp and sharp, with a smile on his outstandingly handsome face, and he sighed softly:
"The Taifu's words are wrong. When the late emperor died, the prince was supposed to succeed him, but he didn't expect the second prince to be rebellious and disobedient. He actually teamed up with the rebels, entered the palace to assassinate, and launched a Xuanmen coup with the intention of plotting. To usurp the throne.
At that time, the three princesses were successful in martial arts. After hearing the news, they took action to quell the rebellion and kill the rebels. Unfortunately, they came too late, and the prince and other princes were all slaughtered.
Later, because the country could not live without a king for a day, he had no choice but to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor to rule the Yu Dynasty. What was wrong?
On the other hand, the remnants of you who follow the second prince are like wildfire and cannot be wiped out... If you had abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side earlier, why would this be the case? "
"Bah! The thief is talking nonsense!" Suddenly, a clear female voice sounded.
It was a young girl standing beside the old man.
Dressed as a book boy, he held a blood-stained unsheathed dagger in his hand. His bun was broken in the battle, and his black silk was scattered. His facial features were exquisite. A clear and white face was raised, staring at him fiercely, and his silver teeth were clenched:
"It is clear that the false emperor is plotting to kill his father and brother, and the second prince, King Qin, is protecting him. My master wants to help the world, but he is slandered by villains like you!"
"Yun Niang!" Zhuang Xiaocheng said in a deep voice.
The girl holding the sword has sadness and despair in her eyes, like a female beast in desperate situation:
"Teacher, my disciple is of no use. I failed to protect you. I will repay you for my kindness in this life in the next life..."
Zhao Duan was indifferent to the painful drama in front of him, his eyes swept over the girl's face, and he said meaningfully:
"The master has good taste. On the way to escape, he did not forget to take such a beautiful female disciple with him. She is just sharp-tongued and looks like she lacks discipline. But don't worry, I will take her back and train you well."
The girl holding the sword's eyes were about to burst and she wished she could eat her flesh alive!
Zhuang Xiaocheng stared at him for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and said: "You are carried away with your pride. It is the nature of a villain to act like you, and you will not be rampant for long."
"Huh?" Zhao Duan sneered and looked around:
"Am I a villain? Am I getting carried away?"
Behind him, the officials, servants, and the imperial guards wearing armor and holding knives all shook their heads.
Zhao Duan's smile disappeared and he looked down at the two of them: "Look, they all said no. After entering the customs, there were great scholars who debated the scriptures for me. The Taifu has been in the officialdom for many years and has a clear understanding of the world. I don't need to say this, right? What's more? It’s you literati who are fabricating history. I’m a villain, so who are you?”
Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was wearing a Confucian robe, still looked calm, as if he had never been afraid from the beginning to the end: "Do you really think that you are sure to eat me?"
No reason.
At this moment, Zhao Duan's head tightened.
The wind and rain were like darkness in the bamboo forest, the light in the ruined temple was dim, and the whole world was silent against the rustling raindrops.
It was clear that the two sides were greatly disparate in strength, but at this moment their momentum actually reversed.
Zhao Duan forced out a smile and took half a step back without leaving any trace:
"Do you really think I'm scared? This is the capital city. One is old and the other is injured. How can you compare with my team of forbidden soldiers? Or are you, a rotten scholar, secretly a high-quality martial artist or a master of magic? "
The words were mocking.
Zhuang Xiaocheng, who had white hair and beard, shook his head gently: "I am just an ordinary person."
The conversation changed: "However, there are always some friends who can help."
Zhao Duan's pupils suddenly narrowed. Just as the old man uttered these words, the dusty stone statue behind him suddenly shook!
The earth also shook.
The ferocious statue's eyebrows cracked, and golden light bloomed. Then the cracks spread all over the body, and the stone skin peeled off, revealing a burly human figure wrapped in golden light inside.
"God descends!"
"The Warlock of the World!"
"Sir, be careful——"
Everyone retreated in fear, noisy and noisy, but Zhao Duan seemed to be frozen, his legs were filled with lead, unable to move, even though the ruins of the temple were reflected in the golden light of the "Earth God".
Circles of golden ripples spread out in all directions with the statue of the god as the center. The soldiers outside the temple were thrown away in surprise, and their black iron armor fell heavily into the fallen leaves, splashing large amounts of water.
"Let's go!" the old man shouted.
Zhao Duan's face was pale, and he could only see the cold and majestic figure wrapped in golden light, looking down.
With a big hand, he grabbed the old master in Confucian robes and dragged him into the ripples of light. He immediately raised his finger and pointed towards him.
boom!
Zhao Duan felt like he was hit hard in the chest, flying backwards like a cannonball, knocking out of the temple door, and plowing several feet along the ground. He didn't know whether he was alive or dead.
In the temple, a golden figure seemed to be out of strength, dragging the Taifu into the earth. In the blink of an eye, all the strange phenomena disappeared.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Only the cold rain fell.
Later, the rain stopped.
…
…
After a long time.
The Imperial Guardsmen and others who had fainted woke up one after another. The officials in black were shocked and turned pale. They flew to Zhao Duan's side and shouted with all their strength:
"My lord! My lord! Wake up!"
finally.
"Zhao Duan" woke up leisurely, and saw with blank eyes that he was lying in the arms of a man with a sinewy face, a dark face, a stocky figure, and dressed in ancient costume.
"Sir! Just be fine!"
The officials in black were overjoyed. If the master had any shortcomings, followers like them would also die.
However, he was so happy that he didn't realize that Zhao Duan's temperament had changed drastically. Compared with the previous rampant and frivolous temperament, he became calm and calm.
"I...am not dead?"
Zhao Duan spoke slowly, his sentences incoherent, as if he was learning how to speak.
"Perhaps the warlock is thousands of miles away and casts spells to rob people. He consumes a lot of mana. Your protective gear is another layer of protection."
The officer in black took out a dented breast goggle and showed it to him.
Zhao Duan's eyes became more and more confused, and he slowly sat up. As far as he could see, he saw a collapsed temple in the bamboo forest after the rain. When his eyes moved upward, the black clouds in the distance cracked, revealing wisps of sunlight.
A corner of the majestic city is faintly visible, towering into the clouds.
"Dang——dang——"
There was a bell ringing.
At noon, the "day ban" is lifted.
"Where is this?" Zhao Duan asked suddenly, paused, raised his hand to press his forehead, "My mind is a little confused."
The official in black didn't doubt his presence. He just thought he was stunned and said flatteringly:
"In the southern suburbs of the capital, you have obtained information, and with the power of the emperor, you mobilized a group of forbidden troops to arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng. Unfortunately, the thief actually had an accomplice, a sorcerer, who cast a spell to rescue him."
"What year and month?"
"Uh...Tianfeng's second year, actually three years, it was delayed after the Dongxuanmen coup the year before last."
"Isn't it Xuanwumen?"
"Sir, you are joking. We don't dare to increase the number of words on this matter."
Zhao Duan was silent for a long time, with no awe in his eyes. With the brief conversation and the unfamiliar memories gradually clearing up in my mind, I realized what had happened.
The Yu Dynasty, coups, empresses, warriors, warlocks... a paradoxical world.
As for myself...
The empress's personal male favorite? The arrogant and domineering dandy from the capital?
Difficult to comment.
"Sir, this female thief couldn't escape!"
Suddenly, the imperial army pulled out the unconscious Yun Niang from the collapsed temple. The beautiful and refined girl's forehead was smashed, and her thin eyebrows were frowning in the coma, showing stubbornness and unyielding.
The official with a sinister face said anxiously:
"This traitor was originally a clue found by the Zhaoyamen's secret agents, and was intercepted by our Baima Prison. Now that the city ban has been lifted, the Zhaoyamen people will surely arrive soon...
If the arrest is successful, it will be a great achievement. But now that the rebels have escaped, I'm afraid the blame will be placed on us. If those people in the court who don't like you find out that you participated in a private prisoner and colluded with the rebels. The crime of the party...even in your capacity, I'm afraid..."
"For the present plan, I can only trouble you to be the first to apologize to the saint, so that there is a chance of survival." He swallowed and saw that he was silent, and said urgently: "Sir, please say something quickly. ah!"
Zhao Duan silently withdrew his gaze, glanced at the latter, his eyes were like a deep pool, and everyone shut up.
The beginning of hell...
After thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes and opened them again:
"Then...enter the palace and meet the Holy Spirit."
ps: I heard that it has become quite popular recently to put a [brain storage] at the beginning of the book. I will put one too. . The reply in this paragraph was successfully deposited~
(End of this chapter)