Chapter 407 Door-to-Door Challenge (5k)
As the New Year's Eve approaches, the temperature in the capital drops again, completely falling into the depths of winter.
Zhao Duan's wake-up time also became later and later.
Early morning, in the bedroom.
"Huh." Zhao Duan got out of the warm quilt, exhaled a deep breath, raised his palm to condense a ball of water and covered his face to get rid of the remaining sleepiness.
Then he turned over and sat cross-legged on the bed. He was stunned for two seconds and suddenly put his hands on his chest to make a seal.
A Buddhist inscription with the character "卍" lingering in a faint glow quietly emerged from the air.
Zhao Duan spread his right hand, letting the word "卍" fall on his palm like a fallen leaf, feeling that the green lotus in the sea of consciousness quickly dimmed a little, the corners of his mouth slowly rose, spreading into a smile:
“It’s done.”
It has been more than half a month since the Western Region Sangha left. During these days, apart from his daily practice, Zhao Duan devoted a considerable amount of his energy to pondering the Sea of Knowledge Green Lotus.
And finally, through constant attempts, he learned the first Buddhist spell - the "Magic Sealing Curse"
That is: he can use the Sea of Consciousness Green Lotus to overcome the differences in practice systems and release the Buddhist spell. .
The ability to seal the magic spell, according to the book introducing Buddhist magic in his hand, can imprison the enemy to varying degrees according to the degree of mastery from low to high.
"My current mastery is still shallow, and I can probably bind the enemy. If my mastery is deeper, or my realm is higher, I can try to block the opponent's magic power and even the five senses."
"Huo. Yesterday, I couldn't release it 100%, but I can release it this morning. Is this considered a proficiency upgrade? If I had a practice panel system, I would probably be able to make a 'ding-ding' sound of new skill upgrades at this time... ”
Zhao Duan restrained the urge to make a "ding" sound with his mouth, and slowly released the maintenance of the "Demon Sealing Curse", causing the spell to collapse and disappear in the palm of his hand.
……
Inner hall!
When Zhao Duan walked in, a sumptuous breakfast was already placed on the table.
“Good morning, aunt, good morning, sister, good morning, dog.”
Boss Zhao Duan casually said hello to the two women and one dog at the table, sat down and began to feast.
Eugene Hua spat, chattering while giving him food:
"Dalang, you are a big shot now. You should pay attention to your speech and manners. Why are you still like a child."
Tsk, after nearly a year, the stepmother has successfully come out of the shadow of being bullied by her stepson, and now she dares to nag.
I just said "criticism", but I couldn't stop smiling.
It seems that in her opinion, such a casual step-son is lovable. If he really puts on airs like those "masters" in the court, then the family affection will be lost.
"Yawn..." Zhao Pan yawned continuously, and now he has long since given up his original determination to learn martial arts. He still looked sleepy:
"Brother, why did you get up so early today... ..."
In the past, Zhao Duan got up late, so she also stayed in bed, euphemistically saying that she would eat with her eldest brother.
Today, Mr. Zhao got up unusually early. The girl had no choice but to stay in bed without any shield, and was forcefully pulled out of the warm bed by her own mother.
Zhao Duan held the porridge bowl and sucked a mouthful of fragrant white porridge. He waited for the hot water to slide into his esophagus and then said:
"Today the Duke of Zhenguo will return to Beijing, and a group of military generals have been ordered to line up outside the city to greet him. I You can’t hide it.”
Eugene Hua was startled and said nervously:
“It belongs to the young father-in-law who has a grudge against you...”
"It doesn't matter, the misunderstanding will be solved after just talking." Zhao Duan smiled and reassured, quickly finished breakfast, changed his clothes and stepped out.
...
The time for Tang Daren, the Duke of the Town, to enter the city is scheduled to be in the morning.
Zhao Duan went to the Yamen first, and as agreed, he and Ma Yan went to greet him on behalf of the Yamen.
"Senior Brother, the Shenji Camp didn't even look for me. Why did our imperial office think of taking me there? This is against the rules."
Zhao Duan walked into the Governor's Hall. , and complained to Ma Yan, who was dealing with official documents.
Ma Yan was sitting in the main hall, his long and thin face expressionless.
Towards the end of the year, all the major government offices in the capital have a large amount of affairs to deal with. The main halls of the imperial offices have basically stopped all tasks, and they are hurrying to make "reports" and summarize them in the Governor's Hall.
Ma Yan has been so busy these days that the circles under his eyes are dark.
"Calling your duties when working."
Ma Dugong put down the seal in his hand, picked up the blue and white tea jar to moisten his throat, and then glared at him:
< br>
"You don't know why I took you with me?"
Zhao Duan smiled and pulled a chair to sit down: "It can't be to make my presence felt in front of the Duke."
Ma Yan was already used to the novel expressions that popped out of his mouth from time to time, and said helplessly:
"When you established your authority in the Shenji camp, you severely humiliated Tang Ping. Even if the official is reinstated, this matter must be explained to Mr. Tang in person to clear up the misunderstanding. Otherwise, it will not be good if Mr. Tang hears some bad rumors and causes misunderstandings. "
< br>Zhao Duan didn't care much about this. After all, he was used to big storms this year. He casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the fruit plate on the table and said curiously:
"No matter how laggy the border news is, the dignified Duke should also know this."
Ma Yan said seriously:
"Don't be so playful. According to my understanding of the young prince, , because of his character, he would never mention these things to the Duke. As a border guard general, in order to avoid suspicion, Tang Guogong would not take the initiative to inquire about the affairs of the Beijing camp, even if he improves your firearms and brings down the thieves in the Privy Council. He has heard about it, but he doesn’t know the details.
What’s more, in order to reduce the impact of the Shenji Camp incident and avoid leaking secrets, His Majesty has covered up a lot, even among the officials in the capital. , those with insufficient status don’t know how much you have done in it. If the young master doesn’t take the initiative to mention it, how will the Duke know?
On the other hand, those who don’t like you, or those like the King of Xipingdao Hejian. , it is very likely that he deliberately delivered news to the border, used the conflict between you and Tang Ping to make a fuss, and then instigated the trust between Tang Guogong and His Majesty...
In short, I have sent someone to deliver a letter in advance, saying that you will be there to greet him today. It is better to clarify the matter in person later than to ignore it. Still think you haven’t made enough enemies? "
Zhao Duan heard that Senior Brother Jianyi was thinking about him, and said innocently:
"I didn't say I couldn't go. "
The two chatted for a while. Seeing that it was almost time, Ma Yan and Zhao Duan rode straight to the west city gate.
At this moment, a group of civil servants and generals were already in place.
A large group of people just stood there in the cold wind, chatting while waiting for the Duke's team.
However, everyone was eager to wait for a long time, until the sun rose and the time was well past the agreed time, but there was still no shadow of the team on the official road.
"Is there an accident on the road that delayed the trip?" Someone wondered, "Or was the delivery time copied wrong?"
Ma Yan also frowned, and at this moment, everyone behind Inside the city gate, an official came running on horseback, panting and dismounting, waving to everyone:
“Don’t wait any longer, the Duke and his entourage have entered the city through the north gate, and have now returned to the Duke’s Mansion! ”
Many officials were stunned and didn't know why, and some even showed dissatisfaction:
"The letter said to enter the city from the west gate, why did the route suddenly change? Are we waiting in the cold wind in vain? Isn't this amusement?"< br>
The official looked hesitant, glanced carefully at Zhao Duan in the crowd, and explained:
"The Duke's intention seems to be that it was because he knew in advance that General Zhao was coming to greet him. , so..."
Everyone was silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became weird.
Zhao Duan, who looked like a salty fish, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "That's why?"
The official's forehead was covered with sweat, and he stammered: "That's why we changed the route. "
Ma Yan looked ugly for a moment, and then felt a headache. Feeling the strange atmosphere, he coughed lightly and said:
"In that case, follow me back. City, go to the Duke’s Mansion to meet the Duke.”
A group of officials looked at each other, tacitly agreeing not to mention the conversation just now, and all agreed:
"That's fine."
Whether it's Zhao Duan or Tang Guogong, they don't want to provoke them for no reason.
Zhao Duan glanced at Ma Yan and smiled:
"The Governor will take all the adults there. I won't go, so as not to offend the Duke."
Ma Yan took a deep breath, pulled him aside and said:
"It seems that the situation is more troublesome than expected. I will go to Tang Guogong to explain it to you later. You go back to the Yamen first and wait for my news. Don't wander around."
Zhao Duan said with a smile:
< br>"What did the Governor say? How could I ever be that person who waits and doesn't understand the overall situation? Don't worry, it's just a misunderstanding. I'm waiting for the Governor at the Yamen and I'm not going anywhere."
Ma Yan is cold and slender. His face twitched slightly, and he always felt that the smiling look of his subordinates in front of him was a bit charming. He was silent for a while and said:
"You don't have to talk about your position in private, it's weird."
< br>
...
The unexpected episode caught everyone off guard.
Everyone turned around and entered the city. Ma Yan led a group of officials who had resentment in their hearts but did not dare to show it at all and went straight to the mansion of the Duke of Zhen. Zhao Duan was alone, riding a horse slowly back to Zhao Yamen. He was lost in thought on the way:
Although he had been prepared, the Tang Guogong who had always been very protective of his shortcomings was probably dissatisfied with him because of the young prince's affairs.
But Zhao Duan originally thought that with his current reputation and the empress' favor, at least Tang Guogong's outward attitude would not be too bad.
But it seems the situation is a little worse than expected.
However, unlike what outsiders feared, Zhao Duan himself knew that the bad relationship between him and Tang Ping had been reconciled as early as that night when he personally invited Tang Ping back to Shenji Camp.
This kind of reconciliation is only known to the two parties involved, and no outsiders have any way of knowing it. Baobu Ma Yan still thinks that Zhao Duan finally reinstated Tang Pingguan because of the empress.
After that, Zhao Duan rarely went to Shenji Camp, which was also interpreted as being disgusted with the young master.
But Zhao Duan really wants to say: You are thinking too much...
Therefore, in his opinion, this matter is not that complicated. As long as Tang Guogong comes home and summons Tang Ping in person, and the father and son explain the matter clearly, the misunderstanding will be resolved.
Outsiders think that Zhao, the King of Hell, will retaliate, but the real Mr. Zhao is a broad-minded person.
Shaking his head, Zhao Duan put the matter aside and did not take it to heart. However, just as he turned into the street where the imperial office was located, he saw a familiar figure, leading a horse in a hurry. come out.
"My lord?! You are back!"
Holding the horse, Hou Ren, who looked anxious, was stunned for a moment, "I was about to leave the city to find you."
Zhao Duan looked surprised: "What happened?"
Hou Renmeng spoke very quickly and said:
"Go back to the hall and have a look, a fierce guy just came. The mother-in-law did not give her name, but she could tell that her strength was not low, and she was full of martial spirit. She wanted to see you, sir. Qian Kerou said she was not here, so she insisted on waiting. Old Zheng looked at this person and asked him to come with bad intentions. I'll come out to find you."
Zhao Duan looked strange: "The other party didn't identify himself? How did he get into the Yamen?"
Zhao Yamen is not entered casually.
Hou Renmeng said: "The other party has the title of military general."
"Take me over and have a look." Zhao Duan got off his horse and followed Lao Hou straight to Lihuatang.
As soon as people entered the courtyard, they saw Zheng Laojiu, Shen Juan and a group of Jinyi gathered in the outer courtyard. They were all shocked when they saw him coming:
"Sir..."< br>
Zhao Duan said calmly: "Where are the people?"
"In the main hall, Kerou is with me."
Zhao Duan nodded, lined up the crowd, and led the crowd into the atrium, bypassing the big pear tree that had been bare with only branches left, and suddenly saw The hall door is open.
The head of the long table at the entrance of the hall, which was originally used as a conference room, belonged to Zhao Duan. At this moment, a female general sat with a golden sword.
The skin color is slightly reddish-black due to long-term exposure to the sun, but it has a murderous aura raised in the military. He is not wearing a military uniform, only a neutral outfit, and the soft armor lining is vaguely visible. .
At this moment, he was sitting upright with his legs crossed and his eyes slightly closed. There was a long horse spear lying on the table in front of him, with a cold light shining at the end.
"Sir!"
Qian Kerou, who was standing aside, hurriedly walked over, with joy on her round face, and immediately explained:
"I didn't let her sit in your seat, and she didn't listen. "
Tsk, that's you, Xiaorou. If the other thorns had already taken action... Well, no wonder Lao Zheng asked you to stay with the guests and let the most brainless Hou Ren come out to find me... Or Lao Zheng. Zheng Zhiren makes good use of it...
Zhao Duan complained in his heart.
Tang Zhao, who heard the sound, opened his slightly closed eyelids. This rouged horse actually had a pair of sharp black and white eyes.
Looking at Zhao Duan, Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment when he saw his handsome appearance. A thought flashed in his mind:
Such a good-looking man should not be bullying his younger brother. That person.
"I don't know which army lieutenant general you are, but you suddenly came to Lihuatang to look for me. What advice can you give me?"
Zhao Duan looked at this, which seemed familiar, but he definitely didn't see it. He asked in a deep voice with a smile on his face.
"Are you Zhao Duan?" Tang Zhao raised his eyebrows.
Wait for him to nod.
Tang Zhao suddenly felt that this person's appearance was disgusting. She snorted, stood up and said:
"You don't know my identity, you should know that Tang Ping has a second sister."< br>
The young father-in-law’s second sister? That female general from the Duke's residence who has practiced martial arts since childhood and served in the border army? Tang Zhao?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and the corresponding information came to mind. When he investigated Tang Ping, he naturally checked the status of the personnel in the Zhenguo Duke's mansion.
I suddenly felt enlightened!
No wonder I always felt that this man looked familiar. His face was clearly similar to that of Tang Ping, the little general in white robes.
Wait a minute... shouldn't the second sister of the Tang family enter the city with Mr. Tang Guo today? Why did you come directly? Judging by the time, he couldn't have even returned home and came to me directly after entering the city...
Of course he didn't know that Tang Zhaocun's intention was to help his younger brother vent his anger first. Then go back to the house to see your brother.
This would be honorable and proud, and it would also prevent people at home from stopping her from taking action.
"It turns out to be Miss Tang Zhao, the daughter of the Duke's family." After Zhao Duan realized the identity of the other party, he smiled and revealed his origin.
The Duke’s daughter?
The people in Jinyi behind him were stunned, looking at each other, and felt lucky for a moment - fortunately, they didn't rush to fight with the opponent in a hot blood, causing trouble for the adults.
A thousand pieces of gold? Miss? After Tang Zhao heard these two titles, his expression suddenly became unkind, and he said coldly:
"Then you should know why I am here."
Zhao Duan pretended to be confused, smiled and said:
"Miss Tang and I have never met. No grudges, no grudges recently, but I can't think of why."
Tang Zhao was furious when he saw his frivolous look:
"I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you, I just want to ask you one question. , when you went to work in Shenji Camp, did you strip my younger brother of his official robe and drive him out of the camp? "
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows and said lightly:
"So what? As a fourth-grade official, I should not be able to deal with my subordinates, and it is not the turn of others to point fingers."
Tang Zhao laughed angrily. She was always quick-tempered and protective of her shortcomings. She suddenly pulled out her belt card from her waist and threw it forward:
"Okay, just admit it. The state has national laws and the military also has them. According to the rules of the army, I really can’t control the affairs of your Shenji Camp. So I came to you today to compete with you in martial arts according to the rules of the army. Do you dare to challenge me?”
"Pa." Zhao Duan raised his hand, grabbed the flying waist badge, glanced at the words on the bronze medal and the shaking tassel below, and said slowly:
"So what if I shouldn't? So what if I should?"
Tang Zhao said matter-of-factly: "If we should, let's have a fight. If we shouldn't, I'll leave immediately."
It's that simple. ? Zhao Duan knew that of course it was not that simple.
Today, he is no longer the novice he was when he first traveled through time. He knows that in the Yu State Army, there are rules for martial arts competitions between generals.
As long as the two sides are of equal rank, they can invite a fight or not, but once word gets out, they will become a laughing stock. The army has always been ashamed of those who dare not challenge.
Tang Zhao was at the border, and the rank of the border army was somewhat different from that of the inland military offices such as Jingying. It was larger, so Tang Zhao was of the same rank as him.
"Don't worry, I won't bully the small. I heard that you entered the divine chapter realm a few months ago. I am also in the divine chapter realm, so I don't count as bullying you." Tang Zhao looked condescending. .
The tone is extremely confident.
After Zhao Duan was promoted to the Divine Chapter, the only record he made public was the Buddhism and Taoism Competition.
But that time he used the Tai'a Sword to "cheat", so it was not counted as a real result. In the eyes of everyone, he was just a newcomer who had only entered the Divine Chapter for a few months.
There are very few people who even know that he is already in the middle level of the Divine Chapter.
But Tang Zhao is a top-grade Shen Zhang who has been honed in the military. Regardless of the solid foundation of martial arts, martial arts and consciousness, he is one of the strongest among the Shen Zhangs.
In almost everyone's eyes, as long as they don't cheat, this is a battle with great disparity in strength, and there is almost no suspense about the outcome.
"Sir..." A group of Jinyi looked anxious and wanted to speak.
But Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop, looked at Tang Zhao strangely, and smiled: "Okay."
(End of this chapter)