Qin Huaidao sat quietly in an inconspicuous corner listening to music and drinking. He had a beard on his face and his temperament changed drastically. He looked like a wealthy businessman. Even if someone familiar came over, it would be difficult to tell him apart.
A plate of peanuts, a pot of wine, and soft and sweet singing in my ears, singing about love between you and me, sweet life. The girl singing the song, Xiaojiabiyu, has pretty good skills. Qin Huaidao looked like he was intoxicated by the singing,
But his eyes calmly locked on the door of a private room on the second floor.
Originally, they were going to the Fan Yang Lu family's residence in Chang'an. They happened to see Lu Jiansheng riding a carriage and arriving at Wanhua Tower under the protection of his guards. Qin Huaidao was not in a hurry to take action and followed him to keep tabs on him, just to relax a little.
Not long after, Prince Li Chengqian came over under the protection of the guards, hurriedly went upstairs and entered the private room. Qin Huaidao knew that the two had a close relationship, so he didn't care. He waited patiently, but found that a man in brocade clothes also entered the private room, looking a little confused.
It looks familiar, but I can't remember who it is.
Not long after, several more men in brocade clothes entered the private room.
Qin Huaidao was a little surprised. Was he here for a meeting? Could it be that the ambush at Fengyu Tower had something to do with Li Chengqian? Could this guy have started planning a rebellion?
Unfortunately, there are guests in the rooms on both sides of the private room, so we can't book it in and eavesdrop.
The abnormal situation made Qin Huaidao vigilant. History has changed. If Li Chengqian rebels, will his methods become different from history?
After waiting patiently for about an hour, Li Chengqian came out of the private room and left in a hurry with his guards. The people inside did not continue to drink, but they did not leave together and came out one after another. Qin Huaidao came out after paying and went around to the restaurant next to Wanhua Building.
There are many carriages parked here in the open space.
Soon, Qin Huaidao found Lu Jiansheng's carriage. The driver was taking a nap and the two guards were chatting. Qin Huaidao calmly climbed up and quietly got into the carriage. As soon as he sat down, a guard came over and shouted: "Master.
Come out, pick someone up quickly."
Soon, the carriage started moving, and the driver whipped his horsewhip, and stopped at the entrance of Wanhua Building.
Lu Jiansheng, who smelled of alcohol and had blurry eyes, hunched his body into the car. Qin Huaidao took action like lightning, covering the other person's mouth without giving him a chance to warn him. He used his other hand on the neck to chop the person unconscious and dragged him in.
In the carriage, the door curtain fell down to block the outside world, and the movements were like running water without making any sound.
The coachman had no idea there was anyone else inside, so without thinking much, he shook his whip and drove the carriage forward.
Qin Huaidao waited for the carriage to leave Wanhua Tower for some distance, and when he came to an alley, he opened the curtains and carefully looked around. It was already the curfew time at night, and there was no one on the streets. Qin Huaidao no longer waited, opened the curtains and walked out with a bowed body.
A sneak attack from behind, easily breaking the driver's neck and throwing him into the carriage to hide him.
The guard followed the carriage and saw nothing unusual. Qin Huaidao pretended to be confused and shouted: "No, something happened to the master. Come quickly."
The two guards did not notice anything unusual and rushed up. Qin Huaidao struck out like lightning, slicing one man's throat with a dog-legged knife and stabbing the other man's neck. Killing both men in an instant, he jumped out of the carriage and pounced on the back.
There was another person who was Lu Jiansheng's personal bodyguard. He noticed something unusual and did not run away. He did not dare to leave his master and run away, so he drew his sword. Qin Huaidao was faster and the dog-legged knife escaped his hand and pierced the opponent's heart.
The other party's body stiffened and he looked at Qin Huaidao in disbelief. He wanted to say something, but he was too unconscious to say anything.
Qin Huaidao stepped forward, grabbed the handle of the knife, stirred it hard, pulled it out, threw the body into the carriage, drove the carriage out of the alley, trotted all the way, passed through two alleys, and came to the foot of a big tree by the river.
The leaves are luxuriant, blocking out the sky and the sun, and it is pitch dark under the tree, making it difficult to be discovered.
After parking the carriage, Qin Huaidao pulled out the unconscious Lu Jiansheng, threw it on the ground, and pinched the person. Not long after, Lu Jiansheng woke up leisurely, and then saw a bearded man in the faint moonlight, who was not a guard.
Not at the house, but by the river. I woke up from the wine and struggled to get up.
Qin Huaidao put an eight-legged knife on the opponent's neck and warned in a rough voice: "Don't move, or I'll kill you."
"Hero, don't do anything. I have money and I'll give it to you. Spare my life." Lu Jiansheng panicked.
"Do you know why you are not dead yet?" Qin Huaidao began to use words to blackmail him.
How did Lu Jiansheng know? He was a little surprised and asked: "Why?"
"Because you still have value. If you don't show your value, there will be a few more corpses in the river every day. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand, spare your life, good man, and I will give you money." Lu Jiansheng has been accustomed to pampering since he was a child. Where has he ever seen real life and death? The colorful world has just begun. He doesn't want to die and is so frightened that he is confused.
"I ask you, what were so many people plotting in Wanhua Tower just now?"
Lu Jiansheng didn't even think about it and said quickly: "It's just friends having a drink and keeping in touch with each other, nothing specific, really."
The word "really" seems to be emphasizing, but in fact it reveals a guilty conscience. If you don't say it, it will be credible. Qin Huaidao knew that the other party was lying. He used the dog-leg knife in his hand to cut open the skin, and a trace of blood spilled out.
, it seemed that Lu Jiansheng's face changed drastically, and Liansheng begged for mercy: "Hero, don't, don't do anything."
"I don't like repeating the same thing twice, so I want to ask you one last thing, what were we talking about just now? Think about it before you answer, but I heard you." Qin Huaidao warned coldly.
When the other party heard that Qin Huaidao had heard it, he didn't know whether it was true or not. He murmured in his heart. If he heard it, he would be seeking death by talking nonsense. But what if the other party didn't hear it and it was just blackmail?
Then he thought about it, there was nothing he could do about blackmail, he couldn't afford the gamble, so he decided to get through it, so he quickly replied: "Good man, since you heard this, you should know that we are just talking about how to make money and protect people."
The liquor in the Duke's mansion is worth a lot of money, we are going to organize people to develop it, that's all."
Qin Huaidao didn't know whether it was true or not. If it were true, wouldn't it reveal that he hadn't heard anything just now if he told a lie? After thinking about it, he asked, "It's really just this matter. How could I hear anything else?"
Anything else?"
Not admitting or denying, and turning to ask other questions is a kind of mental game.
Lu Jiansheng didn't understand psychology, so he thought Qin Huaidao had really heard it, so he quickly begged for mercy: "We also talked about tea, how can we join forces to suppress the business of Lord Protector."
"How to suppress him, be honest." Qin Huaidao asked.
"That's it...all parties invest and prepare one million yuan to jointly develop similar products, and then sell them at low prices to crowd out the National Protectorate Store, and then raise the prices to control the market."
Qin Huaidao almost laughed out loud when he heard this. These guys have something. Isn't this a means of capital operation? He asked: "That's all?"
"That's really all."
"Is it you who attacked Fengyulou's attack on the imperial official?"
When the other party heard this, he panicked and Liansheng said, "No, no, no, I didn't do it."
"The prisoner has already confessed that it was you, Lu, who did it, and he still wants to deny it."
"No, it's unfair, you...who are you?" Lu Jiansheng realized that something was wrong. The killers and villains would not care about this matter, unless the court and the Protector were involved. Thinking of this, Lu Jiansheng became vigilant and looked at him secretly.
Looking at Qin Huaidao, he asked: "Who sent you here, the imperial court or Duke Lu?"
Qin Huaidao asked: "Your Majesty has obtained strong evidence. The Fanyang Lu family will be destroyed. Your Majesty asked you to come down and ask you. If you cooperate with the court, your Majesty can spare your life and keep one-tenth of the Lu family's property as a reward."
If you refuse to cooperate, then you no longer need to exist in this world, so how do you choose?"
"ah--"
Lu Jiansheng's face changed greatly, but the children of the aristocratic family have been instilled with the concept that family interests are above all else since they were young. Lu Jiansheng did not choose to betray, but instead became more alert and said: "Since the Holy One has obtained the evidence, given the Holy One's suppression of us, there is a chance
You have already taken action, I don’t believe you would still choose me to cooperate, you are blackmailing me.”
"So you choose to refuse?" Qin Huaidao asked coldly.
"Even if I die, I will not betray the family." Lu Jiansheng said bravely. Thinking that he had caused the destruction of the family and would not be able to inherit the land after his death, his heart trembled and he gained a little more courage.
"You do have some backbone. As long as you admit that the Fengyu Tower matter is related to you, I can spare your life." Qin Huaidao said reluctantly.
"No, I didn't do it. If you dare, kill me."
Qin Huaidao got angry and threatened: "I will kill you, and then I will kill your whole family."
Lu Jiansheng became even more panicked when he heard this. He thought that if he did it, the whole family would die, but as long as he didn't say anything, the family would protect his family. The court would do nothing but avenge him, which made him more courageous.
He stiffened his neck, stared and refused to admit it. He risked his life and shouted: "It's a murder, someone is coming quickly."
The sound was sharp and high-pitched, and it was particularly abrupt in the quiet night sky.
Qin Huaidao knew that he could not wait any longer, so he wiped the opponent's neck decisively, turned around and ran away.
He was originally here to kill people and collect interest. If he hadn't found out about the party and had suspicions, he wouldn't have brought him here for interrogation. It doesn't matter whether the other party recruits him or not. Sooner or later, Fan Yanglu will have to deal with him.
Thinking of the unexpected news that Li Chengqian had brought so many families to join forces to suppress his business, he felt a little colder in his heart.
The shouting will inevitably attract the patrol team Qianniuwei. Qin Huaidao didn't want to cause trouble, so he hurried into an alley and hurried away. Not long after, he arrived at his restaurant. The door was locked, but the wall was not high, so he climbed in easily and entered the pre-deck.
A room reserved for rest.
Early the next morning, Qin Huaidao washed up. Seeing that it was still early, he thought that after killing Lu Jiansheng last night, there would definitely be a reaction in the court today. He had to go and have a look. He went out to eat something and came to the imperial city to eat. Then he went in.
During the class meeting at the Taiji Hall Station, I saw everyone on the left and right with their heads lowered and their eyes squinted, as if they were not awake. It was too early.
It's better if you live close by, you can get up a little later, but if you live far away, you have to get up at four or five in the morning and go on the road. Who can endure it when you are old? If you don't come, you can't.
Qin Huaidao strongly disagreed with this. The Tianchao meeting every day was not only overstaffed but also consumed people's energy. How could we work if we didn't have energy? I'm afraid that I would just catch up on sleep when I went back and it would be gone in the morning. There is something wrong with this management model.
Not long after, Li Er came over and sat on the dragon couch with a majestic look on his face.
"Something's going to happen!"
With Wang De's shout, the court meeting began.
As usual, the six ministers first reported in sequence what they were doing, what problems they encountered, and what help was needed. The relevant personnel immediately came out to express their opinions, or raised questions, or solved them on the spot.
Qin Huaidao listened for a while, and it felt like a meeting of a large company. Each department spoke in turn to solve problems. It seemed that the efficiency was pretty good, but after listening carefully for a while, he found that there were many trivial matters that were not enough to be brought to the court for resolution.
There are still many remaining issues that have been dragged on to this day.
The court is the place where major decisions are made, where national development plans, top-level design and strategic decisions are made. If it is used to resolve small matters, doesn't this waste everyone's time?
After listening for a while, Qin Huaidao lost interest and thought of his own affairs.
Not long after, I felt someone touching me next to me. I turned around and saw that it was Li Daozong, the Minister of Rites. I didn't react for a while. When I looked back, I saw Li Er was looking at me. I was even more confused. What happened?
Li Er glared at the other party angrily and was a little curious. This guy actually came to attend the court meeting. Now that he was here, he was distracted. It was too much. For the sake of this rare visit, Li Er decided to endure it and said in a deep voice.
He asked: "Qin Aiqing, can you report anything to the Ministry of Communications?"
Only then did Qin Huaidao realize that it was his turn. A flash of embarrassment flashed across his face, but he quickly returned to normal. The Holy Emperor asked, saying that it would be impossible to say that nothing was wrong. If he appeared to be incompetent, he would be criticized. He felt something in his heart and said loudly: "
Returning to the Holy Spirit, I am a rude person who has never studied hard and is not knowledgeable enough. Now that I think about it, I regret it very much. I want to make up for it, and I beg the Holy Spirit to give me some books."
Li Eryi was a little confused when he heard what the request was.
All the courtiers in the palace were confused. You scolded all the scholars in the world with your song "Joining the Army", which made Kong Yingda, a great scholar, almost vomit blood. He said that he was rude and not knowledgeable enough. Who does this mean?
Some people couldn't help but say: "Duke Protector, your statement 'I would rather be a centurion than a scholar' is enough to show your ambition. Since you are willing to be a centurion, why bother studying again?"
This is heartbreaking.
What does it mean to be willing to be a centurion? Qin Huaidao was angry. He glanced at the other person and said he didn't recognize him. He said with a cold face: "You look down on centurions? Do you think scholars are nobler than centurions?"
Civil-military disputes have always been ongoing, but no one has openly pointed them out.
Qin Huaidao's words made all the generals in the court angry. They all looked at the person who just spoke, with murderous intent in their eyes.
The other party was inexplicably panicked and wanted to explain. Qin Huaidao would not spoil the other party and did not give him a chance to speak. He continued: "With my talent, I still think that my knowledge is not enough. I need to study more. After all, you will learn as long as you live.
What is your intention in belittling the centurion with your arrogant words? Or are you saying that you think your literary talent is extraordinary and you don’t need to learn more?"
"What am I, say!" Qin Huaidao asked.
"It's a good saying to live until you are old and learn until you are old. It shows what scholars in the world should pursue." Fang Xuanling praised, looked at the official with a cold look, and asked indifferently: "What is the point of humiliating the Duke of the country?"
Morality, since you belittle the literary talents of the Protector, I will give you a chance to prove it, otherwise, I will give you a copy."
Qin Huaidao glanced at Fang Xuanling, "That's wrong. Where are you from?"
Before Qin Huaidao could speak, Li Daozong said in a low voice: "Ms. Fang wants to take this opportunity to give you an opportunity to show off your literary talents and improve your reputation."
Qin Huaidao realized that it was true that all scholars were treacherous at heart. Did he need this reputation? When he saw Li Er smiling and saying nothing, he immediately understood that it was Li Er who had given the order, and neither the emperor nor the minister were the same thing.
The official realized that he had been impulsive and had said the wrong thing. If he did not seize the opportunity, his official career would come to an end, and he would even lose his head. Full of regret, he quickly said: "My lord, I have not belittled my husband when I return to my room."
My Lord's intention was just a momentary impulse, so please forgive me."
"The imperial court has its own laws. If you don't obey the Lord Protector, you have to prove your ability, otherwise I will never give you mercy." Fang Xuanling said coldly.
At this time, a chamberlain came in hurriedly, his face anxious.
Wang De hurried over to ask a few words, then hurried back and handed a letter to Li Er.
During the court meeting, non-important matters could not be disturbed. Li Er realized the importance of the letter and quickly opened it. It was a letter of credence from Tubo. It first defended itself eloquently, saying that the Fengyu Tower incident had nothing to do with Tubo, and then proposed three
In the exchange competition, if the Tang Dynasty can do it, it will bow its head and proclaim itself as its vassal, give away countless jewels, cattle and sheep, and forever be friends with the Qin and Jin Dynasties.
The so-called communication is just a euphemism for competition, and competition is provocation.
Li Er's face turned livid after reading the letter of credence. The content seemed to be showing weakness and asking for peace, but in fact it contained three conspiracies. First, Lu Dongzan, who was arrested yesterday, was submitted with the letter of credence today. It was obvious that he had been prepared for it. This was Tibet's back-up plan.
Secondly, Tubo dared to provoke the Tang Dynasty by proposing three conditions, which shows that it was very confident in its heart and had long been willing to fight.
Third, if you accept the challenge, other countries will rush to imitate it in the future. How will the majesty of the Tang Dynasty survive? If you do not accept the challenge, won't you lose the majesty of the Tang Dynasty? If both the left and right are passive, this is forcing the palace.
After winning, Tubo became a vassal and compensated countless jewels, cattle and sheep. The data listed in the credential looked tempting, but it had to be a good relationship with Qin and Jin. This was a disguised marriage, and the evil intentions were not dead. Once the marriage was made, it would be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to attack Tubo, and
If Lu Dongzan was not killed, Tubo would take the opportunity to vigorously develop its national power, which would be very detrimental to the Tang Dynasty.
Losing would be even more embarrassing.
In other words, regardless of winning or losing, the loser is Datang, who is easy to calculate.
Li Er suddenly thought that it must be Lu Dongzan's back-up plan to submit the credentials so quickly. As Qin Huaidao said, this guy is not simple and cannot be retained.
But there were some words that Li Er couldn't say. He looked at Wang De coldly: "Read it!"
"Old slave, I obey the order!" Wang De quickly stepped forward, took the credentials again and started reading.
Everyone listened curiously. They were in a good mood at first. After all, Tubo gave in and surrendered. But after hearing the three conditions, they all became angry. The internal fighting was just internal fighting. It was just political differences or driven by interests. But in the early Tang Dynasty,
The vast majority of officials are passionate at heart and very forceful externally.
When Wang De finished reading, the whole place was in an uproar and started talking.
Qin Huaidao also thought of Tubo's conspiracy and wanted to defeat Lu Dongzan. He immediately looked at Li Er and saw Li Er shaking his head calmly. He understood in his heart and said nothing.
Fang Xuanling glanced at Qin Huaidao and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the Tubo country is so arrogant and must not be tolerated. How can the Tang Dynasty be afraid of challenges? I suggest you listen to their conditions first, lest anyone say anything about me.
The Tang Dynasty was timid and did not dare to challenge."
"That's right, a little Tubo dares to jump sideways. It's really unreasonable."
"Just come here. There are thousands of heroes and countless talented people in the Tang Dynasty. What should you be afraid of?"
The courtiers all agreed one after another, somewhat sharing the same hatred of the enemy. In the face of provocation from foreign enemies, no one mentioned what had just happened.
Wang De got Li Er's permission and hurried out to deliver the order.
Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed as a Tibetan servant came over and said loudly: "The foreign minister, Deputy Tibetan envoy Gar, is here to see His Majesty the Tang Dynasty."
Li Er gave Fang Xuanling a look. He was just a deputy envoy and could not leave in person. Fang Xuanling nodded knowingly, stared at the other person and asked coldly: "Challenging me, Tang Dynasty, is it your big talk, or is it you Tubo?"
What does Wang Songzan Gampo mean?"
"My lord, I don't want to challenge the majesty of the Tang Dynasty. We just admire the culture of the Tang Dynasty and want to communicate with each other. That's all. If the Tang Dynasty disdains it, let's let it go." The other party said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner. He could follow Lu Dongzan here.
And as a deputy envoy, he is naturally not simple, and his words are watertight.
Fang Xuanling was not a vegetarian either. He said coldly: "Just talking about words cannot hide the fact that you are challenging the majesty of the Tang Dynasty. I am generous and will give you a chance. Tell me, how do you want to compare?"
"It's communication." The other party emphasized again, then took out a stone and continued: "This is the Tubo Nine Apertures exquisite stone. It fell from the sky. It is an auspicious object. There are nine orifices on the surface, and the holes inside are winding and winding. The foreign ministers have blocked them.
There is something strange about it, if Datang can thread a thread through one hole and come out of the other hole, it will win."
Fang Xuanling found that the surface of the stone was smooth, and there were indeed two small holes in the front and back, the size of rice grains. When he looked at the light, there was light inside, and it could be seen that they were connected, but the other hole could not be directly seen, and it could be seen that the inside was zigzag.
It is difficult to thread the thread through the small holes, and the thread is soft, so it is not easy to thread it through.
This one thing stumped the resourceful Fang Xuanling.
But he couldn't show weakness in front of his opponent. Fang Xuanling suppressed his worries and asked coldly: "What about the other two items?"
The other party held the pearl of wisdom in his hand and said calmly: "I have heard for a long time that the culture of the Tang Dynasty is unparalleled, and foreign ministers admire it very much. I accidentally found a pair. If the Tang Dynasty can match it, they will win." He handed over a piece of paper.
Fang Xuanling took it without looking at it and asked, "What else is there?"
"Thirdly, foreign ministers have heard for a long time that the Tang Dynasty has unparalleled military force, but we, Tubo, also advocate force and everyone can fight. The accompanying delegation randomly sent one person to set up a ring in the East City. No matter who the Tang Dynasty man is, he can fight.
.”
"I'll take over the challenge, please step back." Fang Xuanling scolded him rudely.
The other party smiled indifferently, bowed and turned around to leave, his eyes full of confidence.
Qin Huaidao was a little surprised. The bitter cold land of Tubo actually played with culture? The three questions represent work, martial arts and literature respectively. Stones and needles cannot be achieved without certain technical means. The people of the Tang Dynasty were martial arts. If they lost in the arena, the Tang Dynasty would lose face.
After all, Tubo's move is simply heart-breaking. Duo is a matter for scholars, and it is the strength of the Tang Dynasty. Tubo dared to use it to compete. The behind-the-scenes feeling is evocative.
Fang Xuanling also had a premonition that something was wrong, but she didn't point it out. She glanced at the pair and looked at Wang De.
Wang De hurried over knowingly, took the pair and presented it to Li Er.
Li Er is also a man of literary talent. After reading the couplet, his expression changed slightly.