While Yamazaki and Gu Ling'er were drinking afternoon tea, eating melon seeds and peanuts, and playing chess on the star chessboard, the young marquis Zhao Jin came to the door after three years, wearing a shining military uniform.
He came in alone, but his guards were outside.
And when he walked to the table, his first words were, "Shan Lao, who are you?"
"The general sat down and said," Yamazaki said calmly, "I have been staying at home all this time. What made the general suspect me?"
"Shan Lao has extraordinary vision and lofty wisdom, which is really not what a farmer should have."
"I never said that I am a farmer. I only said that I am a commoner."
"Xiaomin?" Zhao Jin couldn't help snorting coldly.
"If you don't have an official, you are a common man, but a common man can also read and be literate."
"Okay, since this general can't help you, let's get straight to the point."
"The general speaks straight, I am all ears."
Zhao Jin stared at Yamazaki, "General, I recently fought against a group of thieves and made some gains. I learned some things from the prisoners."
"Oh, the general continues."
"Among them, there once was a mountain old man who also brought his niece Gu Shi. He was also far-sighted and resourceful. He was also good at escaping. He could smell danger and leave quickly at the slightest sign of trouble."
"oh."
"It is said that that year, the caravan that was doing business with my Tiancheng Academy was robbed. It was the old man who discovered that the books were too exquisite and took the lead to escape with his niece."
"This."
Zhao Jin stared at him, "Shan Lao, don't you admit it? At that time when I met Lao Shan, you lied to me that you were passing by, but you were actually fleeing, right or wrong?"
Yamazaki stroked his beard slowly and said, "I was indeed passing by that day, and I didn't tell any lies."
Zhao Jin was so angry that he slapped the table, knocking the tea cups over. The table cracked, and the tea dripped to the ground along the cracks.
"You are still lying to me, General. You are obviously one of the thieves."
Yamazaki continued to stroke his beard, "Little Marquis, if your wisdom is at this level, I would like to advise you to leave officialdom as soon as possible."
Zhao Jin said angrily: "It's a joke. I have led troops to fight against the rebels for several years, spanning tens of thousands of miles. Why do I still believe in you, a person who tells lies?"
Gu Ling'er blinked her eyes. Is this young prince afraid that he has lost his mind and gone crazy? He actually doubted his uncle? Is this a plan to break off diplomatic relations and arrest people?
Yamazaki was still unhurried, "Little Marquis, please calm down and think about it carefully. When and what did I deceive you in these years? At least your marriage was brought about by me."
Zhao Jin sneered, "Humph, if I hadn't thought about this, I would have captured you long ago."
Yamazaki sighed: "I can tell you, little Marquis, have you changed?"
"If I don't change, I won't be fooled by you!"
"Forget it, since the young Marquis doesn't believe me, then no matter what I say, the young Marquis won't listen."
Zhao Jin took a deep breath, "What do you want to say? Just say it while I still have the patience to listen."
Yamazaki held up his hand and said, "Since the young Marquis wants to hear it, I will tell you."
"explain!"
"The young Marquis has become suspicious. This is a good thing. People's hearts are sinister, and the court is even more sinister. Only by being suspicious can you survive."
"Are you praising General Ben, or are you hurting General Ben?"
"Of course it's a compliment, but the young Marquis only suspects but doesn't seek confirmation..."
Zhao Jin said angrily: "Why didn't I ask for confirmation? I personally interrogated more than one prisoner!"
Yamazaki chuckled, "Then I would like to ask, young Lord, some people say that this old man is good at fighting. Did he participate in the robbery?"
Zhao Jin was stunned, "Well, that's not true."
"Then does anyone say that I traveled with the team, made suggestions, and poisoned people?"
"No."
"Then why does the young marquis believe that the old man is a thief just because he lives there?"
"this……"
"Also, does the young marquis know how the old man got into the den of thieves?"
"Well……"
"Does the young marquis know what the old man did for a living before?"
Zhao Jin was hit by a series of questions, and finally told the truth, "I don't know, I don't know, is that okay?"
Yamazaki asked again, "In that case, how come the young marquis believes that the old man is a thief?"
Zhao Jin frowned and thought, then looked directly, "Since Mr. Shan said this, then please tell Mr. Shan about everything."
Yamazaki shook his head, "I can't say anything, because what happened back then was related to important officials of the imperial court, and the young Marquis is no longer the young man who would listen to what I said."
"What's the meaning?"
"If the young marquis doesn't listen to the old man, he will do unnecessary things, which may harm himself. Therefore, the old man cannot tell the young marquis. If the young marquis wants to know, he must go and investigate by himself."
Zhao Jin raised his hand and said, "It's sophistry, and I still want to scaremonger you."
Yamazaki sighed: "I have said everything that needs to be said. I figured that after being a guest of the Hou Mansion for these years, I still owe some karma. I will see you again one day."
Yamazaki stood up and held his hands, then disappeared with Gu Linger.
Zhao Jin was stunned for a moment, never expecting that this person actually had some cultivation.
Being so silent, he must be a master of Yuan Shen.
Thinking back on these years of getting along, I suddenly realized that the appearance of these two people had not changed much over the years.
Not one master, but two!
…
Zhao Jin sat for a long time, thought a lot, and finally decided to trust Yamazaki again.
It was announced to the outside world that Mr. Shan and Mr. Gu were asked to handle matters, and the matter of their different identities was suppressed.
I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about what Yamazaki said about that year, so I put it aside for the time being and will only talk about it again when the opportunity arises.
Shanqi and Gu Ling'er had nothing to do, so they traveled about 100,000 miles to find a large mountain and settled in it.
No one cares about it, everything in the Star Chessboard can be taken out, including the house and daily necessities.
Moreover, we have more supplies and can live more comfortably, no, practice.
…
Five years later, war broke out all over Southern Zhao, and rebels were everywhere.
Without it, in order to suppress bandits and suppress rebellion, the imperial court imposed more and more exorbitant taxes on the people.
The most intolerable thing for the people is that corrupt officials, especially local officials, cannot shake the powerful families, so they rob the people.
The natural result is that public dissatisfaction abounds and the government forces the people to rebel.
As for Zhao Jin, he rose through the ranks by suppressing bandits and became a marshal, but the people of Wu hated him to the core.
There are always wars in Taihou County, and the Marquis and his wife have aged a lot.
Perhaps due to fate, he met Lu San'er several times, but failed to catch Lu San'er, and the two became enemies on the battlefield.
…
Linghai Calendar Year 193, December 15th.
In the morning, Gu Ling'er went to collect flower dew in the fruit forest they planted. When she saw Lu San'er lying there, she brought him back.
Yamazaki looked at it but did not give him any treatment. He asked Gu Ling'er to send him back to the forest and leave him in the original place.
Lu San'er's external injuries were not serious. In fact, his body was just overtired and depleted. He would be fine after a long sleep.
He cultivates the earth-type and wood-type spiritual energy, and in this mountain forest, he can be regarded as broken and rebuilt, and he will recover naturally, which is good for him.