At Xu time, Luo Xiaoyao and the others followed the arrow guards to the branch courtyard, but Lin Youde was not in the other courtyard. Luo Xiaoyao guessed that he was out looking for someone to find out Zhuo Qinglian's whereabouts, so he, Xiao Muyun and Xu Wenxiang were in the hall
Take a seat and wait.
"Junior brother, I checked the entire East City... and I haven't seen any houses with plaques bearing the evil woman's surname. Do you think this evil woman will change her name?" Xu Wenxiang asked suspiciously.
"No." Before Luo Xiaoyao could answer, Xiao Muyun shook his head decisively, "She is registering as an official. Unless the Emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty gave her the surname Liu, there is no way she would change her surname at will."
"The evil woman must have known about the murder of the poisonous scholar, has she resigned and gone into hiding?"
"What the senior sister said may be possible..." Luo Xiaoyao pondered: "But An Longxing said that when she returned to Prince Xing's Mansion, she was transferred to the position of commander of the imperial guards. I think she will rely on the power of the imperial guards to prevent us from seeking revenge...
…”
"Qi Zhousheng and she are both people who are greedy for glory, and they should not give up their official positions easily." Xiao Muyun smiled and continued: "Senior sister, don't worry, aren't there Beicheng and Inner City that have not been investigated? Maybe we can see it tomorrow.
Go to the house with a plaque named 'Zhuo'..."
In the words, Lin Youde walked into the hall with a smile on his face. Luo Xiaoyao felt something. After he bowed and sat down, he smiled and said: "Did the steward find out the news?"
"Haha, luckily I lived up to my fate." Lin Youde nodded and said with a smile: "I asked someone to find out the whereabouts of Zhuo Qinglian from an official in the Ministry of Rites. She is a prison guard general."
"Prison guard general? What is his function?" Luo Xiaoyao asked doubtfully. He now had some understanding of the official system of each court, but he didn't know what the responsibilities of a prison guard were.
Lin Youde smiled and said: "Since the Troubled Times, most of the names of the imperial guards of the various dynasties have changed. However, the Southern Han Dynasty still followed the official system of the Tang Dynasty. The imperial guards of the capital and the garrison of the state cities were organized into six armies and twelve guards."
"The guards on the periphery of the palace and various offices, such as the eight gates of the palace and the Ministry of Secretariat, are all guarded by the left and right guards, while the inside of the palace is guarded by the left and right Qianniu guards. Their official system is to have a general.
There are one person and two generals, and this Zhuo Qinglian is the general of the left prison gate."
"Then you can find out where her mansion is?"
"I was afraid of arousing suspicion, so I never asked anyone to inquire more carefully." Lin Youde smiled and said: "Even if we know that she is in the prison guard, it is easy to detect. The young master can tell the subordinates about her appearance and characteristics.
So we can arrange for the arrow guards to keep watch, and when she leaves her duty... we can secretly follow her."
Luo Xiaoyao nodded and said, "Tomorrow you can find someone who knows the prison guard's office and take me there."
The three of them had not seen Zhuo Qinglian for nearly three years, but it was difficult to describe her appearance clearly, but for fear of missing her, Luo Xiaoyao decided to go in person.
Lin Youde hesitated for a moment after hearing the words, then shook his head and said: "The proctor's office is within the forbidden garden of the imperial city, and it is difficult for ordinary people to approach it. There are eight forbidden entrances to the palace city, and the three young masters cannot take care of it..."
"Yes. What the steward said makes sense..." Luo Xiaoyao pondered for a moment, "I have just checked the residences in Dongcheng separately, and there is no plaque bearing the surname Zhuo. Tomorrow, the steward can go to the place where officials live in the city to check carefully.
…
Xu Wenxiang suddenly said in shock: "I forgot something for a moment. Qi Zhousheng had already changed his name when he was born in Shaozhou. If he uses his last name..."
After she and Xiao Muyun went to Shaozhou and met Cui'er, the attendant girl, she had already guessed that Qi Zhousheng had changed his name. Then she suddenly thought of it and expressed her doubts.
"Probably not. Judging from the fact that Qi Zhousheng relies on Zhuo Qinglian to seek glory, his official rank should not be higher than Zhuo Qinglian... And the court in the Southern Han Dynasty is mostly women, and the eunuchs are in power. If there is a plaque on the door of the house, it should be
He is famous for his surname Zhuo." Luo Xiaoyao said.
"Then if we can't find her house tomorrow... my subordinates will arrest the leader of the prison guard and inquire about it. What do you think, young master?"
"That's okay, but we need to arrest the person after he leaves duty so as not to alarm Zhuo Qinglian."
"I obey my orders."
………
When it came to Youshi, the arrow guards who went out to inquire found no house in the city with a plaque bearing the surname "Zhuo", so Luo Xiaoyao asked Lin Youde to capture a prison guard and inquire about it.
At three o'clock in the morning, Lin Youde followed the leader of the prison guard who had changed his duty. When he walked out of the north gate of the inner city, he restrained him, put him on a carriage that had been prepared, and transported him to a secret room in the other courtyard.
The leader of the prison guard was over thirty years old and had a small skill for returning to his true nature. After Lin Youde unlocked his acupuncture points, he looked at Luo Xiaoyao and others with a surprised look on his face and said: "Du and you are strangers... General Du
Why was he captured?"
Luo Xiaoyao saw that although he was frightened, he was quite courageous. He knew that he was not a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death. He smiled slightly and said, "I am looking for Du Juntou this time because I want to inquire about something..."
"Oh?" The leader surnamed Du narrowed his eyes and said, "After asking, should we kill or let go?"
But he didn't ask Luo Xiaoyao and others what they were asking about. Lin Youde smiled and said: "We are not cruel people, and we have no enmity with Du Juntou, so we will not kill people to silence them... but we only keep things secret.
, I want to offend Du Juntou and stay here for a few days."
"Then you don't need to ask, just kill Mr. Du."
Everyone was surprised when they heard the words. They saw the leader surnamed Du look around the secret room with only a wooden door and no windows, and said: "Now that you know Du's identity and have captured Du, what you are planning is unimaginable."
It’s simple, even if Du is released, it may only be three to five days later, but if so, Du’s family will die..."
Luo Xiaoyao was even more surprised and wondered: "Why did Du Juntou say this?"
"The generals of various courts and towns recruited soldiers into the army, and they all asked the soldiers' families to live in the camps. Although it can make the soldiers have no worries and fight the enemy bravely, it actually prevents the soldiers from betraying and surrendering to the enemy midway, making them have scruples.
Heart."
Since the collapse of the government army system and the emergence of the recruitment system, various regions have been able to maintain their own troops and support themselves, causing great chaos in the world. After Liu Zhi of the Southern Han Dynasty established the country, he was well aware of its harm, so he abolished the recruitment system and restored the government army system.
When Lin Youde heard this, he thought, "Didn't the Southern Han Dynasty change the military system of recruiting soldiers and their families to accompany the army?"
"However, the prison guards and Qianniu guards have the important task of guarding the imperial city. In order to prevent us from rebelling...all the family members of the guards are stationed in the camp. If Du disappears for twelve hours for no reason, the elders at home will
Xiao Jie will be put under surveillance. If there is no news after three days, he will be thrown into prison."
"Even if you release Du in the future... Du will not be able to explain it at that time, and the whole family will be killed." The leader surnamed Du paused for a moment, then bowed and saluted, "You will kill Du."
I hope that Du’s body will be dumped in the open immediately to prevent Du’s family from losing their lives..."
Even though Lin Youde had been in Prince Xing's Mansion for many years, he didn't know the reason and was stunned for a moment.
Luo Xiaoyao hesitated for a moment and said: "As long as I tell you the truth about what I asked about, I will let Du Jun go free immediately."
"Ah?! Young Master, you must not do this." Lin Youde said anxiously.
"If innocent people are harmed because of this, how can we feel at ease?" Luo Xiaoyao shook his head, "I think Du Juntou is the most filial person, so he will not go back on his word."
Lin Youde looked at the leader surnamed Du with a happy face, hesitated for a moment, and said: "That being the case, let's ask Du Jun to make a poisonous oath."
Although the world is declining in troubled times, even the most evil and evil people are not willing to swear an oath easily. Lin Youde was afraid that the leader surnamed Du would tell others about the matter later, so he made him swear a poisonous oath to restrain him.
"I wonder what you want to ask about?" The leader surnamed Du thought he had some hope, so he asked about the matter.
"Just asking about one person's whereabouts..."
"The whereabouts of a person?" The leader surnamed Du glanced at everyone, hesitated a little, and then said seriously: "Your Majesty, Du Qing swears here that if he tells others what he saw and heard tonight,
All six members of the family will die a happy death..."
"Okay." Lin Youde heard him swear a poisonous oath, nodded and said, "Do you know where the prison guard general Zhuo Qinglian's residence is?"
"General Zhuo Lang? Hehe, I think it's only General Zhuo Lang's whereabouts that you can't find out..." Du Qing frowned and said with a bitter smile: "Since she took office, the only time she changed her position at three quarters of noon during the day
, will show up at the prison guard's office."
The prison guards and Qianniu guards in the Imperial City of Weisu change their duties every four hours, and Zhuo Qinglian only appears during the day when they change duties. Luo Xiaoyao knew that she was worried that she would seek revenge, so after hearing this
Not surprised, he asked: "Then she will be on duty until the rotation?"
"She is Shizhong Lu's confidant. Even if she doesn't go on duty on time, no one dares to object. Every time she goes to the Si Yamen, she only stops for a while, and she never greets anyone when she leaves. Even the general
She was present... and I don’t know where she left the palace."
Du Qing paused and looked at Luo Xiaoyao, "If Du's prediction is correct, she should be on guard against you seeking revenge..."
Luo Xiaoyao did not deny it and nodded, "Then where is her mansion?"
"No one among the prison guards knows where her house is."
Everyone couldn't help but be stunned. Lin Youde asked: "If I need to find Zhuo Qinglian for something, how can I contact her?"
"There was originally a man surnamed Lu in Si Ya who was a confidant of General Zhuo Lang. If anything happened, he and General Zhuo Lang would notify him." Du Qing said: "But three months ago, General Zhuo Lang had never set foot in half of Si Ya.
Step, the same is true for the Lu worship."
Luo Xiaoyao had already guessed that the Lu Gongfeng mentioned in Du Qingyan was the person he had been secretly following in Shaozhou. Hearing this, he was stunned again, "Do you know where they went?"
"I'm going to recruit talents for Shizhong Lu." Du Qing said: "There is a recruitment center in Nancheng, called the Prison Gate Guard Recruitment Guards. It actually recruits Taoist companions who practice Taoist dual cultivation techniques..."
In today's world, there are many Taoists who practice Qigong for both men and women in the hope of prolonging life. Nobles in the court and even emperors will also seek this method, but they all misunderstand the true meaning of practice, indulge in lust and achieve nothing.
"So Zhuo Qinglian is in the recruiting hall?" Luo Xiaoyao's eyes narrowed.
Du Qing shook his head, "The Talent Recruitment Hall is just the first threshold. Only unmarried men who have the cultivation level of Solid Yuan Realm and above can meet the registration conditions. On the tenth day of every lunar month, a competition will be held in the hall.
People who are ranked third will be sent elsewhere for selection... but no one knows where the second test will be."
"Oh?! How do you say this?" Luo Xiaoyao was surprised for a moment.
Du Qing paused for a moment and said with a wry smile: "Du has a junior brother who is not yet married. He is in the realm of Gu Yuan Dacheng. He did not want to join the army at the beginning because he was afraid that his parents would accompany him and there would be unforeseen disasters."
"When I learned that this time the recruitment of prison guards did not require family members to be stationed in the camp, my junior brother went to sign up. After the competition, he came in second place. He thought he could go to the prison guards' office to join the office, but he was told that there was another one.
When you go to take the second test, you must not only seal your cultivation level, but also cover your eyes."
Lin Youde asked: "What is the title that everyone in the recruitment hall is competing against?"
"First, let's compare the amount of wine, and mix it with the fine wine produced in each court. A person who is not drunk will pass the test if he is not drunk for fifteen pounds, but one of them makes people play..." Du Qing paused, glanced at Xiao Muyun and Xu Wenxiang, and wanted to speak.
Stop again.
However, he guessed that the erotic music might be played, and the erotic dance would test the concentration of the candidates. Du Qing was worried about Xiao and Xu being women, so he did not dare to speak out for fear of offending. Luo Xiaoyao nodded and changed the subject.
, "Then what happened to Junior Brother Ling?"
"My junior brother and others were shocked and suspicious for a moment. At that time, the person in charge told us that the selected person will protect a powerful figure in the court in the future. At this time, everyone's identities have not been confirmed, and this is the only way to go."
"You all know how difficult it is to become an official in the Southern Han Dynasty." Du Qing shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Anyone with an official rank of seventh rank or above, unless they have made great achievements in martial arts, most of them will have to suffer the pain of castration...
My junior brother knows that it is not easy to become an official, and since he wants to be a guard to support his parents, he nods his head and agrees."
The emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty was afraid that his ministers would be disloyal, but he wanted people to be castrated before they could become officials. The so-called people who had achieved martial arts skills were those who had at least reached the realm of Guizhen. These martial arts talents were highly regarded in various courts.
Generals were all hard to find. In order to retain them, the emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty also gave up the requirement of castration for those who learned martial arts, but mostly appointed them as guest ministers in the army.
"Unexpectedly, I was informed of the truth when I arrived at a different courtyard. It was to recruit Taoist companions for those who practiced the Taoist double cultivation method. The so-called second test was to check the innate yin and yang and five elements in the body of the person who passed the test, and together with
Is it suitable for women who practice Kung Fu?"
"At that time, many masters looked around and their cultivation was restricted. Junior Brother Chang and others knew that if they had any objections, their lives would be in danger, so they had no choice but to let others manipulate them... Fortunately, the three selected people had the energy of Yin Yang and Five Elements, as well as the women who practiced the techniques.
If it doesn’t match, he will be sent out blindfolded again…”
"However, after coming out, he was sent back to the Recruitment Hall. After the people in the hall confirmed that my junior brother's household registration address was not false, they also appointed my junior brother as the left and right Wuwei Guards, responsible for the security of the inner city."
"Du Juntou means that Zhuo Qinglian in that other courtyard... is responsible for testing the yin-yang and five-element energy of the selected people?" Luo Xiaoyao said.
"Afterwards, Du asked my junior brother that the person who tested the yin and yang energy of the selected people was Taoist Yimu. As for General Zhuo Lang... Although my junior brother did not know her, I heard that the person in charge in the other courtyard was called Commander Zhuo.
I think it must be General Zhuo Lang."
Although Du Qing did not reveal the identity of the woman who practiced dual cultivation, Luo Xiaoyao guessed that it was Lu Qiongxian among the maids, and Zhuo Qinglian would not be in charge of that other courtyard. He originally wanted to ask about Lu Qiongxian's martial arts skills, but Zhi Xiu
The Taoist double cultivation method focuses on the innate harmony of yin and yang and the five elements between men and women. Martial arts level is not a prerequisite. Lu Qiongxian can practice it even if he has no martial arts skills.
Xiao and Xu, who were listening beside him, were women after all, and questioning them in detail would eventually cause embarrassment. Luo Xiaoyao put away the idea of asking and nodded, "Thank you, Du Juntou, for telling me frankly. I'm grateful."
Not completely, but the matter is secret and I offended..."
Du Qing, the waiter, reacted and Luo Xiaoyao moved his right hand to restrain his sleeping point. When he was about to fall, Lin Youde hugged him and took him out of the secret room under his arm.
At this time, Du Qing was not loaded into the carriage, but he directly used Qinggong to take him to an alley on the street, and unlocked his acupuncture points. While Du Qing was in a trance, Lin Youde chuckled and jumped away.
………
Lin Youde returned to the other courtyard. Luo Xiaoyao and the others had moved from the secret room to the hall. After inviting him to take a seat, Luo Xiaoyao asked: "Manager Lin, there is no one married among the Arrow Guards at the moment. Are there any who are skilled in the Guyuan Realm?"
how many people?"
Lin Youde was slightly startled, then smiled and said: "Young Master, do you mean to ask these arrow guards to sign up to infiltrate and find out the location of Zhuo Qinglian's other hospital?"
"You came with me to sign up..."
"Oh?! How can the young master hide his cultivation?" Lin Youde didn't know that Luo Xiaoyao could hide his Qi.
"I am fortunate to have the help of an expert. I can send and receive martial arts Qi as freely as a person who has attained great mastery in cultivating elixirs... The manager can just pick a few smart arrow guards to go with me."
"But the young master had fought with the guards around Zhuo Qinglian in Shaozhou. What if..."
"I had a fight with him on a rooftop, but before I could make a move, the man was knocked down from the house. I don't think he even saw my move clearly... Moreover, under the night, the man should not be recognized.
, don’t worry about things in charge.”
But he wanted to be repelled by Luo Xiaoyao in an instant. He probably never saw Luo Xiaoyao's face clearly. Lin Youde nodded when he heard this and said: "If this is the case, then we will act according to the young master's plan... The two brothers Jianwei Zhanwen and Zhanwu are from Fengzhou.
The Ren family are all highly skilled in the Guyuan realm, and the young master is about the same age as them, so he can pretend to be one of them."
"There are also Xiong Yingtian, Zhu Yongming, and Tang Tao, all of whom are unmarried and meet the registration requirements. They can register one after another tomorrow..."
Luo Xiaoyao glanced at Xiao and Xu who had a wry smile on their faces, nodded and said with a smile: "I will wait until the ninth day to sign up. Even if they want to find out where I am from, it will take two days to go back and forth from Fengzhou... I should have time."
response."
"The fathers of the brothers of the Zhan family are the archery guards in the pavilion. As long as I send someone to inform them of the matter, he will make arrangements... Then the government will not find anything wrong even if they want to. When the matter is over, let them move north with their families.
.”
"Okay, if we can find ten eight arrow guards, we should be able to win the top three places. Then come with me to the other courtyard, so that we can have some support..."
"I just don't know what the skills of the Taoist named Mu mentioned by Du Juntou are..." Lin Youde hesitated for a moment and said: "If he has the skills of holding pills and some spiritual realm offerings, it will not be easy to deal with him."
"The art of dual cultivation in Taoism is not a Dacheng martial arts technique. People who are into inner alchemy and martial arts should not practice this method, which will make it difficult for their own cultivation to reach the perfect state. In my opinion... this Taoist surnamed Mu is connected to the state of mind.
It’s not reached either.”
Hundreds of years ago, many people entered martial arts with external elixirs. However, taking elixirs refined to strengthen the true vitality machine would eventually cause an imbalance of yin and yang in the body. Therefore, some Taoists created the art of dual cultivation of men and women so that they can practice external elixirs.
Danwu Dao balances the yin and yang qi in the human body.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, many martial arts wizards emerged who practiced inner elixirs and achieved great success. However, it was difficult for outer elixirs to enter the martial arts and reach the realm of Yuanying. They were eventually rejected by martial arts practitioners. Therefore, the Taoist art of dual cultivation of men and women was gradually forgotten. But its
It is also a Qi-refining method. Although it is not a great martial arts, it can still have the effect of prolonging life. And the practitioners do not have a martial arts level and have an age requirement, so they can be passed down among the people.
Lin Youde also knew the reason for this, but he thought that if he had reached the realm of spiritual thoughts, he would not practice the Waidan martial arts skills anymore, which would unbalance his own Qi. Instead, it would be difficult to reach the state of perfection and reach a higher level. Hearing this
He nodded and said: "The young master's prediction should be correct. If so, my subordinates and Butler Bai will lead a group of arrow guards to follow secretly. When the young master takes action in another courtyard, my subordinates will rush in immediately..."
"Butler Bai? Manager Lin said it was shopkeeper Bai, right?" Luo Xiaoyao asked suspiciously: "He goes in and out of the inn and gets to know many people. If someone recognizes him, wouldn't he reveal his identity?"
"The art of disguise in the arena can be used temporarily. If there is no one who holds the pill to stop me, all the subordinates can just wait for the young master to restrain Zhuo Qinglian, and then they can retreat with the young master at the same time. There is no risk of being exposed.
.”
At that time, among the remaining masters in the Tongbao Pavilion of Prince Xing's Mansion, Bai Shengzu and Lin Youde were the only ones who had reached great spiritual level. However, fearing that Zhuo Qinglian's people were too numerous and powerful, Lin Youde would not care about the consequences, putting Luo Xiaoyao in danger.
Luo Xiaoyao, a smart person, immediately guessed what he was thinking. After hearing this, he sighed secretly, turned to look at Xiao Muyun, and said with a smile: "This time the infiltration was for a surprise attack, to capture Zhuo Qinglian when she was not expecting it.
Although it is better to bring more people, those who are not good at cultivation will feel tired when they escape... As for the Arrow Guards, Steward Lin does not have to think about the rate to respond. At that time, he will join forces with Steward Bai and me, Junior Sister Xiao.
Just help me."
Before Lin Youde could answer, Xu Wenxiang said anxiously: "What about me? Junior brother..."
"The main purpose of our trip this time is to capture Zhuo Qinglian, not to suppress and annihilate the enemy. Once we succeed, we will strive to retreat quickly... Senior sister will wait in this other courtyard until we find out Qi Zhousheng's whereabouts, and then we will go to rescue him together.
Cui Er."
"Junior sister..." Xu Wenxiang felt anxious and looked at Xiao Muyun.
"What senior brother said is not unreasonable. We went here this time to try to win a quick victory, but having too many people is not good." Xiao Muyun looked at Xu Wenxiang who looked unwilling and said with a smile: "After Zhuo Qinglian is captured, it's up to you to force him."
She revealed Qi Zhousheng's location and rescued Cui'er..."
"You..." Xu Wenxiang was speechless for a moment, paused, shook his head and sighed, "Well, after all, I still blame senior sister for my poor martial arts skills..."
At that time, Xu Wenxiang's cultivation had reached its true state. On Moforget Island, she received the guidance of Chu Nanfeng and Mu Daocheng, two martial arts masters. People in ordinary spiritual realms were no match for her, but she knew what Luo Xiaoyao said.
It makes sense, but I feel unwilling to do so, but I also start complaining about myself.
Xiao and Luo looked at each other and smiled. Xiao Muyun stood up, took Xu Wenxiang's arm, and said with a smile: "When Qi Zhousheng's location is found, senior sister will show off her skills..."
Xu Wenxiang nodded helplessly, "When the time comes, don't make any more excuses to make me, senior sister, unhappy."
Xiao Muyun glanced back at Luo Xiaoyao who was sitting on the seat, and responded with a smile: "Senior sister has already learned the Master's mind of being happy and grudges to the great state. How dare Junior sister mislead Senior sister's state of mind..."
Xu Wenxiang was originally a virtuous and quiet person, but after Xiao Muyun was bewitched, he became happy with grudges, which was very similar to Mu Daocheng's temperament. Looking at the figures of Xiao and Xu who were going to bed, Luo
Xiaoyao pondered the meaning of Xiao Muyun's words and couldn't help laughing.