After a while, I heard a man standing at the door of the meeting hall shouting: "The leader is here..."
Luo Xiaoyao saw everyone standing up one after another, and he also stood up, but when he saw a group of people walking at the door, everyone clasped their fists and saluted, and shouted in unison: "Meet the leader."
At the front are two old men dressed in green brocade. The one on the left is around sixty years old, with gray beard and hair, and a tall figure. The one on the right is over fifty years old, slightly thin, and has a black mole on the left cheek.
Their faces were rosy, and their steps were strong and vigorous. It was obvious at first glance that they were strong men.
In the middle is a young man wearing a jade crown and a purple robe. He has a pink face, red phoenix eyes, a straight nose and thin lips. If he didn't have a pair of sword eyebrows, he would look like a woman. Behind him are two young men in brown robes walking side by side.
The woman has a pretty face, her black hair is tied up high in a silver flower-shaped ornament, and she looks heroic. Finally, there are two maids in green clothes with maid hairdos.
Luo Xiaoyao thought in his heart that the young man in purple clothes should be the so-called leader of the alliance with the surname Yu, and the two women behind him should be the leaders of Fengming Hall based on the color of their clothes.
The Jade Alliance Leader walked to the center of the red carpet, and everyone shouted, "I wish the Alliance Leader the evergreen pines and cypresses, and blessings like the East Sea." The Jade Alliance Leader raised his eyes and glanced at the crowd, and raised his hand to signal everyone to sit down.
He smiled and said: "All hall masters and brothers in the alliance, please sit down." His voice was very clear.
After everyone saw him sitting down, they took their seats. The two old men and the two women in brown robes also sat on the tables on the left and right sides in front of the leader of the Jade Alliance.
The leader of the Jade Alliance glanced at the several hall leaders, and then said: "This alliance leader is taking advantage of this opportunity to select a person to worship. All the hall leaders must know my thoughts, right?"
When Lin Yi and others heard this, they all raised their hands and said, "I understand."
The Jade Alliance Leader nodded and glanced at the old man with the mole on his face on the right. The old man stood up, walked to the red carpet and bowed to the Jade Alliance Leader, then turned around and said to everyone: "In ancient times, the crown was for
A great gift, the leader of the alliance thought that you would definitely take the trouble to give the gift, and it just so happened that the leader of the alliance wanted to choose a courageous and excellent martial artist among you to offer the gift, but in order to prevent the competition between you from hurting the harmony."
"Since the purpose of our alliance is to rob the rich and give to the poor, we have thought of a way to ask you to go to the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles in the surrounding countries to collect some treasures, and use the location of the treasures to judge your wit, courage and martial arts.
High and low.”
Luo Xiaoyao smiled bitterly in his heart when he heard this, thinking that only this Xingdao Alliance would use this method of stealing and robbing to select talents. It is true that thieves have their own rules.
"This time when Xiaofeng Hall returned, the hall master of Xia Erzhou gave gold, silver and jewels. He thought he gave up seeking a position as a worshipper. The remaining hall master Lin of Xiaofeng Hall gave a sword, and the ancient hall master of Xingyu Hall gave it as a gift.
It was ambergris, Hall Master Mo gave a sword, and Hall Master Min gave a calligraphy and painting. Just now in the Tingtao Courtyard, the alliance leader appreciated the treasures presented by the four hall masters, and greatly appreciated them, especially Mo Hall.
A sword from the Lord.”
Luo Xiaoyao was shocked. He looked through Lin Yi's shoulder in front of him and looked at Mo Busan. He saw that Mo Busan's face was filled with joy. He also looked at Luo Xiaoyao. When their eyes met, Mo Bushan's eyes were not as lively as before.
Although he was apprehensive, he actually showed a bit of pride, thinking that the sword had been recognized by the Jade Alliance, and having confidence in him made him more courageous.
"Treasures are rare, but for the selection of enshrinement positions, their provenance is more important. Don't you think that all the hall masters spent a lot of money to buy them? Next, I will ask the four hall masters to tell everyone the provenance of the treasures they obtained.
Listen, so that you can choose an offering that everyone admires." The old man in green robe finished speaking, turned around, saluted the leader of the Jade Alliance, and returned to his seat.
At this time, Alliance Leader Jade whispered to the maidservant who was kneeling on the right. She saw the maidservant bowing her head and nodding, getting up and walking outside the hall, and heard Alliance Leader Jade say: "Just now, I was appreciating the treasures sent by the hall masters in Tingtao Courtyard.
, wasting time, it’s past noon now, everyone must be hungry, so let’s eat while listening to the treasure hunting process of the four hall masters.” I think I just ordered the maid to announce the serving of food.
After a while, more than a dozen servants were seen bringing food and drinks one after another. During a cup of tea, fish, shrimps, crabs, chickens, ducks, sheep, etc. were placed on the tables in front of more than fifty people in the hall.
Vegetables and garlic paste are served with sauce, and there is a jar of wine with a wine spoon next to each person. These wine and dishes must have been prepared long ago.
Luo Xiaoyao heard Lin Yi in front of him say: "Everyone pour the wine and toast the leader together first..."
Hearing this, everyone poured their wine one after another, followed by the hall leader in front of them, stood up, raised their wine glasses and shouted again, "We will drink to the leader of the alliance, and wish the leader of the alliance evergreen pines and cypresses, and happiness like the East China Sea."
Almost in unison, Luo Xiaoyao thought to himself that these people must have been trained. The leader of the Jade Alliance took the wine cup handed by the maid next to him without getting up. He raised the wine cup and said with a smile: "Thank you all the hall leaders in the alliance, brothers.
Come, let's drink this wine." After saying this, he drank it all in one gulp, and everyone also drank the wine in the bowl.
Shang You looked at the food and wine in front of him and whispered to Luo Xiaoyao: "The land of Jingnan is rich in fish. Senior brother, try more of the water chestnuts and dip them in the dipping sauce. It tastes sweet."
Then he picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and dipped it in the sauce. After tasting it, he praised: "The meat is tender and delicious. It is really delicious when paired with fine wine."
Seeing Shang You's endless aftertaste, Luo Xiaoyao smiled, then he also picked up a thin fish fillet, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth to taste. If it was as Shang You said, he couldn't help but nod in praise: "This chef's knife skills
It’s amazing that the fish can be cut so thin that it melts in your mouth.”
Xu San, who was behind him, continued: "Dr. Luo doesn't know something. In addition to his sword skills, this sea bass has a special knife. The knife is as thin as a cicada's wing, and it can cut this sea bass like snowflakes. There are people in the hall.
Brother, he is good at swordsmanship and is also familiar with this art. If the two protectors like it, Xu San will ask that brother to make it for you two to taste it someday. Haha, thanks to the banquet of the leader and Guan today, Xu San will give the two protectors a cup...
…”
When Luo and Shang heard this, they looked at each other and smiled. They raised their bowls and took a sip. However, they heard Shang You chant: "The piles of snow are flying around the bottom of the chopsticks, and the loose silk is scattered in front of the knife. The taste of Jun is the best, and the frost is even more laborious."
Oranges help freshness. These two lines of poems by Mr. Wenshan (Li Qunyu) really capture the artistic conception...beautiful and happy." He chuckled lightly, raised his wine bowl and signaled to Luo Xiaoyao, and drank it all in one gulp.
At this time, everyone in the hall thought they were really hungry, so they all picked up their dishes with chopsticks and ate. Although there were many people talking, there was no noise. While waiting for Lin Yi, Mo Bushan and other hall leaders came forward alone to pay their respects to the leader of the Jade Alliance.
After drinking, I heard the gray-bearded old man cough slightly. Although the sound was not loud, everyone in the hall heard it. Knowing that the Jade Alliance Leader had something to say, everyone put down their chopsticks.
Just listen to what the leader of the Jade Alliance said: "Each treasure has its own valuable and precious features. If you say this is better than that, or that is better than this, it will inevitably be based on your own preference, so I will not
Bring the treasures presented by the four hall masters, and let the four hall masters explain the process of capturing the treasures. The brothers will comment and then I will make a decision... I wonder which hall master will speak first?"
Several hall leaders looked at each other after hearing this, but none of them spoke first. The leader of the Jade Alliance chuckled lightly when he saw this: "The hall leaders are so polite, which is beyond my expectation... Then according to the order of the treasures that I admire, calligraphy and painting, Ambergris, knives, swords... let the Master Min of Guizhou Xingyu Hall speak first."
Hall Master Min, who was sitting near the door to the west, stood up, raised his hands and saluted: "Now that the leader has called the name, I will tell you the origin of this "Luo Shen Fu Tu"."
After saying that, he filled up the wine and drank it all in one gulp. He sipped his tongue, looked around at everyone and sat down, and said: "A month ago, Min received a notice from Tan Chongfeng that the leader of the Xindao Alliance is suave and capable in both civil and military affairs. He must be a master of calligraphy and painting by famous artists." He was very interested. Since the literary style of the Jiangnan generation was flourishing and there were many literati and scholars, Min wanted to go to Jiangning Mansion to find out which house had famous paintings..."
After a pause, he chuckled: "Min looks rough and doesn't seem to be a scholar, so he also brought a brother in front of the hall who was well-read in poetry and books."
Hall Master Min was nearly forty years old. He was tall, tall, and bearded, so he certainly did not look like a scholar. Everyone looked at each other and smiled when they heard this, but seeing Hall Master Min being upright, they naturally had no intention of making fun of him.
"Min asked the brother to make friends with the literati in Jiangning, and invited him with fine wines and music. Half a month later, he finally found out that there was a picture of the God of Luo in the palace of Han Xizai, the minister of household affairs, so he sneaked into Han's mansion."
"Han Xizai was deeply trusted by the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. There were also masters such as the Dragon Guards of the Southern Tang royal family in the palace, and one of them was also in the state of divine mind. As soon as Min entered the palace that day, he was discovered. There are also two or three people who have returned to the True Realm. Min knew that something was wrong, so he wanted to withdraw from the Han Mansion..."
At this time, they only heard a chuckle of "haha", and everyone fled away, only to see that the person who chuckled was doing something bad.
Hall Master Min thought he heard Mo Busan's laughter was sarcastic, so he stood up, filled up the wine, raised it and said to Mo Busan at the next table: "Come, Hall Master Mo, Min will give you a bowl." ." After saying this, he finished his drink and said with a smile: "It's a pity that Min doesn't have the skills of Hall Master Mo to fly into the sky and escape from the earth, so he suffered a slight injury on his left arm when he escaped."
The last sentence of Hall Master Min was about quitting the Han Mansion. This sentence mentioned Mo Busan's nickname of "Flying to Escape", but he said he was escaping. Naturally, he was also mocking Mo Busan. Everyone did not expect that he had a rough appearance and insinuating words. He is capable but not weak, and everyone secretly praises him.
Mo Busan smiled coquettishly, but did not raise the bowl to drink. Hall Master Min did not care, and continued: "The harder it is to succeed, the more Min is unwilling to give up. After five days, Min's minor injury Now that he was out of trouble, he waited for an opportunity to investigate in front of Han's house. Three days later in the afternoon, he saw Mr. Han going out in a sedan. The guard with the Divine Mind Realm also followed him, and Min sneaked in from the backyard... "
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, only to hear Lin Yi praise: "Palace Master Min is so courageous and good at strategy. It must be that in broad daylight, the guards in the mansion were lax in their vigilance, and the person who was in the realm of divine mind followed Han Xizai. There has never been anyone who can compete with Hall Master Min when I go out. Hehe, he is awesome, he must be awesome."
Hall Master Min bowed his hand to Lin Yi and said, "Brother Lin, I'm very complimentary. Min really meant it." He smiled, but his expression was slightly embarrassed.
"The backyard was full of prostitutes. Min captured a girl and found out where the study room in the mansion was. Fortunately, there was only one Guizhen Realm guard. After Min got the painting, he found out after leaving the study. After a fight, But he let Min escape, and immediately left Jiangning Mansion and returned to Guizhou."
After a pause, he turned to Leader Jade and said, "This is how my subordinates obtained the "Luo Shen Fu Tu". Leader, please send someone to Jiangning to inquire. If what I said is false, let me do whatever you want."
Leader Jade glanced at the gray-bearded old man next to him: "Mr. Tan, on behalf of this leader, I would like to offer a bowl to Hall Master Min..."
Upon hearing the sound, Master Tan stood up, carried the wine jar beside him, walked to Hall Master Min's table, poured the wine into the bowl and filled it up, and said with a smile: "Tan will pay respect to Hall Master Min on behalf of the leader and the brothers in the alliance.
"
After saying this, he slightly touched the wine jar with Hall Master Min's wine bowl, raised it up, and actually raised his head to the wine jar and began to drink. Seeing this, everyone cheered loudly and raised their bowls to drink together. Luo Xiaoyao was infected by the atmosphere, and also
Take a big sip.
Na Tan Zongfang thought he had a great capacity for drinking, but he drank the remaining wine in the altar. Seeing that his expression did not change, everyone applauded in unison. The leader of the Yu Alliance also smiled and clapped his hands, thinking he was praising Xu Tan Zongfang.
capacity for liquor.
After everyone calmed down, the leader of the Yu Alliance said: "The courage and intelligence of Hall Master Min are really admirable and worthy of Mr. Tan's respect... Now let's ask the ancient Hall Master to tell the process of obtaining ambergris.
.”
Luo Xiaoyao and Shang You looked at each other, remembering what Lin Yi said the day before, they both smiled secretly in their hearts, wondering how the ancient hall master who was nearly sixty years old would tell the origin of this ambergris.
The ancient hall master stood up, bowed his hands to the leader of the alliance, and said with a flattering smile: "I obey my orders. A month ago, I also received the notice from Tan Chongfeng, so I was thinking about finding something to give to the leader. I thought that the leader has a noble status.
There is no shortage of calligraphy, painting, swords, etc..."
However, after hearing the cold snorts from several people in the hall, the ancient hall master acted as if he had not heard anything, and continued: "Imagining that the leader lives on this lake island, there must be mosquitoes and flies that disturb people, and there are many fish in the lake.
There was a fishy smell, so I thought of the precious ambergris."
The ancient hall master paused, took a sip of wine, and stroked his long beard: "I think this treasure is the saliva of a dragon, which mostly comes from the place where dragons live in the deep sea..."
But hearing Xu San behind him chuckle, Lin Yi turned around and looked back with a smile on his face, but said angrily in his voice, "Don't be rude."
Xu San hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands to hold back his laughter, but he remembered that Lin Yi once guessed that the ancient hall master knew that Long Chuan incense came from the Dragon Palace. Luo Xiaoyao secretly laughed in his heart, but Shang You also covered his mouth and nose with his hands to hold back.
Laughing.
At that time, most people believed that ambergris came from the deep sea and was collected by the saliva of dragons. Therefore, they did not feel that the ancient hall master's statement was wrong. However, seeing Xu San and Shang You couldn't help laughing, everyone around them could not help but laugh.
I didn't know why for a while.
The ancient hall master seemed to be aware of it, paused, glanced at Luo Xiaoyao, and said: "Most of the people who went to the deep sea to obtain this treasure were people from the surrounding foreign countries. These foreign countries naturally gave this rare treasure as a tribute.
With my Central Plains court, during the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, this treasure would be presented to the imperial palace every year."
"Nowadays, among all the countries in the world, these countries must have given this treasure to the country of Luhai. My subordinates went to the Southern Han Dynasty to inquire about it. Fortunately, they found out that a certain country paid tribute to it not long ago.
The centuries-old ambergris was given to the emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty, so he wanted to sneak into the palace to seize the treasure."
The ancient hall master glanced at the Jade Alliance leader who was listening with his eyes closed, raised his wine bowl and took a sip, and then said: "Although most of the guards in the Nanhan Palace are women, their martial arts skills are not inferior to those of men, and one or two of them are
The realm of holding pills..."
Mo Busan said "Hey": "Could it be that Brother Gu encountered me? How did Brother Gu succeed?"
"Brother Mo is making fun of me. If Gu is encountered, how can he escape with Gu's spiritual state? Gu knows that there is great danger in the royal family, and like Hall Master Min, he just explores the terrain first and looks for it.
Where the ambergris is hidden."
Mo Busan said "Oh" and said with a smile: "So that's the case, but it must also be extremely dangerous. I admire it, I admire it."
At this time, the ancient hall master looked solemn: "In order to win this ambergris and offer it to the alliance leader, it is nothing for Gu to take some risks, even if..."
He wanted to say that he would not hesitate to lose his life, but thinking that today was a wedding banquet, he changed his words and said: "Even if there are many experts protecting me, Gu will still find a way to seize it. You should know that this ambergris can not only be made into spices,
It is also a medicine that is as precious as heaven and earth, so Gu thought that this treasure should be in the Royal Palace Pharmacy."
"We went there for two nights in a row, and finally Gu found out where Shang Pharmacy was. Hey, after all, it is the pharmacy of the emperor's family. I think it contains many miraculous medicines. The guards guarding it can be said to be three steps at a time.
There are three leaders on duty for each shift, and one of them is in the realm of divine thoughts, and the other two are also in the realm of true cultivation."
Hall Master Min asked: "With such strict protection, how could the ancient Hall Master succeed?"
The ancient hall master smiled and said: "Brother Min could wait for Mr. Han to leave and take the opportunity to break into Han's house. Gu himself also thought of a way to lure away the guards. He set fire to the Shangyi Bureau not far away, which naturally attracted a group of guards.
We went to put out the fire, and there was only one person in the realm of spiritual consciousness and two or three ordinary guards left to protect us."
"At that time, Gu attacked with all his strength. That person was only in the realm of a small level of spiritual consciousness. Gu had already reached a great level. In addition, in the chaos, after five moves, the person was injured by Gu. Gu then broke in.
Among them, Gu captured the medical officer on duty inside, asked about the location of the ambergris, took it and rushed out. He happened to meet a dozen guards who came after hearing the news. At that time, Gu used all his knowledge and fought his way out.
After a heavy siege, we left the palace and rushed back overnight..." The next few sentences were very heroic.
At this time, I suddenly heard the leader of the Jade Alliance clapping his hands, as if applauding to praise the ancient hall master, but he did not say a word, but the old man in green robe with a mole on his face stood up and said: "I don't know the spirit of fighting against the ancient hall master.
Is the person in the situation a man or a woman?”
The ancient hall master was slightly startled when he heard this: "It's a man..." Suddenly he remembered something and changed his words: "It looks like a man, but I think he must be a eunuch at this time."
It turns out that the Emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty believed that his officials had families and must be disloyal to him, so he forced many officials to resign from the palace. If they did not comply, they would be dismissed from office. He also appointed more women as officials, so nine out of ten officials in the imperial court were dismissed.
The person is either a eunuch or a woman, this matter is known all over the world. When the ancient hall master saw this old man asking about it, he also spoke ambiguously.
The old man nodded and said: "As far as Geng knows, the guard leaders of Nanhan Shang Pharmacy have always been real men in recent years, not eunuchs or women."
Luo Xiaoyao knew that the ambergris was bought by the ancient hall master from the so-called Lin Dahu in Xu San's mouth, but after listening to the ancient hall master's explanation, although he felt funny, he would go to the palace to steal it
There is a possibility of getting the thing. I thought that if Lin Yi didn't expose it, the ancient hall master would get away with it, but I didn't expect that the old man surnamed Geng with a mole on his face would ask questions.
The ancient hall master was stunned for a moment, raised his hands and said with a smile: "What Geng Chongfeng said is absolutely true. The night was dark, and Gu didn't have time to discern carefully. I think he is a real man as he said."
But after listening to Geng Chongfeng smile "haha", he turned around and bowed to the Jade Alliance Leader, who nodded with a sneer. Seeing this, Luo Xiaoyao seemed to feel that something had happened in his heart. He only heard Lin Yi sighing in a low voice in front of him: "You are so smart.
hey-hey."
Geng Gongfeng seemed to have heard Lin Yi's words and smiled at Lin Yi. He walked up to the ancient hall master and smiled at the ancient hall master who looked slightly embarrassed: "There are only guards from Shang Yao Bureau in the Southern Han Palace."
The leaders are all real men, does the ancient hall master know why?"
"This... this subordinate really doesn't know. Please tell me." The ancient hall master was already feeling uneasy.
"The Southern Han Dynasty lacked ironware, and the other countries were afraid of its growth, so they were unwilling to sell ironware to the Southern Han Dynasty. Even if the Southern Han Dynasty had silver, they had nowhere to buy it... The ancient hall master only said that this ambergris is only available to the royal family.
Does the ancient hall master know that the spices in many sachets in the market also come from this ambergris?"
The ancient hall master was stunned, shook his head, and nodded again.
Geng Gongfeng chuckled: "This ambergris is distinguished by year. Most of the best ones that are a hundred years old are good among the royal family, but the second-rate ones also flow into the market. The Southern Han Dynasty controlled the western and southern seas."
Through the trade method, the ambergris from overseas was collected in the Royal Pharmacy Bureau and sent to various parts of the Central Plains, but they were not sold, but were exchanged for iron tools."
"The barter method used by the Southern Han Dynasty also forced some merchants who made spices to take risks and secretly exchange iron tools with the Southern Han Dynasty for ambergris. Naturally, the Southern Han Dynasty court heavily defended the Shang Yao Bureau, including the guards.
But most of the leaders are Persians. The ancient hall master has been investigating for two nights, has he ever seen them?"
The face of the ancient hall master suddenly changed, and he was already frightened. At this time, Tan Chongfeng also stood up, walked forward, and stood with Geng Chongfeng in front of the case of the ancient hall master.
Everyone felt vaguely that something was wrong, but they heard Tan Zongfeng ask in a deep voice: "Last year, there was civil strife in Chu. On the seventh day of the sixth lunar month, the gold, silver, jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, etc. sent by King Ma Xi'e of Chu to the Great Zhou Dynasty in the Central Plains passed through Jiangling.
It was the ancient hall master who tried to rob me of the way to the rivers in the Mansion, right or wrong?"
The ancient hall master seemed to be aware of it, frowned, cupped his hands and said: "It was the actions of my subordinates..."
Tan Gongfeng nodded and asked: "On the eighth day of March this year, the Southern Han Dynasty sent a batch of gold, silver, and pearls to the Central Plains and the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was the ancient hall master who led his troops to rob it, right?" The ancient hall master nodded in agreement.
.
Tan Gongfeng smiled: "Did the ancient hall master remember the amount of the robbed money when it was delivered to the main altar?"
The ancient hall master trembled slightly and said: "My subordinates made a list when they turned in..."
Tan Zongfeng said coldly: "Where are the lists carried by those envoys? I think the ancient hall master will say that the envoys escaped and left without knowing it, is that true or not?"
After saying that, he took out a stack of origami paper from his sleeve, flipped through it and said: "The tribute of the Southern Han Dynasty to the Great Zhou Dynasty included two pearls, one thousand taels of gold, and three thousand taels of silver. Why was there so little gold when it was handed over to the ancient hall master?
Five hundred taels? Could it be that he fell into the river?" At this time, the ancient hall master was already trembling.
Natan worshiped again and said: "The three thousand taels of gold presented by King Ma Xi'e of Chu..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw that the ancient hall master had left his seat, walked forward a few steps and said "Putong", knelt down on the ground, bowed his head and said to the leader of the Yu Alliance: "This subordinate's crime deserves death, and you should not listen to his instigation.
, I became greedy and hoped that the leader of the alliance would spare his subordinates..."
The leader of the Jade Alliance looked at the ancient hall master who was kowtowing, and said with a soft smile: "Today we are talking about the matter of selecting and enshrining the post, how come the two gentlemen are talking about the past?" But he ignored the ancient hall master who was bowing his head on the ground.
Geng and Tan looked at each other after hearing this, walked back to their seats and sat down.