Late spring has passed, Mengxia has turned, drizzle watered the earth, and moss grew in the corners. It was the time when flowers flourished, vegetation grew luxuriantly, and rice and wheat grouted. There was neither the fumigation of the summer heat, nor the desolation of the autumn wind to hurt the mood. It was Chang'an.
The most comfortable time of the year.
Chang'an East City was busy with pedestrians and business travelers as always. At this time, several carriages arrived outside a lacquerware store, and several shop assistants moved barrels of sealed raw lacquer on the vehicles into the store.
"Be careful! This is precious paint produced on Qianzhong Road. If a bucket is spilled, I will break your legs!" the manager of the lacquer shop shouted loudly, fearing that the shop assistants were not careful enough. "Guanshi Xu's loud voice has not changed for many years, and I'm afraid it can be heard outside the walls of Dongshifang."
A middle-aged man stepped out of the carriage. He had a neatly trimmed beard. He clearly looked like a businessman from out of town. However, his clothes were not stained by any rain or mud. He was not young, but his whole body exuded an upright and erect look.
Spirit.
"It turns out to be Kong Weng, why are you here in person?" Manager Xu from the lacquerware shop stepped forward and crossed his hands in salute.
"I have a few pieces of business that I have to come to Chang'an to discuss in person." Kong Weng entered the hospital, twisting his beard and saying, "I happened to have collected a batch of good paint and I want to meet your master."
Manager Xu smiled apologetically and said, "What a coincidence, my master is not in the store right now. I'll hurry up and let him know. How about Kong Weng wait here for a while?"
"That's good." Kong Weng nodded and followed Manager Xu to the side hall of the courtyard. The incense lingered in the room, barely dispelling the pungent and unpleasant smell of paint.
After Manager Xu retired, Kong Weng was admiring some exquisite lacquerware in the house alone. Suddenly he heard the chirping of birds. He turned around and saw a bird landing on the window edge. He turned his head slightly to look at Kong Weng.
"Wisdom comes from the heart, and craftsmanship comes from the hands. When the time comes to help the world, the effort is less but the work is doubled. The boat and the carriage have hidden luck, and the mechanism can fly by itself." Kong Weng read a strange poem with a disordered rhyme inexplicably. p>
Tuanque jumped into the house after hearing the words, and the doors and windows of the side hall were closed in the wind. If a martial arts master listened carefully, he would notice the subtle movement of the machine and the sound of gears meshing.
After the doors and windows were closed, the bird flickered with brilliance, revealing its true appearance.
"Jiang Yan, your mechanism skills are getting better and better. The wooden kite can actually transform into an ordinary bird. Even I was almost fooled." Kong Weng praised: "If I didn't read the opening chapter of "The Theory of Divine Mechanics"
Zhang Ju, do you plan to stay silent forever?"
"Who told you that Kong Yifang is the best at disguise?" Mu Yuan flew to a lacquerware food box: "In Fu Shifeng, you are the one who makes the most public appearances, but no one has ever known your true face. What if you are someone else pretending to be you?"
, then wouldn’t my identity be discovered?”
Kong Fangfang laughed and said: "I don't care if other people say so, but Jiang Yan is also famous for not showing his true face. There is no way to tell whether the person behind this wooden kite is a human or a ghost, a man or a woman." "Can the clever mechanics of the creation differentiate between men and women?" Mu Yuan asked.
Kong Fangfang thought seriously for a while, and then said: "I don't think so."
"That's okay." Mu Yuan jumped up.
"What you mean by this is that you regard yourself as a creature of the agency?" Kong Fangfang said with a wry smile.
"There are more than two hundred bones in a living person, the internal organs have their own functions, and the qi and blood flow up and down. In my opinion, these are no different from ingenious creations." Mu Yuan said bluntly.
"What you say sounds really scary." Kong Fangfang sat down and said, "Is it possible that someone with missing limbs can be replaced by mechanical creations?"
"I am indeed trying." When Mu Yuan said this, it attracted Kong Fang's attention. It then said: "Don't think about it, it's not that easy to succeed. The human body is far more delicate than the creation of the machine."
"That's right, otherwise Master Wen wouldn't have figured out how to suppress Taotie by transforming his body." Kong Fangfang sighed, then lightly dusted his robe and asked, "By the way, how is that Cheng Sanwu doing now?"<
/p>
"He got into the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is now Lord Zhaoyang, one of the ten Taisui of Gongchen Guard." The wooden kite flew to the wall and pecked it a few times. The bricks in the wall retreated, revealing a box:
"Take this pulse-watching doll, you can use it to monitor the flow of Cheng Sanwu's Qi pulse."
Kong Fangfang took out the doll, took a look at it, and praised: "Mr. Hong Ya's creation is really ingenious!"
"When you praise someone, can you look at the situation?" Mu Yuan said in a bad tone.
Kong Fangfang smiled and said: "It seems that fellow travelers are enemies. In the human journey, you, Jiang Yanke, can't compare to Mr. Hong Ya. How about following the example of your predecessors and re-creating the Twelve Golden Persons?"
"I don't have that kind of financial and material resources, why don't you give me some?" Mu Yuan mocked: "You are the richest in Fu Shifeng, and many things can only be accomplished with your money!"
Kong Fangfang blew his beard and glared: "The property I gave you is still short? Especially you Jiang Yan, in the name of guarding against gluttons, you asked for all kinds of precious materials. No matter how rich my family is, I can't afford such expenses. Gold mountains and silver
The mountains will be emptied by you!"
"Don't worry, I've found a way recently, so I don't need to trouble you anymore." Mu Yuan said.
Kong Fangfang frowned: "Are you planning to take advantage of the Daxia court?"
"The emperor wants to have fun, so I will build a palace for him, make ingenious machines, and get some benefits from it, isn't it too much?" Mu Yuan chuckled, and you can imagine the proud look on the face of the person behind him.
"If Master Wen finds out what you are doing, I'm afraid he will cause trouble for you." Kong Fangfang said with a slightly solemn expression: "Fu Shifeng should not set foot in the court. This is an old rule."
"These days, the rules have been broken to the point of being worthless." Mu Yuan complained: "Let's talk about Master Wen. He suggested that Duoduo recruit people into Fu Shifeng. Where has this happened in the past? Fu Shifeng will have to deal with it.
There is only Taotie, so it is better not to have too many talents. He has hired a bunch of new people, but he does not participate in dealing with Taotie. Who knows what crooked thoughts he has?"
Kong Fangfang sighed: "Master Wen is a Confucian after all, and he cares about all the people. Perhaps in his view, Fu Shifeng cannot be limited to Taotie's old enemy. This should be the reason why he transformed Taotie into a human being and allowed Cheng
The reason why Sanwu walks in the world."
Mu Yuan turned to look at Kong Fang, with a lifelike expression and said: "You seem to understand him very well."
"Disguising yourself is not just about changing your face and facial features, but also about understanding people's hearts." Kong Fangfang smiled while twirling his beard, and no one could see the disguised change on his face: "It's the same with making money in business, as long as you can predict
If you understand the likes and dislikes of others, you can successfully negotiate business."
"With your great skills, can you figure out Cheng Sanwu's likes and dislikes?" Mu Yuan asked again.
Kong Fangfang was slightly startled, then said: "Didn't we agree that we can't show up directly in front of Cheng Sanwu? It's hard for me to judge unless I meet him in person."
"Forget it about others, Cheng Sanwu may not be able to recognize you because you are so ever-changing," Mu Yuan said.
"Don't be ridiculous, Taotie can only perceive with his eyes?" Kong Fangfang was not moved by these words: "Even if it is Cheng Sanwu, he is still half a Taotie. There are some things that cannot be ignored. At least I don't want to do it so quickly.
Lost his life."
"If I make too much money, I will cherish my life and be afraid of death." Mu Yuan said bluntly.
"Well, I admit, I am afraid of death." Kong Fangfang did not refute, and then asked: "You just said that you would build a palace for the emperor and build ingenious machines. What is going on?"
Mu Yuan explained: "I have discovered before that the Chief of the Ten Taisui, Yan Fengjun, may be a descendant of Daiyu's lineage in the East China Sea, so I wanted to use my method to find out his origins. In order to communicate with the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Gongchen Guards
After getting online, I greatly modified the design of the 'Thousand Machines Dunjia Palace', and changed the weapons into various orchestral reeds, which can play music and ring on their own, and also be matched with Yanqi who sing and dance in harmony with the rhythm.
"The emperor saw my drawings and wished that this dance and music palace could be completed overnight, so he appointed many people to me. In this way, I can justifiably request a large amount of elixirs and preparation materials. What a coincidence.
Coincidentally, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has just taken over a jade mine. Eunuch Feng can hide it from other people, but he cannot hide it from the emperor. After going back and forth, I can communicate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"This is too twists and turns." Kong Fangfang frowned slightly: "In order to investigate a Yan Fengjun, you even have to build a clever palace?"
"Then you should come up with a good idea for me!" Mu Yuan scolded: "It's not like you don't know what Wu Xiezi's temperament is. There's no way you can expect him to do these things. And Yan Fengjun is a very hidden person.
Shen, I can’t even see him without using any means!"
"When I came to Chang'an this time, I mainly took over from Wu Xiezi and was responsible for monitoring Cheng Sanwu." Kong Yifang lowered his head and looked at the meridians, and noticed that the meridians were flowing with brilliance, and asked: "Is Cheng Sanwu doing his martial arts?
”
"I'm either practicing martial arts or sparring with my subordinates." Mu Yuan said in a bored tone: "Since he took over as Lord Zhaoyang, he has been idle, and Feng Yuanyi and Yan Fengjun did not arrange other errands for him." p>
Kong Fangfang was a little puzzled: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs recruited Cheng Sanwu but didn't let him work? Isn't this unreasonable?"
"Is it possible that you still plan to look for trouble?" Mu Yuan said: "I sometimes feel that it is good for Cheng Sanwu to stay in Chang'an, at least it can save some trouble."
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs probably won't let him stay idle like this." Kong Fang shook his head slightly.
"Why do you say this?"
"I am a businessman and have heard some rumors." Kong Yi said in dialect: "Several states in Hebei are worried that the court will increase taxes again through the launch of the New Deal. In addition, since the beginning of spring this year, there has been little rain in many places in Hebei. I am afraid that there will be
There is a famine."
Mu Yuan asked: "Someone wants to rebel?"
"Sporadic chaos is unavoidable, but if it is not ensured, someone will take the opportunity to add fuel to the fire." Kong Yi said in a dialect: "Also, I also heard on the road that the envoys of Heishui Mohe came to Chang'an to see the emperor. Please ask for help.
Please send officials to make history."
"Is there any problem with this?" Mu Yuan didn't hear anything strange.
Kong Fangfang sighed: "There is a Bohai Commandery between Heishui Mohe and Daxia. Although it is nominally a vassal of Daxia, the Bohai Commandery has not been peaceful in recent years. I have received news that the Uighur tribes on the grassland have
We are traveling through Mobei Road to and from Bohai County to purchase ironware and salt in large quantities."
Mu Yuan was stunned for a moment: "Listening to what you said, why do I feel like the houses in the north are going to be connected?"
"For the Great Xia court, one would rather believe that such things existed than not believe that they did not exist." Kong Fangfang said: "Moreover, Heishui Mohe is located in the far northeast, and he is actually eager to come to Chang'an to invite officials. This shows that
They are facing life and death at this moment and must obtain protection from the Great Xia court."
"The Bohai County is going to annex Heishui Mohe?" Mu Yuan finally reacted this time: "Isn't this just another Goguryeo? How courageous!"
"It's the implementation of the New Deal, and the Bohai County is ready to take action. If things really get serious, it will be difficult to deal with." Kong Fangfang said silently.
Mu Yuan looked at him for a moment: "I didn't realize it. A miser like you actually worries about the country and the people."
"Oh?" Kong Fangfang was noncommittal, and then said: "I have dealt with Feng Yuanyi before. He is indeed a wise man. He should be able to sense the crisis lurking at the moment. Rather than wait for the situation to deteriorate later, let Gongchenwei Shi Taisui be like this
It is best for experts to eliminate hidden dangers as soon as possible."
……
The long sword thrust out like a spiritual snake spitting out a letter, and the frost power came towards the face along with the sword edge. In the sense of Qi movement, it seemed as if there was a multi-headed monster snake attacking from the left and right at the same time.
Seeing this situation, Cheng Sanwu didn't panic. He increased the speed of Yanfeng Kung Fu and swung the sword, slashing several times in a row. When the Frost Kung Fu and Hanshuang Kung Jin canceled each other out, the blade blocked the long sword and he was about to use the force to swing it away.
.
Unexpectedly, the sword produced a lingering force, followed the direction of the blade, drew a large semi-circle, and thrust into the circle.
Cheng Sanwu did not choose to escape, but instead raised his body, the flaming wind roared around his body, and Peng Bai was so strong that Qin Wangshu, who was stabbing him with a sword, felt like he was in a wall of fire, and he hurriedly turned over and jumped back.
"Escape?" Cheng Sanwu saw this and shouted: "Then I'm going over there!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Sanwu stepped forward, raised his sword and slashed, Yanliu fanned out. Seeing this, Qin Wangshu twisted his waist, his body flashed to avoid the path of the knife, and he stabbed his lower body with the sword, looking at the flaw. p>
Cheng Sanwu hurriedly retracted his sword to block, but Qin Wangshu's move turned out to be a false move. The tip of the blade turned towards his throat, and the cold light pierced his heart.
"Teng Snake Sword Technique" is the most cunning and vicious, vividly interpreting "the sword's deviant approach". It rarely engages in confrontation with the enemy, but relies on flexible steps and moves to specialize in gaps and flaws in the enemy's moves.
Coupled with Qin Wangshu's agile movement and strong limbs, even though his martial arts skills are not as good as Cheng Sanwu's, it did make his several attacks fail, and the offensive and defensive trends of the two gradually became balanced.
"Good move!"
Seeing the sword edge approaching, Cheng Sanwu praised it in his heart and simply retreated instead of advancing, stepping forward to meet it.
Seeing this, Qin Wangshu suddenly withdrew the strength of his moves. His body and footwork were immediately revealed to be messy, and Cheng Sanwu punched him directly in the face with his bare hands.
Of course, Cheng Sanwu's punch did not hit him. He just touched the tip of Qin Wangshu's nose and took away the force. Apart from the hot wind hitting his face, Qin Wangshu was not injured.
"Why did you accept the move?" Cheng Sanwu took a few steps back, leaned on the ground with his knife, and asked.
Qin Wangshu adjusted his breath and replied: "Because we are sparring, not fighting to the death."
Cheng Sanwu said: "My martial arts skills are higher than yours, my reaction is faster than yours, and my moves are more stable, so you don't have to worry about getting hurt."
"But you will get hurt!" Qin Wangshu was confused. Does the man in front of him not take his life seriously?