Pei Ruyu discussed with Du Changshi and handed over all the affairs of the prefect's Yamen to Chen Jian. He took over Du Changshi's business. Du Changshi completely transferred to the military position and stepped up the recruitment and training of new soldiers.
Mu Anzhi also ordered Jiang Xun to strengthen the training of his personal guards, and even ordered Jiang Xun and Mu Qing to take turns leading troops to inspect the surrounding security, encountering bandits and suppressing them, and encountering wolves hunting wolves, so that the personal guards could gradually become familiar with the war.
Regarding Lin Cheng's assassination, Mu Anzhi informed Marquis Lu privately. Marquis Lu's first reaction was that he had not reported the news of the replacement of the Imperial Guard General at his residence, and then he understood that this must be Mu Anzhi's own secret.
channel.
Marquis Lu did not ask about the source of the information, but was worried about Lin Cheng, "Brother Lin's martial arts skills are rare in the imperial capital. Who can hurt him to this extent?"
"Definitely not an ordinary person." Mu Anzhi asked, "The new general of the Imperial Guard is General Sui of the original Qinglong Guard. I am not familiar with this man. How is he?"
When Marquis Lu heard the name "General Sui", he frowned and commented objectively, "He is a veteran general, and his loyalty is no problem. However, according to his talents, he can handle the Qinglong First Guard, but it is a bit difficult to take charge of the Four Guards.
"
"Your Majesty first merged the four guards, and it is unlikely that he will separate the four guards now." Mu Anzhi muttered, "Are you a little dizzy because of your age? There are many famous generals in the imperial capital, including Marquis Yong'an and Marquis Feng. Didn't they all start in martial arts?
, The family background is deep, but at least the name is impressive." Mu Anzhi, the Sui general, had only heard of his name.
It is difficult for Marquis Lu to say that Marquis Feng is in charge of secret agents, so he has won the trust of His Majesty. However, it is precisely because Marquis Feng is in charge of secret agents that His Majesty will not give him the post of imperial guard. Marquis Yong'an has no such concerns, but Marquis Yong'an comes from an old honor.
The Li family and the Liu family had been friends for several lifetimes. The reason why Marquis Yongan was not implicated in the Liu family case was that he was young and fighting in northern Xinjiang at that time. In fact, when the Liu family case occurred, the old Marquis Yongan was not very old.
Therefore, he gave the title to his eldest son and retired from the court.
Therefore, when something happened to the Wei family, His Majesty ordered Marquis Yong'an to temporarily take charge of the Xuanjia Guard. However, it didn't take long before he promoted General Ji Xiao and ordered Marquis Yong'an to take charge of the Nine Gates.
The Nine Gates are also very important, but compared with the Imperial Guards, they are still different.
Marquis Lu could not say that the emperor was wrong. After all, Emperor Mu Xuan was suspicious of the whole world, but he had never doubted his father and son.
There was snow flying outside the window, and Mu Anzhi suddenly thought of the day when his mother died of illness, there was such heavy snow, and the sky and the earth were white. After that, he was taken to the palace, and he sat on the small couch by the window of Empress Dowager Lan, with Liuli
The emperor walking through the snow outside the window was a scene he would never forget. In the heavy snow, he seemed to feel his own gaze. The look he looked toward the glass window was as noble as a god.
That was Emperor Mu Xuan when he was young. His body was tall and straight, his hair was dark, and his eyes showed firm confidence. It was the most high-spirited moment in the emperor's life. At that time, Emperor Mu Xuan had just put down the rebellion in Northern Xinjiang and was famous outside.
There are good ministers among generals.
At that time, Emperor Mu Xuan single-handedly promoted Lu Zhongxin, who came from a poor family, and became a shining legendary star in the history of Dong Mu.
As the wind and snow continued to dance, Mu Anzhi sighed softly, "Your Majesty is old."
At that time, he was not afraid of Lu Zhongxin, who was born in the imperial guard controlled by the Liu family, and could still be given the position of general in Northern Xinjiang. Now why should he be afraid of a bunch of old heroes?
What's more, after all, it's him who is the new rich man standing behind the prince, and he probably has more natural connections with the old nobles.
Mu Anzhi suddenly thought of something, cursed in a low voice, and asked Marquis Lu, "Do you think His Majesty won't doubt me?"
Marquis Lu was not sure, so he saw Mu Anzhi touching his chin and saying, "Although my mother's clan has been wiped out, it is still close to the old ancestors."
Lu Hou:......
Marquis Lu had to say, "Your Highness is overthinking. With Brother Lin's martial arts, even if Miss Feng takes action, it will not be easy for him to be seriously injured like this. After all, he can escape even if he is not defeated. What can injure him so seriously?
It must be two master-level masters taking action at the same time..." His eyes narrowed slightly, and a trace of murderous intent flashed in Lu Hou's eyes, "It's not even an honest action, it's probably a sneak attack."
Mu An's way, "Assassination is of course a sneak attack."
"When you enter the Grandmaster realm, few people are willing to use sneaky methods." Lu Hou said.
Mu An thought, this is probably because people have to pay special attention to their appearance after they have status. However, Lu Hou explained, "The royal family will treat grandmaster level masters favorably, not only because of their high martial arts, but also because of the character of the master level people."
There must be something special about it."
Mu Anzhi said, "Then maybe there is a villain who is extremely bad and extraordinary."
Third Highness, your alternative thinking...
Then, His Highness the Third Highness became dissatisfied, "There are so many talented people around me, why don't you think there is a grandmaster? As for Xiaobao, call Xiaobao over quickly. Didn't he say that he can become a grandmaster? Why is he not sure?"
I believe it."
Marquis Lu: My silly son-in-law has been bragging to His Highness! Well, Your Highness is childish, he is a bloody child!
Marquis Lu wanted to describe his silly son-in-law, but he saw His Highness the Third Highness being swept away like a gust of wind. Lu Hou's outstretched hand didn't even catch His Highness the Third Highness, and His Highness disappeared without a trace!
Lu Hou understood what His Highness the Third Highness meant. Lu Hou had deep feelings for Emperor Mu Xuan. At present, His Highness believed that the situation in the Imperial Capital was not optimistic. However, it was obvious that His Highness wanted to seek opportunities from the sidelines and had no intention of intervening in the affairs of the Imperial Capital.
He also declined any discussion on the matter.
However, since the Third Highness knew his loyalty to His Majesty, why was he willing to treat him with sincerity?
If this is to win over, the price paid would be too high.
If not to win over, how could he repay the trust of His Highness the Third?
Also, it would be nice if there was more detailed information about Brother Lin’s assassination.
Marquis Lu wrote in his greeting to Emperor Mu Xuan that he was willing to return to the imperial capital and serve as a dog and horse by His Majesty's side in return for His kindness.
When the invitation to An was sent out, Marquis Feng's spies happened to arrive at the New Yicheng Palace and asked His Highness the Third Prince to help investigate the assassination of General Lin.
When Mu Anzhi heard that they were looking for someone from Xuanyin Pavilion, he was willing to cooperate. However, he was also willing to know more details about Lin Cheng's assassination, and even called Marquis Lu to come and listen. He heard that they were indeed two masters.
After the masters jointly carried out the assassination, Mu Anzhi admired Lu Hou's judgment very much!
After hearing the news from the secret agent, Mu Anzhi generously called for Xunxiang. Xunxiang is now working as an errand for Mr. Bai and is also highly regarded by Li Yuhua.
What makes Xunxiang more depressed is that Xunxiang really helped a lot, because the spies asked about Ruihou’s affairs in Jianghu back then, preferably before the establishment of Xuanyin Pavilion. Luhou didn’t know these things, so Xunxiang
Xiang happens to know it.
However, Mu Anzhi is clear about what Xunxiang said. He was clearly interrogated by Du Changshi in the Ministry of Punishment. It was a period of time in the killer organization.
In Xunxiang's words, homeless children who are wandering around are specially selected for training. Some with special expertise, such as Xunxiang, will survive because of their expertise. And more children, such as Lin, need to be trained.
They were eliminated round after round in training like beasts. Ruihou was one of them, and the best among them. He was even so good that he led these children to destroy the killer organization.
Later, Ruihou established Xuanyin Pavilion with his fellow trainees.
Xunxiang had already practiced the martial arts he had learned in the assassin organization with the two spies. They were indeed extremely vicious martial arts techniques specialized in assassination.
Mu Anzhi asked, "Marquis Rui also learned it back then?"
Xunxiang said, "We all received training together, and of course my eldest brother also learned the same."
"But your martial arts skills are not as good as mine. Last time on the street, you were almost killed by two of your colleagues from Xuan Yin Pavilion." Mu Anzhi's matter-of-fact attitude made Xunxiang's cheeks feel hot, especially the comments thrown at him by several people.
It was Marquis Lu who looked at Xunxiang, "Brother Xun is the youngest and is very good at tracking. His strength is not in assassination. In fact, Brother Xun doesn't like martial arts either and prefers literary pursuits."
Xunxiang wiped her sweat silently and looked at Lu Hou with relief, he was indeed one of his own.
Mu Anzhi was curious, "Marquis Lu, have you ever learned these martial arts?"
Xunxiang was in a hurry, and without caring about the superiority or inferiority, he rushed to say, "We had no choice back then. We were caught and raised in that house. If we didn't learn, we would die. We were all free at Wenjia's time, so why bother letting our children learn these things?"
Wenjia's martial arts are shady and learned from the authentic Shaolin tradition, and the heavy, um, personal training was passed down by General Lin!"
Lu Hou frowned, "My father also said that his martial arts were too vicious at that time. Later, I had the opportunity to learn from the strengths of others, but after laying down the foundation, I was unable to make any achievements in martial arts. I learned it from Brother Lin.
Martial arts.”
Even Mu Anzhi had to lament that Mr. Rui Hou is really humble. He was able to defeat Qin Longhu in the Imperial Guard and was famous for his bravery in the army. He said that he could not make any achievements in martial arts. So what does the martial arts of these people count?
There is simply no way for those who come after you to survive.
The two spies discussed for a while and said, "Then Mr. Xun only learned part of the martial arts of that organization."
"Yes." Xunxiang said, "Depending on the level, the depth of martial arts practice is also different." He was able to survive back then entirely because of his own expertise.
Everyone had their own thoughts, even Xunxiang was wondering if those people were not killed back then, so those people came back for revenge.
Xunxiang's worried eyes fell on Marquis Lu.
Mu Anzhi's words interrupted Xunxiang's thoughts, and Mu Anzhi suddenly asked, "Has Mr. Lu Guo learned these martial arts?"
Everyone looked at Mu Anzhi. Mu Anzhi remained motionless and knocked on the table three times with his crooked fingers. "Lu Hou was born late, so he didn't learn when he had other options. Lu Guogong is different. He
He's not even a few years younger than Marquis Rui, so doesn't he know how to do it? Duke Lu Guo also went to the battlefield back then."
Xunxiang's feelings for Lu Guogong were obviously much duller. He said, "Lu Guogong knows it, but I think his martial arts is very ordinary. It was thanks to his eldest brother that he was able to be in northern Xinjiang. He was mostly worrying about food and grass in the rear.
There is not much time on the battlefield."
Lu Hou's thoughts wandered far away. It was when he was young that after his maternal grandparents passed away, he returned to live in the Lu family. One night, he woke up and saw the full moon in the sky. The night was extremely beautiful. He put on his clothes and went to the hospital to enjoy the moon.
, heard the sound of a sharp weapon breaking through the air. Lu Hou was an extremely alert person, which was his innate talent. He had already begun to practice martial arts at that time. After careful inspection, he found that the sound was not far away, and the sound
By repeating it regularly, Marquis Lu knew that someone was practicing martial arts at night.
His father is far away in the imperial capital. Who else in the Lu family knows martial arts besides himself? Besides, he lives not far from him.
The answer is ready to come out.
The young Marquis Lu was just wondering why his second uncle still practiced martial arts at night in his own home.
If he was a young man who couldn't help but chatter about things, he would have asked questions long ago. But Lu Hou grew up outside his family since he was a child, and his relationship with his family was not close. Furthermore, the young master already understood that since he was practicing at night
Wu, my second uncle must not want to be known.
Therefore, he never told anyone about this matter.
As for Lu Guogong, it is true that he has never been famous for his martial arts.
It can be said that his martial arts skills are ordinary...
The sound of the sharp weapon breaking through the air traveled through the distant years and sounded in Lu Hou's ears again, with a hint of murderous intent that penetrated his bones!
No.
He is not someone like Xunxiang who has no interest in martial arts at all.
Lu Hou's sight was like a sharp arrow shining with iron light. He looked at the two spies who came to investigate the matter and said, "As far as I know, Lu Guogong has always had the habit of practicing martial arts at night. When he wielded his weapon, the sound of the wind was heard by me.
In a short time, he can penetrate the first level of the courtyard and reach my courtyard. If he has been practicing hard all these years, then he must be a master among masters."
Xunxiang's face did not hide his surprise.
Marquis Lu was not moved at all, and there was a very faint and bright light deep in his pupils.
Mu Anzhi figured out everything in an instant. Why did Li Shangshu say that Duke Lu Guogong had been forgetful recently? If Li Shangshu was really as Lu Hou said, Mu Anzhi was almost certain that one of the people with sinister and cunning martial arts must be Lu Guogong. As for the master's character, he was almost certain.
Human beings, as long as there is light in the world, there must also be darkness, and it is not surprising that they conflict with each other.
However, people who practice martial arts are indeed extremely serious and their martial arts skills are sinister. Coupled with Lu Guogong's villainous character, once he steps into the realm of a master and seeks to seize the throne, his desire for power and martial arts will reach its peak, and even a real god will not be able to restrain it.
His mood and anger were palpable.
Mu Anzhi asked the secret agent, "Who is the other suspect?"
The spies looked at each other. After they arrived in Xinyi, His Highness the Third Prince agreed to help them investigate the case without a word. The fact that the two of them came all the way here shows that they hold high positions among the spies. After exchanging glances, one of them said, "We
I suspect he is the Zhennan Imperial Master."
"Is there any evidence?" Mu Anzhi asked.
The secret agent shook his head, "Not yet, but the eldest girl felt the aura of the two assassins when the general was assassinated. The eldest girl had the opportunity to see the martial arts of Zhennan Imperial Master when she was young."
Big girl?
Mu Anzhi turned a corner and realized that the spy was talking about Miss Feng. It seemed that His Majesty had used Marquis Feng again. He had heard of Miss Feng. It was said that she was the daughter of Marquis Feng. She was extremely powerful. He suddenly asked,
"Is Miss Feng very old? Didn't you say she's only in her thirties?"
The spies were all under Marquis Feng, and when Mu Anzhi asked this question, he was asked to the depths of his soul. The two of them quickly said, "It was a slip of the tongue on our part. It was mainly to express our respect for the eldest lady."
Just when Mu Anzhi was about to say that Duke Lu Guo was really having trouble with the Zhennan Kingdom, he saw Xunxiang frowning, so he changed his tone and asked Xunxiang, "What's wrong?"
Xunxiang said, "But how could Duke Lu collude with the Zhennan Kingdom? Back then, the eldest brother, um, Ruihou personally killed Prince Dingrui of the Zhennan Kingdom. Prince Dingrui was the brother of the old king, and is now the relative of the Zhennan King.
Uncle, this is a blood feud."
Everyone here, including Mu An, heard about this for the first time.
Xunxiang had no choice but to explain in detail, "This happened when we were in Nanyi. Our Xuanyin Pavilion is not one of those desperate sects in the world that live by fighting and killing. My elder brother said, isn't that the same as fighting with others?
, he took us to do business at the behest of others. Even though Nanyi is remote and the tribes live there, once you actually go there, you will know that it is a good place with abundant products. We also often travel to Yunnan and Guizhou, so we are very familiar with the town.
The news of the Southern Kingdom is much better than ordinary people. Zhennan Kingdom is adjacent to Nanyi Prefecture. Every time he comes back from Zhennan Kingdom, the elder brother will sort out the news and send it to the Marquis of Nan'an. The Marquis of Nan'an appreciates the elder brother, and we have helped him do a lot of research.
News, many things have passed, and the Marquis of Nan'an has not wronged us. The last time was when Duke An Guo passed away, and Prince Dingrui secretly went to Nanyi Prefecture in person to discuss with Duke Xian'an's wife the appointment of the eldest son as the heir apparent."
Xunxiang added, "This Mrs. An Guo is the step-in-law of Xian An Guo Gong. She was raised up after the death of the first wife. When An Guo Gong passed away, the first wife's child was still in childhood, and the step wife's eldest son was already an adult."
Men. But there is a difference between legitimate concubines and concubines. Naturally, the son of the first wife is the most precious."
"Moreover, Prince Dingrui secretly sneaked into Nanyi Prefecture, completely ignoring the dignity of the imperial court. That group of people stayed in Nanyi Prefecture." Xunxiang said.
"It was also after we established this achievement that we left the southwest and went to work in the imperial capital."
Mu Anzhi was a little puzzled, "But you had such merit back then, and you also have friendship with the Marquis of Nan'an. If you should take this opportunity to go further, how can you leave the southwest instead?"
Xunxiang said, "Eldest brother said that the southwest is a bit smaller and not as vast as the imperial capital. Moreover, the Marquis of Nan'an recommended us to the old Duke, and indeed eldest brother joined the Imperial Guard."
Xunxiang was full of admiration for his elder brother Ruihou. Judging from Ruihou's glorious life, leaving the southwest and going to the imperial capital was indeed the most important and wisest choice in his life.
However, Mu Anzhi didn't see it that way.
Although Ruihou had made great achievements in the southwest, firstly, the incident of Prince Dingrui was not an event that could be talked about externally. Secondly, there was Marquis Nanan there. Even if Marquis Nanan asked for credit for Xuanyin Pavilion, they were not the first to do so. Because Ruihou had just entered
The position of the Imperial Guard is not high, it is only a sixth-grade general. Of course, as a starting point for an official career, it is not low.
However, with the momentum of the Liu family at that time, there must be a lot of people recommending talents to the old Duke, and there are thousands of talents recommended. Ruihou, who has just entered the imperial capital, has no background, and the imperial capital is a blank for him.
He had been operating in the southwest for several years, then abandoned them all and started to seek a future in the imperial capital where dragons and tigers were hidden.
What was the reason that made Ruihou decide to leave the southwest, the hometown where he grew up, and never returned?
It must be a big deal.
And this matter must be related to the murder of Prince Dingrui!
The case of Hu Yuan back then was inseparably related to the side branch of Lu Guogong's government, even though that man was also sentenced to exile. If the other person who assassinated Lin Cheng that day was the Zhennan Imperial Division, then the collusion between Lu Guogong and Zhennan Guo
It's so deep it's downright terrifying.
Mu Anzhi picked up the brush placed on the pen mountain and gently wrote a few names, which are:
Mrs. Lu, Duke Lu, the second daughter of the Lu family.
Mrs. Ruihou, Luhou.
What was the reason that made Lu Hou leave Southwest immediately?
Mu Anzhi asked Xunxiang, "When was Prince Dingrui killed?"
Xunxiang mentioned a year and month, but he really couldn't remember the specific day. Then, Mu Anzhi asked Marquis Lu, "Your Majesty, when did your maternal grandparents pass away?"
Marquis Lu also thought of something, stood up in surprise, and quickly walked to Mu Anzhi's desk. Mu Anzhi compared the two dates and said, "Your Majesty passed away earlier. Your maternal grandparents passed away soon after the death of Prince Dingrui."
Xunxiang blurted out, "Could it be that the people from Zhennan are taking revenge on Big Brother?"
"Yes and no. If you want to take revenge on Marquis Rui, you can kill Ruihou's parents-in-law silently, so why not just pinch and kill Lu Marquis? Wouldn't it be more satisfying?" Mu Anzhi looked at Xunxiang, "You were then
Being locked up together for training, are the other people in Xuanyin Pavilion all orphans?"
The corners of Mu Anzhi's lips curved, like a sharp blade, "Why not Marquis Rui?"
Xunxiang asked, "Is it strange that the eldest brother is not an orphan? The eldest brother was deceived." His Royal Highness was extremely suspicious. Mu Anzhi looked at Xunxiang and asked, "How much younger are you than Ruihou?"
"Seven years old."
Mu Anzhi lamented that Xunxiang was born with a tender face, "Then when you were in the killer organization, Ruihou was already half a teenager. Has Ruihou been there since he was a child?"
Xunxiang nodded without hesitation. Mu Anzhi believed that this was true, because there must be someone of similar age to Lu Hou in Xuanyin Pavilion. A smart man like Lu Hou would not deceive Xunxiang on such a matter.
Both secret agents were amazed by Ruihou's background. This background was in sharp contrast with his later achievements, and it further showed that Ruihou's talents were outstanding and far from ordinary.
A secret agent said, "The killer organization really shot itself in the foot."
Another said sincerely, "It's really not easy to come out of a place like this."
"This is really interesting. Although I have never met Ruihou, I have heard a lot about his deeds. Even when he was a child, he was not the kind of person who could be deceived by others just by skewering candied haws.
He's a child. Besides, I heard that he was famously handsome when he was young, and he must have had outstanding appearance when he was a child. Even if a kidnapper abducted the person, which kidnapper would sell the person to a killer organization?" Mu Anzhi put it aside for the moment.
He picked up the pen in his hand and asked the two spies, "If a kidnapper has such connections, why should he be a kidnapper?"
The two spies left Mu Anzhi speechless. One of them said, "How did you get there according to Your Highness?"
"He was not kidnapped by kidnappers, nor was he deceived, but was brought in by the killer there." Mu Anzhi said calmly, "It is enough to control a child with a whip, but to control the words of a half-year-old boy, if he does not obey, then
Kill your mother, kill your brother, kill your sister, kill your whole family. If I were Ruihou, I couldn't accept this threat. I will definitely destroy this killer organization."
"Of course, this is just a guess based on what Xunxiang said, and it is also the most well-intentioned guess about Ruihou's youth." Mu An said, "People who have not received family affection when they were young will pay special attention to family affection."
He picked up the pen again, "Just like back in Xunxiang, when Xiao Du threatened you, you would say anything."
Look to the sky for fragrance.
Mu Anzhi's thinking changed very quickly. He drew a big circle on the names of Mrs. Lu, Mrs. Lu Guogong and the two daughters of the Lu family, "The reason why Rui Hou gave up his career in the southwest and turned to the imperial capital to find another career must be at home."
At that time, my wife died young and Marquis Lu was still young. It is impossible for you, mother and son, to have anything to do with Prince Dingrui. Then, it must be another group of relatives... The impact of this incident on another group of relatives is huge.
It was so big that Ruihou decided to leave the southwest where he had been operating for several years, the hometown he never left even after the killer organization was eliminated."
Mu Anzhi clicked on these names and looked at Lu Hou, "No matter how bad the relationship between the two brothers is, the elder brother supports the younger brother all the way. Jealousy will only make people want him to die and will not actually take action. If Rui Hou's
If the death is indeed as you guessed, Marquis Lu, then there must be a bloody feud."
At that moment, like lightning breaking through the night sky, all things hidden by the darkness revealed their traces.
Mu Anzhi looked at Lu Hou. With Lu Hou's determination, he even took half a step back because of this speculation. However, the sentence "impossible" was blocked in his lips and teeth and could not be spoken!
No, it is possible!
If it is as the Third Highness inferred, then the other half of Lu Guogong's bloodline is too suspicious!
Mu Anzhi casually put the pen into the brush washer, creating a pool of ink. He clapped his hands and stood up, and said to the two spies, "According to my guess, Lu Guogong's biological father should be from Zhennan. Don't stay in Xinyi for a long time. Hurry up."
Go back to the imperial capital and report."
The two spies were so frightened that they couldn't sit still. One looked at Mu Anzhi and the other looked at Lu Hou. Mu Anzhi said, "Don't look at Lu Hou. Lu Hou and Lu Guogong have already separated their clans. Do you know what split clans are? They are not the same clan."
Ancestor. Tell Marquis Feng that it is best to find out where Mrs. Lu came from. If my guess is correct, then the assassination of Marquis Rui back then will be easily explained."
Mu Anzhi looked out the window at the pale sky, "The hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable."