Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 597 The Prisoner
"Sanlang, you don't care about family affairs!" Cui Yunying sat down and complained: "How do you know the suffering of our women, let alone other things, the Kansai accent spoken by these maids is thick and hard, and it sounds very difficult , how can there be a local accent that is pleasant to the ear, Sanlang, you are also from Qingzhou, how can you bear it?"

"I'm a brave warrior, but I'm not as squeamish as you! If you want to speak harshly, Sancho will be the one to let go!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and put his arms around his wife's shoulders, although this daughter-in-law sometimes likes to be self-willed in private. She has a good temperament, but she has general knowledge, can also manage the house, and looks good, so she is still very competent as a wife.

"It was at that time, today is today!" Cui Yunying twisted her body coquettishly, and leaned her shoulder on her husband's chest: "By the way, Sanlang, what do you think the court will give you this time?"

"It should be one of the generals of the Sixteenth Guards, or it is possible to supervise the Sixth Commander of the Eastern Palace!" Wang Wenzuo replied in an uncertain tone: "In terms of qualifications, I am not close, but since His Royal Highness has already supervised the country, A lot of things are different!"

"Really?" Cui Yunying broke free from her husband's embrace, and stood up in surprise: "That's a third-rank official position! Will you be able to take it when you return to Chang'an this time?"

"It's a bit difficult to directly appraise the generals of the third rank. At first, they should be Zhonglang generals or generals. However, the upper officer is either vacant, or the one who is too old to handle the job. Once the errand arrives, the official position will soon!" Wang Wenzuo Lazily speaking, the military system of the early Tang Dynasty inherited the stories of the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui. Fubing soldiers had two responsibilities: to fight in wartime, and to enter the capital for a certain period of time every year in peacetime. He is honored as "Servant Officer", that is, the person who guards the emperor.These soldiers who came to Beijing from all over the country were under the command of the twelve guards, who lived in the capital, and there were also left and right prison guards and left and right Qianniu guards.The left and right prison gate guards are in charge of the gate guards, and the left and right Qianniu guards command Qianniu Beishen and others to serve as the emperor's attendants and guards of honor.And the General of the Sixteen Guards is the chief officer of the sixteen guards, and he is also the pinnacle of the military ladder of the Tang army, and then there are temporarily appointed marching marshals, marching chiefs, and the like.No wonder Cui Yunying was so surprised that Wang Wenzuo achieved this official position in his forties.

"Even General Zhonglang is amazing!" Cui Yunying's eyes flickered in disbelief: "Husband, you are not a clan, and you are not an honorable man. You can lead a guard to guard the capital in less than forty. It is really amazing." A rare hero in this world!"

"This is just my guess!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "It's not certain whether it will land in the end!" He patted the chair next to him: "Let's wait and see! This kind of thing can't be determined in a day or two." of!"

Facts proved that Wang Wenzuo's guess was right. He returned to Chang'an and stayed for more than two months, and the news of his appointment as an official did not come down. What's worse, the high society in Chang'an seemed to completely ignore this rising star in the military world. Not to mention the visits, he didn't even have a copy of the invitations for various gatherings, as if Wang Wenzuo's new house was not in Xuanyangfang, which is only a few hundred steps away from the palace city, but in Zhongnan Mountain.

Wang Wenzuo didn't care about it, he slept until the sun was three poles every day before getting up, and then took Sancho and a few entourages to wander around the east and west cities, and after visiting the east and west cities, he went to other markets in Chang'an City, and then outside the city. All kinds of scenery, it's a lot of fun.On the contrary, Cui Hongdu, Cui Yunying and others were anxious. They wanted to send four people out to investigate the news, but they didn't have any connections.After finally finding Murong Mu, the fellow shook his head repeatedly when he heard the question: "Don't ask me, this matter is hidden in the heart of a sage, how can I, a small official like an ant, know? Let's put it this way! Those nobles in Chang'an are alone All of them are smarter than monkeys, and there is no definite number yet, they will not touch their hair!"

"There is no fixed number?" Cui Hongdu asked: "What do you mean? The court will be unfavorable to the Lord?"

"I didn't say that!" Murong Raw's head shook like a rattle.

"Then what do you mean?" Cui Hongdu became more and more anxious when he heard it: "Our Patriarch didn't treat you badly back then! Brother Murong, can you just give me a correct sentence!"

"How can such a thing be accurate? Of course I will never forget General Wang's kindness, but I have to know! You can't talk nonsense, right?" Murong Mu smiled bitterly: "This is Chang'an City, the capital of the empire, all of them A character who eats people but doesn't spit out bones, you don't know who is friend or foe until the knife stabs your chest. From my point of view, the matter of being an official should only be a matter of ten months!"

"Why do you say that? What did you hear?" Cui Hongdu asked.

"It's not the wind, but the feeling!" Murong Mu lowered his voice: "It's been so long, the higher-ups just want to see General Wang's reaction, and now it's almost done! It's time to come up with an explanation !"

"Okay!" Cui Hongdu smiled wryly: "I hope you guessed right? Let me wait like this, I really can't wait any longer!"

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It's a very dark room.

The back half of the room was still immersed in darkness, although there were pine nuts planted in the ledges on the corridor wall, and a faint, flickering orange light filtered in through the ancient iron railings.But the room is still very warm, not as cold as in Chang'an in winter. Pressing your hands on the granite wall, you can even feel a little warmth. Moreover, the hay that makes the bed is changed every five days, so it is very dry, and there are no fleas. Not much, Xue Rengui has nothing to complain about.

When Xue Rengui was first brought here, he was ill, and the long journey back to Longyou from Dafeiling had completely broken his body.Cough and fever bothered this man, his lips were full of burst blood bubbles, and the warmth of the brazier and the sheepskin quilt couldn't stop his whole body from shivering.I will die soon, he remembered thinking to himself, I will die in the dark soon, without even waiting for the court to punish me.He is not afraid of death, but he does not want to die of illness in this unknown ghost place. Whether it is death in battle or bearing guilt is valuable, a man should not die of illness on the couch.

But Xue Rengui soon discovered that he was wrong again.Doctors came to visit him every few days, fed him medicinal soup and porridge, and put hot ointment on his chest and head. His headache and trembling gradually disappeared. When the cough stopped and the blood bubbles on his lips disappeared, The guards brought mutton soup, noodle cakes, donkey intestines, and roasted offal. Gradually, Xue Rengui felt the energy return to his body, and he was the one who could ride horses and fight with extraordinary bravery.

There are no windows in the room, and naturally there is no light from the sun and the moon. He can only distinguish the day and night from the shift of the guards. According to the meals served every day, the number of guards’ changes, and the torches on the outer wall of the cell, he simply deduces the date. .

In the dark, one becomes lonely, longs to hear voices, becomes weak.Therefore, whenever the guards came to Xue Rengui's cell, whether it was to deliver food or change the bucket of straw urine, he tried to talk to them.He knew that pleas or pleas would go unheeded, so he asked questions in the hope that some day a warden would speak. "Where are the Tubo people fighting now?" He asked, "Is the sage healthy?" In addition, he also asked his son, his family members, and the outside world. "How's the weather this year?" he asked, "Is the first snowfall in Chang'an this year? What's the price of rice?"

No matter what they asked, the result was the same. They never answered, although sometimes the bearded guard would look at him, giving Xue Rengui some hope.Others don't even have that.In his eyes, I am not a human being, Xue Rengui thought sadly, just a rock that can eat, talk and shit.He felt that he liked the bearded man better, at least he still regarded him as a person, even if he scolded and beat himself, it was better than ignoring him like this.

"I shouldn't die!" Xue Rengui gradually realized, but he was not happy. Sometimes he envied Ashina Daozhen. This colleague died of illness on the way, maybe he was poisoned to death by the Tubo people, but no matter what No matter what the situation is, he doesn't need to be like himself now.Maybe I should be like him, when I saw the city wall of Shanzhou, I killed myself with a short knife.

Then one night, when Xue Rengui was eating his own dinner, he suddenly felt the door open. He raised his head and saw the queen standing in the light from the torches in the corridor, dressed in beautiful clothes and crowned with pearls, her eyes sparkling.Xue Rengui quickly knelt down: "Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty has been unwell for the past few days, and I will come to see you on his behalf!" The Queen's voice was very calm, as if the two of them were in the Tai Chi Palace: "Are you okay?"

"Good! At least it's better than when I first came in!"

"That's good!" The queen's mouth was slightly raised, and she laughed: "I heard that things were terrible when you first arrived in Longyou. It's really unimaginable. Your body was originally very good!"

"The defeated general!" Xue Rengui's voice was full of pain and remorse: "One hundred thousand soldiers, buried in Qinghai, my life and death alone are nothing!"

"Yes!" The queen sighed: "Wars are always so cruel! By the way, there is another news that Wang Wenzuo has returned to Chang'an!"

"Wang Wenzuo?" Xue Rengui was stunned: "What happened?"

"I won't talk about the specific reasons!" The queen said coldly: "Because of you, Longyou is empty. Your Majesty intends to rectify the Guanzhong government soldiers and fill the vacancy in Longyou as soon as possible!"

"Let Wang Wenzuo do this?" Xue Rengui sighed: "Yes, this matter should have been done a long time ago. After all, Longyou is small and sparsely populated, and it is inseparable from the support of Guanzhong. The whole body, it’s not easy to do! But he is quite skilled in doing things, he is indeed a good candidate!”

"Do you also think that Wang Wenzuo is suitable for this matter?" The Queen smiled and said, "It seems that you and Your Majesty have the same opinion!"

"Everyone knows that the Guanzhong Military Mansion is abolished, but no one wants to take care of it, and no one dares to take care of it!" Xue Rengui replied honestly: "In the final analysis, there are too many people involved and too many relationships. And Wang Wenzuo is here He started his business in Baekje and spent most of his time in the land of Haidong, and he has made it to this day without many debts, and he has no scruples in doing things."

"That's right!" the Queen said, "But it may not be a good thing if you don't have scruples!"

"What does Your Majesty mean?" Xue Rengui asked puzzled.

"If you want to clean up the military mansion in Guanzhong, you must give him great power, otherwise someone will hinder you, and nothing will be achieved in the end. And the imperial court is set in Guanzhong, and most of the imperial court is from Kansai! But Wang Wenzuo is from the Langya Wang family, who has been fighting in Haidong , the people around me are either from the Kanto, or Baekje, Japanese, Mohe people, and married a daughter-in-law of Qinghe Cui. His face seemed to be wearing a bronze mask.

"Shouldn't be!" Xue Rengui smiled wryly, "Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are very kind to him, and he is a newcomer, and he has no foundation in the imperial army."

"Yeah, maybe it's because I'm worrying too much!" The Queen smiled, and suddenly changed the topic: "General Xue, are you tired of staying here?"

Tired of staying?Xue Rengui's eyes widened, it's dark and dirty here, there's no bright sun shining, no bright moon in the sky, even being scolded is an extravagant hope, yet she actually asked me if I'm tired of staying?What the hell.

"When, of course!"

"That's very good!" The Queen smiled and said, "Then come out first! Your Majesty needs you, and the court needs you."

Ecstasy immediately filled Xue Rengui's chest, but he controlled him cautiously, and he replied cautiously: "Your Majesty, I am a sinner, and it is better to stay here until the tribunal judges!"

"Adjudicated by the Three Judges?" The queen showed a disdainful smile: "You can do this if you want, but you are not the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng yet, it's time to repent your sins!"

She smiled, rolled up her gorgeous skirt and turned to leave, only the smell remained.Xue Rengui sat down on the straw bed again, with his arms wrapped around his knees, and the swaying fire flickered.The Queen's footsteps faded away.Knowing that he was about to leave here made Xue Rengui very happy, but what the queen said just now made him feel an indescribable uneasiness.Most of the people in the imperial court were from Kansai. Wang Wenzuo was from the Wang clan of Langya, and there were many Kanto people around him. He also married a daughter-in-law of Qinghe Cui. What does this mean?

No matter how Xue Rengui thought, he couldn't get an answer, and finally he decided to lie down and leave everything to Sleep.

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Xuanyang Square.

"Your Majesty declares you to enter the palace!" Cui Yunying looked at Wang Wenzuo nervously: "The envoy is outside!"

"Oh!" Wang Wenzuo stood up unhurriedly: "Bring the court clothes!"

Cui Yunying didn't respond immediately, she didn't wake up until Wang Wenzuo coughed impatiently, and then quickly turned to the door, when she nervously ordered from outside.Wang Wenzuo shook his head helplessly. He could understand his wife's nervousness, but this would only make things worse.

About half a minute later, Wang Wenzuo had already changed into formal court clothes, including a sage crown, a robe embroidered with three chapters, and a gold-decorated sword.He could see the anticipation and tension in his wife's eyes. Wang Wenzuo smiled at his wife: "It's nothing. I want to eat roasted lamb tail, black fish soup and lotus leaf cake tonight. Prepare it!"

(End of this chapter)