Tianlong Sword Guanghan

Chapter 72. 71. Three Questions

More than a hundred young talents, each unwilling to answer the questions first, let others take advantage of it. There was a lot of pushing and shoving in the hall, which was very lively.Prince Zongzan had an idea, and took out a large handful of gemstones of various colors from his pocket, held them up high, and said, "Whoever answers the question first, this gemstone will belong to him!"

Everyone looked into his hand, the smallest gem was the size of a pigeon egg.

Thirty percent of the rough men in the hall couldn't understand the antique calligraphy and paintings, but naturally there wasn't a single blind person who came to propose marriage to such a large number of precious stones, and of course everyone could clearly see them.

A man suddenly stepped forward, took the gems from Prince Zongzan, came to the screen, crossed his hands and said, "My name is Ma He, and I belong to the Majia Village in Qinzhou. , the old and the weak, women and children in the village can live a few more people, anyway, I am a rough person, so I will definitely not be selected. Let me answer the question first."

The green fir girl didn't care about anything else, but just asked: "His Royal Highness, the first question is: 'Who wrote the Tao Te Ching'?" Ma He paused for a while, then said, "I didn't write it anyway."

Everyone roared with laughter.Ma He's face was red, and he bowed his head in silence.Princess Yinchuan wrote a few words on the paper, and pulled the green fir girl's clothes to make her look back.The green fir girl said to everyone in the palace: "Brother Ma is the heart of a child. Her Royal Highness donated a hundred carts of grain and winter clothes as gifts. Brother Ma, the hundred carts are at the gate of the palace. Go and get them yourself." .”

Namahe was overjoyed, saluted again and again, thanked him in mouth, didn't even want the antique calligraphy and painting, and galloped out of the palace.The partner who was looking for his own stockade drove to the car.

Prince Zongzan bought an extremely simple question at a high price, and was overjoyed. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and came to the screen, saying, "I spent money! Let me answer! Let me answer!" The green fir girl Nodding his head, he said: "Then I would like to ask Prince Zongzan, this..." She spoke in a hurry, and Prince Zongzan was already impatient, and hurriedly replied: "This "Tao Te Ching" was written by Taishang Laozi!"

After finishing speaking, he looked back at everyone triumphantly, and said loudly: "Hahaha, let me see who is shameless and plagiarized this prince's answer!" As soon as he said this, everyone stepped forward and stopped, Murong Fu Frowning secretly, he thought: "If I were to give such an answer at this moment, wouldn't it seem mediocre and nothing special? But this question is too simple, how can I answer it differently? "

He thought hard, and stood still for a while, the four generals at the side were extremely anxious. They never expected that there would be such a problem.When I first listened to it, I thought there was a deeper meaning in the question, but who knew it was so simple and straightforward.After thinking about it for a while, the Tubo prince took the lead.For a while, everyone regretted it.

Behind the screen, Princess Yinchuan was lying on the table, covering her mouth tightly with both hands, shrugging her shoulders.Li Xiaoyao said in a secret voice transmission: "Stop laughing, if you keep laughing, the outside will find out what's going on around you."

Princess Yinchuan sat up straight, still not daring to let go of her hands, and smiled for a while, then freed her right hand, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words for the green fir girl to read.

When the green fir girl saw this piece of paper, she was dumbfounded and couldn't be confident.She rubbed her eyes, looked at it again, and looked at Princess Yinchuan. Princess Yinchuan suppressed a smile and nodded to her with a serious face. The green fir girl nodded helplessly, gave Li Xiaoyao a vicious look, and walked out of the screen.

She said softly: "What Prince Zongzan said just now is perfect, so you don't need to answer any more." After hearing this, everyone felt that Prince Zongzan was far ahead, and they couldn't help crying.Murong Fu felt even more nervous, he opened his mouth and said, "I don't know how about the second question from Your Highness the Princess?"

The green fir girl smiled slightly at Murong Fu and said, "Prince Murong, please be safe and calm." She looked at everyone and asked, "I wonder who will answer this second question first?"

Murong Fu thought in his heart: "Just now I asked, it's extremely simple, could it be that the princess is not trying to test my knowledge, but just to see everyone's courage?" He took half a step forward, then stopped, and then thought: "This is the first time. Second question, is it still so simple?"

The people in the hall felt the same way, they were afraid that the second question would be as simple as the first, and they would miss out on a good opportunity, and they were also afraid that the second question would be extremely difficult, so they would act as stones for others to ask the way, and each hesitated.

Prince Zongzan wanted to repeat the old trick, but Jiumozhi pulled him back and said softly: "Your Highness, if the second question is still so simple, and the person who took the gem answers the question, what should we do?" Zongzan After hearing this, the prince had to give up.

Seeing that everyone dared not answer, Bao BuTong gently pulled Murong Fu's sleeve, Murong Fu understood, followed closely behind Bao BuTong, and walked forward, Deng Baichuan and the others quickly followed behind Murong Fu, forming a half circle, Block everyone else.Bao BuTong laughed loudly and said, "Jiangnan Bao BuTong is already married and has a daughter, so he dare not propose to the princess, but I have waited a long way to come to Xixia. , but one out of ten, please ask the princess to take pity on everyone and allow everyone to answer the questions. If someone gets the answer right by chance, please invite the princess to come out and meet everyone. It's where it is."

He didn't wait for the green fir girl to answer, and stood still in front of the screen. The green fir girl was about to turn around, only to hear a voice drifting into his ears.It turned out that it was Li Xiaoyao who said via voice transmission: "Let them answer."

The green fir girl was helpless, and said: "In this case, then please ask Mr. Bao San to answer, why did I write the "Tao Te Ching"?"

Bao BuTong had never encountered such a shameless question in his life, and for a while he didn't know where to start to answer, and stood in front of the screen in a daze, unable to move.Behind him, Murong Fu let out a sigh of relief, secretly said: "It's a fluke, thanks to Brother Bao San who scouted the way for me. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable."

After a while, Bao BuTong exhaled a long breath and said, "Girl, wait... the question was conceived by Your Highness the Princess?"But what he meant was well known to everyone.

The green fir girl lowered her head and her face was distorted. Regardless of her bag, she said in a muffled voice: "Please take turns to come forward and tell Her Royal Highness the answer in your heart."

Everyone stepped forward one after another, showing off loudly in front of the screen.Some people boasted, some quoted classics, some flattered, some cried and sold miserably.There are all kinds of things.

Princess Yinchuan sat behind the screen, holding two sheets of white paper, one with a circle drawn on it, and the other with a big cross drawn with a red pen.Every time an unlucky ghost spit and flew in front of the screen, she would gently wave the piece of paper with a red cross in her hand, and the eunuchs who were waiting on the side would check off their names against the guest list.After a long time, more than a hundred people had finished speaking, only Mu Wanqing, Prince Zongzan, and Murong Fu were left in the field.

Mu Wanqing, Gao Shengtai and Zhu Danchen wanted to do their best to make trouble for Murong Fu, but at this point in the matter, Murong Fu did not perform well. The few of them watched the monkey show for a long time, but they had nothing to do. They just ate and drank for a long time. a round belly.

Prince Zongzan thought for a long time, and listened to all kinds of answers from the people in front of him, but still couldn't figure it out.Now that the matter was imminent, I had no choice but to bite the bullet, stepped forward, and said to the green fir girl: "I am a sage. He has been counted to this day as early as more than a thousand years ago, so he left a book of "Ethics and Morality." According to the scriptures, when the prince marries the princess, we, husband and wife, will practice Taoism together and become a couple of gods and immortals who will live a hundred years.”

The state religion of Tubo is Buddhism, and Jiumo Zhigui is the Tubo state teacher and the teacher of Prince Zongzan.In front of Jiumozhi and the others, Prince Zongzan openly declared that he would accompany the princess to practice Taoism. Although his words were vulgar and lacking in literary grace, he seemed to be full of sincerity.

After Prince Zongzan finished speaking, Li Xiaoyao said via voice transmission on the screen: "Why, although this prince looks a little bolder, he is also sincere?" Princess Yinchuan frowned and pondered for a moment, then wrote on the paper: National teacher, be calm, lie and lie, and lie."

The audience had finished speaking, Murong Fu was the only one left in front of the screen, his eyes were glazed, he took a step blankly, took another step, and when he was about to take the third step, he bumped into the screen in a daze.The green fir girl called him quickly: "Prince Murong, please stop, you can't go any further."

Murong Fu came back to his senses, smiled miserably in his heart, and sighed softly: "I can't go forward, where should I go?" Deng Baichuan saw that his expression was different, he lightly stroked the Qihai acupoint on Murong Fu's back with his palm, The internal force is sent from Qihai point to Murong Fu's body, and it travels through Murong Fu's meridians in an instant.Murong Fu's whole body vibrated, and he regained his clarity.

He saw that the two questions raised by Princess Xixia today seemed absurd, but they were actually manipulating people's hearts in applause.He said bluntly: "I have been wandering for half my life, and I have never had a day of leisure, drinking tea and reading books, and thinking about the humble words and righteousness of the sages. I read this "Tao Te Ching" when I was young, but it has not been turned over for more than ten years."

He cupped his hands against the screen, and said: "I am sincerely seeking to marry the princess, and I dare not deceive you. I really don't know why this old man wrote the "Tao Te Ching". I hope the princess will learn from you."

Princess Yinchuan sat behind the screen and watched Murong Fu's every move carefully. At this moment, she sighed and gently raised the red cross.Li Xiaoyao said via voice transmission: "How? This time, what you see is the truth. This Murong Fu, you won't be selected?" Princess Yinchuan wrote: "He even deceived himself. If it wasn't for the little cousin, you reminded me. Earlier, I might not be able to detect it."

Seeing that the selection of a son-in-law was anticlimactic, not to mention the stalwart husband she was looking forward to in her heart, even Li Xiaoyao, who was so mediocre, she had never seen one. , leaving the green fir girl to deal with it in the palace, while she led a large group of people back to Qingfeng Pavilion where she lived.

Everyone was still waiting, when they suddenly heard the bell of Xiangcheluan ringing. Looking around, they saw the princess leaving with a group of guards.Prince Zongzan said to the green fir girl: "The third question has not been asked, why did the princess leave?" A gift, go out of the palace by yourself."

That Prince Zongzan wanted to act violently, the two teams of 'Yipintang' warriors in front of the hall stepped forward together, Jiumozhi grabbed Prince Zongzan and dragged him out.

Mu Wanqing and the others, seeing Murong Fu standing in front of the screen in a daze, knew that he was not favored by the princess, and they didn't think much of themselves, so they left.

After a while, Deng Baichuan grabbed Murong Fu and said: "Master, let's go." Murong Fu sighed quietly, and said: "Okay, let's go. I just don't know, the third question, why?"

Li Xiaoyao followed Princess Yinchuan all the way to Qingfeng Pavilion. He threw off his mask, threw aside Princess Yinchuan's sword in his hand, embraced the Xuantie sword, and sat on the chair in the flower hall, motionless.The maids at the side, the nanny, all frowned when they saw it, but there was nothing they could do.

Princess Yinchuan came to the flower hall after changing and washing, waved away the crowd, and sat down opposite Li Xiaoyao sullenly.Seeing that she was not in high spirits, Li Xiaoyao comforted her and said, "Niece, thank you very much this time." Seeing that Princess Yinchuan was lazy and didn't want to talk, he went on to say, "Your father has gone too far in choosing a son-in-law. In a hurry, neither the Song Dynasty nor the Liao Dynasty had any news, and it is really hard for you to just have such a bunch of crooked people.

Don't worry, I'll call all the brothers from the 36th hole and the 72nd island, and get all the sticks and sacks. If you like calligraphy and painting, let's tie up a few second-ranked Jinshi. If you like to practice martial arts, let's spread the hero posts. Come on A contest to recruit relatives. "

Seeing his serious nonsense, Princess Yinchuan couldn't help laughing.She lazily said: "Little cousin, don't worry, the emperor's selection of the son-in-law this time has other deep meanings, as long as I mess up this matter, it will be meritorious."

Li Xiaoyao has never experienced political schemes in his two lifetimes, so he is not proficient in it. Princess Yinchuan was born in a deep palace, has a queen mother, and is doted on by the emperor. What she sees and knows is far beyond what future generations can see And also.

She talked eloquently: "In the beginning, I was only loved by my father, and found me a satisfactory son-in-law. But that night when I was in the queen mother's room, you told me the ins and outs. Emperor's heart."

Li Xiaoyao pondered for a moment, then suddenly woke up, and said: "Your father wants to use the matter of choosing a son-in-law to reject the invitation of Murong and his son to marry the princess?"

Princess Yinchuan said: "That's not necessarily the case, but thinking about it, the Murong family and his son must have used some method to propose marriage to the emperor, so that the emperor would be afraid to refuse in person. The father and son are really powerful. This is the thing that can make the king of a country be wary, I'm afraid my father will look at them high."

Li Xiaoyao thought for a while and said, "If I were Murong Bo, I would first go find the Emperor of Liao, and tell him that my son is the son-in-law of Xixia, and the Emperor of Xixia entrusted me to contact the emperor of Liao to attack Song Dynasty together.

Then I came to Xixia again, and said that the emperor of the Liao Kingdom entrusted me with full authority to contact Xixia, and together they sent troops to attack the Song Dynasty, and proposed marriage to the emperor of Xixia.In order to show sincerity, I asked to marry the princess as an in-law. "

He looked at the astonished Princess Yinchuan, and said: "In that case, if your father doesn't want to have a grudge with Emperor Liao, it's not easy to reject Murong Bo face to face."

Princess Yinchuan looked at Li Xiaoyao with strange eyes, and said unconfidently, "It's hard for you to think of such a wicked way so quickly."

Li Xiaoyao said angrily: "What do you mean? I am an honest gentleman!" Princess Yinchuan covered her mouth and chuckled, turned her head away, and said in a low voice, "What an honest gentleman with all the sticks and sacks." Li Xiaoyao roared with a red face : "I heard it!"

The two of them kept arguing, and the green fir girl entered the flower hall.She wished Princess Yinchuan a blessing, and said: "Princess, all the guests have taken their gifts and left." She glanced at Li Xiaoyao again, as if hesitant to speak.

Princess Yinchuan waved her hand and said, "Xiaolei, you don't need to avoid my little cousin. I have to rely on his help in this matter. Tell me what you want." Xiaolei then said, "My maidservant has already sent someone to keep an eye on the Dali mission. , if they want to leave, the Ding family brothers who are watching will send a message to the servant girl one day in advance."

Princess Yinchuan said: "It's good to keep an eye on it, don't be discovered, and we don't want to offend others." Xiaolei nodded in agreement.

Seeing that she had no ill intentions towards Mu Wanqing and the others, Li Xiaoyao temporarily put her aside.He asked first: "Niece, can you tell me about the recruiting of the son-in-law first?"

Princess Yinchuan said: "After all, my father doted on me, so he made this announcement. If I choose someone else, the Murong family and the Liao emperor will naturally have nothing to say. If I really look at it Now that Murong Fu is here, even though my father will not change the state affairs for me, he has to find another way to deal with Murong and his son."

Li Xiaoyao nodded, knowing that if the Murong family and his son were ambitious people, if Princess Yinchuan took a fancy to them, the Xixia Emperor would definitely resort to thunderous means to kill or imprison Murong Bo, cut off all his wings and minions, and then Give Murong Fu an illusory thought.Murong Fu will obediently stay by Princess Yinchuan's side for the rest of his life.

Princess Yinchuan continued: "I don't know what is going on with Murong Fu. I have to wait and see whether to recruit him as a son-in-law. That's why I used one of the conditions you promised to let you be my guard for three days. Only by holding you firmly Tie it by your side, so you won't run to read Murong Fu's fortune."

Her heart widened, and she said with a smile: "It's better now, and I've met people. Although the looks and talents are indeed extraordinary, it's a pity that I am too ambitious. I keep a tiger on the side of the couch. There will always be a day of backlash. I don't want to face it every day." The person next to the pillow lives in fear."

Xiaolei and Princess Yinchuan grew up together and were like sisters. At this moment, she was angry in her heart, but she still spoke softly and cautiously said: "Princess, the two questions that Mr. Li asked you are too childish. All the good guests who came to apply for the election can't answer, what should I do now?" She was anxious in her heart, and her temperament was relatively cowardly, and she suddenly burst into tears.

Princess Yinchuan quickly patted Xiaolei on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Xiaolei. It doesn't really matter whether I ask any questions today, how many questions I ask, or what questions I ask. I just found an excuse to take a closer look at these heroes." Jun Yan, as long as he likes it, it doesn't matter what he answers?"

She turned her head to look at Li Xiaoyao, and said, "Little cousin, I didn't notice any of the visitors today. Now I have to explain to my father, otherwise he won't look good."

Being stared at by her, Li Xiaoyao felt the hairs stand on end on his back, and stammered, "Niece, what do you want?"

Yinchuan smiled slyly, and said: "Princess Xixia chooses her son-in-law in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and she is very fond of Murong Fu. The Central Plains swordsman 'Yijianzhen Xirong' had a grudge against the Murong family of Gusu, and wanted to spoil his good deeds. Therefore, he broke into the palace at night and killed Xixia. The princess was stolen."

(End of this chapter)