Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 655: Your Highness, you are back
"Report, general, a convoy is coming from outside the city! They say an old friend is visiting!"

"What, an old friend is visiting? Whose old friend can you say?"

"Back to the general, the people outside the city are talking about the old friend of the chief minister, Mr. Yu."

"What, my mentor's old friend?"

Linshan County,

On the tower of Nancheng, in the attic,
Guard Kou Zijing looked surprised. He turned out to be an old friend of his mentor. How come he hadn't heard of it? Nowadays, the county and city are booming. It's not an exaggeration to say that everyone is surrounded by soldiers. At this time, there are still people who dare to come.

Either he is daring or he has another purpose. Who could it be?

Looking at the captain who came to report, he asked again,
"Did the other party say anything? Or is there something fishy about it?"

"Back to the general, it's not true. I can't see clearly in the city. The other party is escorted by armored men, all of whom are elites. I dare not open the door without permission for fear of fraud."

The captain shook his head, but he didn't dare to open the city gate. The person coming was obviously not a simple person, and he didn't dare to accept the badge handed to him, so he hesitated and came over to report. There were some things he didn't know.

The captain next to him hurriedly ordered the soldiers to tie a rope to a hanging basket and lower it from the top of the city.
Zuo Feng rode to the hanging basket and put the token into it. Seeing this, the soldiers above hurriedly pulled up the hanging basket, then took the token and went to General Kou, offering it with both hands.

"Come back, general, I understand this humble position."

Arriving at the foot of the city,

"Yes, Master, but if this is too risky, it would be better to let the general go into the city first to explore the way."

"If there is anything suspicious, even if it is a careful operation, a team of only a few hundred people can make waves under the eyes of this general. Go down and prepare 3,000 troops and wait in the city."

A scolding,
The Zuo Feng at the bottom of the city kept his expression unswerving, and the little guard, so unruly because of this, bent down, approached the window of the carriage, and said to the master inside;

The concierge still wanted to stop him.

Then he got off his horse and rushed towards the side door.

There were coughing sounds from inside the carriage. The sounds were all dull, and if you listened carefully, there was a hint of pain. Unfortunately, the carriage was surrounded by a thick layer of black brocade cloth, making it difficult to see any gaps inside.

The deputy general beside him was a little confused as to why the general's attitude changed so drastically. Could it be that he was from the imperial court, but he didn't look like him. What's more, the deputy general also understood in his heart that what the chief envoy has done these days It all seemed extremely strange. The imperial court should still be kept in the dark. Officials such as the prefect's yamen did not visit the city at all. They were all taken over by the retainers of the chief envoy's house.

"Yes, General."

Thinking back to when I lived in my mentor’s house, I had seen this token in my early years, and it was held by my mentor.
It seemed like, yes, a sudden shock!
Remembered!

"Here's my belt, General Kou, you're fine."

But the master insisted on having his own way, and as a last resort, Zuo Feng personally led the blood guards to escort him. Seeing that his master had made up his mind, Zuo Feng had no choice but to take out a golden token from his arms, raised it, and shouted to the top,

Zuo Feng looked worried. He didn't expect that his master, who had been concentrating on self-cultivation in Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, would spare no effort to come all the way.

The captain put the token into his arms, got on his horse, took a few soldiers with him, rode away, and disappeared at the end of the street at a gallop.

"Master, what's at the top of the city is the new army guard Kou Zijing, the confidant of the Chief Envoy Yu. There are not many generals left in Linshan County now."

"Yes, General,"

Kou Zijing's face turned pale, and his hands could not help but tremble. How could it be possible? It had been so many years, but the token in his hand couldn't be fake. In a panic, he looked at it carefully. It was vaguely exactly the same as in his memory.
Swallowing his saliva, he suddenly didn't know what to do. You know, if this thing were true, it would definitely shock the world.
Looking further down the city, I saw soldiers with bright armor, and the leading general also had a familiar look, and I was 80% convinced at this time.

"General, look at it!"

I think it was for the safety of the people in Linshan County that I wanted to meet the old ministers and confidants. Almost all the generals disagreed. It was too risky.

Kou Zijing was suspicious, so he took the token, his hand sank, and he felt the texture, it turned out to be made of gold. Then he looked carefully and saw a compilation order written on it, followed by the word "东" written on the back. Is this? Looks so familiar,

"Go."

Thinking of this,
Kou Zijing stood on the city wall and shouted down;
"May I ask the people below the city who is coming?"

Kou Zijing frowned. There was actually a soldier escorting him. Who could he be? He thought about what his teacher had told him before. Be careful in everything. If someone from the imperial court comes to visit, do not neglect him and be careful. Could it be that the imperial court has noticed it and stood up? He pondered and ordered.

Rampant all the way, knocking over countless small merchants and hawkers, and arrived at the residence of the Chief Envoy, Mr. Yu, as quickly as possible.

The lieutenant general was still a little puzzled as to why the general suddenly changed his face. Was he too reckless? When he saw the general descending from the top of the city, he immediately ordered the left and right to gather the defenders and follow him down the city.

Kou Zijing hurriedly summoned his confidant, the captain, and handed over the token.
"Go to your residence in person and hand the token to your Majesty. You must not borrow it from someone else. When asked, just say that an old friend is visiting, and I will lead him there shortly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, General,"

"Drive, get out of the way."

"Get out of the way, General Kou has something urgent to report to your lord, and you have delayed the official business. What crime should you do?"

"Let's go over and have a look."

Kou Zijing, the guard on the city wall,
When he saw the general below him calling him by his name, his brows furrowed even more tightly. Who knew him and the token? Is it a golden token?
"Come here, bring the hanging basket and hoist the things up."

"Well, General, the other party is obviously not a good person. I'm afraid they are an enemy. Also, the people in the carriage are quite suspicious."

Kou Zijing then followed him and led his soldiers to the city wall. Looking down, he saw a group of black-clad and black-armored soldiers on horseback escorting a carriage. There were at least more than 300 people, and The style of the armor is exactly the same as that of the imperial soldiers and horses. Could it be that an official has arrived, or perhaps someone from the imperial court.

But he was scolded by the captain,

"Come here, open the city gate, prepare troops and horses, and escort them to their mentor's residence."

"Yes, General,"

The porter's mouth moved, but he still got out of the way.

"Drive, drive."

"Ahem, it's him. The boy from the early years has now become a general. It seems that he has been prepared for it. If you give him your belt, he will be able to spread the news. Ahem!"

"Master is in the study, please be careful where you go."

The captain ignored him and ran with his soldiers into the backyard.

Arriving in front of the study door,

Met Ding Pu, the housekeeper of the mansion,
"Who is so anxious?"

"Go back to the housekeeper. My humble position is that of a colonel under General Kou. The general has something urgent to ask to see you, sir."

"Well, it's about General Kou."

The housekeeper was shocked. Kou Zijing was the master's student and a confidant. Something happened at the city gate. He quickly said;
"Quick, come with me. The master is discussing things in the study."

"Yes, humble duty will follow."

A group of people followed closely behind,

Arriving at the door of the study,
The housekeeper stopped, raised his arm to signal that he should stop first, then stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door.
inside the house,

The chief envoy to southern Beijing, Yu Shiyuan, sat behind the desk, sipping tea and talking about the current situation with his staff Jin Ming.
"Sir, why are you doing this? If you do this, the court will be suspicious, and the first person to be suspicious is your Excellency." As a close aide of Lord Yu, he could not understand the series of actions of the Lord during this period. Is it because of the letter the master received that night?

"If you doubt, just doubt. Now that I am in my twilight years, I have been tortured in my heart for so long. The questions from my early years are always lingering in my mind. Every night, I scratch my bones and scratch my heart. It is very painful. It is like this every day. It is a sin to live. Some things have been done and need to be paid back.”

Yu Shiyuan's face was haggard, with only his cloudy eyes and a trace of determination in them, with wisdom in the vicissitudes of life.

When Jin Ming saw the master like this, he couldn't bear it and advised him;
"Master, this is not your fault. Let's talk about the Jingnan Marquis Mansion. If you hadn't been here to protect it, how could the people of the Marquis Mansion have lived in peace? As for the former Crown Prince, it was time and destiny. God's will made it too late for the master. One step, no matter what, I have done my best,"

"Ahem, cough, cough. That's not called dedication, it's atonement. The sins haven't been fully redeemed yet. I'm gambling for the last time. Is the news that you can tell whether you've done your best or not true?"

Yu Shiyuan murmured that as early as a month ago, a mutilated old man came to his house and brought him a letter. The handwriting was clearly His Highness's handwriting. However, ten years later, how could he still see it? ,
When I saw the letter, if the handwriting on it was genuine, it would mean that I was right to persevere in the early years, otherwise, I would have spent half my life in vain.

And every time I think about it, those wealthy businessmen from aristocratic families in the city are still frantically searching for money, but they just smile coldly and just use it as wedding clothes for others.

"Just do what God wants."

After a sigh,
I heard a knock on the door,
Jin Ming got up and went over, opened the door, saw the housekeeper Ding Pu, and asked;
"What's wrong, Butler Ding?"

"Master Jin, General Kou's confidants are here to report important matters."

Then he pointed to the captain behind him and said.

"come in."

When Jin Ming saw that it was Kou Zijing, he called him in.

The captain raised his legs and followed the housekeeper in, not daring to waste time.

Seeing Mr. Yu sitting behind the desk, he quickly stepped forward and knelt down on the ground.

"I hold the humble position of City Gate Colonel, and I have met Mr. Yu."

"He's from Zijing, what's the matter?"

"My lord, General Kou will tell you that you must give this token to your lord in person. You must not borrow it from other people's hands, saying it is extremely important."

Talking
He took out the golden order from his arms, held it in his hand, stood up, walked to the desk, put it on the table, then took a few steps back and stood there.

Yu Shiyuan was a little suspicious, token? What token is so important!
Moving his eyes to the table, he saw the golden token, which seemed familiar. This was the golden token!

My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly reached out to pick it up and look at it. What caught my eye was the word "东".
this.
Yu Shiyuan's face suddenly changed, his expression was excited, and he was no longer as calm as before. Everyone in the room was puzzled and looked at the token curiously, but they were far away and couldn't see clearly.

Worried that he might have seen it wrong, Mr. Yu took the token in his hand and checked it over and over again. It still looked the same familiar way. It was unmistakable, absolutely unmistakable. Even if I die, I will never forget it.

Asked urgently;

"Where did the token come from?"

"My lord, a group of soldiers and horses came from outside the city, with more than 300 elite riders guarding a carriage. The token was given by the leading general. General Kou has already opened the city gate, and the troops will arrive soon."

The captain then explained,
"Haha, okay, okay, God has eyes. Someone, please quickly send an order to Wu Shiming to lead his troops to guard the mansion. No one is allowed to come near."

"Yes, my lord."

The guards outside the door took the order and left. Only the housekeeper and staff of the people inside the house seemed to have a telepathy. It seemed that the Lord had the answer, but how could it be possible? No.

Linshan County,

Zuo Feng, who was waiting outside the city, was not in a hurry. He had already had his confidants in the city, leading many people to lurk in the city. However, the master would actually take such a risk. What should he do if the past is like smoke? After all, people's minds change, not to mention the fact that they can't see the sun.

When you are worried,
The city gate opens,

I saw Kou Zijing riding out alone. His clothes were shiny, he was young and high-spirited, and he had the temperament of his own years.

"General Kou is so courageous, I admire him."

Zuo Feng was still a little pleased and praised him.
But this movement seemed very familiar to Kou Zijing. He endured the excitement and anxiety in his heart and cupped his fists;

"General, since you have met your mentor, let's enter the city."

"Haha, okay, General Kou, aren't you going to check the frame?"

Zuo Feng felt reassured. It seemed that the other party understood and tried again.

"Since the general dares to come, what difference does it make if he doesn't investigate?"

Kou Zijing shook his head,
Suddenly I understood why my mentor had become like this, and I didn’t know how he would make a choice. The court couldn’t see the sand in their eyes, let alone those from a civil servant family.

"Haha, you're right. Now that you're here, how can you leave for no reason? Please lead the way."

Zuo Feng smiled heartily, with most of his doubts gone, and let him lead the way.
Kou Zijing nodded, pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, and took one step ahead. The left winger then waved his hand, and the entire team moved forward again.
Slowly and leisurely entered the city gate,
suddenly see the light,
Linshan County is still the same as before, but things have changed and people have changed. I remember that I was here with Su Yuankui, the Marquis of Jingnan, drinking and having fun together in the restaurant at the South City Gate, talking about world affairs, and there was also the sour scholar Jia Jing, who was chattering away. Gone are the situations around me asking people to drink.

However, bringing up old things again may not be a way out. Unfortunately, Jia Jing can't see it and is unwilling to go south. He just sits there and watches. There is nothing he can do but wait for death.

Entering the city gate,

There were already soldiers guarding the city marching forward in formation.

After entering the city, the people and horses on both sides became more and more silent, and only the sound of footsteps and the sound of horse hooves came to mind.

Less than half an hour later,
The motorcade arrived in front of the residence of the Chief Minister Yu,
at this time,

The door of the mansion was wide open. Yu Shiyuan led his confidant Jin Ming and the new army general Wu Shiming to wait in front of the door.
Together with the convoy,
Yu Shiyuan looked at the general Kou Zijing who was leading the way, and saw that he nodded to him, but his expression calmed down and remained calm!

Looking at the convoy approaching,

Shivering, I walked down the steps.
Arriving in front of the car,

He asked tremblingly,
"Who is coming?"

There seems to be uneasiness, but also boundless worry and guilt, a nameless feeling, all contained in the words.

There was silence for a moment in the carriage,
Even the left winger beside the guard was silent. Seeing that the old man was so old, his hair was gray, he could not stand firmly on the road, and he still needed someone to support him, the master may not be wrong.

suddenly,

The curtain of the carriage was raised,
I saw a middle-aged man in rich clothes and a veil, with a pale face and a slightly sickly face, sitting slowly in front of the car.

Looked up,
Staring at the old man in front of him, how could he be so old? He has long lost his previous grace. He looks like an old man who is about to die. In an instant, his eyes become wet.

Take off the veil from your head,
asked tearfully;

"Teacher, do you still remember the students?"

This sentence "teacher" includes thousands of things,

Yu Shiyuan's eyes were even more hazy at this time, and even the three people around him couldn't believe it.
"Haha, I have been waiting for ten years, but I can't remember. Your Highness, you are back."

(End of this chapter)