Lanting prelude

Chapter 20 The Secret Pavilion
Li Shimin finally adopted Wei Zheng's advice, gave up the idea of ​​deposing the prince, and then issued an edict in response to the incident: [-]. Decapitate Yixin and abandon the market; Kabuki music; [-]. [-]% will be deducted from the money and materials distributed to the East Palace every month for a period of one year.

The result of such a treatment is obviously the lightest punishment.When Li Chengqian received the edict, he didn't quite believe it. He was stunned for a while, and he didn't come back to himself until Zhao Dequan urged him to accept the edict to thank him.

Although he was not injured in this incident, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel pain in his heart when he thought that he would be separated from Xinyang forever.But the matter has come to this point, and there is nothing he can do.

In the end, Li Chengqian put the account on Wei Wang and Liu Ji.

He secretly swore that one day they would pay the price in blood!
When Li Ke, the king of Wu, took off his armor and changed into court clothes, he hurried to the Ganlu Hall, his hair on the temples was disheveled, and the hair was still dripping.Seeing his embarrassed look, Li Shimin frowned and asked him why he didn't take shelter from the rain.Li Ke then reported everything that happened to him in Bailuyuan.Li Shimin was startled, and said, "How is Xiao Junmo now?"

"There should be no fear of life." Li Ke said, "Although he suffered some injuries, none of them hurt his vitals. He just lost a lot of blood and is still in a coma. My son has already sent him to the Imperial Medical Office." After speaking, he thought again What, hurriedly said, "Father, this matter is a bit out of order. My son made his own decision before asking Father for an order. I also ask Father to forgive me."

"Human life is at stake. You are right to do this." Li Shimin said, "What's more, Xiao Junmo is a minister who has contributed to the debate case, and I can't let him have an accident. Let him stay in the Imperial Medical Office to recuperate. During this time , take care of me more."

Li Ke was overjoyed, and thanked him quickly.He also heard about the debate case in Anzhou, but he didn't expect his father to attach so much importance to this case, and he even attached so much importance to Xiao Junmo.

"This time I dismissed you from the post of governor, do you have any complaints?" Li Shimin looked at him.

Li Ke smiled casually: "Father is worrying too much. This son will take it as an opportunity to return to Beijing to show his filial piety to his father. It is too late to be grateful. How can there be complaints?"

Li Shimin looked at him for a while and knew that he was not lying.

In fact, apart from the three sons-in-law, Li Ke is the most valued by Li Shimin among the remaining eight sons-in-law, because Li Ke has both literary and military skills, and he is heroic and courageous, most like Li Shimin in his youth.Therefore, if Li Chengqian is deposed, then Li Ke is one of the most qualified candidates to succeed the prince in Li Shimin's mind.This time Li Shimin recalled him to the court on the grounds of dismissal, but his real purpose was to keep him by his side as a candidate.For this reason, although Li Shimin has temporarily dismissed the idea of ​​​​deposing Li Chengqian, he still decided to keep Li Ke in the capital for a while.

"I arranged a house for you in Qinrenfang, you live in it first." Li Shimin said, "If you need anything, you can report it at any time, and I will ask Dequan to arrange it for you."

"Thank you, Father!"

Li Shimin suddenly thought of something: "Just now you said, what happened to the assassins in Bailuyuan?"

Li Ke shook his head: "I didn't catch up. Those gang of desperadoes seem to be well-trained. They are cruel and cunning, and they are difficult to deal with."

Li Shimin thought for a while: "How about this, I will give you an errand to handle."

Li Ke was overjoyed: "Father, please tell me."

"Check out these assassins and see what kind of outlaws dare to assassinate courtiers at the feet of the emperor."

"My son obeys the order!"

Xiao Junmo never expected that his plan to rescue the father and daughter of Biancai ran aground due to a sudden assassination.

What's more, he didn't expect that he was actually placed in the Imperial Medical Office in the palace to recuperate his injuries.

In fact, his injury was not serious, after several days of treatment by the imperial physician, after drinking some medicines for nourishing blood and qi, he recovered greatly, but several larger wounds had not healed, and his body was still a little weak.Xiao Junmo was thinking about the rescue and insisted on leaving the palace, but Li Ke refused to let him die, and even sent two personal soldiers to guard him.Xiao Junmo couldn't laugh or cry, feeling as if he was under house arrest.Originally living outside the palace, he could take advantage of the loopholes in the Forbidden Garden to sneak into the harem disguised as an eunuch, but now living in the palace, it is difficult for him to move an inch. Make him depressed.

Li Ke visited him two or three times a day at the Imperial Medical Office, which did not hurt him.Xiao Junmo was bored, so he chatted with him to relieve the boredom.On this day, Xiao Junmo was practicing boxing in the courtyard of the Imperial Medical Office, and Li Ke came again. When he saw him, he smiled and said, "You are strong now? That day I was lying in my arms, as soft as a woman."

Xiao Junmo sighed: "You are a dignified prince, do you have nothing to do except to hurt me every day?"

"Taking care of you now is my king's top priority, and it's my father's will." Li Ke said seriously.

"Actually, I'm already fine." Xiao Junmo stretched his muscles and bones, and waved his fist, "Can you please stop taking care of me? Let me go home."

"Really okay?"

"Of course!"

Li Ke looked at him, shot suddenly, and punched him in the chest.Xiao Junmo hurriedly blocked, and shouted: "Is there such a sneak attack as you? It's too despicable!" Li Ke ignored him, and attacked again and again, alternating fists and palms.Xiao Junmo resisted with all his strength, but the soles of his feet were swollen, and his hands could not use his strength. After four or five rounds, he accidentally fell backwards.

Li Ke rushed up, hugged his waist, and said with a smile: "Apart from your hard mouth, your whole body is soft, how dare you go home arguing?"

Xiao Junmo pushed him away angrily, and said angrily: "You were the one who made a sneak attack just now, don't count, come again!"

Li Ke shook his head and smiled: "As you are now, I'm afraid you can't even beat a woman."

Xiao Junmo was even angrier, and rushed forward with a punch.While dodging, Li Ke said loudly: "Miss Huan, I tried it for you. This guy is just doing these two things now. It's time for you to feel proud!"

Xiao Junmo was taken aback, and quickly put away his posture.Huan Dieyi came over at this moment, and said with a smile: "Brother, just now King Wu said, as long as you pass my test, you can go home."

Xiao Junmo smiled helplessly, and raised his hand as a sign of surrender: "Okay, I can't beat you, I'm going to sleep now." Then he walked towards the house.

Huan Dieyi and Li Ke looked at each other and smiled.

"You should be recuperating here obediently now, don't even think about going anywhere!" Huan Dieyi followed him into the house, and continued to scold him, "If such a big thing happened, don't pass it on to my uncle and me." This sentence made us all anxious to death, thinking that you were missing too! If King Wu hadn’t been ordered to track down the assassin with uncle, we wouldn’t even know what happened to you!”

"How big is it?" Xiao Jun smiled silently, "It's not the first time I've been hurt."

"Are you still stubborn? King Wu said that you bled a lot that day, and if you were too late, you might be hopeless!"

"King Wu has a big mouth, do you believe what he says?"

"Anyway, your task now is to heal your wounds with peace of mind, don't overthink!" Huan Dieyi glanced at him, "Don't even think about going to find that Chu Lisang."

Xiao Junmo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly changed the topic: "How is Yang Bingjun's investigation?"

"Wu Wang and uncle are working together to search and arrest." Huan Dieyi said, "By the way, Wu Wang said that you always believed that Yang Bingjun was hiding in the city. Why?"

"Yang Bingjun doesn't seem to be acting privately this time." Xiao Junmo thought, "The assassins who besieged me that day were not weak, so I guess, Yang Bingjun should have been ordered by Mingzang. I guess, it's not just Yang Bingjun this time. When we arrive in the capital, I am afraid that Mingzang himself will also come."

Huan Dieyi was slightly startled: "According to what you say, then they must not only come to Beijing to take revenge on you, but also have bigger actions?"

"Smart." Xiao Junmo gave a thumbs up, "Killing me is just a incidental thing, and it is definitely not the main purpose of their visit to Beijing this time."

"Then what are they trying to do?"

"That's what I want to know too." Xiao Junmo smiled helplessly.

In fact, Xiao Junmo knew very well in his heart that no matter what Mingzang’s intentions for coming to Beijing this time, at least one of his purposes was the same as his own, that is-to rob away eloquent talents.

Judging from the clues that Xiao Junmo has found before, although Mingzang is the leader of the main rudder of the Tianxing League, it seems that he can effectively control the two so-called "dark rudders" such as Ben rudder, Xuanquan and Wuya. As for the other sub-rudders, he seems to be beyond his reach.For example, Wei Zheng's Linchuan rudder, Mingzang seems to have been unaware of its existence for so many years, let alone those sub-rudders scattered in the rivers and lakes.It can be seen from this that Mingzang's wholehearted desire to catch debaters is likely to obtain the core secrets of "Lanting Preface" through him, and then find and order those sub-helms hidden in the Jianghu.

Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo suddenly had a flash of inspiration: According to the inferences made around the "Boundless Cup" before, Wang Xizhi probably wrote twenty different "zhi" in the original "Lanting Preface" to cast and engrave each of them. The yin and yang double seals of the rudder "Yinglass"; From this point of view, it may be because Ming Zang does not have the Yin seals of each sub-rudder, so he must do everything possible to find the original "Lanting Preface" in order to accurately copy the Yin seals of each sub-rudder , so as to command them?

So far, Xiao Junmo can basically come to the conclusion that the twenty different "Zhi" characters in the original "Lanting Preface" must be its core secret, at least one of the core secrets!

Seeing Xiao Junmo suddenly stunned, Huan Dieyi said displeasedly: "What are you thinking? You must have something to hide from me, right?"

"Don't worry." Xiao Junmo smiled, "Anyway, I'm not thinking about Chu Lisang."

Huan Dieyi was in a hurry and punched him on the shoulder suddenly.Xiao Junmo's wound was not very painful, but he screamed exaggeratedly.Only then did Huan Dieyi remember that he was injured, and couldn't bear it, so he hurriedly asked how he was.

Xiao Junmo sat down on the couch, rubbed his shoulders, and said with a sad face: "I am really miserable. I am bullied by you and King Wu all day long. I have no place to talk about it!"

Huan Dieyi repeatedly apologized.

Seeing her anxious and worried look, Xiao Junmo couldn't help laughing: "Forget it, anyway, I have no relatives and no reason now, and you are just a junior sister, so I don't care about you."

When Huan Dieyi heard it, his heart suddenly moved, and a tenderness rose in his eyes.

Xiao Junmo hurriedly looked away, scolding herself to be damned, why did you provoke her again when she was fine?
Thinking of what he said just now, Xiao Junmo couldn't help but think of Chu Lisang.I clearly said that day that I would save her, and I promised to find a way soon, but now I was delayed by the injury, and several days passed in a flash, and she didn't know about him, so she must be calling him a liar again in her heart.

Really good-for-nothing!

Xiao Junmo smiled wryly in his heart, not understanding why there were always bumps and misunderstandings between himself and Chu Lisang.

On Ningyun Pavilion, Chu Lisang leaned on the railing, staring at the water not far away in a daze.

In the sea pool under the sun, the blue waves are rippling, and a pair of mandarin ducks are roaming freely in the water.The male mandarin duck with bright feathers bowed its neck frequently to the female duck, dipped its beak into the water, then straightened its bright crown feathers, and swung its head from side to side from time to time...

Chu Lisang looked at it and couldn't help smiling shyly.She remembered hearing her mother say that this is the male mandarin duck expressing love to the female duck, after which they will bridal together and have children.

Chu Lisang turned his head back because he was embarrassed to watch the "bridal chamber wedding" scene.At this moment, Mi Mancang walked in carrying a birdcage, in which stood a colorful parrot.

"Chu, Miss Chu, what you want, the bird, the bird is here." Mi Mancang said loudly on purpose, and gave Chu Lisang a wink.

The four court ladies were still standing in the room.Chu Lisang glanced at them, and said to Mi Mancang: "Bring it here, let me take a closer look."

Mi Mancang walked over as promised.

Chu Lisang pretended to tease the parrot in the cage, and asked in a low voice, "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, yes, Xiao Lang, he, he, he..."

"Just tell me the result!" Chu Lisang said anxiously.

"Assassinated!" Mi Mancang finally choked out the words.

Chu Lisang turned pale with shock, and opened his eyes wide: "What did you say?!" His voice raised unconsciously, and Mi Mancang blinked at her quickly.Chu Lisang was terrified and anxious, forced himself to calm down, and asked: "Then... did something happen to him?"

"Fortunately, no, not dead."

Chu Lisang let out a long breath of relief, and stroked his heart, where it was still beating wildly.

"It's just suffering, hurt."

"How's the injury? Is it serious?"

"It should be no big deal, no big deal."

Only then did Chu Lisang's heartbeat slowly calm down.In the past few days, she has been scolding Xiao Junmo in her heart, thinking that he is a complete liar, but she did not expect such a big thing to happen to him, it seems that she has wrongly blamed him again.

"Xiao Lang, early, plan early, well, let it go, don't worry."

As soon as Mi Mancang finished speaking, the parrot in the cage suddenly yelled: "Let it go, don't worry, let it go, don't worry..." Mi Mancang was startled, and slapped the cage several times before the parrot shut its mouth.

Chu Lisang couldn't help but smile, and felt a little relieved.

It's just that Chu Lisang's heart feels heavy again when he thinks about the possibility of having long nights and many dreams after such an accident.Also, how the father should deal with the emperor is also worrying.A few days ago, she asked Mi Mancang to inquire about it. Mi Mancang said that everything was normal for the master, that she should eat and sleep, and told her not to worry.But Chu Lisang always felt that it was not an option to procrastinate things like this. If his father insisted on not speaking, the emperor would lose his patience sooner or later.

"I'm about to lose my patience!"

In the meditation room of Foguang Temple, Li Shimin spoke to Biancai with a displeased face.

Biancai sat on the futon, his face was rosy and his expression was serene.

"The mage recently eats and sleeps well, and is pampered, but still doesn't speak a word. Is this appropriate?" Li Shimin raised his voice.

Biancai smiled lightly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, let the poor monk rest for a few more days."

"How many more days to recuperate?" Li Shimin sneered, "Mingzang has already reached the capital! Do you know?"

Just now, Huan Dieyi went back to the Xuanjiawei Office to tell Li Shiji Xiao Junmo's judgment, and Li Shiji immediately entered the palace to report to the emperor.

Hearing the words, the eloquent was slightly shocked.

"Mingzang dared to assassinate General Xuanjiaweilang in broad daylight, and he almost succeeded! God knows what storms will be caused next!" Li Shimin glared at the debate, "The mage is so calm and calm, but he puts the world at the mercy of the people. Don't care about safety, isn't it too selfish?!"

Biancai pondered for a while, then sighed heavily, and said: "The matter has come to this, I, Tang Dynasty, may not be able to escape this catastrophe."

"Catastrophe?!" Li Shimin frowned, "Since you also know that there will be a disaster, then tell all the secrets of "Lanting Preface"! Tell me everything, and let me save this disaster!"

The eloquent face was dignified, silent.

"Master, please don't forget that your adopted daughter is still in the palace. If you still insist on not telling me, then I won't be able to guarantee her safety."

The debater smiled wryly, and finally said: "Your Majesty, the poor monk can speak, but please forgive the poor monk for speaking bluntly, even if your majesty knows the secret of "Lanting Preface", I am afraid that nothing can be redeemed."

"Just say what you have to say." Li Shimin said, "Others, I make my own decisions, and you don't need to worry about them!"

"Okay." Biancai looked at Li Shimin calmly, "But before the poor monk speaks, he wants to make an agreement with His Majesty."

Li Shimin was startled: "What agreement?"

"The poor monk only answers three questions from His Majesty every three days." The debater said, "It's too many, please forgive the poor monk for not having anything to say."

Li Shimin was a little surprised, and then smiled coldly: "Are you afraid that after I know everything, I will kill the donkey?"

"Flying birds are gone, good bows are hidden; cunning rabbits are dead, running dogs are cooking!" Biancai smiled lightly, "Since ancient times, which emperor has not done this? If the poor monk said it all in one go, then His Majesty still has the poor monk and the little girl." What to do, wouldn't it just increase the palace's expenses in vain?"

"Can't I let you go home?"

Biancai shook his head and smiled wryly: "It's about the "Lanting Preface", which are all shocking secrets. His Majesty will naturally be worried that once we are released, these terrible secrets may be leaked to the people, and even spread to the world. Therefore, in order to prevent any accidents, Your Majesty must silence the poor monk and the little girl, so that the future troubles can be eradicated once and for all! Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Li Shimin laughed dumbly, and said after a while: "Forget it, since we have reached this point, we don't need to go around in circles. I will ask you the first question now, what does the word 'Heavenly Punishment' mean?"

"In the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi and his friends secretly established an organization at the Lanting Meeting. The name is 'Tianxing League'. The word 'Tianxing' means the law of heaven, or the punishment from heaven. In short The purpose of the Tian Xing League is to do justice for the heavens. According to this purpose, the first rule Wang Xizhi set for the organization is: if a country has the way, it will be hidden, and if the country has no way, it will be revealed."

Li Shimin suddenly realized.

So far, the mystery of the scarlet characters left by Lu Shiheng, who has troubled Li Shimin for many years, is finally revealed. The word "Heavenly Punishment" turned out to be the name of this mysterious organization. What Lu Shiheng tried to tell himself back then was this!

However, Li Shimin was deeply stimulated by what Biancai said, "there is no way for a country to exist".He stared at the debater, and said angrily: "Since I ascended the throne, the world of my Tang Dynasty has been peaceful, the country is peaceful and the people are safe. In the eyes of the mage, is it 'the state has no way'?"

"Your Majesty's merits are obvious to all people in the world, and the poor monk naturally thinks that 'the state has its way'."

"If that's the case, why did Mingzang come out to cause trouble in the world? Is he the leader of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance?"

"The most recent leader of the Heavenly Punishment League is the seventh grandson of Wang Xizhi, who is also the former teacher of the poor monk. Ming Zang is his nephew and grandnephew. His real name is Wang Hongyi. Back then, His Majesty followed Gaozu to clarify the world and rule the world, and the teacher saw that my Great Tang would surely bring a peaceful and prosperous world to the people of the world, so he followed the principle of "If the state has the way, then hide it", ordered all the sub-rudders to enter a deep sleep state, and then He took the initiative to cut off the contact with each sub-rudder. Regrettably, Wang Hongyi's views and ideas are different from those of his predecessors. Therefore, we parted ways with the former teacher. After that, the former teacher passed away, and before he died, he asked the poor monk to strictly abide by the principle of "if the state has the way, then hide it", so that the Tianxing League will disappear from the rivers and lakes. This is why the poor monk has been fighting for so many years The reason for keeping the secret. It is precisely because of this that the poor monk has repeatedly advised His Majesty to "govern the world with nothing" and not to unintentionally wake up the entire Tianxing League in order to track down the secret of "Lanting Preface", because this is exactly what Wang Hongyi wanted This person is afraid that the world will not be chaotic, and he is determined to restart and control the entire organization, and then take advantage of the chaos to realize his personal ambitions. Therefore, what Ming Zang did does not represent the Tianxing League. Please don’t misunderstand .”

After hearing these words, Li Shimin was silent for a long time.

If, as Biancai said, the entire Heavenly Punishment League was awakened and fell into Mingzang's hands, there would be a catastrophe.However, with Li Shimin's character, it is impossible for him to "govern the world with nothing to do", let alone wait for Mingzang to make a move before attacking others. He must seize the opportunity and nip all dangerous factors in the bud, just like back then When conquering the world and galloping on the battlefield, he always takes the lead and charges forward, and he can always win the battle and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!
"How powerful is the Sky Punishment League? Is the key to restarting and controlling the Sky Punishment League hidden in the original "Lanting Preface"?" Li Shimin stared at Bian Cai, "Also, where is the original "Lanting Preface" now? ?”

Biancai smiled: "Your Majesty, these are three other questions. Have you forgotten the agreement just now?"

Li Shimin stared at Biancai for a while, then nodded, and stood up: "In three days, Master, please prepare the answer."

After Huan Dieyi left, Xiao Junmo became flustered again, and suddenly remembered something.

There is a famous library building in Taiji Palace, called "Secret Pavilion", which houses hundreds of thousands of volumes of classics from ancient times to the present. .Xiao Junmo has longed for the secret pavilion for a long time, but usually he has absolutely no right to enter it, so he can only look at the ocean and sigh.But it’s different now, Xiao Jun thought to himself, firstly, he was bored with idleness, secondly, he could ask King Wu for help, and take the opportunity to enter the secret pavilion for a look, so as to fulfill his life’s wish, wouldn’t it be a pleasure?
Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo immediately became excited, and immediately asked the soldiers guarding the door to go to King Wu, saying that he had something important to discuss.About half an hour later, Li Ke came in a hurry, but when he saw his bored look, he immediately realized that he had been cheated, so he sneered, "Why, I haven't seen you for a while, and you miss me right away?"

Xiao Jun smiled silently: "Yes, this is called a brother!"

Li Ke glared at him: "You can't rest easy even if you are sick! This king is very busy, so don't play tricks on me!"

"I'm not kidding you, I really need your help."

"what's up?"

"I'm almost suffocated! Take me to the secret pavilion and read a book."

"Is this the 'important matter' you said?" Li Ke looked displeased, "Just for such a big matter, you hurriedly asked someone to call me?"

Xiao Junmo chuckled: "For a dignified prince like you, this is of course a trivial matter, but for an official like me, entering the Secret Pavilion is even more difficult than ascending to the sky! If I don't ask you, who will I look for?"

Li Ke was proud: "Well, since you begged me so lowly, this king is reluctant."

Xiao Junmo was overjoyed, but he didn't want to be trampled too hard by him, so he said, "Did I be humble? Didn't I?"

"Isn't it? It's fine if you don't have one. This king has something else to do." Li Ke turned around and was about to leave.

Xiao Junmo hurriedly grabbed him, and said with an apologetic smile: "Yes, yes, yes, yes? You can say whatever you like!"

Only then did Li Ke laugh: "It's a great joy in life to make someone as stubborn as you subdue!"

"Okay, okay, as long as you are happy, let's go!" Xiao Junmo pulled him up and left.Li Ke's face beamed with joy.

As expected, the Secret Pavilion lived up to its reputation. As soon as Xiao Junmo walked in, he felt a solemn and solemn aura of Wenhan blowing towards his face.

The entire library building has three floors, and each floor is lined with rows of tall nanmu bookshelves. Beautifully bound books are stacked on top of each other.
My life has a limit, and my knowledge has no limit. If there is a limit, then there is no limit, and it will be over!Xiao Junmo shuttled between the bookshelves, unconsciously letting out a sigh of Zhuang Zhou in his heart.Just now when King Wu brought him in, he told the book supervisor: "General Xiao is helping me investigate the case, and I need to consult the books and historical materials in the secret pavilion. You must fully cooperate!"Then King Wu blinked at him and left first.Xiao Junmo couldn't help sighing in his heart: power is really a good thing, no wonder the world is so eager to get it by any means.

The book supervisor accompanied Xiao Junmo around a few times, Xiao Junmo felt uncomfortable and sent him away, then walked to the area where the historical books were displayed, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind: why not take this opportunity to look up the "Orchid Pavilion Preface"?
Having made up his mind, Xiao Junmo sorted out the relevant ideas from the beginning to see if there were any problems and doubts that could be traced with the help of the rich collection of books here.

The third day of March in the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is the traditional "Shangsi Festival".According to folk customs, people usually go to the water's edge to wash dirt, pray for disaster relief, go outing in spring, drink wine and compose poems at the same time, which is called "repairing evil spirits".It was on this day that Wang Xizhi, together with his six sons, 35 officials and friends, held the Lanting Meeting by the Lanting River in Shanyin County, Kuaiji County.

Since Wang Xizhi and his attendees were all celebrities at the time, and there were elegant events such as drinking water and composing poems at the Lanting meeting, later generations have always regarded this meeting as an "elegant gathering of literati".But Xiao Junmo now knows that Wang Xizhi actually established a huge secret organization Tianxingmeng at this gathering. It can be seen that the so-called "literati gathering" is completely a cover designed by Wang Xizhi to deceive people's eyes and ears, it is purely a disguise.

Then, the first question to be checked here is: What kind of historical background did Wang Xizhi use to convene this meeting to form the Tianxing League?

Although Xiao Junmo is not too unfamiliar with the general historical facts of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, to clarify this issue, it is necessary to make a lot of efforts to sort through a large amount of historical materials, and it cannot be done by relying on general memory .Soon, he took six or seven hundred volumes from the bookshelf and piled them on the desk and the ground beside him, forming a mountain of books.The book supervisor peeked at it from a distance, and immediately showed a surprised expression.Xiao Junmo smiled at him.The book supervisor quickly smiled all over his face, raised his hand to say hello, and then immediately retracted his head.

Xiao Junmo sat down in front of the desk and began to review the documents.The six or seven hundred volumes of books he just brought down are mainly more than [-] special histories of the Jin Dynasty such as Zang Rongxu's "Book of Jin" in the Southern Dynasty. Note history, etc., is enough for him to sort out a comprehensive and clear historical context.

With the turning of the scroll, a magnificent historical picture scroll of gold and iron horses unfolds slowly in front of Xiao Junmo through the smoke and dust of more than 300 years...

In the ninth year of Yonghe, Emperor Mu of the Jin Dynasty, the world was once again in a turbulent "Three Kingdoms" situation: the Eastern Jin Dynasty occupied the Huaihe River and the south of the Yangtze River; the Fu family of the former Qin Dynasty occupied the Guanzhong area centered on Chang'an; Shi occupies the lower reaches of the Yellow River.Qin and Yan attacked each other and always wanted to annex their opponents and unify the north. At the same time, they coveted the Eastern Jin Dynasty and frequently invaded the south.

Sima Dan, Emperor Mudi of Jin Dynasty who was in power at that time, was a typical young master.He came to the throne at the age of two, and his mother, the Empress Dowager Chu, was in charge. Even in the ninth year of Yonghe, he was only 11 years old.In this turbulent era of war and war, the Jin Dynasty was ruled by a pair of orphans and widows. Although there were many assistant ministers and civil and military officials, the current situation was difficult and dangerous.

The year before Wang Xizhi convened the Lanting Conference, that is, in the eighth year of Yonghe, the Eastern Jin Dynasty made another northern expedition, but it was defeated.At the same time, serious divisions occurred within the Eastern Jin Dynasty—General Huan Wen and Prime Minister Yin Hao were at odds with each other, and the struggle between the two became increasingly fierce.At that time, Wang Xizhi was promoted and valued by Yin Hao. He tried to persuade Yin Hao and Huan Wen to help each other, but Yin Hao refused.

It can be seen that the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time could be described as internal and external troubles, and the situation was dangerous. Facing such a dangerous situation, Wang Xizhi was also in the midst of conflicts between generals and prime ministers. One can imagine the anxiety in his heart.According to historical records, Wang Xizhi was hailed by the people at that time as "youcaijian", that is, to distinguish right from wrong;In Xiao Junmo's view, such a person must be practical and opposed to talk.

In order to confirm the above judgment, Xiao Junmo looked through many historical materials, and finally found a record in "Shishuoxinyu".During the fifth or sixth year of Yonghe, Wang Xizhi and Xie An traveled to Yecheng together. At that time, Xie An was living in seclusion, advocating clear talk, repeatedly refusing to be recruited by the court, and determined not to enter an official career. Therefore, Wang Xizhi criticized Xie An unceremoniously:

Xie Youran thought to himself that he had the ambition of a higher world.The king said Xie said: "Xia Yu is a diligent king, his hands and feet are callous; Wen Wang has no time to feed. There are many fortifications in the surrounding suburbs, and it is pleasant for everyone to do their own work. It is not appropriate to talk about waste affairs and superfluous words. I am afraid it is not appropriate today."

The so-called "there are many bases in the surrounding suburbs, and everyone is happy to serve themselves" means that in the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time, there were constant wars and frequent border troubles, and everyone should serve the country.It can be seen from this that Wang Xizhi has always cared about the world.In the eighth year of Yonghe, Yin Hao's Northern Expedition suffered a disastrous defeat, and Wang Xizhi was even more heartbroken.Xiao Junmo found a letter he wrote to Yin Hao at that time, in which there are several passages:
Since the rebellion, those who are in charge of internal and external affairs have not had any foresight and foresight, and they have exhausted their fundamentals. The world is about to collapse, how can we not feel sad and sad.Whoever does what he does, has to resign from the responsibility of the world!
Today's army is broken outside, and resources are exhausted inside... Those who are in charge of the country, take the blame and bow down, deeply self-deprecating and surrendering to thank the people. The concubine can allow the crowd to look forward to save the emergency.

Here, Wang Xizhi's concern for the country and the people is beyond words.Xiao Junmo remembered that he once saw Wang Xizhi's copybook "Zengyun Post", in which there was also such a sentence: How can one sit idly by when one is in danger?

In the ninth year of Yonghe, the young country was in danger, internal and external troubles, "the army was destroyed outside, and the resources were exhausted inside." If Wang Xizhi was unwilling to "sit and watch the crisis", what could he do?

The answer lies in the Lanting Club.

Since Yin Haozhi, who was the prime minister at the time, was too talented and unable to restore the situation, Wang Xizhi had no choice but to find another way and make his own way.Perhaps, seeking to secretly establish an armed force outside the imperial court to save the day and turn the tide was the imperative move of Wang Xizhi at that time!

After clarifying the historical background of the Lanting Club and Wang Xizhi's state of mind at that time, Xiao Junmo made a list of the 42 participants that year, and prepared to further verify their exact identities and official positions at that time:
Wang Xizhi, Xie An, Xie Wan, Sun Chuo, Xu Fengzhi, Sun Tong, Wang Binzhi, Wang Ningzhi, Wang Suzhi, Wang Huizhi, Yuan Qiaozhi, Xi Tan, Wang Fengzhi, Hua Mao, Yu You, Yu Shuo, Wei Pang, Xie Yi, Yu Yun , Sun Si, Cao Maozhi, Hua Ping, Huan Wei, Wang Xuanzhi, Wang Yunzhi, Wang Huanzhi, Xie Gui, Bian Di, Wang Xianzhi, Qiu Mao, Yang Mo, Kong Chi, Liu Mi, Yu Gu, Lao Yi, Hou Mian, Hua Qi , Xie Teng, Ren Yan, Lu Xi, Lu Ben, Cao Li.

If you don't check, you don't know, this check actually surprised Xiao Junmo.

Examining various historical materials, the Eastern Jin regime was successively controlled by the Wang family of Langya, the Yu family of Yingchuan, the Huan family of Qiaoguo, the Xie family of Chenjun, and the Wang family of Taiyuan. At the Lanting meeting, representatives of these five major clans were actually present : Wang Xizhi and his six sons belong to the Wang family of Langya; brothers Yu You and Yu Yun belong to the Yu family of Yingchuan; Huan Wei is the son of Huan Wen and belong to the Huan family of Qiaoguo; brothers Xie An and Xie Wan belong to the Xie family of Chenjun ; Wang Yunzhi is from the Wang family in Taiyuan.In addition to these five major families, Xi Tan belongs to the Gaoping Xi family, Sun Tong, Sun Chuo, and Sun Si belong to the Sun family in Taiyuan, and Yuan Qiaozhi belongs to the Yuan family in Chenjun.These gentry elites were all-powerful and popular figures in the political arena of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time or later. At the time of the tense confrontation between the North and the South, and the crisis of the country's survival, they all gathered together. Collection", I am afraid no one will believe it.

In addition, the official positions of these people at that time are also very intriguing. For example, Wang Xizhi himself was the internal historian of Kuaiji and the general of the right army, Xie Gui was the servant of the court, Xi Tan was the regular servant of Sanqi, Wang Yunzhi was the official minister, and Huan Wei was the champion general , Yuan Qiaozhi is General Long Xiang, Sun Tong is General Sima of the Right, Yu Shuo is Sima of the Zhenjun, Bian Di is the General of the Zhenjun, and so on.Among them, there were five or six military and political officials, and as many as twenty people served in the army, and most of them came from the capital city of Jiankang or the front lines of the Northern Expedition.It is not difficult to infer that these gentry elites and military and political officials, who are in danger to their families and countries, are willing to put aside their urgent affairs and come to Kuaiji from thousands of miles. The secret organization of the Sky Punishment Alliance...

Obviously, even leaving aside the Tianxing League for the time being, the essence of the Lanting Club is definitely not an ordinary gathering of celebrities, but a major and secret gathering of noble elites, a political and military meeting that is related to the rise and fall of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Xiao Junmo searched through the historical materials intently, his heart fluttered with every bit of discovery, and he didn't realize that several hours had passed, the sun outside the window was slanting to the west, and the sky was getting darker.The Secretary of the Secret Pavilion graciously brought snacks and tea, and lit a few candles beside him for him.Xiao Junmo thanked him, the book supervisor said a few words politely, and immediately walked away.

It is rare to have the opportunity to enter the secret pavilion and see so many historical materials, Xiao Junmo is naturally not in a hurry to leave.He decided to continue investigating based on the known clues to see how many mysteries he could still clarify.

According to Xiao Junmo's previous speculation, if Wang Xizhi really wrote twenty different "Zhi" in "Lanting Preface", then he must have used these "Zhi" to cast twenty wine glasses after the meeting; If one is used as the alliance seal, that is, "the cup of heavenly punishment", then the remaining nineteen cups must be the tokens of the nineteen rudders.

But the problem is that there were 42 participants in the meeting that day, why only [-] rudders were established?

Xiao Jun thought to himself, the most reasonable explanation should be that some people disagreed with Wang Xizhi and refused to participate.Thinking of this, an inspiration suddenly jumped into his mind: At the Lanting meeting that day, didn't many people fail to write poems and were punished with alcohol?Is it true that these people who have read poetry and books can't even write a poem?Not too possible.The most likely explanation should be that these people expressed their disapproval and non-participation in Wang Xizhi's secret organization through the act of "failing to compose poetry".This may also be what Wang Xizhi agreed with everyone before the meeting: if he agrees, he will show his ambition with a poem; if he does not agree, he will not write a poem to show his abstention.

In order to confirm this point, Xiao Junmo immediately opened relevant historical materials and found that there were 11 people including Wang Xizhi that day, each writing a four-character and five-character poem; another 15 people, each writing a poem; If it fails, you will be fined with three cups of wine.

It doesn’t matter how many poems you write, as long as you write affirmation, you agree and are willing to join, but the problem is that there are a total of 26 people who wrote poems, which is not in line with my speculation of "one alliance and nineteen rudders". Guess wrong?
Confused for a moment, Xiao Junmo suddenly thought: Among the participants that day, many of them were fathers, sons, and brothers. They have all written poems, and it is unlikely that they will set up several sub-helms in the same family, but only one sub-helm.

Thinking about this, Xiao Junmo immediately classified the 26 poets according to the list he just wrote:
Wang Xizhi, eldest son Wang Xuanzhi, second son Wang Ningzhi, third son Wang Huanzhi, fourth son Wang Suzhi, fifth son Wang Huizhi.

Xie An, Xie Wan: Brothers.

Sun Tong, Sun Chuo, Sun Si: Sun Tong is the brother of Sun Chuo, and Sun Chuo is the father of Sun Si.

Yu You, Yu Yun: brothers.

Another 13 people attended alone: ​​Xu Fengzhi, Wang Binzhi, Yuan Qiaozhi, Xi Tan, Wang Fengzhi, Hua Mao, Yu Shuo, Wei Pang, Xie Yi, Cao Maozhi, Hua Ping, Huan Wei, Wang Yunzhi.

Four groups of father, son and brothers, plus 13 people, make the number seventeen, and it doesn't match the "nineteen rudders" I guessed. What's going on?

Xiao Junmo pondered for a long time, and inadvertently shifted his gaze to the list of unwritten poems, and suddenly saw the names of "Lv Xi" and "Lv Ben", and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration and suddenly became enlightened!
The two brothers Lu Xi and Lu Ben are probably the ancestors of Lu Shiheng, that is, the first rudder master of Wuya Ruo.Meng Huairang said that both "Wuya" and "Xuanquan" belonged to dark rudders. Since they were "dark" rudders, it meant that they deliberately did not compose poems on the day of the Lanting Meeting.The names of these two rudders are taken from the longest five-character poem written by Wang Xizhi himself at the Lanting Meeting, in which a few lines are:

Looking up at the blue sky, overlooking the green waterfront.Liao Lang has no boundaries, and the reason is self-presentation.

Although there is no silk or bamboo, Xuanquan has a clear voice.Although there are no whistles and songs, there are lingering fragrances in the words.

It is undoubtedly Wang Xizhi's brilliance to set up a dark rudder.

According to Meng Huairang, the two hidden rudders belonged directly to the main rudder Mingzang. It can be seen that the purpose of Wang Xizhi's arrangement was to protect the main rudder, just in case.In other words, even if the other seventeen open rudders know that there are two dark rudders in the organization, they still have no way of knowing their exact identities. rudder.

Looking at it now, Wang Xizhi himself must be the first leader of the Tianxing League, and the first leader of the rudder Mingzang is undoubtedly Wang Huizhi, the fifth son of Wang Xizhi, because the word "Mingzang" comes from the five-character poem he wrote at the Lanting Meeting .Although as far as Xiao Junmo knew, Wang Huizhi was still very young at the time, only 16 years old, but he guessed that Mingzang Tuo, as the main rudder, must have been directly led by Wang Xizhi himself at the beginning. The rudder was officially handed over to Wang Huizhi.

So far, the speculation of "one alliance and nineteen rudders" has finally been confirmed.Xiao Junmo currently knows four of them: Mingzang, Linchuan, Wuya, and Xuanquan.As for the other fifteen rudders, whether they still exist in the world and where they are hidden can only be further investigated in the future.

At this time, the night was already dark outside the window, Xiao Junmo stretched his waist, and was about to put a messy scroll back into his pocket, when a thought that seemed to have nothing to do with the Lanting Society suddenly popped up in his mind: Why are the names of Wang Xizhi's seven sons all the same? Like him, there is a word "Zhi", but he doesn't evade family strict taboo at all?

Out of curiosity, Xiao Junmo sat down again, picked up the scroll and looked it up again.Soon, he found the answer in the relevant historical materials - Wang Xizhi's family "Zhang's five buckets of rice Taoism in the world", and when the believers of this Taoism named it, they usually did not avoid family taboos.

As far as Xiao Junmo knows, the Five Dou of Rice Taoism is actually the earliest sect of Taoism.Xiao Junmo is quite familiar with Taoism of Laozi and Zhuangzi, but he is a little unfamiliar with Taoism as a folk religion.

Xiao Junmo then walked to the bookshelf again, found dozens of volumes of related books, and quickly flipped through them.

It turns out that Wudou Rice Road, also known as Tianshi Road, was founded by Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, in Shudi during the reign of Emperor Shundi of the Eastern Han Dynasty.Zhang Daoling claimed that the Taishang Laojun was ordered to be a "Heavenly Master", and he made Taoist scriptures to teach the people. Those who follow his way will produce five buckets of rice, so it is called Wudou Rice Taoism in the world.After Zhang Daoling died, his son Zhang Heng succeeded him; when Zhang Heng died, his son Zhang Lu succeeded him, known as "Three Zhangs" in the world.

During the Chuping period of Emperor Xiandi of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Lu led his troops to capture Hanzhong, Berkshire and other places, and began to implement the rule of the unity of politics and religion.He is known as "Master", the highest leader of Tianshi Dao, and the chief executive; those who have just entered the Tao are called "Daomin"; "Zhitou Dajiu".Zhang Lu took "governance" as the unit, and within its ruled area, there were 24 governances; each governance did not have senior officials, and managed the military and government with sacrificial wine, and at the same time it was the master of governing Taoism and the people.

This unexpected discovery made Xiao Junmo excited, because in a sense, the Tao of Heavenly Masters during Zhang Lu’s period was a huge, rigorous and mysterious organization. Since Wang Xizhi’s family and himself believed in Taoism of Heavenly Masters, With such a historical origin, it is a natural thing for him to establish the secret organization Tianxingmeng after Tianshidao...

While meditating, Li Ke had already stood beside him unknowingly.When Xiao Junmo looked up, he was suddenly startled.

"Hey, do you know that people scare people and scare people to death? How come you walk without making a sound!" Xiao Junmo yelled to hide the faint panic in his heart-although he knew that Li Ke might not be able to see through anything, he still felt it. disturbed.

Li Ke looked at the messy books and documents, and looked at Xiao Junmo thoughtfully, but said nothing.

Xiao Junmo suddenly felt that Li Ke was a little strange at this time, and Li Ke's thoughts were exactly the same as his.

Li Ke sent Xiao Junmo back to the small courtyard of the Imperial Medical Office, but he kept looking at him fixedly and refused to leave.Xiao Junmo deliberately yawned, but Li Ke turned a blind eye.Xiao Junmo couldn't bear it anymore, and said: "You are not too lazy to go back to Qinrenfang, you want to squeeze a bed with me tonight?"

"Tell me, what do you know about Wang Xizhi and "Lanting Preface"?" Li Ke said seriously.

"Wang Xizhi still need to ask? The sage of calligraphy through the ages! Needless to say, "Lanting Preface" is the best running script in the world!" Xiao Junmo could only pretend to be stupid.

"Don't play dumb with me! I know, you've found a lot of things." Li Ke sat down on the bed, "If you don't tell me, I won't leave tonight."

"If you don't go, don't go!" Xiao Junmo didn't care, and simply lay down on the bed, pulled the quilt over his body, and closed his eyes, "However, I do snore when I sleep. It is said that the sound is like thunder, continuous Jue, if you don't mind, then sleep together."

"Who wants to sleep with you?" Li Ke tore off his quilt and said in a deep voice, "My king is talking to you, get up!"

Xiao Junmo opened his eyes and looked at him, smiled helplessly, and sat up: "What do you want to do? Why don't you let others sleep if you don't sleep?"

"If you don't answer my question, you can't sleep!"

"Even if you are a prince, a dignified prince, you don't have the right to keep people from sleeping, do you?"

"If you don't believe I have this power, just try it!"

Xiao Junmo glared at him, then simply lay back and turned his back to him.

"Come on!" Li Ke suddenly shouted loudly, and two soldiers outside the door immediately ran in.Li Ke said: "Listen well, both of you, sing the military song for me in unison, sing it now, the louder the better!"

The two soldiers were stunned and looked at each other.

Xiao Junmo secretly smiled bitterly.

"Sing! What are you doing in a daze?" Li Ke raised his voice.

The two soldiers hesitated for a moment, and then sang in a low voice: "Resign from the head of state by the law, and the general will punish the traitors..."

"Louder!" Li Ke snapped.

The two soldiers cheered up in a hurry, and began to let go of their voices: "The salty song "Broken Array Music" is for the people of Taiping. The emperor's quilts are all over the world, and the virtues of thousands of years are clear. Not to mention the military uniforms, today's success... "

This is "The Music of the King of Qin Breaking the Battle", the first military song of the Tang Dynasty, with a majestic and majestic style.At the beginning, the two soldiers couldn't figure out the key and time, so Li Ke helped them beat the beat and led the singing softly.The two guys found the feeling in an instant, and they sang loudly from the second sentence. The singing was so high-pitched and clear that Xiao Junmo's ears buzzed.

Xiao Junmo simply pulled off the quilt and covered his head.

Li Ke squinted at him with a smug expression on his face.

"The lord opened the Changli, and the minister loyally honored Dayou. After you see the Yange, it will be a peaceful autumn!" The two soldiers sang to the final climax with their voices so loud that they almost knocked off the roof.

Li Ke was at the side leisurely: "Second time, continue singing!"

Xiao Junmo couldn't bear it anymore, turned over and sat up, and said with a mournful face: "Okay, okay, I'm convinced, let them go?"

Li Ke chuckled, and then sent the two soldiers out.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Xiao Junmo was annoyed.

Li Ke looked at him, and said slowly: "Father has been painstakingly searching for the authenticity of the "Lanting Preface" since he became the throne, and after that, he did everything possible to find Biancai, a disciple of Monk Zhiyong, the successor of Wang Xi. Now you, the investigator of the case, a master of Xuanjiawei, was assassinated by the so-called Jianghu forces named Mingzang, and almost lost your life; these days, I almost turned Chang'an City upside down, but I just couldn't find that Yang Bingjun; Today, you stayed in the secret pavilion for a long time again, and almost destroyed all the historical materials of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Do you want to tell me that all these things happened by chance, and there is no connection or secret behind them? ?”

Xiao Junmo looked at Li Ke, hesitating whether to tell him everything he found.

In terms of friendship, the two are already as close as brothers, and I have no reason to hide it from him; but in terms of identity, he is the dignified prince and the elder brother of Wei Wang Li Tai, but he himself is the one who has the vengeance of killing his father, and sooner or later he will seek revenge from Li Tai. Moreover, he has already made up his mind to rescue the father and daughter of Biancai, and they will become prisoners of the imperial court in a blink of an eye, so how can they tell him everything?
After weighing it again and again, Xiao Junmo finally had to hide a part and tell the other part.

The parts he concealed were: the fact that his father was murdered by the king of Wei after stealing eloquent information; the true identities of his father and Wei Zheng in the Tianxing League;In addition, he used his current understanding of Mingzang and Xuanquan, the connection method and secret code of the Tianxing League, and the inferences about the secrets of Wang Xizhi and the Lanting Society and the "Nineteen Helms of a League" that he found today. In addition, the original "Lanting Preface" may contain key secrets, etc., and told Li Ke one by one.

Li Ke was dumbfounded and couldn't recover for a long time.

"Should you be satisfied this time?" Xiao Junmo yawned long, and heard the clapper of the fourth watch ringing outside.

Since Xiao Junmo concealed half of the truth, how he found out the other half is inevitably suspicious.Li Ke had similar doubts, so he asked several questions in one breath.

"You just need to know the result." Xiao Junmo said, "As for how I found out, you don't need to ask any more."

Li Ke thought for a while, nodded and smiled: "Well, anyway, you Xuanjiawei always like to play tricks."

Xiao Junmo suddenly thought of something: "You can tell the Holy Majesty these things, but don't say I told you."

"Why?" Li Ke was puzzled.

"We Xuanjiawei always like to play tricks, so you don't have to ask this."

Li Ke smiled: "If you say you are fat, you are still out of breath!"

"Also, I advise you, if you want to tell the Holy Majesty these things, it's best to do so anonymously, and don't let yourself say it."

"Why is this?" Li Ke became more and more puzzled.

"As far as I know, the Holy Majesty is very sensitive to matters related to the "Lanting Preface", especially when these matters are mixed with the struggle for succession." Xiao Junmo looked at Li Ke, "You are the prince again , if the Holy Majesty finds that you know too much, he will be suspicious and guard against you, which is not good for you."

Xiao Junmo didn't know the emperor's attitude towards this matter at first, but Li Shiji occasionally revealed some news to him, and after Biancai and Chu Lisang were arrested in the palace, Xiao Junmo himself had some judgments, so he knew Li Shimin's current state of mind well.

Li Ke looked at him with some admiration: "I didn't expect you to be well versed in tactics!"

"I am so loyal to Your Highness King Wu, and I have told you so many secrets, can I ask you for some reward?" Xiao Junmo yawned.

"No problem, tell me!" Li Ke was very forthright, "It depends on whether you want money or beautiful women, it's up to you!"

Xiao Junmo frowned: "Am I so vulgar in your eyes?"

Li Ke smiled: "Are you a man? How can a man not like these things?"

"Of course I like these." Xiao Junmo said, "But I don't need them right now."

"Then what do you need?"

"First, I need to sleep well now, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Li Ke smiled again: "Yes! What else?"

"Second, let me go home tomorrow."

Li Ke looked at his pitiful appearance, held back his smile, and said with a stern face: "I have to discuss this with the imperial physician, and they can only let him go if they say so."

Xiao Junmo smiled wryly: "Isn't that what His Royal Highness Wu said?"

"Even if I let you go home, you have to stay with me to recuperate, don't run around again, and no one will save you if you run into an assassin again!"

Xiao Junmo was secretly happy, but his face was lazy: "Yes, obey." Then he whispered, "Like an old woman, blah blah..."

"What did you say?"

"I said thank you for His Highness's concern, and Xiao was very grateful."

"It's almost there!"

(End of this chapter)