White Bone Monkey King

The capital city is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, with water and land transportation extending in all directions. It spans the middle court of the country. It carries the great river, diverts rivers and lakes, and uses the South China Sea to benefit half of the world's wealth.

When the fleet flying the dragon flag arrived in the capital, it happened to be a bustling night. There was no curfew in the capital, and the streets were full of hawkers and busy traffic. The city's restaurants, Goulan tile shops, teahouses, theaters, and various food stalls on the streets were full of people. The seats were packed.

Ginger row, yarn row, horse row, fruit row, fish row, rice row, meat row, southern sheep row, northern sheep row

Gold and silver shops, colorful silk shops, and lacquerware shops are all dazzling. Camels, caravans from the Western Regions, grapes, Shanshan melons, and red pulp from the Western Regions are all colorful and bizarre...

As soon as he entered the capital, the old eunuch was like a thousand-year-old bastard entering the sea. He suddenly felt like a fish in water. He introduced himself to Jin'an and the old Taoist priest with a bit of show-off: "The holy king is enlightened. Under his rule, he has ushered in a peaceful and prosperous era that has not been seen in thousands of years. The capital has implemented The curfew has been abolished for more than ten years, and it has also enriched the people, allowing them to make a living at twelve hours a day without morning and evening markets, achieving a prosperous age that has not been seen in thousands of years. The curfew in the capital has passed the test, and the next step will be to gradually cancel it in Jiangnan Prefecture The curfew allowed Jiangnan to absorb financial resources from all over the world, pay a steady stream of taxes to the capital treasury, enrich the national power, and prepare armaments. The sage's ambition is not to stay in one country, but to sweep across all directions, unify the Zhou Kingdom, open up a vast territory that has not been seen for a thousand years, and return the frontiers for a thousand years. Peace.”

The old eunuch became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting everywhere. Just as he was about to continue his passionate speech, describing his vision for the future for Jin An, he found that both Jin An and the old Taoist priest were looking at the street food stall.

Rice with water, boiled meat, dried meat, dried meat, eel buns, chicken skin and kidney chicken, pan-fried sheep sausage, frozen fish head, wiped red shreds, sliced ​​sheep head, spicy feet, ginger and spicy radish, spinach Grilled pork skin, wild duck meat, pan-fried tongs...the food is colorful and fragrant, which whet your appetite.

"Hahaha, this is the aroma of roasted dumplings, this is the aroma of lotus duck picks, this is the aroma of wine roasting belly, this is the aroma of stove sheep head picks, this is the aroma of chicken picks, this is the aroma of pan rabbit The aroma..." Commander Zhang of the Criminal Investigation Department smelled the aroma of late-night snacks in the air, his face showed the nostalgia of February away, and his greed was attracted.

The old Taoist priest refused and shouted: "Commander Zhang, it is not kind of you to do this. How can you seduce the greedy Taoist like this? Little brother, Taoist, I am hungry..."

The old Taoist priest held his stomach in aggrieved manner, poured out his bitter water to Jin'an, and took the sharp sword with him.

After sitting on the boat for a month, it was rare to finally land ashore. Seeing the prosperity and delicious food in the capital, Jin An was also a little moved: "Then it is better to be respectful than obey orders. Thank you Commander Zhang for the lotus duck sticks and the wine-roasted belly. Come in." Lu Yang... pig head sticks, chicken sticks, plate rabbits... have been treated with great hospitality."

Commander Zhang: "?"

Good guy.

As soon as he arrived in the capital, he was tricked by Jin An and defrauded him of a few days' worth of money.

The old Taoist priest was beaming with joy and winked at Jin An secretly, meaning that's OK. You have to be thick-skinned, little brother, to say such a shameless thing in public, but I like the old Taoist.

Okay, please just ask. Jin An has been invited all the way to the capital to help the Criminal Investigation Department. How can he cut off some meat and go out? As the saying goes, mutton cannot be used to trap Taoist temples with five internal organs. Moreover, after being on the boat for so many days, Commander Zhang himself began to miss the dishes at Yuxian Restaurant.

At this time, the old eunuch looked troubled: "The Holy One has already held a banquet in the palace, and has been waiting for Marquis Shenwu for a long time..."

The old eunuch always reported his itinerary to the palace. Before entering Beijing, he had already ordered someone to report the latest itinerary again.

Seeing the old eunuch's pleading eyes towards him, Jin An had no choice but to put down the Yuxian Restaurant temporarily and continue riding the carriage towards the palace.

The old Taoist priest who couldn't eat the delicious food didn't lose his mood for a long time. He was very happy and discussed with Commander Zhang who was sitting next to him about which Goulan tile shop in the capital was famous and had good quality...

The imperial city, the hub of the Kangding Kingdom, is located on the central meridian of the capital, facing north and south.

The emperor sits north and faces south. He is the superior one and rules over the world. Therefore, the changes of dynasties in the past dynasties emphasized "eastern expedition, western expedition, and southern summons", but the northern expedition was rarely used. Because the expedition was not done by ministers and the attack was without principles, it was impossible to achieve a famous teacher and a legitimate name, so that the princes of the world would respond.

Outside the imperial city is the moat. After crossing the White Jade Bridge, there is a square as flat as a mirror. Then, after passing through the capital Yamen and the Tianshi Mansion guarded on the left and right, we arrived at the foot of the palace city. The imperial city is protected by huge palace wall towers, which are twenty or thirty feet high. They are condescending and easy to defend but difficult to attack.

There are Imperial Guards patrolling outside the palace city day and night. Each of these Imperial Guards has strong backs, bulging temples, swords and saddles. They are brave and good at fighting. They are murderous towards everyone who comes close to the Imperial City.

Even if the old eunuch had the Holy King's handwriting, he would have to go through three trials, five checks and seven searches before he could be allowed to enter the imperial city. In the end, only the old eunuch took Jin An into the imperial city, while the others stayed outside the imperial city waiting for him.

Commander Zhang, the supreme commander of the Criminal Investigation Department, is not even qualified to enter the palace, which once again shows how weak the Criminal Investigation Department is.

There are many palaces in the imperial city, with thousands of main halls, imperial gardens and houses. It is like a maze city, extremely majestic and majestic.

The old eunuch walked in front and looked back at Jin An from time to time. He found that Jin An had a calm face and was looking ahead. He was not at all curious about the most important center of Kangding Kingdom.

You must know that even if you are a veteran of the imperial court, when you enter the palace for the first time to meet the saint, you can't suppress your emotions. You will look at the palace curiously, ask about the rules in the palace, and carefully consider the next step. But Jin An has none of these characteristics.

Old eunuch: "Marquis Shenwu doesn't look curious at all?"

Jin An looked at the old eunuch calmly: "Why should I be curious?"

Well.

The old eunuch couldn't answer for a while.

Jin An met Emperor Kang Zhao in Wende Hall.

Emperor Kang Zhao was dressed in a dragon robe, with slightly white temples. His temperament was simple and elegant, his cheekbones were high and he had the aura of a dragon, and his pair of bright black eyes were piercing. He inspected the heaven and earth as if they were carrying the will of heaven. It was like everything in the world was under these eyes. Under the gaze of the eyes, nothing is missed.

Jin An comes from the era of "people's wisdom opened up and everyone was like a dragon". He was born without the ideological constraints of monarchs and imperial powers. Coupled with his various life and death experiences in the past year, he has already developed a "general trend", and he has Even if he is respected as a martial arts immortal, he will not feel uneasy when facing a secular emperor, and dare not raise his head to take a look at the mighty dragon's face.

In his eyes, his status as the emperor was equal, and he did not need to act based on the might of God.

Even when he saw Emperor Kang Zhao for the first time, he had an impulse. He didn't know what the outcome would be if he, a martial arts immortal, suddenly turned on his aura and crazily suppressed Emperor Kang Zhao, who was blessed by heaven and blessed by a country's destiny. Will Emperor Kang Zhao be so frightened that he sits on the ground and cannot stand up?

Jin An turned around to calm down the divine calamity and suppressed this evil thought, otherwise he would really worry that he would inadvertently reveal a little bit of martial arts and immortal aura.

The other eunuchs and maids in the Palace of Wende were all shocked by Jin An's courage. They were surprised that Jin An, a martial arts immortal, was so young, and they were also surprised that Jin An, a young man in his early twenties, could actually do it without a face. His expression changed, and he looked at the Holy Lord with an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"I finally met the rumored youngest martial arts master Immortal Shen Wuhou in history. This side of Shenwu Hou is really not easy to see. Although Shen Wuhou is a little different from the popular eight feet high and eight feet wide, it is exactly what I thought. Almost like a young hero with unpredictable mystical skills, he is a rare talent in Kangding Kingdom and a blessing to the people of Kangding Kingdom. It is worth waiting for a few months, hahaha." Emperor Kang Zhao was delighted.

"Your Majesty is so complimentary." Jin An, wearing a five-color Taoist robe and performing the Taoist Yin-Yang fist-holding ceremony, said humbly.

The ensuing imperial banquet was very simple. Emperor Kang Zhao only entertained Jin An. After they had had enough wine and food, Emperor Kang Zhao waved the two to leave, leaving only him and Jin An in the Wende Palace.

The commander of the Forbidden Army glanced at Jin An worriedly and wanted to speak, but Emperor Kang Zhao scolded him: "Marquis Shenwu is a martial artist. If he really wanted to harm me, he would have done it long ago. Even if I have 500,000 Forbidden Army, he will not do it." I can't stop martial arts immortals. If I don't have any trust in Lord Shenwu, how can I care about the millions of people in the world and recruit all the heroes in the world?"

The commander of the imperial army apologized to Jin An, then retreated, and took the initiative to close the door of Wende Palace.

If Jin'an was a twenty-year-old young man who had not experienced the influence of the great times, or had been brainwashed by the idea of ​​monarchs and ministers since childhood, he might have been so moved by Emperor Kang Zhao's etiquette and virtuous corporal's imperial skills that he would marry the country with his body and brains, and work for Bole. And die.

Too bad he wasn't.

There is even no emotion in my heart.

His thoughts have already escaped the limitations of this era. Kunpeng has soared ninety thousand miles, and the sky is high for him to travel.

Emperor Kang Zhao, who was wearing a dragon robe and a majestic bearing, had a panoramic view of Jin An's performance from beginning to end, with a hint of casualness in his eyes.

At this time, only Emperor Kang Zhao and Jin An were left in the Hall of Wende. Emperor Kang Zhao did not talk about state affairs as soon as he came up, but actually talked about Commander Zhang first: "What does Marquis Shenwu think of Commander Zhang?"

Jin An said without thinking: "Be loyal to the emperor and love the country. Treat your subordinates like brothers and sisters. This is a good man."

Seeing that Jin An gave Commander Zhang such high praise after only getting along for a short time, Emperor Kang Zhao first glanced at Jin An with surprise. However, what Emperor Kang Zhao wanted to talk about was not a commander of the Criminal Investigation Department who had been in the fourth rank since he was young. The topic of Commander Zhang leads to the topic of the three major legal departments of Yushitai, Dali Temple and Criminal Investigation Department: "Commander Zhang of the Criminal Investigation Department has a good character, works hard and never complains, and is indeed trustworthy. Unfortunately, he is too conservative in his thinking and is good at defense but not at attack. As one of the three major judicial divisions, the Inspectorate is facing various complex cases from all over the country. If it is only good at defense, it would be too passive. Today is also a troubled time with undercurrents. Commander Zhang is old and has limited energy. , it is no longer appropriate to stay in the position of commander to review the national files. Commander Zhang had already submitted his resignation a few years ago and wanted to retire and return to his hometown to take care of himself. I have been pressing this position because I have been unable to find a good candidate. If the matter is not approved, from now on you, Marquis Shenwu, will be in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, take over the position of Commander Zhang, and help me support the Criminal Investigation Department, and the three law departments are indispensable."

"Theoretically speaking, Marquis Shenwu is a martial arts immortal and can go anywhere in the world. There is nothing wrong with being directly promoted to a first-class minister. But even though I am the emperor and in charge of the world, I cannot refuse to be granted an official title, otherwise the court and the people will talk about it. It is too big, which is not conducive for the Five Zang Taoist Temple to spread in the capital, promote its merits and reputation, and attract incense. First, I will wrong Marquis Shenwu and start as the commander of the Criminal Investigation Department. After Marquis Shenwu has relieved the country's worries and made several achievements, he will be promoted to a high position. It’s a matter of time.”

Jin An did not expect that as soon as he came to the capital, Emperor Kang Zhao directly dismissed Commander Zhang's official title and asked him to take over the post of Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department.

At this time, his thoughts collided rapidly, and he quickly figured out Emperor Kang Zhao's intentions.

Emperor Kang Zhao was testing his bottom line. If the emperor's courtesies and corporal methods could not win him over, then he would use power to win over him and give him command and envoys to command the real power of the Criminal Investigation Department.

The Criminal Investigation Department is the weakest among the three major judicial departments. There are Yushitai and Dali Temple constraining the Criminal Investigation Department. Even if he has real power, he will not be able to cause much trouble.

Moreover, since he parachuted into the Criminal Investigation Department to replace Zhang's position as commander, not everyone in the Criminal Investigation Department would accept him, which was another constraint for him.

If the Criminal Investigation Department grows strongly in his hands and can form a three-legged structure with Yushitai and Dali Temple, it will be in the hands of Emperor Kang Zhao. It can not only take the opportunity to beat those veterans who are proud of their achievements, but also further consolidate the throne. By the way, I would like to draw a pie for him as a first-class minister, so that he, a martial artist, can become the sword of the imperial court, fight in all directions, and serve the imperial court.

It is truly an imperial art. With just a few words, you can combine horizontal and vertical forces, drive away wolves and swallow tigers, and kill many birds with one stone.

But Emperor Kang Zhao underestimated him, a martial arts immortal.

Do you really treat him like a stupid young man and manipulate him at will?

Jin An was thinking crazily, and he had already deduced Emperor Kang Zhao's purpose in his mind. On the surface, he pretended to have slight fluctuations in his voice, and the young man Dezhi seemed to be moved by the power and interests: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Emperor Kangzhao stayed in Jin'an and talked some more about the thoughts of monarchs and ministers. His expression showed fatigue and he ordered people to escort Jin'an out of the palace.

Not long after Jin An left, Emperor Kang Zhao summoned an old eunuch in the Wende Palace. He was the same old eunuch who went to Wuzhou Mansion to deliver the imperial edict.

The old eunuch entered the Hall of Wende and immediately bowed and bowed: "I pay homage to Your Majesty."

Emperor Kang Zhao: "I'm going to accompany you all the way. I asked you to observe Shenwuhou and the Five Zang Taoist Temple. How did your observation go?"

The old eunuch was quick-witted and seemed to have already known the purpose of Emperor Kang Zhao's summons. He immediately summed it up clearly and clearly: "The little hermit is hiding in the city and is greedy for the world of mortals."

So the old eunuch told Jin An and the old Taoist priest in detail how they first paid attention to eating, drinking, having fun, and hooking up fences and houses.

"Your Majesty, when people have desires, they also have weaknesses. We can take advantage of Marquis Shenwu's weakness for lust..." The old eunuch said cautiously when he saw Emperor Kang Zhao deep in thought.

…

…

Outside the palace.

As soon as Jin An came out, the old Taoist priests immediately gathered around and asked how the palace was doing and what kind of delicacies had been arranged.

Jin An said: "Although the palace dishes are exquisite, the portions are too small and you will not be full. It lacks the flavor of folk fireworks and eats meat and drinks. Commander Zhang, Yuxian Restaurant still counts, right?"

Commander Zhang first envied Jin An for being summoned by the Holy Spirit as soon as he entered the capital, having eaten palace dishes, and receiving such high standards of treatment. Then he laughed and said: "Of course it counts. From now on, those uneasy brats from the Criminal Investigation Department will have to Thank you, Taoist Master Jin'an, for taking the trouble to help me."

There was something in Commander Zhang's words. Thinking about the conversation in Wuzhou Mansion, Jin An understood clearly. It seemed that Emperor Kang Zhao did not lie to him. Commander Zhang was indeed tired of the party struggle in the capital and had resigned. It means to retire and return to one’s hometown.

Lotus duck skewers, wine-roasted belly, sheep head skewers, chicken skewers, rabbit...are not the signature dishes of Yuxian Restaurant, but the red milk stone braised pork ribs.

The most important thing about roasting pork ribs with red fermented bean curd is how to marinate the red fermented bean curd to add flavor. There are extremely strict requirements for heat, marinating time, and the quality of red bean curd. If the red bean curd is marinated until it tastes good, then add white cane sugar and fry it on cobblestones. The fat will drip off, and the taste will be sweet and sour but not greasy. The aroma is delicious.

However, just the use of sugar in condiments is not something ordinary people can afford.

Just hearing Commander Zhang's description, several people present had already swallowed their saliva, and immediately rushed to Yuxian Restaurant to order a large table of dishes, which made Commander Zhang's face twitch with pain, thinking that they would have to wait for the next half month. He tightened his belt, gnawed on a white steamed bun and passed by.

When the old Taoist priest excitedly shouted out the red milk stone roasted pork ribs, Yuxian Restaurant, which was still full of diners late at night, suddenly became quiet.

The waiter who was responsible for taking down the menu looked at their table in surprise.

"What's wrong? Isn't it just a roasted pork rib with red milkstone? Why are you looking at me, the Taoist priest, in such surprise, as if you've just seen a ghost? Look clearly at my Taoist robe, we are the orthodox sect, not the Quanzhen sect, and we are not the orthodox sect. Avoid wine and meat, but not marry and have children." The old Taoist priest wondered.

The waiter in the restaurant had come to his senses and said hurriedly: "Add a portion of roasted pork ribs with red milkstone, and they'll be here soon."

Commander Zhang called out to the waiter at the restaurant: "Has anything happened in the capital recently?"

The waiter looked around at the other diners and lowered his voice: "I haven't seen Commander Zhang at Yuxian Restaurant in the past two months. Commander Zhang must have been away from the capital on a business trip, so I don't know what happened recently." Evil things..."

"What evil thing is going on?" The old Taoist priest liked to join in the fun, and he also leaned over with interest.

The restaurant waiter whispered: "In a village outside the capital, a case of cannibalism just occurred recently. The man imagined that he had eaten pork ribs for two months, and also imagined that there were bloody corpses in the mass graves, pretending to be corpses and killing people! The result was He ate human flesh for two months straight! After killing the person, he pulled out a whole spine of the person, stir-fried it as pork ribs, stewed winter melon, steamed rice... and then buried the body in a mass grave! It is said that for two months There were hundreds of people eating there! Hey, just talking about it gives me chills and goosebumps all over my body!"

The waiter in the restaurant crossed his arms and rubbed them back and forth, shuddering. He was timid and did not dare to talk any more.

Under the continuous urging of the old Taoist priest and Commander Zhang, the restaurant waiter continued reluctantly: "If this cannibal maniac hadn't gone crazy after eating too much human flesh, he would have reported the case to the Yamen himself. Someone called a bone picker died in his home, and he exposed himself, who knows how many more people he will kill and eat before he is discovered!"

"Because this case was so bizarre and had such a bad impact that people felt nauseated when they heard the word 'pork ribs', so this 'bone-picking and cannibalism case' was taken over by Dali Temple..."

Dali Temple specializes in handling major, important, special, and bizarre cases. This "bone-picking and cannibalism case" is bizarre enough, so it is normal for Dali Temple to take over the case.

Having said this, the waiter in the restaurant looked at Commander Zhang and asked hesitantly if he wanted to order the roasted pork ribs with red milkstone? Nowadays, no one eats pork ribs, so the dishes prepared every day cannot be sold out. Now, you can enjoy a 50% discount on the roasted pork ribs with red milk stone. If no one orders pork ribs in two days, the restaurant will stop stocking pork ribs to stop losses.

"Yes! You would be a fool not to take advantage of it!"

"Red milkstone roasted pork ribs, winter melon pork ribs soup, glutinous rice steamed pork ribs, garlic pork ribs, yam and dendrobium pork ribs...let's try them all. These are all pork ribs, do they all enjoy a 50% discount?" the old Taoist asked. Read the bamboo menu.

Restaurant waiter: "?"

Other diners: "?"

Ah hey!

At least you should respect the pork ribs!

Why do I feel that these Taoist priests are more powerful than cannibals!

"Commander Zhang, Taoist, I saved you a lot of money today." At the end, the old Taoist winked at Commander Zhang.

"!" Commander Zhang has been completely petrified.