When the gate of the Martial Arts Institute was opened, the soldiers guarding the gate saw the amiable Mr. Fang as usual. They all have a very good impression of this young talent who is very popular in Chang'an City now, because Mr. Xiao Fang does not have any domineering aura, nor does he have any hypocritical politeness. He would always say hello with a smile, without any affectation in his smile.
In order to show their etiquette, some rich children would also nod to them. But the soldiers could tell that they were not in the eyes of those people at all. Master Xiaofang was different, he really didn't regard himself as a big shot, but greeted the soldiers at the same height.
"Have you eaten? I heard that the cafeteria has new dishes."
The soldiers also smiled and talked to Fang Xie, it felt more like neighbors living on the same street.
Fang Jie nodded with a smile and said: "I have eaten, the food outside is cheaper and more affordable. The food in the cafeteria of Yanwu Academy is not only expensive but also delicious. One meal in the cafeteria is enough to eat outside for three days. It is said All the money in the cafeteria goes into Dean Zhou’s pocket, and Dean Zhou never eats in the cafeteria.”
"Ha ha."
The soldiers laughed at Master Xiao Fang's straightforwardness.
Fang Jie walked into the door with a smile, and suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind. He looked back, and it turned out that it was Zhang Kuang, whom he hadn't seen for a while. The latter held a greased paper bag in his left hand, and kept pinching the bag with his right hand and stuffing it into his mouth. So when Fang Jie's name was called, his voice was a bit vague, it seemed that he ate very deliciously.
"Second brother, where have you been these days?"
Fang Jie asked with a smile.
Students from the frontier army used to call Mo Xidao the eldest brother and Zhang Kuang the second brother.
"Where can I go... I don't have the money to go to the brothel for entertainment, and I don't have the money to go to Hongxiu Zhao to watch dances and listen to music."
Zhang Kuang teased, "It's no match for Mr. Xiao Fang."
Fang Jie punched him on the shoulder and said, "The mouth is getting more and more stinky."
Zhang Kuang laughed loudly: "After class was suspended, I planned to spend half a month in the courtyard. Later, I thought about how to play with no money, so I simply asked Brother Mo, and the two of us left Chang'an City and planned to leave the city. There are places with good scenery around. The sky is high and the land is wide outside, and I feel very comfortable after walking these days. I originally planned to ask you to go with me, but Brother Mo said that you must have a lot of things to do, why don't we just relax? I didn't find you."
Fang Jie let out a hum, rubbed the corners of his eyebrows and said, "There's nothing to do. I'm the first one to come back to the courtyard every day. I'm either studying or discussing with Xie Fuyao. If you find me, I'll definitely follow you." .”
Zhang Kuang hummed and said: "But let's not talk about it, when I didn't go out before, I didn't think it would be interesting to take a look, but when I really went out, I realized that I only wanted to look at the scenery and people. It’s also a very enjoyable thing. Brother Mo and I have been out since the day the class was suspended, and we walked and watched all the way, but we didn’t want to come back.”
"Where's Brother Mo?"
asked the scenery.
"Brother hasn't come back yet. I waited for the city gate to open and entered the city early in the morning. He said that he would go to the town outside the city. Did he actually fall in love with the old man's daughter who sells tea? Hehe, this is the first time I saw Brother Mo is interested in women."
Fang Jie thought about it carefully, but he didn't remember that the man selling tea outside the city brought his daughter out.
"correct… "
Zhang Kuang asked as he walked: "On New Year's Eve, Your Majesty held a banquet for the officials in the palace. Is there anything new? I thought that there would be Brother Mo in the list of ten people, but who would have thought that there would be none. According to his cultivation, Brother Mo is here It must not be difficult to be ranked in the top ten among the hundreds of students in the Academy of Martial Arts. Thinking about it later... this list is not based on ability... "
After saying this, he quickly changed his words: "I'm not talking about you, I just feel unfair for Brother Mo."
"Brother Mo is too straight-tempered, it wouldn't be a bad thing if there was a quarrel in front of His Majesty."
Fang Jie explained: "Mo Wanwu mentioned to me that Brother Mo was originally arranged, but was rejected by Dean Zhou. I was worried that he would be too straightforward and tough-tempered at the banquet. This is also for Brother Mo's benefit."
Zhang Kuang said: "It's not bad to say that. Brother Mo is indeed too stubborn... By the way, I also heard that Prince Yi has been very close to you recently. Do you want to win you over? Fang Jie said something to me. I don't know if I should say it or not, but as an elder brother, I can't just watch you go astray... Prince Yi is not a kind person, you'd better not get too close to him. If anything happens, ruin the It's your future."
Fang Jie hummed and said: "Prince Yi is just an idle prince, what to do to win me over, I just met once in private and gave me some gifts."
"I still think that person is not as simple as it seems."
Zhang Kuang said in a very serious tone: "Didn't you listen to the students in the courtyard discussing in private? They are all saying that Prince Yi wants to re-enter the court to take power, and also wants to go to the northwest to preside over the war against Meng Yuan. When adults meet, who knows what he is thinking? Fang Jie, although your status is not what it used to be, but you can't afford to play with those big men, so don't fall into it."
"Don't worry, brother."
Fang Jie smiled and said: "You don't even think about it, why is Prince Yi recruiting me? I'm a poor student who won't be able to play in the martial arts academy in two years. He just wants to put on an appearance of being a virtuous corporal. I don't have much room It is worthy of his attention, I have self-knowledge."
"It's not like that."
Zhang Kuang said: "In case Prince Yi really has the idea of going to the northwest to lead the army, he will naturally win you over. You are from the Fan Gu frontier army, and few people know the Mongolian people on the side of Langru Mountain better than you. "
Fang Jie hummed and said, "I'm sure I won't fall into it."
Zhang Kuang smiled and said: "That's good, I'm also worried about you, all of us from the frontier army are good brothers, especially you are the youngest and the most accomplished, Brother Mo and I are afraid that you will get lost in the rhetoric of those big figures in the court inside."
Fang Jie nodded, feeling a slight twitch in his heart.
…
…
northwest.
Li Xiaozong sat in the tent, a little idling. During these days, General Li Yuanshan deliberately alienated him for some reason, and almost no longer let him lead the army. Even the leaders only took the scouts to inquire about the enemy's situation, or followed the supply battalion to take care of the distributed supplies.
This made Li Xiaozong feel very bad, he always had the illusion that his life was coming to an end. The more confused the heart is, the worse it is to sleep at night. Especially in the past few days, I don't know why he dreams of Fan Gu's subordinates every night. The dozens of subordinates who were tortured to death by Wu Peisheng wailed pitifully in his dreams every day. He even dreamed one night that these people stood in a circle beside his bed, not talking, just looking at him so coldly.
He wanted to open his eyes but couldn't do it at all. He woke up at the moment when the ghosts around the bed rushed up, and his body was already dripping with sweat.
He even saw Wu Peisheng among those ghosts, which made him even more frightened. Why did Wu Peisheng die? Few people knew the inside story. He was one of them, and Wu Peisheng was killed by himself. Because of this, Li Yuanshan held him in high regard. But now, the time has come for Li Yuanshan to exclude him, and this is the reason why Li Xiaozong is uneasy.
Unload the mill and kill the donkey.
Although this word is not pleasant to hear, it is what Li Xiaozong feels.
Just when he was frowning, someone outside shouted, opened the curtain and walked in. He raised his head to look, and saw that he was newly assigned to his bodyguard team. It is said that this person was recruited by his family to join the expedition team.
Li Xiaozong didn't even have a good impression of this person because he couldn't even enter the Academy of Martial Arts. Although he didn't rank in the top three when he was in the Martial Arts Academy, there is no problem in ranking in the top five. And a person who couldn't even get into the Martial Arts Academy was appointed as a bodyguard for him, so he naturally didn't like it.
"sit down."
Li Xiaozong waved his hand casually, with a cold attitude.
"Beside the general, the subordinates can only stand."
The man held the horizontal knife at his waist and said solemnly: "Because I am your personal soldier, if I get used to sitting next to you, I will become unresponsive."
Li Xiaozong was surprised by these words, he thought this guy was just someone from the family who spent money to get into the army to gain qualifications, and nine out of ten he was just a dandy. Unexpectedly, he was able to say such words, which greatly changed Li Xiaozong's impression of him.
"Your name is Cui?"
Li Xiaozong asked.
"Yes, my subordinate's surname is Cui, and my name is Lueshang. He is a Taoist from Hedong."
"The Cui family in Hedong Road is actually a famous family."
Li Xiaozong nodded and asked again: "I heard that last year you went to Chang'an City to take the exam for the Academy of Martial Arts? Those who were selected as students are all top talents in each city. Be a soldier for me. Don't you feel bad?"
The team leader from this new assignment turned out to be Cui Lueshang who sadly left Chang'an.
He glanced at Li Xiaozong, and then replied in a solemn tone: "The reason why this subordinate can be selected as a student is not because of his extraordinary talent, but because his aunt was conferred the concubine last year. The subordinate was directly dismissed during the examination, and he will not be allowed to be an official for five years. The subordinate's family spent a lot of money to let the subordinate enter the Western Expeditionary Army."
Li Xiaozong was slightly taken aback again, he did not expect this young man named Cui Lueshang to be so honest. Even the matter of being expelled from the Academy of Martial Arts has been revealed, and no one would like to mention such a shameful experience.
"You tell the truth about yourself like this, without hiding anything, are you not afraid that I will tell it?"
Cui Lueshang stood up straight, and said word by word: "I am your bodyguard. From today onwards, my life will be bound in front of you. If I still have something to hide from you, and I can't be honest with you, I will I'm afraid I won't be able to live long on the battlefield. I don't want to die, so please don't doubt the purpose of my coming. I'm just a person who wants to prove myself again, and this opportunity is in your hands."
He looked down at the armor on his body. After a moment of silence, he continued, "It's my honor if the general trusts me. If the general doesn't trust me, I won't die after you on the battlefield."
Li Xiaozong's eyes lit up, and he looked at the young man in front of him with admiration.
"Cui Lue Shang."
He nodded, remembering the name in his heart.
"I'm not very good here. If you want to make meritorious service to prove yourself, you seem to have come to the wrong place."
Cui Lue said: "Whether I can prove myself through meritorious deeds is up to the general. Now that my subordinates are here, the only thing I have to do now is to protect your safety. Whether I can go to the battlefield depends on the general, not the subordinates. Apart from trusting you, the general There is no other choice."
"good."
Li Xiaozong's gloom over the past few days was blown away by the young man's honesty, and he became more at ease: "Just wait, I will not let you down!"