Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng embarked on a journey to the north together, but Yuan Tang, who was trapped in the capital, was not so lucky. He could neither get the imperial edict of the Zhao Kingdom nor walk through the secret passage of the North City Gate. He tried several times. Following the caravan to smuggle out of the city, they have all failed.
With the escalation of the frontier war, more and more bad news came back to the court, and the emperor's indignation against Yuan Tang became more and more intense. From a few days ago, even the masters of the palace were ordered by the emperor to arrest Yuan. Tang.
Just last night, Yuan Tang encountered three waves of great masters, which caused him to lose contact with his subordinates. Just before dawn, he finally broke out of the siege, but he also paid a terrible price.
His right arm was slashed, and if he encounters a great master again, he cannot guarantee that he will be able to escape by chance.
"He is injured and can't go far. You guys, go over there, and the rest come with me!"
Yuan Tang covered his right arm tightly and hid in a family's stable. Hearing the voice of the master outside the courtyard wall, he couldn't help showing a bit of irritability and despair in his eyes.
He is the sixth prince of the Chen country, the queen has passed away, his mother concubine has the highest position in the harem. After his mother and concubine are the same as the deputy, his ancestral family is the Rong family that holds military power. He is the most honorable prince of the Chen country. I haven't suffered much since I was born.
Even when he came to Zhao Kingdom as a pledge, it was just to take credit and become a prince more logically.
Thanks to the gift of his uncle, Prince Bo, he has eaten all the hardships he had suffered from his 20 years of birth in the past few days.
"His-"
The wound hurts again.
Yuan Tang frowned.
Just at this moment, the servant of the house came over, and suddenly saw a strange man in the stable with blood dripping from his arms, and the servant instinctively screamed: "Ah—"
Yuan Tang stunned him with a knife.
But the voice still came out, and the Guards rushed towards the stable.
Yuan Tang had to leave again, looking for the next hiding place.
The front and back were full of the Janissaries, the right side was a dead end, and there was only a carriage parked on the left side, Yuan Tang had no choice but to hide in!
The carriage doesn't look like much, but it's quite spacious inside, and it's also a little particular. The bench is covered with a cover. He lifts the cover and puts his tall body under the bench.
In such a narrow space, he was really aggrieved to death for such a big man.
"Master Xiao, please walk slowly!"
In the study next to the carriage, the boss personally sent Xiao Heng out.
"Please stay." Xiao Heng nodded, and after speaking to the boss, he turned around and got into the carriage that was parked on the side of the road.
The coachman came out of the study with a large pile of the Four Treasures of the Study.
Xiao Heng just received a transfer order from the Ministry of Officials this morning, appointing him as the Order of the Fifth Grade Penalty Department.
The decree is mainly responsible for organizing files, managing official seals, and drafting documents.
His official position in the Hanlin Academy has not changed, but at the same time he also holds the post of Shuling.
This is the idea of the Minister of Punishment. It was submitted to the Ministry of Personnel as early as last month. The positions of the six departments are different from those of the Imperial Academy, and they are not under the jurisdiction of the cabinet. , and then submit it to the emperor, and the emperor will look over it.
It is very rare for officials to hold multiple positions, especially in cross-departmental ones. The requirements for officials themselves are extremely high. No matter their strength, energy or literacy, they must be much better than their colleagues.
The emperor was worried that Xiao Liulang would not be able to bear it, and he was also worried that he would be crowded out if he was too popular.
The emperor called Lao Jijiu into the palace and asked him for his opinion. Lao Jijiu didn't expect this at first, but now someone has set a precedent, and he was eager to send Xiao Heng to a high position.
"Right now is the time to employ people. Your Majesty might as well let Xiao Liulang give it a try. If you can't take care of it, then make another plan."
The emperor felt that what Lao Jijiu said was reasonable, so he approved Xiao Liulang's official position.
Xiao Heng had just finished reporting to the Department of Punishment, and was about to return to the Hanlin Academy. When he passed by this study, he remembered that his home was running out of ink, so he stopped the carriage and bought some.
As soon as he got into the carriage, he noticed something was wrong.
The curtains of the car were open, and the car was very ventilated, but he still smelled a faint smell of blood.
"Master Xiao, I've put my things here." The coachman put a large box of the Four Treasures of the Study Room on the floor of the carriage. He was not as sensitive as Xiao Heng and didn't notice anything unusual, "Are you going back to the Hanlin Academy now? Do you want to buy more? something else?"
"No." Xiao Heng said.
"Okay, then I'm going out." The driver lowered the curtain and sat back on the bench outside.
Xiao Heng did not sit down in a hurry, but watched the bench covered with brocade with vigilance.
Under the bench, Yuan Tang clenched his wound tightly, sweat dripping from his forehead due to tension and pain.
He didn't know whose carriage it was, but he heard the driver call the other party, Sir Xiao, and asked him if he wanted to go to the Hanlin Academy. There was only one official surnamed Xiao in the Hanlin Academy, and that was Dr. Gu's husband, Xiao Liulang.
Yuan Tang and Xiao Liulang have not formally met each other, but have met several times from a distance, knowing that he is Doctor Gu's husband, the champion of the new division, and now works in the Hanlin Academy.
As for whether Xiao Heng knew him or not, Yuan Tang was not sure.
But if he really saw what he looked like at this time, Xiao Liulang should be able to guess who he was even if he didn't know him.
Whether Xiao Liulang was an enemy or a friend, Yuan Tang did not dare to draw conclusions lightly. Although he was Gu Jiao's husband, he was also an official of the imperial court, so he had to be arrested and brought to justice.
Yuan Tang bit his lip to keep himself from making a sound.
He had no intention of hurting Gu Jiao's family, but if... he meant that if he really wanted to arrest him, he would have to offend him!
"Whose carriage is ahead?"
A group of janissaries stopped opposite the carriage, and it was the commander who led the questioning.
They chased all the way just now and surrounded the surroundings, but that kid Yuan Tang seemed to have disappeared.
They speculated that Yuan Tang must have been hiding under their noses, either in a nearby shop or in a passing carriage.
Xiao Heng looked at the bloodstains slowly flowing out from under the bench, his eyes moved slightly, turned around and walked forward, lifted the hem of his clothes and sat down, and his right foot happened to step on the bloodstains that flowed out.
The coachman negotiated with the Guards, opened the curtain a little, and said to Xiao Heng: "Master Xiao, the Guards said that they were arresting Chen Guo's protons, and hoped to search our carriage."
Xiao Heng raised his hand and gave him a gesture to open the curtain.
The coachman bowed, and raised the curtain to the maximum, so that the praetorian guards could see the scene of the carriage.
Xiao Heng sat in the carriage unsmilingly. His appearance was young and handsome, but his aura was extraordinarily powerful. His eyes showed an aura that was not angry and arrogant: "A few adults need to come up and search carefully?"
The commander was amazed by Xiao Liulang's appearance and aura, and he was stunned for a while before he regained his senses. Perhaps realizing that he had lost his way, he lowered his head in a panic, and bowed his hands: "No need! The little ones have seen it clearly. , I disturbed Master Xiao, and I hope Master Xiao will forgive me!"
Xiao Heng was a person highly valued by both the emperor and the empress dowager. Even if the commander had the guts, he would not dare to offend him easily, not to mention that he was staring at others just now, which was rude.
"It's okay." Xiao Heng said.
The commander said politely: "Then the little ones will continue to look for someone, Master Xiao is leaving."
Xiao Heng nodded: "Farewell."
The commander planned to take the rest of the Guards to search the nearby shops. As soon as he turned around, he heard a sound dripping on the ground. The sound was very light, but there were not many people on the street at this moment, and the surroundings were quiet.
Yuan Tang suddenly changed color!
His blood dripped down the cracks in the floor to the ground!
It's over!
He's about to be discovered!
"What are you doing!" Xiao Heng said sharply to the driver, "How long do you want this official to bleed? Why don't you go to the hospital soon!"
The driver was taken aback.
Are adults hurt
when
Xiao Heng's burst of aura was so powerful that the driver didn't have the guts to ask him what was wrong, he hurriedly lowered the curtain of the car, and said, "Yes! Yes! I'll go to the hospital when I'm young!"
The moment before the curtain was lowered, the commander saw blood oozing from Xiao Liulang's right foot.
So is it really that Mr. Xiao was injured
The commander's brows wrinkled, he suspected a little bit, but he was afraid of Xiao Liulang's identity, and at the same time he didn't think Xiao Liulang would lie, so he didn't go to check in the end.
The driver drove the carriage towards the nearest medical center, but suddenly heard Master Xiao in the carriage say, "Stop going to the medical center, go to the North City Gate."
"Ah?" The driver was startled again, "Master Xiao, aren't you injured? The hospital is coming soon."
"I remembered that there was gold sore medicine on the carriage. I'll just apply some ointment myself."
"Well, that's fine." The driver was at a loss, completely ignorant of how the lord turned so fast, "Is the lord going to the North City Gate?"
Xiao Heng said in his usual tone: "I originally planned to go in the afternoon, but after thinking about it, it's better to go now."
"Okay." The driver was humble and did not dare to ask Xiao Heng's official business. He drove the carriage to the North City Gate.
Xiao Heng showed the token of the Ministry of Punishment: "Investigate the case."
The city guards let go.
Xiao Heng went to the nearest inn outside the North City Gate.
"You give the horse something to eat," he ordered the coachman.
"Yes."
The coachman unloaded the reins and the carriage, and took the horse to the stable of the inn.
Xiao Heng got off the carriage with a light expression.
He sat in the inn for a quarter of an hour before returning to the carriage. At this time, Yuan Tang's breath was no longer in the carriage.
The coachman came over with the well-fed horse: "Sir!"
Xiao Heng said indifferently, "Return to Beijing."
(End of this chapter)