That night, everyone set up a meal.
"Tell me about you." Li Jinglong taught a lesson while holding a chopstick, "Anyway, I have to kneel down."
Mo Zhigen replied: "Where did you think of so much?"
Artest said with a helpless face: "Our family has a special license, and we didn't kneel when we met Emperor Taizong."
Li Jinglong: "..."
Mo Zhigen said: "To tell you the truth, Chang Shi, my family also has a special license. You don't have to kneel when you meet the emperor of Zhongtu, and you can pass a thousand calls."
Li Jinglong looked at Qiu Yongsi, and Qiu Yongsi said: "Our family... there were saints in our ancestors, so we don't have to kneel... er, we don't kneel to mortals."
Li Jinglong raised his hand, meaning it's okay, I'm kneeling anyway, it's none of your business.
Hong Jun was still eating the pastry from noon to night, Li Jinglong glanced at him and asked, "What is your background?"
Hong Jun said: "My father said that our family would not kneel when we saw the Jade Emperor and the Buddha."
Everyone: "..."
"Hongjun!" The carp demon served food beside the case, stopping him from talking nonsense so as not to reveal too much of his life experience. Hong Jun said again: "But next time you tell me in advance, it doesn't matter if you let me kneel down. Anyway, my father doesn't know, because he is afraid that the person who kneels will shorten his life."
Qiu Yongsi suddenly smiled and said: "Then next time you see some monster, kneel down with a plop, kowtow three times to the monster, and break its Yangshou, it's over, and everyone doesn't have to fight so hard. "
"Yes!" Hong Jun suddenly felt that it seemed to make sense, and he could try it next time.
"You guys..." Li Jinglong could hardly bear it anymore, and said, "Come and eat, Hong Jun, don't eat that cake anymore, you can't eat."
"You underestimate people!" Hong Jun simply sneered at Li Jinglong's provocation.
Li Jinglong was always frowning, and after waking up from sleep, the troubles that should be there are still there, and they are not at all better. The case of the Exorcist Department is still not closed, Hong Jun's flying knife has not been found yet, Daming Palace will come to the door soon to make money, the overheard conversation with the flying mastiff last night seems to have something hidden... Forget it, eat first, finish eating Let’s talk about the meal, you’ll feel better if you’re full.
For a while, no one in the hall spoke, and it seemed that everyone had their own concerns. Finally, Li Jinglong put down the bowl and breathed a sigh of relief. Qiu Yongsi went to make tea, and Artai comforted him with a smile: "Chang Shi, there are no difficulties in life, let's talk about it." .”
"What are you going to do again?!" Li Jinglong's scalp tingled suddenly, and he said, "Don't do it!"
Li Jinglong looked at the subordinates in front of him warily, for fear that something big would happen again.
Artest said: "Some things cannot always be kept from you..."
Li Jinglong's heart suddenly sank to the bottom of the valley, thinking that he would be dead anyway, so he said: "Forget it, count me as unlucky, let's talk, anyway, I lost a big scar on my head."
"It's not that serious." Artest said, "Changshi, actually...I lied to you earlier, my name is not Hammurabi. My surname is Yisai, and my full name is Tigra Yisai. I am not Tocharians, my homeland is Persia."
Li Jinglong looked puzzled, and said, "What's wrong with Yisiai? Yisiai..."
Li Jinglong reacted in an instant and was shocked.
"You... you belong to Sassan..." Li Jinglong trembled, "The crown prince?!"
Artest said with a little melancholy: "It should be called the 'former Sasanian Dynasty'. After all, my father, grandfather, mother, and family members... all passed away, and I am the only one left."
Hong Jun didn't know what the "Sasanian Dynasty" was, but when he heard about the death of his relatives, thinking of himself, he still couldn't help but patted Artest on the shoulder as a sign of comfort.
Li Jinglong was in extreme shock, frowning deeply, and asked, "Why...don't you go to see Your Majesty?"
"The family failed to fulfill its previous promise." Artest stroked his brown curly hair and said calmly, "Great-grandfather lost the Anxi Protectorate granted by Datang in the Battle of Talas, and grandfather borrowed troops from Datang again. Restoring the country, the result..."
"As a result, after being sent to Tochara, the army left on its own." Li Jinglong replied.
Artest felt slightly surprised, and asked, "You know?"
Li Jinglong asked back: "And then?"
Artest sighed. That year Isai defeated Persia, the capital was occupied by the Great Food Army, and the royal family began to go into exile. Yisiai III, also Artest's great-grandfather, borrowed troops from the Tang Dynasty, set up the Anxi Governor's Mansion, and later built the Persian Governor's Mansion in Jiling.
But the good times didn't last long. In just a few years, the last Persian territory supported by Datang also fell under the attack of big cannibals. His son, Artest's grandfather Belus, brought Artest's father Ni Nirvana back to borrow troops.
After Gaozong Lizhi sent the army, he escorted them back to Tocharo. After decades, the previous deployment had already fallen apart, and the hearts of the people were scattered. The then leader Pei Xingjian sent the displaced Persian prince to Tocharo, and then withdrew his troops and left. go.
Ni Nirvana then re-entered Zhongtu, and the Tang Dynasty had long been different. Zhongzong Li Xian named him General Zuoweiwei, and no longer mentioned the matter of borrowing troops. After just two years, Ni Nirvana saw that there was no hope of restoring the country, so he returned to Tochara. Ten years later, he gave birth to a son named Tigra, who was Artest in front of him.
From the moment Persia destroyed the country, the four Persian princes have all traveled thousands of miles for this vague wish, from the Western Regions to the Middle Earth, and then out of the Western Regions. On such an autumn night, it is quite a bit strange to tell it from Artest's mouth. The taste of desolation and despair.
"Pei Xingjian is my grandfather." Li Jinglong said suddenly.
Artest: "..."
"I'm sorry about what happened back then." Li Jinglong sighed.
"What does it have to do with you?" Artest laughed and said, "If it were me, there would be no hope of restoring the country, and I would not give the lives of 20,000 soldiers to the Western Regions."
Li Jinglong sighed, and Mo Zhigen replied: "The soldiers of the Great Food Kingdom are sharp and brave, and it is not a smart strategy to fight tough battles for a long time. We must try to disintegrate from the inside."
Artest nodded and said: "Actually, I know that my father told me to give up before he died. He said, 'Artest, I hope you can live your life well and don't spend your whole life like me and your grandfather. ...'."
Speaking of this, Artest fell silent. After a long silence, Hong Jun said: "But you still hope to do it, don't you?"
Artest smiled, but there was a bit of sadness in that smile. Hong Jun can understand him very well, just before he went down the mountain, Chongming and Qingxiong also had the same expectation for him. Although they all said it was fine, Hong Jun also felt that he must do it.
It's just that the person who made him sympathize with Artest the most was that the person he placed his hopes on was already dead.
"How many people are there in your subordinates now?" Li Jinglong asked, "Have you brought them here?"
Li Jinglong's words came straight to the point, and Artest's eyes suddenly ignited hope.
"They are all in Tochara." Artest replied, "There are more than a hundred people, led by a friend of mine."
Li Jinglong let out a long breath, got up and walked out of the courtyard, pondered for a moment, and asked, "A-Tai, how did you learn this skill?"
Artest was born when Master Nirvana was 50 years old. Zoroastrianism, once the state religion of Persia, was naturally replaced after the fall of the Sasanian Dynasty. Harness the power of the four ring spirits of fire, earth, thunder, and water, and can even control the hurricane fan. He was regarded as the Prince of Shengde who restored the country and revived the religion, but the high priest died earlier than the nirvana master. Now there are still many Zoroastrians in China, but they have disappeared in the Great Food Kingdom.
"What do you need me to do for you?" Li Jinglong turned around and asked.
"I am willing to give my strength to Chang'an." Artest replied, "Datang is our strongest ally in Persia. I can do anything here. I hope that one day, the emperor of Datang can borrow my troops. Let me take it back to the country."
How easy is it? Everyone in the hall knew it well, not to mention whether the emperor would like to offend the Great Food Kingdom, even if he sent troops, what were the chances of winning
"I try my best."
Finally, Li Jinglong said seriously: "But this matter cannot be rushed for a while."
Artai nodded, and replied: "This time I came to Chang'an, I have already prepared myself. In the prosperous age, I am tired. If the demon king in Chang'an is not eliminated, I am afraid that the Tang Dynasty will not be able to take care of himself. I have no way to borrow my soldiers and horses." rise."
Li Jinglong frowned instantly: "Demon King?"
Qiu Yongsi said lightly: "Wherever a large number of demon clans gather, there must be a demon king. Now in Chang'an, there must be two kings. One is the real dragon emperor seen today. The other is in the dark. The place is the demon king who controls nearly ten thousand demon clans in this capital city."
Mo Zhigen thought for a while and said, "I don't know about Hongjun, but I'll tell you the truth... the three of us are all here for this demon king."
"Where is the demon king?" Li Jinglong just asked, when there was another visitor outside.
"Exorcism Division Li Changshi." Lian Hao said politely outside the door, "Huang Yong and Huang Shaoqing of Dali Temple are welcome."
Li Jinglong's heart suddenly thumped, knowing that the Daming Palace Dongchuang incident had happened, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, but Li Jinglong refused to let them go when he was about to get up, and motioned for himself to settle it.
"Will he be tied up and beaten?"
Hong Jun had lingering fears about the screams of the tortured prisoners he heard when he went to Dali Temple last time.
Qiu Yongsi comforted: "Impossible, if you don't come back tomorrow morning, let's find a way to find someone."
"The money is all spent, and such a big event happened." Artest said, "I don't know anyone in Chang'an, how can I make money?"
Mo Zhigen held his forehead with one hand, worked so hard to catch a monster, and now he wants to catch his boss, and he doesn't know what he did wrong.
"Come on!" Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Artest suggested, "Forget about those bad things, let me play a tune for you!"
Qiu Yongsi couldn't help asking: "Do you think Chang Shi listened?"
Artest plucked the strings, and replied: "I think he listened, but you... it's better not to say too much."
Hongjun: "??"
"Including you." Mo Zhigen said to Hongjun, "Hongjun, you trust people too easily."
Hong Jun felt that the other two must have some unspeakable secrets, but Artest was actually the prince of Persia, which he never expected.
"Are you princes too?" Hong Jun asked.
I thought that both Mo Zhigen and Qiu Yongsi had to smile, but Mo Zhigen nodded and said, "It's about it."
"Uh..." Qiu Yongsi replied, "It's hard to say, I don't know if I am, but it's barely, if you admit it."
The carp demon got up from the pond, put his head on the edge of the pond, and said: "Our family Hongjun is also a prince, who is not a prince?"
Everyone laughed, Artest raised his palm to clap with Hongjun, and said, "I knew it!"
"Good!"
Because of a common identity, everyone has drawn a lot closer to each other. Ah Tai was about to play the piano, Hong Jun couldn't help but asked again: "A Tai, I really want to listen to the piano, but let me interrupt again, where is the demon king?"
Artest raised his head, and everyone paused.
Mo Zhigen asked: "Are you looking for it too?"
Hong Jun thought about it, looked at the carp demon, and nodded when he saw that the carp demon did not speak.
"Why?" Qiu Yongsi asked.
"That's all." Mo Zhigen signaled Qiu Yongsi not to ask, and said, "It doesn't matter, Hong Jun, you are on our side."
"Of course." Hong Jun understood the meaning of Mo Zhigen's words, and said, "Whether it is to surrender or get rid of, I am its enemy."
Everyone showed expressions of "That's good", Qiu Yongsi walked a few steps in the courtyard, and said: "The demon king has never appeared in the world, and now no one knows its identity and real body. But one thing we can be sure of is that it is far away from the world. The emperor is very close, even at his side."
"That's a black dragon." Hong Jun said suddenly.
The rest of the three were startled, Mo Zhigen unconsciously licked his lower lip, and Qiu Yongsi said: "I knew it was! Look for it slowly, there are always clues to find it. Compared with its hiding place, I am more The worry is that with our current strength, we may not be its opponent."
Hong Jun sighed, and said: "I lost one of the four flying knives. If I can get back the lost Tianlei Knife, the flying knives will be able to exert their strongest power. Now I can only fight little monsters, which is really impossible .”
Hong Jun's identity is the most mysterious. Although others don't know where he came from, what they can be sure of is: this kid doesn't eat fireworks in the world, and he is very likely to be the disciple of some immortal god. But he neither said nor asked many questions.
"So, Kong Hongjun, you came to Chang'an to subdue the Demon King?" Artest asked.
All three looked at Hongjun, who nodded and said, "Yes."
Everyone was relieved, obviously guessing Hongjun's identity a lot, and the one who guessed the most was the Yaozu - a carp demon was following him, and it was probably not his own. But as long as the goals are consistent in the short term, everything is easy to say.
"For our common goal, subdue the Demon King of Chang'an." Artest said, "Let's listen to the impassioned battle music!"
Everyone cheered together, no matter how difficult the future is, it’s okay to be poor and happy once in a while, so Artest started to play the piano, Hong Jun went to find a bowl and beat it, and everyone started to listen to the song.
At the same time, Li Jinglong stood in the brightly lit trial hall of Dali Temple, exhausted physically and mentally. The rice cooked by the carp demon at night was too salty, which made him very thirsty.
Qin Xiaokang, minister of the Ministry of Industry, Wen You, minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Huang Yong, the young minister of Dali Temple, Hu Sheng, the old boss, Tu Ziwen, the commander of the Shenwu Army, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Gao Lishi, the great eunuch sitting in the center, all the senior officials gathered, Inquiring in name, but actually interrogating Li Jinglong, the only thing missing is the shackles.
To have Qiu Yongsi's magic, what Li Jinglong wants to do most now is to take all these people into the painting with a swipe of his pen, to restore the purity of his ears, and to restore the peace of the Tang Dynasty.
"From the beginning to the end, I have said it three times." Li Jinglong said, "I swear, there is absolutely nothing to hide."
Gao Lishi held the power in his hands, and he was at the height of his power. The Exorcism Department was still under the jurisdiction of Yang Guozhong in name, and for Yang Guozhong's sake, it was fine to make small troubles. However, Li Jinglong led a group of subordinates to destroy at least 10% of the Daming Palace, and explained that it was "catching monsters". How will this end
"I believe you." Gao Lishi smiled, "But how do you want me to repay Your Majesty?"
"Report the truth." Li Jinglong was not afraid at all, "The monster clan in Chang'an has been suffering for a long time, and all this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, we will find out the demon king behind it, and I am afraid that General Gao will report it. too much."
As soon as the words came out, everyone was shocked when they heard the word "Demon King".
"It's simply alarmist." Wen You, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, couldn't bear it, "Li Jinglong, I think you are crazy!"
Li Jinglong laughed loudly and said: "Then how do you explain the confessions of the palace people who witnessed the passing of the Daming Palace, and the soldiers who saw the monster at the city gate? Even President Hu, are you crazy together? "
Hu Sheng's expression became extremely weird in an instant, and at this moment he knew that he had stepped into Li Jinglong's trap.
Li Jinglong wanted to keep an eyewitness no matter what this time, but now Hu Sheng couldn't get rid of it, so he had to say: "I saw the fox monster with my own eyes, and it was indeed as Li Jinglong said, and I don't know what happened next."
Gao Lishi was stunned, but Qin Xiaokang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, said: "Let's say it's true, how can you justify the destruction of Daming Palace?"
"It was destroyed by monsters." Li Jinglong said, "It has nothing to do with me or my subordinates."
"That means, let's go to the monster to claim compensation?" the Minister of Rites said slowly.
Li Jinglong couldn't bear it anymore, and said, "Masters, do you know how many people will die in the future if those monsters are allowed to wreak havoc in Chang'an?"
"Li Jinglong." Gao Lishi frowned deeply, and said impatiently, "You can do it, don't argue anymore, just go out."
Li Jinglong: "..."
Li Jinglong's blood rushed to his head in an instant, and he almost couldn't control himself to quarrel, but the criminal guards of the Dali Temple on the left and right pinched him forward, forcing him out.
"This lunatic was handpicked by the imperial concubine. I wanted to send him away on a non-existent errand, but I didn't expect such a big incident to happen just after taking office..."
This was the last sentence Li Jinglong heard Qin Xiaokang say before the trial hall closed. Immediately, the criminal guards took him to the dark school field outside the trial hall and asked him to wait for the result.
"Do you believe it?" Gao Lishi asked again.
The attendees waited for you to look at me and I to look at you, no one dared to speak, and most of them believed in their hearts, otherwise there would be no way to explain such strange things.
Huang Yong said: "In my opinion, it is better to deal with and close the case first on the grounds that the Daming Palace was hit by a hurricane overnight and the rammed earth loosened, and then the Ministry of Industry will send skilled craftsmen to repair it day and night..."
The Minister of the Ministry of Industry snorted, meaning that the disaster caused by your Dali Temple, why should the Ministry of Industry be responsible for it
Gao Lishi smiled and spread his hands, and said, "The Exorcism Division is under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Yang, what can we do?"
"I'm afraid the Prime Minister on the right doesn't know about it yet," said Wen You, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice.
"This time I'm on the right side's face, what about next time?" Qin Xiaokang said coldly, "The next time?"
"What can I do?" Gao Lishi smiled, "I'm also very distressed. Everyone, I should be drinking at home at this moment. I was called here in the middle of the night and heard such a heavenly story."
"Now that I believe it," Huang Yong said, "it's no longer a story. Back then, Mr. Di founded the Exorcism Division precisely for..."
"Regardless of whether it is true or not." Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice interrupted coldly, "Once this matter gets out, Chang'an's heart will be panicked, and it will be out of control. He must not be allowed to go on like this. This inexplicable yamen must be shut down. No matter how fierce the monster is, it is still made of flesh and blood, so if the case is left in the Dali Temple, you can't catch the monster?"
Wen You is Huang Yong's immediate boss, so Huang Yong had no choice but to shut up and nod after saying such a thing.
Gao Lishi said: "This was hand-picked by the imperial concubine..."
"General Gao." Wen You leaned forward and said, "If you let this guy go on and make more troubles in the future, I'm afraid that even Prime Minister Yang will be implicated!"
Gao Lishi rolled his eyes and stopped talking.
"The Daming Palace can still be repaired after it collapses." The Minister of Rites said, "What if the ancestral temple is destroyed next time?"
Gao Lishi trembled suddenly, and this sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"However, Xiangguo must be informed about this matter." Gao Lishi pondered, "I have to take into account the face of the imperial concubine."
"That's natural." The rest of the people said one after another, reaching a consensus, the clerk began to write the transfer order, Wen You said again: "Don't go through the door for a trial, I will go to the Ministry of Officials tomorrow, presumably Li Jinglong's transfer order has not yet taken effect, Just cut it off."
Gao Lishi nodded and said: "Your Majesty's imperial decree and Prime Minister Yang will be handed over to me. President Hu, Li Jinglong's next arrangement will still be left to you. You are his old boss, so make sure he doesn't make trouble. Get up, Feng Changqing's side, I'm sorry for your trouble."
What can Hu Sheng say? He could only nod with a wry smile.
So everyone made a decision, and just made a decision to wipe out the entire Exorcism Department, so as to avoid more and more troubles in the future, causing everyone to lose their positions and lose their heads. The emperor Shengming, but he couldn't help getting his teammates involved. According to the case of Lai Junchen and other big and small incidents in the previous dynasty, officials lost their heads like cutting wheat, so they naturally felt that this decision was necessary.