That night Hongjun had another nightmare.
In the dream, Du Hanqing's whole body was on fire, burning ragingly. His skin was cracked and blood spurted out, revealing the bloody fox fur under the skin. The painful fox was struggling hard to get up from the human body, dragging the blood With the sizzling fat, let out a tragic wail.
"Ah!" Hong Jun suddenly sat up.
"Hong Jun?" Mo Zhigen's voice sounded from outside the room, he walked in quickly, and put one hand on the forehead of Hong Jun who was about to collapse.
Hong Jun breathed lightly. This was the second time he had a nightmare. He struggled to sit up, panting for breath, and looked at Mo Zhigen.
"The night when the white deer left." Mo Zhigen whispered, "The nightmare of the grassland is raging and roaring."
He poured a glass of water for Hong Jun, and silently chanted a few spells on the tea bowl. Hong Jun took it, and after drinking it, he calmed down a little.
"What do you mean?" Hong Jun asked.
"The wolf guards the day, and the white deer guards the night." Mo Zhigen said, "There is a legend in our hometown that when the white deer disappears in the dark, the children who leave home will have nightmares... Are you homesick?"
"A little bit." Hong Jun nodded.
Mo Zhigen patted Hong Jun on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "When you grow up, you have to leave home."
"Yes." Hong Jun whispered, and nodded gratefully to Mo Zhigen. After drinking the bowl of water, he felt much better and lay down again. This time, he fell asleep quickly.
In the early morning of the next day, Hong Jun was the first to wake up. When squatting by the well and brushing his teeth, the carp demon learned what happened last night, and persuaded him: "What do you care about that monster? People can't care if they are not relatives or relatives." come."
Hong Jun wiped his mouth clean, pondered for a moment, and replied: "Actually, I am also a demon, am I not? One day, Chang Shi will know."
"You are different from the foxes." The carp demon said, "Changshi doesn't dislike me. I blame the foxes for not taking refuge with your father. They asked for it. Besides, what do you usually eat? When you eat meat I haven't seen you say that all beings are equal."
"That's different." Hong Jun said, "Not eating meat is out of compassion; eating meat is to save them from suffering, as Qingxiong said."
"Long history." Qiu Yongsi and Li Jinglong greeted each other from behind, and Hong Jun and the carp demon immediately stopped talking. At this moment, Mo Zhigen happened to come in from outside, and Li Jinglong said, "Is it done?"
Mo Zhigen nodded, and Hong Jun asked, "What did you do so early?"
Mo Zhigen smiled mysteriously and made a "shh" gesture, indicating that you will know later.
Li Jinglong said: "This time I only heard the sentence of compassion, first have breakfast, and change clothes after eating."
It's a big deal, and it will become insignificant after a night's sleep. The grievances in Hong Jun's heart last night have long since disappeared. When facing Li Jinglong, he was somewhat uncomfortable. But Li Jinglong just glanced at him, and ordered everyone to change their official uniforms.
The cloth for the exorcist's uniform is the brocade bestowed by the emperor and Concubine Yang. It is made of high-quality dark blue material, with snow-white lining, and the martial robe with tufted sleeves has broad shoulders and narrow waist, which is different from the wide robes worn by civil servants. With mighty air.
Everyone stood in front of the mirror and sat down one by one. Sure enough, people rely on clothes, and everyone looks very tall and handsome. Even Qiu Yongsi, who was used to wearing scholar's robes, was full of heroism when he wore the official uniform. Among the five, Hong Jun is the prettiest. Since Hongjun arrived in Chang'an, he has been used to coarse cloth robes with tufted sleeves. His upper body is light white and his lower body is washed blue. He looks like a peasant boy. An ordinary person would definitely not be able to control it. However, Hongjun is born with a good foundation, so he just wears it. Now that he has changed into luxurious fabrics, it really makes people unable to look directly at him, and he has the demeanor of Wang Xie's disciples.
"Neck is a bit tight..."
As a result, Hong Jun revealed his secrets as soon as he opened his mouth.
Li Jinglong had no choice but to step forward and help him tear it apart, saying, "I forgot the collar."
Previously, Li Jinglong specially asked the tailor to come once, and worked overtime to make it. Hong Jun was not there at that time, but now the clothes are very close to the body, Hong Jun couldn't help being a little strange, and asked: "No one has measured it for me."
Li Jinglong was a little embarrassed, coughed, and said to everyone: "Look, I'll say it's appropriate."
"Chang Shi's vision is really powerful." Mo Zhigen gave a thumbs up.
Hong Jun looked at Li Jinglong suspiciously, and asked, "How do you know my body size?"
"Okay, don't ask anymore..." Li Jinglong handed Hongjun a shrunken, bathrobe-like dress, pointed to the outside of the room, and said, "You are thin, and I made another suit with the remaining fabric."
"Zhao Zilong!" Hong Jun shouted wildly while holding the little bathrobe.
"What what?" Zhao Zilong rushed over immediately. It had lived for so many years, and it was the first time to wear clothes. Seeing that Li Jinglong hadn't forgotten himself, he cheered immediately, took the bathrobe and spread it on the ground, and put one hairy leg inside Stretch. After putting on the bathrobe, he fastened his belt so that the tail just covered his tail, and Li Jinglong gave it a small satchel to carry on his back, which must have been used to hold Lihun pollen.
Everyone couldn't help laughing, and the carp demon said again: "Let me see..." So he kept jumping in front of the full-length mirror.
Li Jinglong said: "Everyone will act together today. This is a day that is related to life and death. Don't use Lihun Pollen indiscriminately."
Everyone responded one after another, put on their weapons, and prepared to go out. Hong Jun couldn't help beating his heart, remembering what Li Jinglong said that night, "If the Exorcist is safe", he seemed to understand something. When he looked at Li Jinglong again, Li Jinglong glanced at him There was a faint smile in his eyes, as if to comfort him: Don't worry, everything will be fine.
In the early morning, the clouds and waterfalls of Lishan Mountain poured down, soaking the clothes of the climbers. By the side of the carriage road, the guards of the Shenwu Army hurriedly said: "General! Please get in the carriage!"
Leaning on crutches, Feng Changqing strenuously climbed up Lishan Mountain step by step, and walked towards the Palace of the Son of Heaven. At the same time, he waved his hands and said, "It's okay, are you looking down on this general?"
The soldiers had no choice but to keep quiet and watch Feng Changqing walk along the official road, hunched over. Both of Feng Changqing's parents died when he was young, and his grandfather was framed by Li Linfu and exiled in Anxi. In thirteen years, he has become a strong player comparable to veterans such as Ge Shuhan.
Feng Changqing has repeatedly won many battles, and he has almost exhausted his strategy for the war in the Western Regions. Everyone laughed at Li Jinglong, but they never dared to laugh at this weak and thin Feng Changqing, the man who commanded all armies, and his words naturally carried the power of not being angry or arrogant.
Although Feng Changqing was idle in Beijing, on the day when the class teacher returned to the court, he presented Li Longji with a memorial of nearly 10,000 characters, demanding that the frontier fields be rectified, Huairou be the government, and the soldiers of the expedition should be sent home. Therefore, he has a very high reputation in the military attache camp and the army.
The eunuch hurried into Huaqing Palace covered in mist. Li Longji was still sleeping soundly with his arms around Yang Yuhuan. The eunuch didn't dare to call out, and he was also afraid that Feng Changqing would rush in with a walking stick, and no guards outside would dare to stop him.
The eunuch opened his mouth, not daring to make a sound, feeling extremely anxious.
"Just say something, don't hesitate."
Li Longji's voice came from inside the tent, but he woke up.
"What time is it?" Yang Yuhuan asked lazily.
"Feng Changqing, General Feng, wait outside, saying that there is an urgent matter that needs to be reported to His Majesty..."
Hearing this, Li Longji sat up straight in an instant, and murmured: "An accident happened again? It shouldn't be, isn't it that Chang Qing has not been sent yet? Could it be that the Ministry of War asked him to come?"
"Is it military?" Li Longji thought for a while and asked, "Where is Guozhong? Why don't you go to Guozhong first?"
The eunuch said: "It is said that it is closely related to the national fortune of the Tang Dynasty..."
"What's the matter." Li Longji waved his hand impatiently and said, "Tell him, I know. When did he come?"
"I went down the mountain at the second watch last night and walked up step by step." The eunuch replied.
Yang Yuhuan said: "General Feng has trouble with his legs and feet, how did he come up? Your Majesty."
Li Longji had no choice but to wrap himself in a dragon robe, with disheveled hair, and headed out of the bedroom.
In the side hall, Feng Changqing leaned on crutches, panting uncontrollably, and looked at Li Longji with a dignified face.
"Don't worry." Li Longji comforted instead, "Give me a seat, give General Feng a sip of water, and speak slowly."
Feng Changqing couldn't help shaking, and looked up at Li Longji.
Li Longji was getting old, and although he usually had good looks, he was over sixty years old, and after all, he inevitably showed signs of aging. Feng Changqing was not yet in Ershun's age, but he looked a little older than Li Longji.
"Today, when I climbed this Lishan Mountain..." Feng Changqing took the cloth towel handed over by the eunuch, wiped off his sweat, and panted, "I don't know why, but I remembered His Majesty's... heroic appearance back then."
"Which year's heroic appearance?" Li Longji laughed instead.
Feng Changqing looked at Li Longji and said, "The first year of Tang Long, the year when we met in front of Lingyan Pavilion."
Li Longji got up early in the morning and heard that Feng Changqing was reminiscing about the old days with him, he couldn't help laughing immediately, but his long-term emperor's intuition also told him that it would not be easy to talk about the past first.
"If you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten it." Li Longji smiled, took a sip of the ginseng soup handed over by the eunuch, and said, "Well, bring a bowl to Chang Qing as well."
That year, Li Xianfu and Ge Fushun rebelled against the Yulin Army and killed Empress Wei who wanted to emulate Wu Zhao and become emperor. Li Longji and Princess Taiping joined forces under His Excellency Lingyan, swore to defend the Li family, entered the court, killed Princess Anle, Wu Yanxiu, Shangguan Wan'er and others, and regained the Li family.
The past seems like a lifetime away, but when he heard Feng Changqing's old story brought up again, Li Longji still couldn't help but think of the passion he had back then.
"There is still the first year of Kaiyuan." Feng Changqing said again.
If I remember correctly, it was the year when Li Longji launched another coup and killed Princess Taiping. Since then, a prosperous era in Datang has officially kicked off.
"Chang Qing, you have to know that today's peaceful and prosperous world," Li Longji said, "is a blessing for the common people. It's a good thing if I can use this knife."
Li Longji heard some hints from Feng Changqing's mouth, and he was also responding to hints - no matter what happened, he didn't want the court to have major turmoil.
"Your Majesty is holy." Feng Changqing immediately replied, "Changqing thought about His Majesty, but couldn't help but think about herself."
Li Longji frowned slightly.
Feng Changqing asked: "Changqing just doesn't know that since he joined General Gao Xianzhi's camp, in these years, there have been military affairs that have been concealed from the imperial court?"
"No." Li Longji replied, "There are quite a few lies exposed by others."
"During these years, has Changqing ever deceived His Majesty?" Feng Changqing asked again.
"In the whole world, you are the only one who speaks the truth regardless of the occasion." Li Longji's tone was full of unquestionable majesty, "Although it is not pleasant, you are the one who never lies. What happened in Chang'an?" ?”
Li Longji was also a ruthless character when he was young. Although he has been indulging in gentleness these years, he is still clear-headed in the face of big right and wrong.
Feng Changqing raised his hand, trembling, pointed to his own neck, and replied: "If Chang Qing speaks half a false word today, please ask Your Majesty to take my head. Chang Qing has no complaints."
Li Longji frowned, not knowing what kind of medicine was sold in Feng Changqing's gourd, and finally said: "Say."
At three poles in the sun, the "Dang-dang-dang-" bell rang in the imperial examination room in the north of the city. Nearly 2,500 students were body-searched and filed in. As far as the eye could see, they were all single rooms connected by corridors , there are signs of the heavenly stems and earthly branches on the door.
The students searched outside, received their license plates, each according to the license plate, and waited at the door of the wing room. The examiner passed by outside and verified the badge and body again. The examinee hung the badge on the door. Hundreds of rooms, after the room was sealed, the huge examination room was extremely quiet.
Each wing room is completely closed, with a light-transmitting window opened, and the servants will deliver meals and pick up the toilet. Candidates have to stay in this wing room for a full three days.
In the warehouse, everyone dragged the sleeping servants to the corner, put on servant clothes over the official uniform, Li Jinglong whispered: "Let's begin."
After the carp demon hid in the water tank, he began to distribute the medicine powder, and everyone left separately.
Hong Jun lowered his head and walked quickly along the corridor. Passing a wing room, he glanced sideways and looked for the marks Qiu Yongsi had made earlier - cuffs, robes and other places. Every time one was found, another mark was lightly carved with a flying knife on the door frame.
Artest also lowered his head, passing each door, pretending to look in casually.
"Hey."
Artest was spotted by the examiner when he passed the corridor.
The examiner beckoned, "Come here."
Artest walked over, when the examiner was about to ask why a servant was looking around outside the examinee's room, but there was a hand behind him, tugging at the hem of his robe.
Examiner: "?"
The examiner was about to look back, when the carp demon suddenly raised his hand and threw away the Lihun pollen.
"Get Rich at Sight—"
The examiner sneezed, Artest turned around immediately, and disappeared like a gust of wind, while the carp demon burrowed into the corner and ran away as well.
Examiner: "??"
"Stop! Why haven't I seen you..." Another guard stopped Qiu Yongsi.
"Goodbye, happy!" The carp demon said again, the guard sneezed, his face was full of confusion, Qiu Yongsi hurriedly separated from the carp demon and left.
Hong Jun passed by a wing room, glanced in, and suddenly saw Du Hanqing.
After Du Hanqing entered the case, Hong Jun hesitated for a moment and passed the wing.
Li Jinglong turned out from behind the corridor silently, frowning deeply, watching Hongjun's back. Unexpectedly, Hong Jun turned back, and Li Jinglong immediately dodged behind the corridor again.
I saw Hong Jun holding a flying knife, hesitating for a moment, and finally carved a mark cruelly, his eyes were red, and he resolutely left.
After a while, Mo Zhigen came in a hurry, looked down and saw the mark outside the door, then peeked into the room, heaved a sigh of relief, touched the mark casually, deepened it, turned and left.
Li Jinglong: "..."
When Li Jinglong was about to leave, Artest came again. Similarly, he made a special trip to check the door of Du Hanqing's room; followed by Qiu Yongsi.
When Qiu Yongsi turned the corridor, he almost bumped into Li Jinglong, and was very nervous for a moment.
"Yo, Chang Shi?" Qiu Yongsi smiled.
"It seems that I am worrying for nothing." Li Jinglong said coldly, "You are all protecting Hongjun."
Qiu Yongsi smiled and said: "I'm just afraid that the success will fall short, Chang Shi, everyone is on your side at critical moments." After saying that, he patted Li Jinglong on the shoulder.
After all the doors are marked, everyone goes outside the warehouse to count.
"Two hundred and sixty-six rooms." Li Jinglong said, "It's all set, wait for the bell."
Hong Jun was silent, and everyone didn't speak, and the atmosphere seemed a little weird. Li Jinglong went over, pressed Hong Jun's shoulder casually, and said, "After finishing the case properly this time, everyone will go out to have fun. Tell me, where do you want to go?"
"Really?!" Hong Jun was surprised, and seemed to be happy.
The corner of Li Jinglong's mouth twitched, thinking of your compassion...
"Pingkangli!" Qiu Yongsi said immediately.
Li Jinglong: "..."
"Ping Kangli." Artest said with a smile.
Hong Jun said: "Is Pingkangli okay? I haven't really been there yet... Of course, if you don't like Changshi..."
Mo Zhigen said: "Then we have to go to Pingkangli. If you don't spend the night, it's always okay to watch dancing and listen to songs, right? Not all Pingkangli is... er, that kind of place."
"Even you want to go?" Li Jinglong couldn't understand what these subordinates were pretending to be at all.
Mo Zhigen said: "I, um, my first time, I will leave it to Bai... Forget it, I will talk about it later, but it is always okay to drink and listen to music."
The carp demon said: "Is Pingkangli okay? I want to see that painting."
"Then Pingkangli!" Qiu Yongsi decided.
"Okay!" Everyone cheered happily, the majority overwhelmed the only one, and Li Jinglong held his forehead with one hand. At this moment, the bell rang "Dang-dang-dang-", everyone got up immediately and went to prepare again.
The second round of bells rang, and the examiners each held the scrolls in their hands and walked quickly through the rooms, stuffing the examination papers through the window every time they passed a room, and hurriedly walked to the next room after passing through each room, and walked through all the rooms in turn.
The sun was shining brightly, Hong Jun's palms were sweating, and someone outside said: "Water is delivered!"
The crowd mixed among the servants and went out with a basket of water urns, keeping their heads down. The guards searched the baskets and water urns, and everyone went to deliver water. Li Jinglong held the soul-fixing incense powder in his left hand and the urn in his right. The medicine powder was poured into the urn outside the marked door, turned around to take the water poured in by the guard, and passed it into the window when it was full, and the examinee took it.
There are five rows and five rows, and ten rows of wing rooms with nearly a hundred rooms. After one round of delivery, everyone is sweating profusely from exhaustion. When returning to the warehouse, Li Jinglong saw that the time was almost up, and said, "Withdraw!"
Several people climbed over the wall and went out to the street opposite the examination room, spying in the direction of the examination room, all uneasy. After such tossing, most of the day has passed, and the autumn afternoon is still a little cooler. Hong Jun was afraid that they would not drink water, or that the dose of medicine was not enough. Now that I think about it, Li Jinglong was very prescient when he kept asking for more medicine.
Li Jinglong waited patiently for a while, took a deep breath, and seemed a little nervous. After a while, there was the sound of a carriage on the street, and several cars came. It was Gao Lishi and the officials from the Ministry of Rites who were patrolling the field.
Li Jinglong was waiting for this moment, and immediately said: "Action."
Hong Jun said: "Wait, I'm always a little scared, they shouldn't leave so fast, wait a minute?"
Li Jinglong replied: "You tried your medicine with the water that the servants drank, and the dose is enough."
Hong Jun: "I'm afraid they won't drink."
Li Jinglong: "I asked Mo Zhigen to go to the Imperial College in the morning, and added nearly 40% of the salt to the breakfast of the entire Imperial College, just in case."
Except for Mo Zhigen, everyone was dumbfounded for a moment, and Qiu Yongsi immediately said: "Chang Shi, from today onwards, I will follow you!"
Artest said in disbelief, "Who is this!"
Li Jinglong said modestly: "I'm kidding, I'll be more serious later, let's go!"
After speaking, Li Jinglong took off his outer robe, revealing a dark blue official uniform with a sword of wisdom on his waist. He was wearing an official uniform bestowed by the emperor, with a straight figure. .