Pei Gonggui

It was early in the morning, and Pei Jun was tired all day and night without sleep, leaning against the wall of the car for fear of squinting, so he forced himself to look outside, so that the sunlight would dazzle his eyes anyway.

The vendors on the street got up early, and many of them were unloading door panels and tidying up their shops for opening.One of the soup and noodle sellers had put seven or eight tables on the side of the street and set up a stool. The shop owner was sitting in front of the door lighting the stove and fanning himself. Seeing Pei Jun coming at this time, he seemed to be afraid of causing trouble by setting up the wrong stall in front of the official. Son, he immediately stood up nodding and bowing, making a gesture to close the stool on the street.

As soon as Pei Jun saw this scene, he suddenly felt bored, so he put down the curtain and stopped looking at it, but at this moment, there was a voice in the street outside the curtain:

"A bowl of noodles."

These words made Pei Jun's heart skip a beat, and he raised his hand and lifted the curtain to look, only to see that it was just a passerby asking for food from the store.

For a while, he put down the curtain again and leaned back against the wall of the car, sighed and closed his eyes, but felt that the exhaustion of sleepless nights could no longer make him doze off.

This scene repeated the words of Uncle Dong before leaving the house, and finally he couldn't avoid thinking of Cao Luan. In an instant, the seeds of doubt in his heart, which he had hidden under the thick soil of friendship for a long time, finally began to grow crazily stand up.

He remembered that the last time he met Cao Luan outside the prison in his previous life was the night after autumn.At that time, he came out of the palace gate after a day's official business from the cabinet, his hands were empty, and he felt hungry.After taking the sedan chair to Meilinyu Restaurant, he wanted to eat a bowl of big bone soup noodles and go back to have a rest, but he happened to meet Cao Luan and Meilinyu who had finished talking about the ferry and were about to leave.

At that time, as it is now, he was so busy that he couldn't touch Cao Luan for several days, and he relied on delivering letters to deliver his messages. When he saw him suddenly, he directly pulled Cao Luan to sit down, regardless of whether Cao Luan was hungry or not. , Whether you have something to do or nothing to do, just ask Mei Linyu to make some food for Cao Luan together.

When Mei Linyu heard this, she folded her arms and leaned on the partition door of the private room and smiled at them: "Success, what are you eating? Roasted chicken, roasted duck or roasted rabbit? Even if you want to eat people, I have to let my two elder brothers eat it." .”

Cao Luan wanted to refuse, but it was hard to resist the kindness of the two, so he had no choice but to respond with a smile: "Forget it, there is no need to eat people. Just a bowl of noodles."

Seeing that Mei Linyu was ordered to go out, he picked up his gray shirt and sat down beside Pei Jun, put the gold and jade abacus in his hand on the side of the table, raised his hand to take a cup of tea poured by Pei Jun, and said in a low voice He said "thank you", but at this moment he saw a fine jasper wrench on Pei Jun's thumb, so he couldn't help asking:

"Since when did you wear all these fancy things?"

Pei Jun scoffed muffled, scolded him for his sharp eyes, raised his hand in front of him, and laughed in a low voice, seemingly helpless: "This is a reward from the emperor, how dare I not wear it?"

Cao Luan was startled when he heard the words, the smile froze on his face, he raised his eyes and saw that although Pei Jun was tired, he was still smiling tenderly when he talked about this thing, his eyes hurt, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the words came The sound of the mouth disappeared again, and in the end it only turned into a deep response after a sigh, which is regarded as knowing for the time being.

But Pei Jun is used to talking about Jiang Zhan, and his friends always have such inconvenient expressions, so Pei Jun didn't feel any difference. After he untied the front ribbon and put it aside, he didn't say anything more about it. , and even passed the official business of Ku Yin's transfer, but just whispered greetings with Cao Luan.

Because at that time Cao Luan was already packing up his things and changing his family property, and he was going back to Jiangling with his wife and daughter soon.

At that time, two of the three batches of treasury silver secretly sent out of Beijing had already been transported away, but the last batch was left to be shipped to the South China Sea. Anxious and unable to descend.It was because of the tense situation that Cao Luan's daughter Xuanxuan turned 16 years old, and his wife Lin's father found a very good marriage for his granddaughter. He wanted Xuanxuan to marry a very famous gentry in Jiangling .At the same time, Cao Luan, who was not confused at all, gradually began to be tortured by leg and foot problems accumulated over the years, and could no longer run around like when he was young.This trip back to his hometown, he also listened to what Lin and his daughter said, and made plans to return to his hometown for the elderly, and he might not return to Beijing in the future.

That's why Cao Luan came here to discuss the bride price and prepare for the wedding for his daughter, and also to manage business and settle down.After helping Pei Jun transport the last batch of treasury silver, he will take his wife and daughter out of Beijing by ferry.

Pei Jun had heard about his leaving two months in advance.Hearing the news for the first time, he didn't really feel it, but after thinking about it, he felt a bit empty. It wasn't until Cao Luan returned some old ornaments and picture books that he had borrowed and forgotten to his house. Surprised to feel a sense of separation.

And the world seems to have to say goodbye.

That night, the two of them finished their noodle soup and went out with a half-cooked meal. The autumn night outside the building was already frosty.Pei Jun walked all the way to the side of the sedan chair with his sleeves folded, thinking silently, when he suddenly heard Cao Luan calling out behind him:

"Pei Jun!"

Cao Luan didn't call this name very often after he got his name. Now when he called it, it was like going back to a moment when he was shouting on the street when he was a boy. Cao Luan, who was dressed in gray and had white hair on his temples, had red eyes, stood in the street with his hands down and looked at him earnestly, as if he didn't know what to say, and there was something about his body that he had never noticed before. Old and depressed.

Cao Luan said at that time: "Pei Jun, I'm leaving...I'm sorry for you."

After hearing the words, Pei Jun immediately turned around and said, "Brother has done everything he can to help me, and if he wants to leave now, he will retire after success and protect his life wisely. It's a slap in the face for me to say that."

"..." Cao Luan murmured for a moment, his brows furrowed, his eyes widened as he stared at Pei Jun, the corners of his lips trembling slightly, "Now you are... really can't stop?"

"The arrow is on the line, and now we can't talk about letting go." Pei Jun shook his head and looked at him, "When the rebellion in the southern region is calmed down and the road is not blocked, Kuyin and manpower can be deployed to make the world implement new laws and new laws. In less than five years, the national strength can be restored to nine out of ten. Right now is the critical time, and success or failure depends on one action. Senior brother and Ming Jue'er are all risking their lives, how many people's heads are tied to me, how can I Can you stop? What did that turn them into?"

"But what if this matter comes to light? Then no matter how many mouths you have, you still can't tell." Cao Luan tried to persuade in a low voice, "The accounts of transshipment and military rations are in the hands of Mei Liu, but regardless of your new law , Whether the new business is successful or not, smuggling food and salaries, and embezzling the treasury are all treasonable capital crimes! If there is something wrong with Mei Liu, Pei Jun, you-"

"Hey, how about me, when my brother leaves the capital, I will have nothing to do with him." Pei Jun pulled out his hand, interrupted him calmly, hooked his neck and smiled, "Brother, you, just take the last time." Sending the ferry to the canal, the rest is official affairs, you can’t help if you want to, so just go back to Jiangling, watch Xuanxuan get married, and wait to hold your big fat grandson!”

The mention of her daughter made Cao Luan's back tremble, the intensity in his eyes dissipated in an instant, and he didn't know whether the expression on his face was clearer or more depressed.

He remained silent for a long time.But at this moment silently looking at Pei Junjian, he suddenly took another step forward, opened his hand suddenly and hugged Pei Jun in his arms, holding him tightly.

Pei Jun was startled suddenly, he didn't expect Cao Luan to do this, at this time he was about to make fun of Cao Luan like usual, but just started, he suddenly felt that the cloth on his shoulders was a little wet.

The hands tied on his shoulders were very strong, and Cao Luan's restrained breathing was heard beside his ears.Everything around seemed to turn into a vat of muddy water that was too thick to be stirred up at that moment. It was dull and depressing, and Pei Jun suddenly realized:

Maybe this was the last time he saw Cao Luan in his life.

From now on, in this world, the cars will drive slowly, the flying pigeons will be faint, the mountains will be high and the water will be long, and the roads will be far away. The two of them will eventually be imprisoned in their own fates, and they will each arrange their own days. Cheerful laughter, then this one is different from the two of them, most likely it will be forever.

Thinking of this, his eyes became hot, and at that moment he wanted to speak out to keep Cao Luan, but then he thought of the disaster in his hand and the endless suffering, and the words of keeping him suppressed his heart again, and finally he could only suppress the embarrassment in his chest Unwilling, he hugged Cao Luan with his backhand, raised his hand and patted Cao Luan's back vigorously, still laughing:

"Big brother, it's good to go... It's safe to go away. I, Pei Jun, can be with my brother and brother in this life. It's not in vain. Seeing that you and sister-in-law are doing well, and seeing Xuanxuan grow up and have a family, I It's really fun. From now on, my brother will just live a happy life, and I won't cause trouble for my brother..."

Having said this, he said again, take care, and the two got into their sedan chairs and left facing each other, and each went back to their own affairs, and finally they never saw each other again.

Not one month later, the news of King Jin's victory in suppressing the rebellion finally came from the Southland.This means that the last obstacle in the transit of Kuyin has been broken.Soon, Cao Luan's men completed the rotation and escort of the last batch of ferries, and all the people prepared by Pei Jun and Yan Yuliang were in place.Fang Mingjue also completed the last account book of false reports. After handing it over to the cabinet, he said he was sick at home to avoid inquiries. In this way, it finally came to a critical moment—just wait for Pei Jun to send the rectified Chi Wenting to various places. The most tangible change can begin.

In order to make everything more secure, Pei Jun and Xiao Lin's father went down to Nanjing Pass to inspect the military defense. In the name of the imperial court and in the name of the Mei family, they urgently raised money from merchants and chambers of commerce to subsidize military use and increase troops to defend the capital.This time, the purpose is no longer to prevent mobs from entering the capital, but to prepare for a rainy day, to defend against Jiang Yue, who may use counter-insurgency troops to invade the capital and rebel at any time.

However, one month passed, and the south was calm; two months passed, and the king of Jin stopped sending troops.At this time, it was suddenly reported in Beijing that the emperor was seriously ill.

The seal document in the palace was handed to Pei Jun, and he was urgently called to return to Beijing for an audience.Pei Jun was anxious for a moment and couldn't wait to think about it. He had already ridden the horse back to Beijing, but he ran back to the capital with his hands, food, food and camp in the open for two days. The person in question pretended to be seriously ill and set up a snare, just to take him down together with the Cai family and the Zhang family.

As soon as he entered Beijing, he was arrested by the defenders, and was immediately taken to the Zhongyihou Mansion to ask where Ku Yin was.At that time, the rice, flour and silver that had been transported from various shops in the government had not yet been transferred out, and suddenly they became irrefutable evidence that others had stolen the money, accusing him of embezzling ink and smuggling private goods.

The confiscation of the whole family and the death of servants followed one after another, and the former party members were imprisoned one after another.Mei Jiarao was rumored to leave Beijing with his family early, but on the way to escape to Jinzhong, Mei Linyu, who was behind the palace, was finally arrested.And the account books that could prove Pei Jun's innocence were lost inexplicably during the escort. No matter how much he complained with his life, no interrogator would listen to his sophistry.Then, Pei Jun learned that Uncle Dong died of illness in the prison, and during the interrogation rounds, he heard Fang Mingjue and Yan Yuliang whispering, and then he learned that General Xiao was taken away by the imperial army, and all the generals of the Xiao family who were at the border had been recalled and dismissed.He didn't know how many days he was locked in prison, and after several tortures, he heard the jailer talking and laughing with his eyes full of blood, saying that Yan Yuliang finally couldn't make it through...

From then on, he began to have a dream that went back and forth.In the dream, he was sitting on the carriage, swaying, and saw his mother sitting across from him still embroidering clothes, while his father was dozing against the wall of the carriage.Eleven or twelve-year-old Pei Yan was sitting beside him, looking out of the window with eyes full of curiosity, and after a while she exclaimed happily: "Here we are!" Then she took his hand, opened the curtain and jumped out of the car go.

All of a sudden, the sights and sounds of Beijing rushed towards his face, heavy traffic, carved buildings and corners, straight into the waves and submerged him.He dreamed that Uncle Dong took him running wildly among the hibiscus gardens, and he dreamed that he was pointed at by a doll on the same street and called a countryman.He dreamed that he was sweating profusely and ran to Uncle Dong, shouting loudly at him: "Why are you people in the capital so bad! They all scolded me!"

In the dream, Uncle Dong, who was not old yet, smiled and bent over, picked him up and coaxed him: "From now on, the young master will also be from the capital, he is the son of the general family, who dares to make irresponsible remarks?" , let's tell him to try his fist!"

In my ears are the shouts of children retreating, and in front of my eyes are misty fog.He dreamed that he was running into the alley in the rain, and the linen filial robe on his body was replaced by a blue silk shirt, and the long gun in his hand was replaced by a Duwu covered with yellow paper.Pushing open the door, Pei Yan, who was still young, was standing under the flower tree beside the Bitang, looking back at him and smiling.Turning around the pond, I saw a boy in soap clothes hiding behind a rockery in the snow and mist. Yurong was furious, got up and pushed him away, and ran away——

He seemed to be pushed off a cliff, and he suddenly woke up from this dream. When he opened his eyes, the severe pain in his tongue, hands and feet hit him again. He was in a state of breath, and suddenly he heard someone calling him outside the prison:

"Ziyu, listen to me, I'll prepare a way for you..."

……

He was not without doubts.

In fact, before dying in the previous life and after being reincarnated as a human in this life, there was a lingering thought in his mind, which made him feel dark when he thought of it——

Judging from the current situation... If it is said that when he was in trouble in his previous life, the one who betrayed him among the six parts was the Shen family behind Cui Yu, and the one who betrayed him was Deng Zhun, who had been raised in the mansion for many years, even though Deng Zhun knew all about his whereabouts and whereabouts. People who have seen it, but they will never know the time when he transferred the treasury silver and food, and they will not know the purpose of his exchange of money.And these news, Cui Yu is clear.But how tight-lipped Choi Woo is?Even if Shen Shi could get a glimpse of clues from Cui Yu's daily activities, would Cui Yu really be negligent enough to let her know everything about such life-threatening news?

Apart from Pei Jun, there were only five people who knew the news at that time.Among the five, Yan Yuliang died in prison before him in his previous life, and he took all his sins on him until his death. Fang Mingjue was tortured with him from beginning to end. Even Cui Yu and Mei Linyu were imprisoned in the end. In the prison, on the other hand, Cao Luan...

Every time he thinks of this, it is absolutely difficult to think about it, but today he has to ask himself:

At that time, did Cao Luan really escape from this catastrophe by years of means?But returning to the capital would be like entering the Longtan and Tiger's Lair again. In his prisoner's eyes, behind the rescue of love and righteousness, is it really just "love and righteousness"?Then why did Cao Luan say "I'm sorry" to him, and why did the timing of leaving Beijing come so coincidentally?After he left, is Cai's advocacy and Zhang's impeachment really enough to convince Jiang Zhan that he is a traitor?If not, then how and where did Jiang Zhan get evidence to be sure that he really did something unforgivable?

Thinking about the 16 years he spent for Jiang Zhan in his previous life, entangled in love and shared hardships, did Jiang Zhan really not know that everything he did was for the word "love"?Could it be that Jiang Zhan had never been sincere to him?Could it be that Jiang Zhan's vigilance as an emperor can really cut off all affection, no matter whether his rebellion is true or not, as long as something happens, the first thing he thinks about is to kill him?

At that time, this doubt did not make him feel strange, but now Cao Luan's recent warnings and suggestions, coupled with Dong Shu and Mei Linyu's doubts, made him even if he didn't want to, he couldn't help it. I don't want to go deeper...

"My lord, the posthouse is here."

A shout suddenly came from outside the car, bringing Pei Jun back to his senses.

He returned to his mind and took a look at the curtain, and he saw that the post house in the north of the city had arrived.

The two principals hurried to the front of the car to help Pei Jun get off, but Pei Jun grabbed their hands and got out of the driveway: "I have something to talk about. The posthouse is here, and you are still hiding it?"

The two people looked embarrassed, and they looked at each other before they could shirk, but they saw that the minister of Honglu Temple had come out of the post house wiping his sweat, and when he got close, he hurriedly handed over the roll of portraits in his hand to Pei. In Jun's hand, he leaned close to Pei Jun's ear and lowered his voice, "Master Pei, now we have a big deal to deal with!"

Pei Jun glanced at him with a frown, and unwittingly picked up the portrait to take a look, only to see a plump and beautiful woman painted on the portrait, with the word on the side being the princess of the Haring clan.

He asked, "What's the big deal?"

The minister of Honglu Temple wiped off his sweat again, held his sleeves and led him into the hall, walked around all kinds of wedding objects and horses with animal heads on the ground in the courtyard, and finally came to a side room with a closed door, He raised his hand and pointed: "Master Pei, the one sitting here is the princess sent to us by the Haring Clan. But this is the princess, but it's not the princess..."

Pei Jun raised his eyebrows and glanced at him: "What do you mean?"

The Minister of Honglu Temple swallowed hard, stepped back behind him and raised his hand to greet him: "You...you will know after looking."

Pei Jun was so tired that his head ached, and he couldn't bear their chatter any longer, so he simply took two steps forward and pushed open the opposite door.

But I saw a white and slender woman sitting on the Luohan couch in the room, wearing a bright red auspicious suit, sitting among the dowry maids and servants.Seeing Pei Jun barging in at this moment, the woman was startled, and immediately leaned back, looking timidly at the elder mother beside her, she opened her mouth, but dared not speak.

Now Pei Jun finally understood what Honglu Siqing meant.

It turns out that the woman in front of me is not at all plump. Although she is beautiful, her facial features and expressions are completely different from those in the portrait of the princess. Not to mention her frightened and timid behavior, she does not look like a royal at all. The way a lady should be.

All this shows that this princess who came from afar to get married must have been replaced by someone else.

Seeing that Pei Jun's expression was clear, the minister of Honglu Temple pulled Pei Jun to the corner of the corridor in a few steps. At this time, his old voice was trembling with panic: "Master Pei Pei Pei, this person from the marriage team only said that it was Lu Yaodao. Far away, the princess is not acclimatized, so she became thin and weak, and she said that there will always be some discrepancies in the portrait... But, but this is clearly two people! If the blame comes down from the superiors, it will be blamed on us all the way from the bride-to-be. Demotion from official position is light, if you say that we have neglected our duties and deceived the Holy Majesty, it will be our heads! Mr. Pei, what should we do now?"

"what to do……"

Pei Jun frowned and murmured in a low voice, looked down at the portrait of the princess in his hand, and took a little of the notebook in the arms of the Minister of Honglu Temple. Seeing that the number of dowry and accompanying utensils was not bad, he glanced at the "prince" resting. He glanced at the side room, and after standing still and thinking about it, he snorted and smiled:

"Do it."