Three Kingdoms

  Chang'an.

  In the prison.

  Dark stone walls, thick wooden fences, iron chains and moss.

   Insects and mice are the masters of this land, while others are just passers-by.

  It seems that because of the long-term existence of the darkness, people in it feel that not only the light is swallowed, but also time and life are also swallowed by the darkness.

  Looking at the weak light on the distant stone wall, Li Kui knew that even this weak light was not reserved for these prisoners, but for the guards who came in for inspection to see clearly the path under their feet.

   Everything here does not belong to him.

  All his hard work has been in vain now...

  Man, dying, money is not spent!

what to do?

  Li Kui felt that he failed to see the road clearly and chose a wrong road.

  He regretted it very much, but now there are no new lights to illuminate his path, only the oppressive darkness, and the insects and mice that mocked him in the darkness and encroached on his territory unscrupulously.

  These insects and mice would swagger over to grab food when he was eating, and secretly nibble on the corners of his clothes, even his skin, legs and feet while he was sleeping.

  Li Kui felt that these insects and rats seemed to have regarded him as a dead object, a piece of rotten flesh, and he didn't want to really become a dead object and rotten flesh.

  If God can give him a chance...

  Footsteps came.

  The cell is deep, and the subtle sounds from the outside world seem to be amplified inside the cell.

  A voice that made Li Kui feel familiar, but also unfamiliar, seemed to be talking to the jailer, and then the jailer opened the lock, and the iron chain rattled.

  『Brother Li, are you all right? 』A dark figure walked up to the wooden fence.

  Li Kui froze for a moment.

  The jailer was on the sidelines, seeming to turn on the lights on some stone walls.

  The light arrived in front of Li Kui again, and the insects and mice in the darkness swished away to the darker place, temporarily giving up the territory to Li Kui and the guest.

   "You...you you you..." Li Kui's eyes widened, "Are you a human or a ghost? ! Aren't you... dead? 』

  The man revealed half of his face in the light, and with a smile on his face, "Brother Li, I did die once..."

  Li Kui recovered from the initial shock, with a look of disdain on his face, "It turns out... no wonder there were so many losses in Chang'an before, it seems that they all became Brother Fan's advancement!" Congratulations, congratulations! 』

  Fan Cong was a little embarrassed.

   Anyway, he did do something like this, betrayed some people...

In the eyes of some people in later generations, maybe betraying someone is not a big deal at all, but in today's big man, loyalty, filial piety and honesty are still the yardstick that many people abide by in their hearts. Fan Cong is somewhat a little bit of a slap in the face when Li Kui slapped him so loudly. ashamed.

   But very quickly, shame becomes fuel for anger.

  『Even if I don’t betray you, Brother Li, you will still be a prisoner? ! Fan Cong said in a cold voice, "Those who know the current affairs are heroes, and the current situation in the world is on the side of the hussars. Brother Li, you have also been in Chang'an for a while, can't you see clearly?" ! 』

  『The Son of Heaven is still in Shandong! ’ Li Kui said loudly, it seems that only in this way can he maintain his momentum.

  『It is true that the Son of Heaven is in Shandong, but the Son of Heaven in Shandong can really be called the Son of Heaven? ! 』Fan Cong responded loudly and unambiguously.

  The voices of the two collided with each other within the stone wall, stirred each other, and canceled each other, and then the lingering sound was faint.

   Only the heavy breathing of the two people remained.

  Fan Cong sighed, then sat down, separated from Li Kui by the wooden fence, "I have also stayed in this cell of yours. 』

  『…』 Li Kui was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say, so he simply responded in silence.

  "Grassing one's life for righteousness..." Fan Cong's tone was faint, "Kong Wenju, isn't he famous? Are there many acts of charity? Then what? Giving up his life, where is his righteousness? Hehe, his family property was divided, the house was occupied, and the fields were swallowed up... What's even more ridiculous is that the ones who did these things were not outsiders, but the same clan as him, and even his relatives and friends! Shandong, ha, the land of Mandarin! The land of benevolence and righteousness! 』

  『…How do you know this? ’ Li Kui asked, then laughed, ‘Oh... I see, the hussars used these to persuade you to surrender? Ha ha ha ha…"

  『No. ’ Fan Cong shook his head.

"snort! Li Kui obviously didn't believe it.

  Fan Cong raised his head slightly, as if immersed in some memories, "I also wanted to die... But later, someone said that he could bring my family to Chang'an..."

"ah? Li Kui didn't seem to hear clearly, "What?" 』

   "Family," Fan Cong pointed to himself, "Mine. And, it really came…」

  『…』 Li Kui was silent for a longer time, 『So this is your reason? The reason you found for your mutiny? 』

  『No. Fan Cong shook his head again, "Although it is true that I am inexplicably grateful for bringing in my family... But the reason why I really made up my mind is not in Guanzhong, but in Shandong..."

  『Nonsense! Li Kui sneered, "Most of this is your own smearing and whitewashing, and what is there to distinguish?" 』

Fan Cong smiled, "I faked my death at the foot of Luoyang City, and the news spread to Shandong. According to the usual practice, I should be counted as a death in battle, and my family will be given pensions, and I will be suspended from hard labor for a period of ten years... The rules are like this, right? ? 』

  Li Kui suddenly realized something, and nodded with some hesitation.

  『The family members are here,』 Fan Cong said in a low tone. Because...they didn't see my corpse! So they "don't know" whether I am alive or dead, so there is no pension, no suspension of labor, and no suspension of mediocrity! 』

"..." Li Kui was silent for a long time, and then turned his gaze to one side. There was a darker corner, where insects and mice seemed to be rustling, chattering and laughing, "Maybe... this matter, we should go through a process." ...'

"Um. Fan Cong nodded, "Indeed, the process is very important. But…"

  Fan Cong gritted his teeth, with a ferocious look on his face, "But, hehe, it's fine if they don't give me a pension, but they stopped my family support in the month when the news came back!" The reason is that I am already "dead"! Hahaha, tell me, Brother Li, tell me, do I count as "life" or "death"! 』

  『Uh…』Li Kui couldn't answer.

  『My wife...yes, she was just a concubine before, but now she is a wife...nothing can't be changed, right? Although my wife has also read books, she is not a person who can speak eloquently..." Fan Cong sighed, "Go to ask the little official, and then... I don't know what this one is, and I don't know that one, and I don't know what to ask. , asked the one who said that it was not his responsibility... My wife ran around for a month, went back and forth more than ten times, no one... no one can solve this matter... huh, I am fake death, but... if I really die Woolen cloth? 』

  Li Kui remained silent.

  『I was so anxious to ask, Hu Cao’s people were just annoyed, saying that it’s okay for them to do so! Now that he is dead, his salary and salary should be stopped. What's wrong with that? Breaking that law again? It is to bombard my wife and ask her to find a meritorious person. Fan Cong sneered, "Then Gongcao also said that they are also fine, everything is done according to the law!" Unidentified corpses, undecided life and death, no compensation is allowed! Then I drove my wife to find Hucao...the old mother at home needs to be raised, the child needs to be fed, Tian Sang pays taxes, and Si Mayong adjusts...the little officials who collect taxes and adjust the mediocrity go straight to the door, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, saying that there is an order , no one has to miss a penny! Even a copper hairpin that I made love with my wife was taken away...a thin coffin that was given to my mother, also...also...』

  Fan Cong burst into tears, choked up and speechless.

  Li Kui turned his head.

Fan Cong wiped his face with his sleeve, and his voice was a bit vague, "That's when I knew, I don't owe Cao Mengde, I don't owe the emperor, only owe the cavalry... If it wasn't for the cavalry Send someone to pick up my family members, I... my wife said, they all wanted to die at that time...』

  『You...Your clan...』 Li Kui asked, "Why in your clan..."

"ha. ’ Fan Cong sneered, ‘Isn’t it clear enough about Kong Wenju? Clan? If you have meritorious service and official position, they are human beings. If you have nothing and become extinct, they will wait to divide the house and property! At that time, you thought they were human beings, but you didn't think that they no longer regarded you as human beings! 』

  Li Kui is silent. He also knows this. There are indeed some voluntary schools in the clan of the big family, and they will also distribute money and grain to the widows and widows in the clan, but the price is that the family who accepts this money and grain will become the vassal of a certain big family. slave in the sense.

   And even if this system is not available to all families, even if there are families, it is not for everyone...

  Aristocratic families, as long as they maintain the main branch and the main house, it is enough. As for the side details, other than the five clothes, whether to help or not depends entirely on one's thoughts.

  『Brother Li, you are not a big family, either,』 Fan Cong looked at Li Kui and said, 『You should have seen it when you were in Changan... We are from Shandong, but there is no place for us in Shandong! So what if you learn well? The child of a wealthy family can read poetry and books at the age of three! At the age of seven, he can sing poetry to the countryside! At the age of ten, you can publish a book and become famous all over the world! 』

  『So what if you have the ability? They said they couldn't do it, but they said they wanted to recruit talented people from all over the world. It's better to be open than not to stick to one pattern, but in fact, the ones who were recruited in the end were either the sons of this family, the grandsons of that family, ordinary people, etc... If not, you I don't have to come to Chang'an..." Fan Cong laughed twice, "Such Shandong, such an imperial court...is it worth it? That’s all for now, Brother Li, think about it carefully...』

  Fan Cong didn't mean to ask Li Kui to answer on the spot, but stood up, saluted slightly, and left without waiting for Li Kui's response.

  The sound of footsteps went away, and amidst the rattling of iron chains, the cell once again fell into silence.

  Li Kui was silent, sitting like a statue, motionless.

  『Is it worth it? 』

  If an imperial court or a region prevents the living from living, the dead from dying in peace, the young from seeing the light of their early days, and the old from seeing the hope of living in the future...

  Li Kui knocked his head on the wooden fence, and there was a bang, as if someone was still asking, "Is it worth it?" 』

  He knocked again, hoping to knock these three words out of his mind with this action.

   This time he knocked harder, the rough wooden fence scratched his forehead, and the blood flowed down, stinging hotly.

  But these three words still couldn't be eliminated in my mind, and they even became bigger and louder.

  『Is it worth it? 』

  ...囧 rz...

  In the prison, Li Kui was confused and had difficulty making a choice, and in Chang'an City, there were also people who were confused and had difficulty making a choice.

  『Father, we... this, is this our chance? ! 』

   Wei Kang stared at Wei Duan with undisguised desire.

  Since Webster resigned from the officialdom, Wei Kang really understood what it means to be "a man with few birds".

  His former "friends" who were laughing and laughing, now avoid him like snakes and scorpions, and then he realized that what his father had always told him to be cautious about making friends was true...

   Wei Duan is slightly hunched, and his face is much older. Without authority, Wei Duan seems to be aging faster.

Before, Wei Duan hoped that he could hook up with Kong Rong's children, just like backdoor listing in the stock market, and regain some political capital, but he didn't know whether he hit Doy, or was noticed, or the children of Kong's family It’s really about concentrating on studying. Although it’s about Chang’an, most people basically don’t see the children of the Kong family at all, so there’s no such thing as an excuse.

  With no authority or position, Wei Duan felt like he was walking naked in the downtown. After the initial period of shame, Wei Duan naturally ignited the fire of anger in his heart. He, one of the dignified "Jingzhao Sanxiu" back then, is now like a bereaved dog...

  『What are you going to do? Wei Duan asked, he didn't say yes or no, but asked Wei Kang directly what to do.

  With a gloating smile on his face, Wei Kang raised his eyebrows and said, "The black fat man is obviously scared!" He made a mistake! Now it should be gathering the strength of the three assistants in Guanzhong to deal with Prime Minister Cao with one heart and one mind, but he was at a loss! First, there was a disagreement with the son of the hussars, and then the warehouse in the city was on fire, and because of the fire in the warehouse, Wei Wenchang was involved, and Wei Wenchang made trouble in the official house! 』

  『This fat black man usually pretends to be decent, but at the critical moment, he panicked! The more Wei Kang said, the more excited he became, "This black fat man has lost the trust of his son and the support of the general, how can Chang'an Sanfu not be in chaos?" How can he resist Prime Minister Cao? When Prime Minister Cao's troops approach the city, it will be the day when this fat black man will be awarded his head! 』

Webster, whether it is Wei Duan or Wei Kang, has suffered at the hands of Pang Tong, and more than once, so Wei Kang hates Pang Tong. Worried about safety, he was extremely excited, thinking that this was a good opportunity to overthrow Pang Tong, let Webster return to politics, and re-list for financing.

   Wei Duan frowned, "I'm asking you what to do. 』

  『Uh…』Wei Kang froze for a moment, didn’t he have to do what he said before? But soon he said, "Since Pang Tong's behavior is at a loss, he can't be the minister!" And in Chang'an, the most experienced and most powerful person to turn the tide is Father! 』

  『Idiot! spendthrift! Wei Duan scolded unceremoniously, "You really won't give up if you don't ruin Wei's family fortune!" Am I really..."

Wei Duan suddenly remembered the words of Doctor Hua of the Hundred Medical Center, saying that he is old and should not get angry, otherwise his life will be lost easily, so he stopped scolding Wei Kang, took a long breath, and warned himself not to be angry, not to be with him This prodigal son cares about...

   Wei Kang rolled his eyes, trying to figure out what went wrong with his idea.

  『Nowadays, no movement is worse than stillness...』Wei Duan temporarily calmed down some anger, and began to explain to Wei Kang, "Try to turn the tide, hehe, it looks beautiful, but what if it is photographed into the water by this raging tide?" 』

   Wei Kang snorted, "Father, are you... afraid?" If you don't stand up to rule Sansuke, just sit at home, will you be able to make meritorious deeds? 』

   Wei Duan rolled his eyelids, "Do you think the hussars will definitely win? 』

"if not? Under the hussars, there are quite a few elite soldiers and strong generals..." Wei Kang was taken aback, "Father, you can't... then you put it this way..."

  『I don’t mean anything! Wei Duan was afraid that this thing would lead him to some wrong path, so he couldn't help shouting, "Wechsler has only this little wealth left, so be on the safe side!" Do you understand? ! Do not act rashly! I mean just in case, if in case... at that time, Webster will stand up now, wouldn't it be... if it is true... then it is the perfect opportunity for Webster to rise again...』

   Wei Kang rolled his eyes, obviously thinking about the key point, nodded and said: "That's true... But, what if the victor... is the hussars?" So if we do nothing now, isn't it a missed opportunity? 』

   Wei Duan frowned, pinched his beard and murmured for a while, before saying: "That's the case... But the old man feels that this Pang Shiyuan... shouldn't be like this. There seems to be something wrong..."

While talking, suddenly there was a servant of Webster's confidant rushing in from the corridor, reporting with a strange expression: "To the master, young master... This Pang Lingjun came to the table, saying that Wei Wenchang is domineering, and there is a rebellious bone in the back of his head... What’s more, the hussars treat the generals too well, so that the generals and others don’t know the kindness, so they want to cut down their parts, and even say that the Northern Region’s governor’s authority is too great, so they want to be dismissed from the post of governor and replaced by the prefect…』

"What? ! ” Wei Duan was shocked, “This... is this because Pang Shiyuan was beaten stupid by Wei Wenchang? 』

  At this moment, what kind of civil and military disputes are still going on?

But having said that, since the Eastern Han Dynasty, it seems to be a habitual political correctness for civil officials to slander people, especially slandering relatives, generals, eunuchs, everything except themselves, even their own civil servants. It's the same as the little fairy who lowers her head here and there, so there is no one who does not lower her head.

  Changan Sansuke, because of Fei Qian's dominance, such a situation has not happened for a long time. The present situation is because Fei Qian has left, and Pang Tong has no one to suppress him, so the nature of the "big Han civil official" has been exposed?

  This possibility is not impossible. After all, I heard that in the Runan area, in the early days, the favorite thing was to criticize. Jingxiang is very close to Runan. It is impossible to say that Pang Tong was also infected with the disease, and now he is starting to attack...

  『Father! ”Wei Kang looked at Wei Duan eagerly, “Now... what shall we do now? 』

   Wei Duan narrowed his eyes, "Let me think about it, think about it... hiss... um, yes... we have to believe him..."

"ha? who? 』

  『Pang Shiyuan. 』

"What? ! 』