211-220

Chapter 211

After Lu Jiuan came back from Tianjiacun, he kept quiet about the Jinglan Temple matter. He even ordered Jiang Yu and others to keep quiet, as if nothing happened.

On the other hand, Fu Wenxin didn't understand: "Sir, Jinglan Temple is obviously occupying people's fertile farmland."

"So?" Lu Jiu'an asked, "Those fields were bought by Jinglan Temple with money. It's your wish and mine." , it's just an occupation, what do you want me to do?"

Fu Wenxin always felt that there was something in Mr. Lu's words, and wanted to refute it, but couldn't explain why.

Fu Wenbo came up and kicked him, disagreeing and said: "Even if you want to deal with it, sir, you have to find a suitable time. You just have to be your bodyguard. Why do you ask so many questions?"

But on the other side, Ying Ping said As more and more people spread the word of development, people in southern Shanxi talked about it, as if they had seen it with their own eyes and talked about it in a convincing way.

After hearing this, a well-known nobleman in the city couldn't wait to send someone to spend a lot of money to buy several pieces of glass from Yingping, and he replaced the windows of his shop on the same day.

The magical scene of sunlight shining into the house through the clear and shiny glass attracted people from all over the capital to come and pay their respects.

The news of the library also reached the mouths of scholars in southern Shanxi, and the repercussions in the literary world were violent. Even Emperor Yongxi who lived in the palace heard about it.

At one meeting, after the political affairs were discussed, Emperor Yongxi did not rush to leave the court. Instead, he said to the ministers below: "Recently, I heard many people whispering that the scholars want to stay in southern Shanxi." Build a storage room?"

"That's true," Luo Jinshen stood up excitedly.

Luo Jin was deeply addicted to books. After the governor told him about the storage room, he also wanted to see what the governor said about the room full of books. It's a pity that Yingpingtian is high and the road is far away. I'm afraid there is no hope in this life.

Now that the emperor had taken the initiative, Luo Jinshen boldly wondered whether His Majesty planned to build one in southern Shanxi.

"Your Majesty, you don't know, the people are saying that Yingping has everything, and we in southern Shanxi can't even compare with a remote Zhongxian County." Luo Jinshen looked at Lu Jiu'an, quite curious: "Master Lu Chang, Why did you think of building such a treasure house in the first place?"

Lu Jiu'an said: "Science and technology can rejuvenate the country and strengthen the country with talents. Just like running Hongtu College, it can improve the knowledge of the people. In this way, you may be able to select one more person for Your Majesty. "Talent."

Emperor Yongxi smacked these two sentences repeatedly in his mouth and nodded: "If it is beneficial to the country and the people, let's repair it."

Because Lu Jiu'an was the county magistrate who was responsible for the construction, it was a matter of course. On to his head.

Now that he has the support of national funds, Lu Jiu'an can let go. After all, he is building the National Library, and its scale must be worthy of Jin Nanjing's status.

Since the Ministry of Industry and Lu Jiu'an had cooperated several times and had become tacit partners, the Ministry of Industry simply moved their official duties to Lu Jiu'an's government office.

The heavy desktop was filled with messy drawings. The person who supervised the entire project this time was Lao Liu, the head of the Renovation and Cleaning Department. He was a veteran in charge of civil construction and other matters.

Old Liu, who often hangs out in the construction site barracks in the sun and the sun, has dark skin and unshaven beard, and is no different from a butcher on the street. At this time, he was holding a piece of weed in his mouth and vaguely ordered his subordinates: "First Ask someone to prepare the foundation, dig according to the shape on the drawing, and cut down such a thick tree to use as beams and pillars..."

Lu Jiu'an listened quietly, and other ideas gradually emerged in his mind.

He wanted to build the storage room into three floors, with the walls made of the latest concrete blue bricks, and all the windows replaced with glass windows.

Jiang Yu clicked his tongue: "This is the second building after Hongtu College to use all glass windows. Sir, if this is the case, the requirements will be huge. From Yingping to production and transportation back to Shannan, plus the losses during the journey, This trip will be time-consuming and laborious."

Lu Jiu'an looked strangely: "Who said I had to transport it from Yingping?"

Jinnan is rich in minerals, and Lu Jiu'an paid attention to several places where quartz was found while hunting in Lingshan. Shadow, building a factory in the suburbs to produce glass is not a problem at all.

Old Liu was puzzled: "Master Lu wants to build a three-story collection room? I, Old Liu, can do it. I only have one question, why are the windows made of glass? Is the building stable?"

"The storage room is made of The purpose of using glass windows where students sit and read books is to improve indoor lighting," Lu Jiu'an explained, "As for the stability issue you mentioned, don't worry, Lao Liu, Ying Ping's Ministry of Engineering once supervised the construction of a whole building. There are precedents for building glass windows. Besides, you are experienced and have a keen eye, and you have even built mansions and palaces. A mere storage room will definitely be safe with your hands."

Old Liu thought for a moment and said that he could try it. "But I'm still not at ease. The matter is serious. Lord Shangshu has entrusted me with the storage room, but I don't dare to do it perfunctorily. Does Lord Lu have any ready-made glass? I want to test it myself. Is it true? I dare to adopt it only if it is correct."

Lu Jiu Anxin said that this person was rough in details: "This is natural. I am a layman, so I can only offer some of my own ideas. As for the details, how to dig the foundation, beams and columns. How to build it depends on Mr. Liu. Tomorrow I will bring two pieces of glass for Mr. Liu to try.

"Ok." Old Liu stood up from his seat and tied his loose belt hastily. I will go back and wait for news from Mr. Lu."

After Lao Liu left, Lu Jiu'an found two brothers, Fu Wenbo and Fu Wenxin, and handed them a tiger-head gold artifact: "Take this with you and go to the exhibition pavilion tomorrow. There happened to be two pieces of intact glass stored there, and I arranged for them to be delivered to Mr. Liu.

Fu Wenxin was blinded by the tiger-headed gold weapon and swallowed his saliva: "Sir, this is how you hand over this precious thing." Give it to us?"

Now that things have happened, Lu Jiu'an has nothing to hide from them: "This is the token of the Exhibition Pavilion. It was originally held by Mu Xiaohou, but it is now under my control."

Fu Wenxin exclaimed, "The Exhibition Pavilion is so. This place is actually under Mr. Lu's banner. He is so secretive."

Fu Wenbo was so disgusted with his brother's unbelievable stupidity that he pushed Fu Wenxin away and took the tiger head gold weapon without saying a word. He put it in his arms, clasped his fists and said, "I accept this order from my humble position."

Jiang Yu said, "Sir, you want to build a factory to make glass, but now that you are no longer the county magistrate, where will the money come from?"

"I don't have it." Lu Jiu'an pointed to the sky and said, "Your Majesty, I have it."

So the next day, Lu Jiu'an not only sent two pieces of glass to Lao Liu as promised, but also drew up a memorial and ran into the palace to ask for money.

Emperor Yong Xi was now quite aware of Lu Jiu'an's spending money, and he was so angry that he couldn't laugh or cry at his self-righteous rogue attitude. He sat there holding the memorial for a long time without being able to say a word.

Seeing this, Dong Lan took two steps forward, shook the Buddha's dust and scolded: "Lu Jiu'an, ask yourself, for all the things you have proposed for so long, has His Majesty not thought about it for a moment and then quickly agreed to it?" , Don't be proud of His Majesty's indulgence in favor of you! "

Being pampered? Are you so angry that you are talking nonsense? Lu Jiuan lowered his head and thought vaguely.

Emperor Yongxi pressed his temples and said: "Lu Jiu'an, this huge treasury is going to be squandered by you sooner or later if you use it like this."

Lu Jiu'an complained: "Your Majesty, I am not squandering money at will. This is called being reluctant to bear children. No wolf."

Emperor Yongxi looked at him: "Wolf? Who is the wolf?"

Lu Jiuan smiled: "Aren't Simon and Beijiang the wolf?"

Emperor Yongxi slowly sat back on the lacquered chair with two dragons biting the beads, and the expression on his face became unfathomable: "How do you say it?"

Lu Jiu'an seemed to have not seen it, and spoke calmly about the diplomatic relations that Han Linshen mentioned. Li: "Later one time, I overheard the young minister of Honglu Temple saying that Simon is rich in cattle, sheep, and horses, and northern Xinjiang is rich in melons, fruits, spices, gold ornaments, and jade articles. In addition to establishing diplomatic relations and sending gifts, the Zhou Dynasty and the two countries also The two places are far apart, and there is no other trade exchange. Glass is a rare item in the Zhou Dynasty, and it is more precious than colored glaze. The same is true for Simon's northern border. Now that we have mastered the glass firing technology, it is not as good as Simon's. Doing business in Northern Xinjiang is sure to make a profit."

Emperor Yongxi said with a smile on his face after a long time: "

You don't dare to take it, you are an old fox.

Lu Jiuan successfully persuaded Emperor Yongxi to choose an address in the outer suburbs and started building a factory to make glass at the same time.

As for the craftsmen, Lu Jiuan approached the Minister of Industry and asked him if he could hire more craftsmen. Just in case, Lu Jiuan was vaccinated in advance: "The craftsmen need to be skilled in craftsmanship. In addition, this job is much more tiring than other jobs, and you have to endure hardships."

The Minister of Industry said: "To say No one in the other five departments can compare to the people under my command." After a while,

many craftsmen were recruited from all directions. This group of people stood in rows in front of him with their shirts bare and their strong muscles exposed. , at first glance, he is a master at work.

"You can take your pick of the people here." The Minister of Industry and Commerce waved his hand enthusiastically.

Lu Jiu'an also said: "Master Shangshu is so generous, but I can't be picky. So, if you are willing to follow me, take the initiative to stand by my side."

A man moved, and then others followed one after another. They all walked to Lu Jiu'an's side, and Lu Jiu'an was shocked: "This..."

The Minister of Industry and Commerce laughed loudly: "What's so strange? They all said that Corporal Lu Jiu'an Li Xian still had to do something new like burning paper glass. This group of people It's too late for the craftsmen to rush in, so they will be turned away."

Lu Jiu'an looked at these sturdy men again, and as expected, their faces were all bright and full of expectations for what they were going to do in the future.

Sand and gravel were transported to the factory with a roar, and large tree trunks were piled up one after another on the construction site. The craftsmen were working enthusiastically, and Lu Jiu'an was not idle, preparing for the operation of the storage room and the collection of books.

Lu Jiuan was familiar with the situation once and for all. With the cooperation of the Ministry of Industry, in less than five months, a brand new building was presented to the people of southern Shanxi.

On the day when the storage room opened, Luo Jinshen couldn't wait to drag Yan Zhong, a scholar from Dongge University, along with his friends from the DPRK and China.

"Apart from the fact that there are more books, what's the difference between it and the palace's collection room?" Luo Jinshen made various conjectures in his mind along the way, "Is it like the governor said, there are places in the museum for convenience? Students watching. "

Yan Zhongyi said with a smile, "Isn't Lu Jiu'an your disciple? If you ask him, wouldn't it be clear?"

Speaking of this, Luo Jinshen felt resentful and sad. As Lu Jiu'an's seat, Teacher, but everything has to be learned from others.

After finally arriving at the storage room, there was already an endless stream of people at the door. Most of the people here were students from the city, coming in small groups.

Luo Jinshen got off the carriage and looked up. The building in front of him was really majestic.

The double eaves with nine ridges are covered with brown tiles, and a bronze chisel is sitting beside it. The heavy wooden door more than two feet wide has a dark brown nanmu plaque, with the three words "Guardian Room" engraved on it. The writing is powerful.

"That's the wall clock, right?" Suddenly, Luo Jinshen spotted the round object hanging on the right side of the plaque and asked excitedly.

The person who came along said: "Master Luo, haven't you been to the Exhibition Pavilion?"

"Exhibition Pavilion?"

"A shop suddenly popped up in southern Shanxi five or six years ago. It specializes in displaying some strange and eccentric objects. It is especially popular among the children of the capital."

Luo Jin was curious: "There are also wall clocks?"

"Of course there are, but there are only two of them, and they are expensive. One of them is said to be bought by someone named Jin'an Wangfu. Now think about it, the exhibition pavilion is probably the work of Lu Jiu'an "

Just as they were talking, several more waves of people came from all directions, and Yan finally heard a middle-aged Confucian scholar in his forties passing by and sighing: "We finally have a building of our own in southern Shanxi . It's your own storage room, come in quickly, I can't wait to take a look."

The people behind were also urging: "The people in front should give way. If you don't want to go in, don't stand in the way.

Luo Jinshen came back to his senses, raised the corner of his robe, and said enthusiastically: "Let's go in, too." There

are three floors in the storage room. There is a cave inside. There are rows of bookshelves in the center of the room, and there are seats by the window. On the chairs and benches, Confucian scholars have found their favorite books and sat down to read them with great interest.

When Luo Jinshen saw so many books, he opened his mouth: "It's just... a lot of books."

Someone asked: "Where did Lu Jiu'an find so many books?"

The bachelor of the Hanlin Academy knew better: "Our Majesty went to the "He took out a lot of handwritten books from the palace."

There are many kinds of books in the collection room, including not only ancient books by philosophers such as the Four Books and Five Classics, but also small books and miscellaneous books on scriptures, history and stories. Books on woodcraft and textiles were even found on the first floor.

Yan Zhongyi shook his lips, but still couldn't help criticizing: "How can such a palace of knowledge as the Tibetan Room be put in such messy things to tarnish the Holy Scriptures?"

There was a rough-faced man next to him holding a pottery book. After thinking about it, he raised his head and glanced at Yan Zhongyi, and sneered in a moderate voice: "Prude."

Yan Zhongyi's face turned red, and when he was about to get angry, Luo Jinshen pulled him away and said something nice. Xiang advised: "Keep pace with the times, Mr. Yan. Things are different now than in the past. Didn't His Majesty also say that any profession that benefits the country and the people can be carried forward."

"I think it's all the trouble caused by your disciple."

Luo Jinshen His face did not change: "How can you say it is a disaster? The merits and demerits have their own historical evaluation."

The storage room was not only equipped with tables and chairs, but also a large wooden barrel in the corner. The barrel was connected to the floor with a bamboo tube. It is connected to the well outside to divert water.

If students don't want to use cold water, they can pay an extra two bucks and go to the "service desk" to enjoy hot water. All kinds of considerations are considered.

The bookshelves on the first and second floors have the same layout, divided into many areas. Each area displays different types of books in different categories, arranged according to the codes on the backs of the books, making it very convenient for people to find them.

When Luo Jin saw that the storage room was well-organized, he was even more proud of Lu Jiu'an: "Everything is done in every detail. It's really rare for someone at his age to be able to do this."

There seemed to be endless surprises waiting to be discovered on his body. And the more I learned about him, the deeper I fell in love with this cheap disciple.

Several people selected the books they wanted to read and prepared to continue walking to the third floor, but were stopped by a steward at the top of the stairs.

Luo Jinshen didn't know why: "Isn't everyone allowed to enter the treasure room? The steward stopped us. Do we want to read the books above? What else can we say?"

The steward replied: "Only the lower two floors are free for viewing. " Read it."

"Does the boss need to give me money?"

The steward shook his head: "If you don't want to give me money, I'll give you some money.

" Luo Jinshen thought, "Is this also what you, Mr. Lu, have stipulated?"

The steward nodded.

"Do you know who I am? I am Lord Lu's master."

Luo Jinshen thought that after revealing his identity, the steward's attitude would loosen. Unexpectedly, the steward still rejected him flatly: "Master Lu said that even if his biological father and mother come, he can't go up without any contribution points."

At this moment, everyone's originally only 30% expectation was turned into 12% curiosity. Could it be that the book on the third floor recorded some magical magic?

Yan Zhongyi asked with interest: "How do you get this contribution point?"

The steward pointed to a wooden sign on the wall for everyone to look at.

Anyone who donates their own books, music scores, tea recipes, etc. to the collection room will receive different amounts of contribution points after being valued by the collection room administrator.

In addition, you can also earn contribution points by publishing "scientific papers" regardless of career field.

These strange words came one after another: "What is a scientific paper?"

The manager patiently explained: "For example, if you are a doctor, you create your own set of treatment prescriptions, including the process, materials, diagnosis results, and precautions. When the content is written into an article, it will be a thesis. "

The book on the third floor is a method that Lu Jiu'an came up with based on playing games in his previous life, exchanging contribution points for reading opportunities.

The purpose is to encourage people to innovate independently and voluntarily contribute books collected at home.

The books on the third floor were not written in this era, but were carefully selected by Lu Jiuan from the computer. All-inclusive, such as the Four Great Classics, Tang Poems and Song Ci, and Qi Ming Yao Shu, etc. are displayed, ensuring that their contribution points are worth every penny.

In addition, in order to highlight the preciousness of these books, Lu Jiuan had to set up an additional rule, except for the books on the third floor, they could be borrowed.

People only need to pay a sufficient deposit to the steward and return it within the specified time limit, which greatly improves the convenience of reading.

Things did go as Lu Jiu'an expected. On the day it opened, someone took the initiative to donate a lot of books at home in order to climb to the third floor, making a huge contribution to the number of books in the collection room.

Luo Jinshen was naturally among them. He exchanged an ancient book that he had treasured for many years for 10 contribution points.

"Ten points is too little. This was written by the descendants of the sage Kong Sheng. There are less than five copies in the world. It should be worth 100 points anyway." Luo Jinshen patted the table in front of him angrily to bargain.

The steward is careless: "There is a huge difference between the descendants of Saint Kong and the saints. The 10 contribution points cannot be changed. My lord has said that the value lies in the book itself, not in the person who wrote it behind him."

Yan Zhonghahaha Laughing: "Yes, Master Lu Changji understands the importance of reading. If he forcibly praises books because of the author, how is it different from following the trend?"

Luo Jinshen muttered: "What good things can be exchanged for 10 contribution points?"

" 10 contribution points is a lot. Once you get to the third floor, I guarantee you won't regret it."

"So confident?" Everyone watching the excitement encouraged Luo Jinshen.

Luo Jin was deeply depressed, and was scratched by the books on the third floor. He finally compromised and said, "Okay, since you said so, in your opinion, with 10 contribution points, which one should I read instead?" "The book is better?"

The steward raised his eyelids and glanced at him, and confirmed to him: "Dare you ask , is it Master Luo Jinshenluo ?

"

Select Su Shi's Ci Collection."

Chapter 212

In the early spring of the next year, everything was recovering and the earth had just warmed up. Han Zhi returned from the border.

Eight years ago, General Zhenyuan led the twelve knights of Xue Yong and drove straight in. They killed the Taman people until they were unable to fight back and drove them hundreds of miles away from the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yun Luo had peace for eight years.

This time's letter from the border seemed to be sending some kind of signal to everyone: the Taman people had already raised enough to survive, and a storm was about to come.

The morning light was dim, the sky was bright, and the door panel of Lu Mansion was shot loudly. Lu Jiuan had no time to put on his clothes, so he opened the door with a thin shirt on. Standing outside the door was a eunuch wearing a blue background with fringe welts. He said respectfully: "Please come to the palace, Master Chang Ji."

There is no court meeting today, but if there is an unexpected government incident, the emperor will summon civil and military officials to gather the monarch and his ministers to conspire.

Lu Jiu'an walked into the imperial study room and looked up. Today, many officials had gathered for an impromptu meeting. They were the ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs, the cabinet bachelors, the censors on the left and right, and the commanders of all the armies.

Han Zhi sat on the right side of Emperor Yongxi with a serious look on his face.

He had lost weight due to the erosion of the wind and sand at full term, and their eyes briefly intertwined and then separated in the air.

Lu Jiu'an walked to a corner, and the Grand Scholar of Wenhua Palace murmured in a low voice: "Does Master Lu Changji have to get involved in important border defense matters? That would be too lenient."

Han Zhi looked over coldly and said in a solemn voice. : "I asked him to come, how are you doing?"

General Zhenyuan, who had just returned from the bloody battlefield, was completely different from the King Yu who stayed in southern Shanxi. He was filled with murderous aura. The Grand Scholar of the Cultural Palace shook his lips and said, Swallowed all the complaints.

Han Zhi waved to Lu Jiu'an, pointed to the place two people away and said, "Come and sit here."

The matter discussed in the meeting was related to Taman.

The spies sent out by the Twelve Horsemen of the Snowy Cavalry discovered that Taman had experienced a change of kingship a few years ago. The leader who now holds the most power is Naiwuchisa. He is a man of great strength, a sinister and ruthless enemy who is also good at fighting. , has been eyeing Yunluo Border City, and his rise to power is a huge danger to Great Zhou.

The Taman were originally a people on horseback. After several springs and winters, their horses were fattened and strong. Recently, the scouts discovered several groups of people wandering fifty miles away from Yunluo. They kept making small moves, and it was obvious that they were coming with bad intentions.

Han Zhi looked around and said in a deep voice: "Before next year's cold winter, there will definitely be a big war between the Great Zhou and Taman."

Once the two sides go to war, the cost of military food and armaments will inevitably increase greatly, and the military pay allocated by the imperial court to the front line will be increased simultaneously. .

"No." Hubu was the first to stand up and object. Like a river fish whose scales were touched, he suddenly jumped up from his chair and said resolutely, "The national treasury has been used several times and it really cannot afford the heavy military pay.

" Building a workshop and building a storage room are just a drop in the bucket. But military pay is different. Who knows how long this battle will last. What's more, due to the increase in martyrs' pensions in the past few years, the number of border guards has increased significantly. The total number will be a huge number.

There were also peacemakers among the officials, and the censor of Zuodu said: "Is this war necessary? The people suffer from the war. The previous dynasty sent the princess to make peace with the Taman, and they lived in peace and harmony for decades?"

"Confused! Unexpectedly, Yan Zhongyi, who usually sticks to the rules, has a surprisingly tough attitude towards this issue, "Marriage is just a temporary measure. If you are not of my race, you will have different intentions! If you feed the beasts two pieces of raw meat, will they be at ease?" Well, when you let down your guard, they will show their fangs."

Lu Jiu'an nodded silently when he heard this.

The officials present looked solemn. War is something everyone hates, but if the barbarians are not eradicated, Yun Luo will have to live in fear. Only by completely eradicating this festering, rotten, smelly cancer can the Great Zhou Dynasty be at peace.

The Ministry of Revenue refused to agree to increase military pay at all costs, and threw the thick account book in front of everyone: "You see for yourselves, the expenditure in the past two years has been huge, and it is clearly recorded in the account book. Military pay is different from others. Once it is increased, the state treasury will not be able to make ends meet."

Officials People had different opinions. Except for the Ministry of War, which continued to support General Han, everyone else said that the war could be fought, but the military pay allocated by the court to the front line could not be increased.

"I wonder what Mr. Lu Chang has to say?" Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance suddenly pointed the finger at Lu Jiu'an.

Lu Jiu'an was listening intently when he was suddenly called by name and was a little startled: "Opinion?"

"Yes, we are here to discuss important military and political matters, aren't we?"

In the imperial study room, the palace man changed a note of incense, and then He bowed and retreated quietly, closing the door gently before leaving.

Everyone looked at Lu Jiuan, and Han Zhi's eyes were particularly solid, as if he was expecting his answer.

Lu Jiuan changed his posture.

"I think...I think that not only should we increase military pay during wartime, but we should also increase investment in the training of military horses and soldiers in peacetime."

Han Zhi twitched the corner of his mouth slightly in a corner where no one was watching.

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had veins popping out. He took a deep breath, retracted his finger and said, "Just pretend that I didn't ask anything just now."

"Master, I am serious," Lu Jiu'an said sincerely.

The Minister of Hubu banged the table angrily: "The Great Zhou Dynasty is so prosperous and the people are in peace and well-being, but you are thinking of going militarily!"

"But the reason why the Great Zhou Dynasty can maintain peace is because the soldiers guard the borders. The more prosperous the country is, the more prosperous the country is. Prosperity requires strong strength." Lu Jiu'an was also aroused, and his voice suppressed him, "Master Shangshu, I don't know if you have heard of the saying that dignity only exists at the edge of the sword, and truth only exists at the range.

"Without strong strength to defend Dazhou, do you think we can sit here and discuss matters like this? You never know how powerful your enemy is, and what we need to do is to prepare for a rainy day. " ! "

Those who are lagging behind can only be beaten, and those who are weak are waiting to be bullied. No one knows it better than him.

The Minister of the Ministry of Finance looked very ugly, and Luo Jinshen quickly tried to smooth things over: "What Master Lu Changji said is right, and what the Master said makes sense. We also have a way to get the best of both worlds - increase taxes." The

Minister of the Ministry of Finance did not speak. He just glanced at the silent man above him.

Increasing taxes is indeed a compromise, but if it is not done well it will easily lead to complaints.

Han Zhi shook his head and said bluntly: "No."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jiu'an followed up and said: "Okay."

Everyone was shocked, even Han Zhi showed an expression of disbelief, Yong Xi The emperor smiled and looked at Lu Jiu'an: "I do want the country to be stable, but I don't want the people to live in poverty because of it. This is putting the cart before the horse."

Of course, Lu Jiu'an also understood the key point. The prosperity of the country cannot be separated from the prosperity of the economy. Prosperity is inseparable from the work of the people. Society is a huge machine. In the final analysis, the people are the cornerstone. There are many examples in history of peasant uprisings caused by increased taxes. Of course, he will not repeat the same mistake.

Lu Jiu'an took the initiative to add: "It is feasible, but we need to change the method. Your Majesty, do you still remember the farmer Shen Zhi?"

The rice varieties discovered by Shen Zhi increased the grain production of the entire Yingping in one fell swoop, but now only Yingping has and its neighboring counties.

The method Lu Jiu'an mentioned was to issue a decree: starting from today, local governments will provide improved seeds and teach planting experience. However, in contrast, people who get improved seeds and planting methods will need to pay 10 to 20% more grain in the coming year.

Compared with the doubling of food, the little autumn tax paid is nothing. The common people are not stupid. With such a total, there will naturally not be too many complaints.

The people are happy, and taxes are collected into the national treasury, so why not do it.

"I know you have many ideas for making money." Emperor Yong Xi's expression softened, and the atmosphere in the entire imperial study relaxed, and he praised Lu Jiu'an's good strategies.

"This is just one of them." Lu Jiu'an said again, "We are wandering around the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, why not replenish the treasury."

"Today, the great power of the Great Zhou Dynasty dominates one side, intersecting with the mountains and rivers of the northern border of Simon, and the imperial court is completely We can build a trade team, carry out international transactions, and send envoys to the Northern Xinjiang of Simon to trade tea utensils, silk and glass for things needed by the Zhou Dynasty, enrich the products of the Zhou Dynasty, and reap double benefits."

Lu Jiu'an said this to Yong Xi before. The emperor once said that the reason for bringing up old matters again today is just to tell others.

As expected, the officials were very interested and discussed the matter in great detail. In the end, there was even a fierce dispute over who should be sent as envoy to Simon's Northern Territory.

Lu Jiu'an looked at this scene and felt a little sad for no reason in his heart.

The most suitable candidate was originally Mu Lin, who loved to travel and was good at dancing. If he served as a diplomat, he would definitely not suffer any losses for Zhou.

After leaving the Imperial Study Room, Han Zhi boarded the Lu Mansion's carriage directly. As soon as the curtain was lowered, Lu Jiu'an was pressed against the carriage wall with a strong force.

The wheels made a grunting sound on the bluestone. Ding Xingke sat in front of the carriage and drove the horse dutifully, turning a deaf ear to the sounds of water in the carriage.

A wild bird dragged its colorful tail feathers and flashed past the treetops. Someone recognized the Lu family's carriage. Just as he was about to step forward, Ding Xin pressed the brim of his hat, pulled the reins, and quickly disappeared from sight.

The two of them stayed warm for a long time, and the temperature in the entire carriage seemed to rise with this kiss. Lu Jiuan's lips were red and swollen, like a Waji flower that had been ravaged by wind and rain.

Han Zhi's eyes were dark and unclear, and he kept rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't know why, but he always liked to touch Lu Jiu'an's neck. Lu Jiu'an's neck was long and delicate, and he could hold it firmly with one hand...

"Jiu An is okay. I want to keep kissing you."

Lu Jiu'an took the initiative and kissed Han Zhi sweetly, like he was coaxing a child: "Just now, I can't kiss you like that." He touched Han Zhi again. With a rough face, he said distressedly: "You must have worked hard at the frontier, and you are all tanned like this."

Han Zhi was silent for a moment: "You think I'm ugly?"

Lu Jiu'an quickly shook his head: "I'm not ugly, General Han is very handsome."

This is true . Instead of comforting him, Han Zhi's facial features are deep and sharp. Even if he is tanned, it will not affect him at all. Instead, he has a masculine and wild look, full of masculinity.

Han Zhi was not happy at all after hearing what he said, and straightened his mouth: "Then you go to the Gentlemen's Festival to parade, don't you just like those beautiful women?"

"..." Lu Jiuan choked, Ding Xin really knew They all said it was a misunderstanding, and I don't know what happened when it reached Han Zhi's ears.

Lu Jiu'an struggled to explain clearly, and he patted his chest and promised that he would never participate in the Lao Shizi parade again. General Han's expression improved slightly.

Chapter 213

The carriage drove some distance and reached a secluded area. Han Zhi lifted the curtains and saw a tall building in Jinnan City: "Is this the Tibetan Keeper's Room?"

"Yes." Han Zhi's movements in Jinnan City Sure enough, he knew it clearly. Speaking of this, Lu Jiuan remembered another thing, "Actually, I have another way to replenish the treasury."

"Then why didn't I see you mention it in the imperial study room?"

"Because I don't know much about it either . I'm sure, I need to investigate further. If there are any clues, I'll tell you the details."

"Okay, everything depends on your own safety." Han Zhi trusted him as always and didn't ask in detail. He just said, "If there is any. If necessary, I will always be at your disposal, Mr. Lu."

"I know." Lu Jiu'an felt happy, "You are the same. If we go to war with Taman, are you absolutely sure of victory?"

Han Zhi frowned and shook his head: "This group of outsiders. The tribesmen are no different from wild beasts."

Lu Jiu'an was surprised: "Didn't Feng Jing invent gunpowder? With the blessing of magical weapons, wouldn't Taman be able to catch him?"

Han Zhi smiled and poked his nose: "How can you fight? It's so easy to imagine, but gunpowder can indeed provide assistance to our side."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Lu Jiuan said angrily, "Go to the arsenal and let the craftsmen work harder. Make as many of the best artillery, bow, and armor as you can. . "If that doesn't work, use firepower to suppress the opponent and see if they can still turn over their palms.

...

It's just past February, and single-crop rice is usually sown before Qingming and transplanted in late April or early May. Seeing that the sowing time was approaching, the imperial court quickly issued a decree allowing people to voluntarily go to various government offices to collect grain seeds.

For a while, Lu Jiu'an happened to pass by the county government office and saw a long queue outside the government office. The faces of the people who had obtained the new grain varieties were all smiling. It was obvious that this move was very popular among the people.

This is not the only preparation before the war. In addition, the road to transport military supplies to the border must also be rebuilt. It is crucial that the soldiers and horses go first before the food and grass are moved.

However, there is more than one route for escorting military rations, and it will definitely not be completed within a year and a half. The Ministry of Works needs to send people to survey the road conditions and select some muddy and difficult roads to pave with cement first.

During this period, Han Zhi was not idle either. He went in and out of the barracks and the Supervision and Manufacturing Bureau, and personally participated in the manufacturing and improvement of weapons. Han Zhi had to try out the military weapons forged by the Supervision and Manufacturing Bureau one by one. If he felt it was feasible, he would increase mass production. For this reason, I often stay until late at night before returning home.

The alert businessmen were keenly aware of this slight disturbance and began to hoard goods for various reasons. Naturally, the court would not sit idly by and ordered a ban and severe penalties for violators.

A series of tough control measures have produced remarkable results. The impact of the war on the people was minimized, and they were able to live a peaceful life, doing laundry, cooking, hoeing and plowing the fields as usual.

On this day, Lu Jiuan was sitting in the yard, and Han Zhi showed him the weapons just made by the Supervision Bureau.

Han Zhi was holding a long crescent moon knife in his hand. The blade was extremely sharp. The wooden stake as thick as a bucket was cut into two halves in an instant.

"Yang Genqing is good at using knives on the battlefield. The blade of his knife has some chips, so I'll give him a new one." Han Zhi tried the feel of the knife and thought it was pretty good, so he put the long knife away and put it aside.

Lu Jiu'an watched with great interest and told him some exciting news: "The research institute said that Feng Jing used the properties of burning and luminescence to create flares and bombs."

The good news came one after another, and both of them were excited. Very happy, at this time, Jiang Yu returned to the house with a letter in his hand.

When I asked, I was told that Menzi had just received it and that the post was delivered from Prince Jin'an's Mansion.

It turned out that the Buddha Bathing Festival was coming soon, and Han Zhao specially invited him to burn incense and worship Buddha at Jinglan Temple.

Buddha Bathing Day is a special and solemn day for all people who believe in Buddhism.

On this day, the Jinglan Temple will hold a Dharma assembly in the temple. Whether they are powerful princes or nobles or ordinary people in southern Shanxi, as long as they are Buddhists, they will temporarily put aside their affairs and go to the temple to pray. Light incense and money to celebrate the birth of the Holy Buddha.

Han Zhi had no expression on his face, grabbed the book and threw it into the brazier: "Don't go."

A string of sparks suddenly shot up in the brazier, and the book and letter turned into ashes within a second or two.

Lu Jiu'an sniffed the lingering fragrance on his fingertips. The fragrance was as cold as ice and snow, just like the person himself.

Lu Jiu'an thought for a while and told Jiang Yu: "Go back to King Jin'an and tell him that I agreed."

Han Zhi's face was as dark as water: "What did you say?"

Lu Jiu'an knew that he was unhappy.

They were brothers with the same father and stepmother. They had already had a grudge because of what Concubine Liao had done. Emperor Yongxi could still maintain a superficial peace because of his status as emperor, but Han Zhi had never looked directly at Han Zhao.

But this time Lu Jiu'an had a reason to go, and the tool man who came to his door was not in vain: "I just want to use King Jin'an to do something."

When Han Zhi thought that Lu Jiu'an would come into contact with people he hated, he Feeling uncomfortable in his heart, he said unhappily: "Is there anything I can't do for you, why do you still need him?"

Lu Jiu'an raised his eyebrows: "I really can't. I'm so worried. Wang Guangfeng Jiyue went to Jinglan Temple. The host personally greeted you. You are a general on the battlefield, and you are too heavy-handed to fight against the Buddhist pure land. It is good that you went to Jinglan Temple without asking the monks to drive you out."

Han Zhi snorted heavily from his nostrils . : "Guangfeng Jiyue? He just likes to put on airs. You have all been deceived by him."

Lu Jiu'an saw that his teeth were clenched tightly and his eyes were full of disgust. He knew that he could no longer tease him and quickly comforted him: " Just kidding with you, although King Jinan always has a noble and upright attitude, I always feel as if he is always wearing a mask on his face, which is indescribably strange."

Han Zhi's face brightened a little. , his tone was still firm: "It's good that you know, then why should you accept this invitation."

Lu Jiu'an put his hands around his neck: "Han Chaori, you have to believe that no matter when and where, I will always stand by you. On your side. King Jin'an often visits Jinglan Temple, and I want to get some information from him. Just this time, I won't have too much trouble with him,"

Han Zhi thought for a moment and said uneasily. : "During the hunt in Lingshan, the way he looked at you clearly meant something. If you insist on going, I will go with you."

"No." Lu Jiu'an refused without even thinking.

He answered too simply, which seemed a little strange, as if Hongxing's cheating wife was afraid that her husband would find out about her cheating. Lu Jiu'an quickly added in a soft voice, "Don't worry, I am a man who is not a porn star." My eldest daughter, what kind of plans can you have for me? How can you steal money and sex? If you go together, he will definitely be wary, and he will definitely not be able to ask anything at all. "

Lu Jiu'an said anything, and the two of them took a step back. , Han Zhi will not accompany him, but will take Jiang Yu with him and protect him secretly.

Han Zhi called Jiang Yu aside. Lu Jiuan couldn't hear what they were saying. He only saw Han Zhi's stern expression. Lu Jiuan guessed that he should have told Jiang Yu to follow him at all times.

As expected of someone who became a general at such a young age, this is probably too cautious. But that's okay, it's always right to be careful.

The Buddha Bathing Festival was coming soon. As agreed, Lu Jiuan went to the east street before Chen time. He saw a carriage parked quietly under the courtyard wall from a distance. He didn't know how long he had been waiting.

Han Zhao lifted the car curtain and nodded to Lu Jiu'an. He was dressed in plain white today, with only a string of vermilion beads on his exposed wrist, which was the only different color on his body today.

"Daddy, eat." A chubby little hand grabbed the soft pastry and stuffed it into Han Zhao's mouth.

Han Zhao lowered his head from Shan Ruliu and took a bite: "Shan'er is good, daddy is full, Shan'er eats."

"Oh." He was answered with unclear words.

The little guy was really cute and childish, and Lu Jiuan really couldn't dislike this kid.

The young prince also saw Lu Jiu'an and stopped holding the cakes in his hands. He chuckled and stretched out his hands for a hug.

"Hug...hug, daddy."

Lu Jiu'an couldn't help but laugh. Why did the young prince still not get rid of the habit of calling everyone he saw daddy? He raised his head and glanced at Han Zhao. King Jin'an didn't seem to care much about this scene. .

The young prince leaned forward for a long time, not even touching the corners of Lu Jiuan's clothes. He was so anxious that the corners of his mouth shrank and he burst into tears.

Han Zhao looked embarrassed: "Shan'er seems to like Master Lu Changji very much. He usually recognizes people and usually doesn't let strangers get close to him."

Lu Jiu'an didn't care. Seeing the young prince howling so earth-shatteringly, he cried more and more. The worse he became, Congshan Ruliu took the young prince and held him in his arms.

As soon as the young prince succeeded, his crying stopped suddenly, and all the cake crumbs on his hand were wiped on Lu Jiuan's chest collar. Looking at his face, there are not even a single tear on his face. He is clearly a good actor who can do nothing but thunder.

"..." Lu Jiu'an pinched the young prince's chubby cheek, "Little clever guy."

Han Zhao glanced at Jiang Yu who was following closely behind him: "Who is this?"

"Oh." Lu Jiu'an's expression changed. Ru Chang said frankly, "This is the bodyguard at home. He has followed me since Langdong and protected me a lot along the way."

Han Zhao nodded. Lu Jiu'an originally wanted to return to his carriage, but the young prince held on to his sleeve tightly. He let go and pulled hard with his little fist. Lu Jiuan had no choice but to say: "If King Jin'an doesn't mind, come to my car."

Lu Jiuan's carriage is naturally not as spacious and luxurious as Han Zhao's, but it is comfortable and flat. , not even interesting.

There was a scattered chess game on the small square table in the middle of the carriage, and there were also many strange things thrown into the bamboo baskets in the corner. Han Zhao glanced at them unintentionally, but he couldn't tell what they were at all.

The heavy little dumpling in his arms moved restlessly, looking around, full of curiosity about everything around him.

Lu Jiu'an took out a Rubik's Cube from the bottom of the bamboo basket and handed it to the little guy: "Here, let's play with it."

Ding Xin, who was driving the car, waved his riding whip and made a light "whistle", and the horses began to move forward. Jinglan Temple is located outside the city. In the past, it would take half an hour no matter what, so Lu Jiuan picked up the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard: "The left and right sides are also idle. King Jin'an, please play a game with this stinky chess player like me."

Han Zhao snorted softly: "But there's no point in playing like this. Let's bet on the lottery."

"What lottery."

Han Zhao thought for a while, raised his lips and said, "The loser tells the winner a secret."

Lu Jiu'an was delighted when he heard this. The idea was exactly what he wanted. Anyway, he had so many secrets that even if he accidentally lost, he could handle it by just telling him one thing. Lu Jiu'an said excitedly: "Okay, King Jin'an will hold the black stone and the white stone?"

"To be fair, let's throw a dice, whoever gets the higher number will hold the black stone."

"Okay!" Lu Jiu'an clapped his hands and immediately took out a dice from the bamboo basket. dice.

"Master Lu Changji's bamboo basket is really a treasure chest. I wonder if there are any other treasures?" Han Zhao said thoughtfully.

In order to show his humility, Lu Jiuan asked King Jinan to throw it first.

King Jin'an didn't refuse. He picked up the dice with his hands together and blew on it before throwing it down.

Lu Jiu'an had a strange expression. He would throw a dice and make a show of praying to gods...

The dice spun around on the chessboard and finally stopped. Lu Jiu'an looked at it carefully and saw a small 2 o'clock.

Lu Jiu'an was filled with joy and thought gloatingly: "King Jin'an must be very unlucky. Even if he throws it casually, it will be higher than his points."

Han Zhao's expression remained unchanged and he gestured with his palms facing up . : "Master Lu Changji, it's your turn."

Lu Jiu'an picked up the dice and tossed it casually. The dice rolled to the corner and settled on 1 o'clock.

"..." Lu Jiu'an was so angry that he had traveled through time and changed his body and still had troubles.

Han Zhao smiled happily and picked up a sunspot with two fingers: "Then I'll be disrespectful. It's still early, so we should have enough time to play a few games."

The sunspot landed in the center with a "click".

In Go, this position belongs to the Tianyuan position. Even if Lu Jiu'an is not good at chess, he still understands the principle of Golden Horn, Silver Edge and Grass Belly. Playing Tian Yuan at the beginning is equivalent to giving up the first move.

Looking at Han Zhao again, he looked calm and calm but he looked different from the one who didn't understand anything. He clearly had a chance to win. Lu Jiuan's eyebrows jumped and he stretched out his hand to hold him down: "Wait a minute, we are not playing Go today, let's play differently. , playing backgammon."

Chapter 214

"Backgammon?" Han Zhao was confused. Although he had never heard of Backgammon, it was easy to learn. After Lu Jiuan explained the rules of the game to him, Han Zhao was very interested and eager to try it, "Let's play Backgammon. It's fun to play in a different way. "

Lu Jiuan's Go skill is really not impressive, but backgammon is not that good. When he was just graduating from school and taking the subway, he would play the game on his mobile phone when he was bored. It was more than enough to deal with a novice. of.

Han Zhao plays chess very slowly, and every move seems to have been carefully considered. Lu Jiuan does not rush him. When Han Zhao wants to play chess, he teases the young prince beside him, which can be said to be very easy.

In the first game, Lu Jiu'an played very casually. He didn't set any traps and didn't play tricks. He only paid attention to seeing the tricks and taking advantage of them. Even so, he won easily and effortlessly.

"I almost won." Han Zhao felt a little regretful. He picked up the black stones on the chessboard one by one and put them into the wooden box. "I am willing to admit defeat. What do you want to hear, Master Lu Chang?"

Of course Lu Jiu'an would not get straight to the point. Asking about Jinglan Temple, the intention is too obvious: "I don't know what King Jin'an knows, you can tell me whatever you want."

Han Zhao held his chin and thought for a moment: "Does Master Lu Chang still remember Zhu Yue? "

Remember, that Shannan Siya" is a frivolous person.

"He wants to have sex with you."

What? Lu Jiu'an was so shocked that his saliva choked his trachea and he coughed repeatedly.

Han Zhao just smiled lightly.

At the beginning of the next game, Han Zhao was still slow, thinking for a long time before making a move. This time Lu Jiuan still won. Han Zhao told him that the young prince had suffered from heart disease since childhood and could not be overjoyed or sad, otherwise his life would be in danger.

Lu Jiu'an glanced at the young prince with complicated eyes and realized that the color of his lips was darker than that of ordinary people, which was indeed a symptom of a heart disease patient.

At this moment, Xiaotuanzi was lying on the soft cushion and smiling carefreely. He had no idea that his body was weak and different from other children.

But in the next chess game, Lu Jiuan clearly felt that it was difficult.

Han Zhao made rapid progress. He kept thinking about the previous game, applied what he learned, and drew inferences from one example. Lu Jiu'an did not dare to be careless, so he worked hard and finally narrowly defeated his opponent with a plum blossom formation.

"It's a pity that we missed one move and lost the whole game. Sure enough, the choice at the beginning is very important."

Lu Jiu'an commented sincerely: "King Jin'an is very good at playing games." It only took three games to win. Almost turned defeat into victory.

King Jin'an smiled lightly and didn't take it seriously: "I only know a little bit about it. Compared with today's Holy Emperor, it is not as good as one or two."

He took a sip of tea and changed his posture slightly: "I had a lot of fun today, what follows is It's time for me to ask you. Well, let me give you the last secret as a gift to appreciate you."

This is too confident. Lu Jiu'an was speechless and looked attentively. : "Please tell me."

Han Zhao said: "A former Yingping disciple of Lu Changjishi took something he shouldn't have taken, and now he is being watched closely by the censor."

"What do you mean?" Lu Jiu'an was stunned.

"This is the next question. I'll talk about it after Master Lu Changji wins, but I think you may not have this chance today." King Jin'an rolled up his sleeves and started a new round.

Although Lu Jiu'an's words made him scratch his head, Han Zhao was right. If he wanted to know more, he could only abide by the rules of the game. Lu Jiu'an had no other choice but to cheer up and be serious. treat.

"Master Lu Changji, you go first." This time, Han Zhaocheng gave way.

Lu Jiuan clearly felt that Han Zhao was different.

Every move he made was a killer move, as if he had figured out Lu Jiu'an's habits and began to switch from defense to offense. The spring breeze turned into rain suddenly became extremely fierce, and Lu Jiu'an could only fight back to defend, which was quite embarrassing.

After walking twenty or thirty times, Han Zhao dropped a chess piece and suddenly raised his head to look at him: "You lost."

"How could it be..." Lu Jiu'an was stunned for a while, looking at the chess position on the board, it was indeed like this. No matter where he comes from, he can't turn things around.

Han Zhao has been planning it from the beginning.

Is this a long-term plan? It's terrible.

Lu Jiu'an didn't come to his senses for a long time. He threw the white piece in his hand towards the chessboard that he hadn't had time to press, and said with a wry smile: "Sure enough, the waves behind the Yangtze River pushed the waves ahead, and the waves in front died on the beach."

"Huh?" Han Zhao was confused.

"It's okay, I'm willing to admit defeat." Lu Jiu'an already had a plan in mind, and he didn't hesitate to tell a secret that everyone would know in the future, "The earth is round."

"What?"

Lu Jiu'an said decisively: "Heaven The theory of a round place is wrong. The land we are in now is round and is constantly rotating."

Han Zhao's expression was a bit speechless, and it took a long time for him to return to normal: "Let's just take what Lu Changji said . It's all true."

It was true in the first place, but it took hundreds of years for this to be confirmed by scientists!

The subsequent chess game was extremely difficult for Lu Jiu'an. He racked his brains to regain the advantage he had over the novices at the beginning, but unfortunately he couldn't do it. Instead, he was suppressed by Han Zhao at every turn.

After he lost twice in a row, he fulfilled his game promise by saying things like "There is no Chang'e and Wu Gang on the moon, and no grass can grow on the dark moon, or the warlock's elixir cannot lead to immortality. If you take too much, you will be poisoned and die prematurely." Reminding him not to blindly believe in Buddhism and worship Buddha.

Han Zhao's face was full of doubts: "What Lu Changji said is unheard of and amazing, but if you are just telling nonsense, how can I judge the authenticity? Just like you said that the moon is dark, but the moon we usually see is clearly bright. Its flowers glowed with silver.

"That's borrowed from the sun,"

Han Zhao said without saying a word.

Lu Jiu'an was helpless: "What does King Jin'an want to hear?"

"There is indeed one thing." Han Zhao said, "The fireworks set off from the city tower on New Year's Eve were dazzling and bright, and Shan'er liked them very much. Can Master Lu Chang tell me the recipe? , I asked the craftsmen below to prepare some for leisure in the back garden on weekdays."

Lu Jiu'an looked stern, and subconsciously sat up straight: "I'm sorry, I just say that I don't know the recipe. Even if I know, I can't tell you. . This is a secret of the court, and it can only be known with your Majesty's permission. If King Jin'an really wants to know, he can only ask your Majesty."

Han Zhao was not too disappointed: "That's all, then tell me something about yourself. "Okay."

Lu Jiu'an had to find other things to do, thought for a while, and said vaguely: "A few years ago, I died of an illness that entered my body due to a lack of adaptability to the climate and the soil. After a trip to the underworld, I became who I am now."

"Did Jiu'an ever resent it?"

Lu Jiu'an shook his head: "No."

Lu Jiu'an was sweating profusely as he was won by Han Zhao one after another. If this continues, no matter how many secrets he has, he will be exposed. Fortunately, Ding Xin stopped the carriage at this time and shouted outside: "Sir, Jinglan Temple has arrived."

Lu Jiuan was relieved, disrupted the chessboard, and hurriedly pushed the young prince into Han Zhao's arms: "Please be safe King, it's getting late, let's go down quickly. "

Jinglan Temple is a famous ancient temple, with many people coming here to seek marriage, heirs, and happiness, and there is an endless stream of pilgrims.

Two young monks stood at the door. They obviously recognized Han Zhao's identity and saluted him with their palms clasped together.

Since the development of Jinglan Temple, there have been as many as nine main halls in the temple, each dedicated to different Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. As Han Zhao walked inside, he explained the dharma body and chief minister of each Bodhisattva. He is a qualified believer.

Lu Jiu'an looked at the temple and saw that the Buddha statue was three meters high, with a golden body and a solemn appearance. The incense table was filled with all kinds of rich tributes. Some faithful men and women knelt on the futon and kowtowed, and some added to the merit box. There are those who buy incense and money, and there are those who hold incense candles and chant something.

The eminent monk rang the bell and chanted sutras, and the Sanskrit sounds lingered.

In this harmonious and pious atmosphere, Lu Jiu'an suddenly heard a voice not far away saying disdainfully: "What kind of monk has cut off his seven emotions and six desires? He still hates poverty and loves wealth just like the worldly world. How can it be possible for the clay figures worshiped by such monks? Will it work?"

Lu Jiu'an looked over and saw a few Confucian scholars in his late teens muttering in a low voice.

Han Zhao naturally heard it, and his expression became cold. He walked up to a few people and didn't know what he said. One of them said in an excited tone: "Did we say something wrong? Since we treat everyone equally, why did we drive away the lame old man? Isn't that right? Seeing that he is so poor that he can't afford the incense?"

Another Confucian scholar quietly looked at Han Zhao and leaned close to his companion's ear, probably to remind him of Han Zhao's identity. The companion's expression changed drastically, and he changed his attitude. He apologized solemnly, turned around and left quickly.

When Han Zhao came back, he took two notes of incense from the desk and handed one of them to Lu Jiu'an.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. They made a lot of noise in the temple and were openly disrespectful. The Bodhisattva saw it and will punish them." Han Zhao lowered his eyes and said gently: "This temple is enshrined in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. May all believers, relatives and friends be healthy and live a long life. Please pay your respects."

Lu Jiu'an did not believe in gods and Buddhas, but he still lit the incense with awe, made three simple bows, and inserted it into the incense altar.

The etiquette for Han Zhao, a loyal believer, was much more complicated, so Lu Jiuan took the young prince over and planned to wait outside.

At this time, Lu Jiuan suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, and his eyes widened immediately.

Han Zhi walked straight towards him and stood still in front of him.

Lu Jiu'an hurriedly glanced in Han Zhao's direction and asked in a low voice: "Why are you here? Didn't I say you can be alone?"

Han Zhi's expression did not change: "Only you and Han Zhao are allowed to come, can't I come to worship the Buddha? ?"

Lu Jiu'an choked. Han Zhi was indeed holding a stick of incense in his hand, but his face had an attitude of keeping away from strangers, which seemed to be incompatible with everything around him.

"Those monks didn't drive me out." Han Zhi continued. He glanced at the young prince in Lu Jiuan's arms, and his tone was a little sour. "You like children? If I hadn't been able to reproduce, you might have embraced him. It's a child."

Look what this means. Lu Jiu'an was speechless and choked. If Han Zhi had the ability to have children, how could he, a grown man, be able to bear children for him?

It happened that the young prince's bad habit of mistaking someone for his father happened again, and he threw himself into Han Zhi's arms. He was not frightened at all by Han Zhi's fierce face: "Dad...hug."

Han Zhi touched the young prince impatiently . Maybe he didn't control his strength well, and his face turned red: "Han Yushan is not as annoying as his father."

"Really?" It happened that Han Zhao came back from offering incense and worshiping Buddha and listened attentively, as cold as ice. Said: "The dignified General Zhenyuan will also gossip behind others' backs."

Chapter 215

The two have been incompatible with each other for a year and a half. Han Zhi is taller than Han Zhao. At this moment, he is looking down at Han Zhao with contempt in his eyes, like an ant.

The atmosphere was extremely cold. Seeing that the conflict was about to break out, Han Zhao slowly showed a smile: "It's rare that my third brother also wants to visit the temple. Is it to seek marriage?"

"What do you want?"

Han Zhao didn't care: "Lu Chang and I Ji Shi wants to go to the Sutra Chanting Hall to listen to the Dharma.

Why don't the three brothers come together?" Han Zhi's eyes fell on Lu Jiu'an.

At this moment, the young prince was lying in his arms, grabbing his robe and kicking his legs to climb up. Lu Jiu'an was confused. For some reason, the three of them stood together and felt an inexplicable harmonious closeness.

This scene made Han Zhi feel extremely dazzling, and he wanted to drag the person back regardless, but Lu Jiuan kept winking at him. Han Zhi suppressed the anger in his heart and said coldly: "No."

...

After Han Zhi left, Han Zhao took Lu Jiu'an to see the monks bathing the Buddha with five-flavored perfume, and attended the grand Dharma assembly at Jinglan Temple. Lu Jiu'an sat among the pilgrims below and listened to the monks' sermons. , discussing Buddhist principles.

During the whole process, Lu Jiu'an felt a gaze following him like a shadow from behind. Needless to say, it was definitely Han Zhi.

After the lecture, an elderly monk with a kind-faced face and kind eyes came over, put his palms together and saluted: "Almsgiver Han."

Han Zhao took the initiative to introduce Lu Jiu'an: "This is the abbot of Jinglan Temple, whose Buddhist name is Mingkong.

" It was already noon. Jinglan Temple provided food and clothing for everyone who came here. Tan Yue, who had financed the puja, held a fast meal. The abbot invited the two of them to come and have a meal.

Han Zhao said: "Although the vegetarian food in Jinglan Temple does not have any fishy taste, it has a delicate fragrance. Eating it can get rid of distracting thoughts and make you want to be quiet."

"Really?" Lu Jiu'an said, "In this case, I must try it. "

The place where Jinglan Temple provides vegetarian meals is located in the Gudao Pavilion in the southeast corner. When Lu Jiu'an walked in, he saw that the space was very open and could accommodate more than two hundred people. It was different from the cleanliness of other temples. The place was buzzing with people, and believers gathered around the table to eat and share their thoughts on Buddhism.

Lu Jiu'an wasn't very hungry at first, but now he smelled the aroma of food and suddenly became ravenous.

The temple still retains the sharing system. Each person has a small wooden plate to hold tableware. The vegetarian meals are all standard with three dishes, one rice and one soup, which is quite luxurious.

However, it is not easy for those who can enter Gudao Pavilion. They must hold a Buddhist order. This Buddhist order can only be obtained after the amount of charity reaches a certain amount. Otherwise, money can only be given on the spot.

Lu Jiu'an inquired about it and found out that the price was as high as 2 taels of silver, and he was immediately stunned.

Two taels of silver is enough for ordinary people to live frugally for a month. No wonder the people coming and going seem to be either rich or noble. Even so, there is a steady stream of people coming to enjoy the vegetarian meal, and they are very happy.

Lu Jiu'an asked the reason, and Han Zhao said matter-of-factly: "Jinglan Temple is very effective, and the vegetarian food here is also famous. The previous words of removing distracting thoughts, lust, and tranquility are not groundless. Many people have reported that the vegetarian food in Jinglan Temple can cure chronic diseases." The effect of old illness."

Lu Jiu'an frowned inwardly, disapproving. It's not a spiritual valley in the world of cultivation. If fasting can cure diseases, then why do we need a doctor?

Although it is not a panacea, this vegetarian meal is indeed more delicious than ordinary restaurants and tea shops. Lu Jiu'an ate two large bowls in a row and said with satisfaction: "The grains are white, full and tough, and the vegetables are crisp and have a unique fragrance. It's obviously very ordinary, but these dishes complement each other and are endlessly memorable."

Han Zhao heard what he said and said to Yourong: "This is grown by the monks of Jinglan Temple. Every drop of nectar is filled with Buddhist wisdom."

Lu Jiu'an was surprised: "They were all planted by the monks themselves?"

Han Zhao nodded.

"You're talking nonsense." Lu Jiu'an said suspiciously, "Jinglan Temple has constant incense. It has to receive more than a hundred believers every day. It has to provide so much food. If it is grown by monks alone, won't the supply exceed the demand?"

"Jinglan Temple ?" There is a monk farm in Lan Temple."

Lu Jiu'an thought that the little monk farm allocated to the temple by the court was not enough for his own family. In order to support such a large number of believers in recent years, other means must be used.

Perhaps it is no accident that Tian Cai Quan Dian sells his land.

Lu Jiu'an later sent someone to find Tian Caiquan's family. After finding out that Tian Caiquan's son fell into a well and was frightened, it was the eminent monk from Jinglan Temple who invited him to perform rituals and chant sutras.

There were traces of Jinglan Temple all over the place. If there was nothing fishy about it, he would never believe it.

And because of various reasons, he was forced to sell off his family property and sell off his fertile land. Is this the only example?

In fact, Jinglan Temple's account books are also managed by dedicated personnel. Every income and expenditure is clearly recorded and can be found out at a glance.

However, how could such a private thing be easily known to outsiders.

In the evening, Han Zhao invited him to stay overnight at Jinglan Temple, and Lu Jiuan readily agreed without thinking.

Jinglan Temple is located on a mountain outside Jinnan City, with a moat in front of it. It is truly a geomantic treasure land surrounded by mountains and rivers. Standing on the mountain behind Jinglan Temple, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Jinnan City.

Many dignitaries and nobles would choose to stay here if they had nothing urgent to do the next day.

There are many green vegetation on the back mountain, and among the branches, there are rows of forest huts. The moonlight shines through the layers of leaves, making it quiet and quiet.

Han Zhao walked towards the innermost room on a familiar road.

Today there are more than double the number of people staying overnight than usual, so there are very few vacancies.

Fortunately, Han Zhao once meditated in Jinglan Temple, and the monks of the temple reserved the other courtyard where he stayed for future use.

There are five or six rooms in the annex, which are equipped with Han Zhao's commonly used items. The beddings were also brought from Prince Jin'an's Mansion and stacked neatly to serve as Han Zhao's exclusive guest room.

"Get some rest early." Han Zhao carried the young prince into the house, leaving only a few powerful guards outside.

Lu Jiu'an walked around and found that the place chosen by Han Zhao was quite good.

Next to the small courtyard is a bamboo forest. There is a set of tables and chairs made of stone in the bamboo forest. Guests can drink tea and play chess here. It is precisely because of this bamboo forest that the small courtyard is separated from other guest rooms and becomes a world of its own.

In the darkness, Lu Jiu'an felt a pair of eyes examining him. He turned around suddenly, but found nothing.

The guest room is simply decorated, with nothing else except a small bed, a wooden table and a cabinet in the corner. Fortunately, the monks cleaned it every day and the room was spotless.

Lu Jiu'an blew out the oil lamp, put on his clothes and fell asleep.

While half asleep and half awake, Lu Jiuan suddenly heard a rustling sound, slowly crawling across the beam.

"Who is it?" Lu Jiuan opened his eyes suddenly.

The night was silent except for the chirping of insects and frogs in the mountains.

Jiang Yu knocked on the door and asked softly: "Sir, what happened?"

Lu Jiu'an held his breath and concentrated. The strange movement was indeed gone. He looked around the room with a little moonlight. There was indeed a bed, a table and a wooden cabinet. If a thief really comes in, there will be nowhere to hide in this small area.

"It's nothing." Lu Jiu'an said outside the house, "Stop watching and go to sleep."

Jiang Yu responded, and there was a soft sound of opening and closing the door from the guest room next to him, and soon there was no movement.

Unexpectedly, not long after Lu Jiuan closed his eyes, the rustling sound woke him up again. In the dark night, Lu Jiuan's hearing was infinitely amplified. He clearly felt that the sound spread from the beams to the wooden table. On the table There was a package that was being gently turned over at the moment.

Lu Jiu'an couldn't bear being disturbed from his dream again and again, so he rolled over from the bed. Before he could make any other move, a black shadow broke through the door and quickly poked the table with two fingers.

"Squeak..."

The oil lamp was lit, and under the dim yellow light, Han Zhi's angular face was slowly outlined: "It's this thing that bothered you."

"...Why haven't you left yet." Lu Jiuan put on his single clothes Walking over, he saw Han Zhi holding a mouse in his hand. The mouse had its tail twisted and was squeaking and struggling desperately.

"Throw it away." Lu Jiu'an was not sleepy at all, and shouted urgently, "The mouse is full of germs, how can you catch it with your bare hands."

Han Zhi threw the mouse to the ground hard, and the mouse rolled, got up and ran away in panic. , was crushed by Han Zhi with his feet, and after a few breaths there was no movement.

"Go and wash your hands." Lu Jiu'an pushed Han Zhi out of the door and watched him wash his hands with soap several times before feeling relieved.

The package that Lu Jiu'an brought contained some gossip, which was dug out by rats and gnawed all over the table. Lu Jiu'an picked up a wooden stick and fiddled with the rat corpse: "It's such a big one, it's fat enough."

He didn't know how to steal it . After eating so much food from the temple, he was so arrogant that he ran into the guest room to look for things. Either there were too many rats, or he was just too arrogant.

It was

Han Zhi who took the stick, picked up the rat corpse and threw it outside.

"I wonder what the monk's attitude will be when he sees a mouse tomorrow?" Lu Jiu'an thought a little evilly.

Han Zhi was puzzled: "Everyone hates rats."

"That's not necessarily true," Lu Jiu'an said. "The monk prides himself on not killing animals. Maybe he would silently say Amitabha and bury the rats properly."

Han Zhi heard him . There is something in the words: "Jiu'an doesn't like Jinglan Temple?"

"It's more than just dislike." Lu Jiu'an took care of himself from resettling homeless beggars in the city, to investigating why Tian Caiquan's family fortune was scattered, to how to dig out Jinglan Temple step by step. He said, "This is also the purpose of my coming to Jinglan Temple..."

"Shh." Han Zhi suddenly interrupted him and made a silent gesture, and Lu Jiu'an quickly shut his mouth.

Han Zhi blew the oil lamp, looked outside warily, closed the window gently, and pulled Lu Jiu'an to the bed.

"There was someone outside just now?"

Han Zhi nodded: "There was a monk who has left now."

Lu Jiu'an couldn't believe it: "You stayed up so late at night just to come and listen to the corner?"

Han Zhi shook his head: "It shouldn't be, I heard Hearing the conversation, I'm afraid he was called by the pilgrims staying overnight. You just said that you came here because you suspected that Tian Caiquan was selling the land because Jinglan Temple had done something about it?"

Lu Jiu'an nodded.

Han Zhi frowned: "But if Jinglan Temple is really related to this, there is no way to convict him. The land transaction was handed over to the government, and Jinglan Temple holds the public property deed. Even if the lawsuit is brought to the court, the government can't do anything about it. "

It depends on how much." Lu Jiuan pointed out, "If the number is huge and shakes the foundation of the country, the nature will be completely different."

That is land annexation!

In the darkness, Han Zhi crossed his arms thoughtfully. After a while, he asked: "The property book should be placed somewhere in the temple. Do you want me to help you find it?"

Is there such an operation? Lu Jiuan's eyes lit up: "Is it okay?"

Han Zhi nodded: "Everyone is sleeping soundly now, which is a good time to sneak in."

Chapter 216

This was not the first time that Han Zhi had done something like this. He let Lu Jiuan stay in the house quietly while he quietly went out through the crack in the door.

As soon as they left, silence returned to the room.

However, Lu Jiu'an was not at peace in his heart. He was worried that something had happened to Han Zhi, but also expected him to find something real. He walked around the room uneasily, opening the window a crack from time to time to see if Han Zhi was there. To the returning figure.

Later, sleepiness set in and I couldn't hold it any longer, so I fell asleep with my eyes drooped.

At the sixth watch, Han Zhi finally returned to the guest room. Lu Jiuan had only been asleep for an hour. He was drowsy at the moment, but he still managed to sit up and rubbed his face: "How is it? Did you find any account books?"

Han Zhi said Zhi was covered in frost and shook his head: "I searched everywhere in the Zen room and found nothing."

Lu Jiu'an was immediately disappointed: "In such a big Jinglan Temple, it is impossible for monks to just eat fast and chant Buddha. They will definitely make a living. Will the account books be there? " Wouldn't it be in the temple?"

Han Zhi nodded: "Maybe."

"Jinglan Temple is too cautious." Lu Jiu'an was a little reluctant.

The two of them were about to talk again, but there was a rustling sound outside. Han Zhi listened intently and saw that it was Han Zhao who had woken up in the morning and summoned the servants and maids to wash themselves. Lu Jiuan quickly pushed Han Zhi and said, "You haven't slept all night. , Go back to the house and get some sleep."

Jiang Yu brought a basin of cold water to Lu Jiu'an. Lu Jiu'an washed his face and felt more energetic. Han Zhao had already packed up. At this time, he came to Lu Jiu'an's house and said. Taking him to the outskirts of Jinglan Temple: "Aren't you curious about how monks farm? There happens to be a monk's field over there."

Lu Jiuan was overjoyed: "Is that okay?"

"Of course not if it's an ordinary person, I and I We are familiar with each other in Jinglan Temple, and they will be accommodating for my sake."

After the two had breakfast, Han Zhao took Lu Jiu'an out through a side door in the southeast, and King Jin'an led him, so the whole process was smooth. Without any hindrance, the two of them walked through a jungle, and their eyes suddenly opened up.

Looking down at the fields, they were like a chessboard with undulating waves blown by the wind. Lu Jiu'an was stunned and exclaimed: "It's so spectacular. All these fields for monks belong to Jinglan Temple?"

"Not just Jinglan Temple. Naiming Temple is an ancient temple, and monk fields are spread all over southern Shanxi."

At this time, a loud shout came from behind, and the sound was like a loud bell. It turned out to be a young and strong monk carrying a load of water on his shoulders to water the vegetable fields, Lu Jiu'an. Standing in the middle of the road, someone is blocking you.

"I'm sorry." Lu Jiu'an quickly stepped aside and gave way.

Han Zhaodao: "The monks get up at five o'clock in the morning and go to the sutra chanting hall to listen to the teachings of the eminent monks. After breakfast, some monks are responsible for cleaning the temple, and some monks will pick up plows and go to the fields to work hard, which is their right to practice. "

King Jin'an really knows very well." Lu Jiu'an asked again: "There are so many monks in Jinglan Temple, but they have to take care of so many fields. I'm afraid they are too busy."

"Maybe they hired farmers." I'm not sure either."

Lu Jiu'an stopped asking, thinking in his mind that Jinglan Temple used various means to occupy so many monks' fields, leaving the common people with no land to farm. In turn, it was sold at a high price in the name of vegetarian food, and the cycle continued. It was really a good calculation.

In addition, Jinglan Temple also has a steady stream of incense money. As far as revenue is concerned, according to national law, temples do not have to pay taxes to the court.

In other words, Jinglan Temple can only be accessed but not exited. It can be said to be a glutton. The wealth of just one temple would put even the merchants in Langdong to shame.

Lu Jiu'an followed Han Zhao without thinking, and after less than a hundred steps, a man who looked like a young boy hurriedly walked up to Han Zhao, glanced at Lu Jiu'an, and was obviously hesitant to speak.

Lu Jiu'an smiled understandingly and did not let Han Zhao be embarrassed. He took the initiative to walk five or six meters away.

I saw the young man whispering in his ear, and he didn't know what he said. Han Zhao's expression changed slightly, and he apologized to Lu Jiu'an: "I have an emergency at home, so I can't accompany you anymore."

"It's okay, I'm just strolling around by myself . I'm going back too." Lu Jiu'an didn't take it seriously and waved his hand magnanimously.

Han Zhao said goodbye hastily and hurriedly left in the direction the boy came.

After Han Zhao left, Lu Jiu'an strolled along the stream for a short time, and he saw several farmers working in the fields.

Lu Jiu'an came closer, found a shade tree and sat on the ground. He took off the water bottle from his waist and took a sip. He asked the farmer, "Jinglan Temple hires you to farm. How much do you pay every day?"

The farmer saw that Lu Jiu'an was well-dressed and handsome. Everyone just thought that he was the young master of some wealthy family. He was curious about experiencing the countryside, so they didn't think much about it and just told the truth.

"Twenty yuan a day. If you plant well, you can get a lot of money when there is a good harvest."

"Don't you care about your own fields?"

"There is no field. Last year, my mother almost died of illness in bed, and there were only four left. All the money was sold out, but Jinglan Temple was kind and willing to pledge our money, so my old mother saved her life.

"Pledge?" Lu Jiu'an didn't understand.

The farmer smiled naively and scratched his forehead: "It's a popular saying among us, that is, if you lend us money, we will return it with interest."

Lu Jiu'an said as if he suddenly understood: "I returned to Jinglan Temple to show my bodhisattva heart. It's all for nothing. I'm giving you money for no reason, and I'm actually asking for profit."

"How can I do that? But it's already very good. Jinglan Temple only charges us 50% of the profit and allows us to work in the fields to pay off the debt."

Lu Jiu'an said with a chuckle. 50% is an annual interest rate of 50%, which can be considered usury in modern times.

Lu Jiu'an stood up calmly, slowly brushed off the grass clippings on his clothes, and said goodbye to several people.

The farmer's face turned red: "I didn't do anything, so I bothered the young master to say thank you. Besides, I was tired from the work, and after chatting with the young master for a few words, I felt stronger."

After Lu Jiu'an got the answer he wanted, Not wanting to go any further, he followed the route back home.

When passing through the jungle, Lu Jiuan suddenly smelled a vague aroma of meat.

In the land of Buddhism, who would blatantly violate the precepts?

With nothing going on around him, Lu Jiu'an gradually walked into the depths of the jungle in search of the scent, and found a twelve or thirteen-year-old monk sitting on the ground.

There was a cluster of flames burning in front of him, and the game skewered on a branch in his hand was grilled until it was golden and sizzling with oil. There was no doubt that the aroma of meat that Lu Jiuan smelled came from here.

"Okay, little novice, hide here secretly and break the precepts!"

The little monk was startled by the sudden sound. He lost his grip on the game and fell into the flames.

He turned to look at Lu Jiu'an and found that his eyes were very angry. He was furious and ignored him. He quickly picked up the pheasant that was rolled in the ash and covered in black ash.

Lu Jiu'an got closer and found the feathers scattered around the little monk, indicating a murder that had just happened here not long ago. He couldn't help but curled his lips and said: "Not only eats meat, but also kills. Who is your master from Jinglan Temple?" "Monk, I want to expose you."

The young monk didn't care. After cleaning up the game, he said calmly: "You are

so confident?" Lu Jiu'an was really curious now. Standing opposite the young monk, he threatened him, "I am familiar with your Master Miaokong, are you not afraid that I will sue the Master and your master will punish you?"

The little monk ignored him, took a bite of the chicken butt, and frowned: "Why does it taste wrong?"

Lu Jiu'an glanced at the game in his hand and saw that the surface of the game was roasted yellow, but the meat inside was still a little raw. It looked like the technique was unfamiliar, and there was nothing but a chicken, and the ingredients were simple, so I immediately understood the problem.

"You just bake it like this. The color looks okay, but the taste is certainly not that good." Old God Lu Jiu'an said.

The young monk reluctantly raised his head and said, "What should we do?"

"I do have a way." Lu Jiu'an spread his hands flat with a rogue look on his face, "But you have to answer a few questions."

The young monk was smart and did not answer immediately . Instead, he thought for a moment and then compromised: "If you bake it well, I will answer you."

"Deal." Lu Jiuan commanded, "On my way here, I saw a honeycomb over there. You go "Steal some."

The little monk said angrily, "Aren't you going to bake ?

"

.

"A little novice monk has such a bad temper." Lu Jiu'an muttered and followed him into the jungle.

Although this jungle has a limited area, it is rich in vegetation. Lu Jiuan only walked around in a small area to find the ingredients and auxiliary materials he needed, and unexpectedly harvested a few small lemons.

When Lu Jiuan came out with a head full of fallen leaves, the little monk was already impatient: "Where did you go? I thought you left me and left."

Lu Jiuan slowly took off the spiders on his clothes . Silk, showing off the harvest in his pocket: "I don't just sit around and do nothing, Nuo, it all depends on these if you want it to taste delicious."

Having said that, this is the only thing Lu Jiu'an does with his own hands.

Next, Lu Jiu'an took over the little monk's bench with peace of mind, and ordered him to kill the other spare pheasant, take out all the internal organs, wash the auxiliary materials and stuff them into his stomach. The little monk, who really didn't have any Yang Chun Shui on his fingers,

was ordered around, and while moving, he complained repeatedly: "You are a seven-foot man, how can you let a kid like me kill chickens?"

"Master, I'll come to the house ." Holding out your hand and opening your mouth, I have already done my best to help you find the ingredients. You still want me to kill the chicken?" Lu Jiu'an acted like a playboy and took out a knife from his pocket and handed it to him, "You want me to kill the chicken? Make a few cuts on the body, smear the mashed condiments on it, and wrap it with leaves."

The young monk's eyes lit up when he saw the red agate inlaid on the blade, and he pushed it back to Lu Jiu'an without saying a word: "I'll use this firewood in my hand. Just use the knife, don't get it dirty."

The little monk processed the pheasant according to his instructions, lit the fire, and then asked: "What kind of chicken are you making? Why is it still covered in mud and can be eaten?

"Beggars chicken, don't worry, I'll make sure you swallow it all with your fingers." When

the little monk heard what he said, he swallowed unhappily and stood by the food, staring intently.

While waiting, Lu Jiu'an closed his eyes and caught up on his sleep. He didn't know how long he had slept when he was suddenly woken up by the little monk: "Hey, you're almost awake. Can you eat?"

Lu Jiu'an opened his eyes and looked at him. He glanced at it, rubbed his sore neck, and sat up straight: "How long?"

"An hour!"

"Almost, let's break up the soil."

The little monk had been hungry for a long time. For the words in Lu Jiuan's mouth, After a delicious meal, he didn't even bother filling his stomach with the tasteless roast chicken. As soon as Lu Jiu'an opened his mouth, the little monk couldn't wait to smash the soil on the surface.

As soon as the leaves are opened, the aroma of pheasant meat mixed with the fragrance of the auxiliary ingredients comes to the nostrils, making people salivate.

The little monk swallowed crazily, and Lu Jiu'an said: "The last step is to apply the honey and lemon juice you got."

The little monk finished applying it randomly, couldn't wait for the temperature to cool down, and took a bite of the chicken butt, satisfied. Close your eyes.

Lu Jiu'an couldn't help laughing: "Why do you eat the chicken butt first every time?" He didn't have high requirements for eating, but when he thought that it was the part where the chicken pooped, he couldn't eat it and usually threw it away.

The little monk kept talking and slurred: "I heard that the most delicious part of a chicken is the butt."

"Who did you listen to?" Lu Jiuan twitched the corner of his mouth.

The little monk ate a few bites and pulled off a chicken leg and gave it to him: "I'll give you a chicken leg. Do you want to eat it?"

"I ate it in the morning. You can eat it yourself." Lu Jiu'an asked with a smile: "You What do you think of my baking?"

"I baked it," the little monk corrected.

"Okay, you baked it, but you couldn't make it without my method. What do you think? Can you answer my question?"

The little monk nodded sincerely and simply said: "You can ask."

"I just said I want to report you, why are you not afraid? Could it be that you have been with your master since you were a child, and your master loves you very much?"

The little monk suddenly stopped eating chicken and said, "I was sent to the temple by my parents last year, master. You don't remember me at all, and I'm not from Jinglan Temple. I'm from Yuling Temple. This time I came to attend the Buddha Bathing Festival with my senior fellow apprentices."

Lu Jiu'an then noticed that the clothes on the young monk's body were indeed similar to Jinglan Temple. Orchid Temple is different.

Because of his answer, Lu Jiu'an had several questions in his mind: "Why don't you become a good layman and send you to the temple to become a monk?"

The young monk has a ring scar on his head, which generally means he cannot return to secular life.

The young monk's tone was unusually low: "My family is poor and can't afford to eat. My father heard from an old uncle that he would be well-fed and clothed as a monk in the temple, so he sent me here."

Chapter 217

Lu Jiuan's compassion suddenly rushed up, and he touched the little monk's bare head: "Then are you willing to leave your parents?"

"Of course you are reluctant, but dad told me that if you do The monk has a chicken butt to eat." At this point, the young monk suddenly felt a little sad and angry, "But I have been here for almost a year and I haven't even seen a chicken. I finally took advantage of this opportunity, so of course I have to take advantage of it. It's time to have a meal."

Lu Jiu'an couldn't help but asked questions such as, "What temples are participating in the Buddha Bathing Festival?" After getting the answer, he took out a piece of paper and wrote down the name of the place and handed it to him.

"If you want to eat chicken butt in the future, just take this piece of paper to Lu Mansion in Xingzhi Alley, East Street, and I will make sure you eat enough. You know this today and I know it, and you must not tell anyone else. Do you understand? "

The little monk, yearning for the chicken's butt, solemnly put the paper into his arms and nodded.

Back at Jinglan Temple, King Jin'an seemed to have dealt with the matter and his demeanor returned to his original state. Seeing Lu Jiu'an, he nodded and apologized: "I'm sorry for not taking good care of you."

"It's my honor to have King Jin'an with me." Lu Jiu'an smiled and looked at the tall and handsome man in front of him. man.

"So what do Jiu'an think of this king? Is it worth getting to know him?"

"The beauty of the river is hidden in the pearls, and the mountains are brilliant in the jade. King

Jing'an is a gentleman among the plum blossoms." The smile on the corner of King Jin'an's mouth became more sincere.

Lu Jiu'an clearly felt his closeness to him. After two days of getting along with him, Lu Jiu'an's understanding of King Jin'an also changed a lot. However, he had different ideas and could not work together, so he could only say to him silently in his heart. An apology.

Returning to the office, Lu Jiu'an immediately wrote several documents and handed them to the subordinate officials. He ordered: "Take the sign and transfer the fish scale atlases from various places in southern Shanxi in batches. I will review them one by one.

" If Jiu'an wanted to know how many acres of land the temple had in its hands, the temple route was not feasible, so he had to take the official route. However, if the goal is clearly to go to Jinglan Temple's account book, it is inevitable to alert the snake.

In order to deceive others, Lu Jiuan had to operate secretly in the name of reviewing the documents of county officials.

But as a result, the official content has become much larger and more complicated, and it cannot be completed in two or three months.

Lu Jiu'an had no choice but to go to Han Zhi and ask him to borrow a dozen capable and trustworthy subordinates and ask them to count how much land Jinglan Temple owned.

"By the way." Lu Jiu'an suddenly thought of something, "Not only Jinglan Temple, but also these temples, let's pay attention together." Lu Jiu'an reported what the young monk said that day about participating in the Buddha Bathing Festival. The name of the temple.

Lu Jiu'an was immersed in his desk all day and night, and naturally he completely forgot what King Jin'an said when he and Han Zhao made an appointment to play chess.

Unexpectedly, one day suddenly, a person whom he had not seen for a long time came to the government office. As soon as the person came to Lu Jiu'an's study, he fell to his knees with a thump and knelt in front of Lu Jiu'an.

Lu Jiuan remembered him, his name was Qi Cang. He was a scholar from Yingping County, and he was also one of the first people to enjoy the policy benefits of Yingping County. Lu Jiuan took the scientific examination in the first year of his tenure in Yingping, and he was very proud of it. He came back feeling proud and proud.

Everyone else in the study turned a deaf ear, except Fu Wenxin who couldn't help but look up out of curiosity. Lu Jiu'an put down his pen and asked, "Kneel down as soon as you come in. You must be asking me for help when you encounter difficulties. Tell me."

Qi Cang's face was full of tears, like a drowning man grabbing duckweed: "Please save Xu Dingxian, sir." "

Then, tell me everything you want.

Xu Dingxian was also a scholar in Yingping County. He was admitted to the imperial examination in the same year as Qi Cang. Because of this rural connection, the friendship was extraordinary.

After the two arrived in southern Shanxi, they were assigned to different government departments by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Qi Cang was loyal and honest, and he is still a low-ranking official in Taichang Temple.

Xu Tingxian was different. He was good at specializing in business and had a successful official career. He became the boss in just a few years. Although he mainly does paperwork and chores, he also holds a certain amount of real power.

After Xu Dingxian became the boss, he would also accept some small favors. Later, he became more and more courageous.

He thought he was doing it secretly, but who knew there was no airtight wall in the world? This time, he was caught by the supervisory censor. He made a booklet and sent it to the court to invite him to wait for the order to be dispatched.

"Brother Xu didn't do anything evil. It's just that he was provoked by his neighbors when he was a sour man. Once he turned around, he became more eager to change the situation at home. He lost his sense of proportion. Why did he end up in the border area? Lu Lu Sir, since he has been taught by you, I beg you to say something nice in front of the Ministry of Justice."

"You are very affectionate." Lu Jiu'an's eyes were cold, "Why did he go to the border? It must have ended at some point in his career. The hatred happened to fall into someone else's hands! You wanted me to help him out of consideration for the friendship between classmates, but I tell you, I won't help him. Helping him is complicity!"

Qi Cang felt ashamed: "It's Brother Xu. He failed Mr. Lu's expectations."

"He didn't fail my expectations, he failed himself a few years ago!"

Lu Jiu'an sat up from the armchair, walked slowly to Qi Cang, and said without mercy. When I gave my first lecture, I did an experiment and asked you what your ambitions were. Xu Dingxian once wrote two sentences on that piece of paper. One was "to end injustices in the world" and the other was "to be upright and aboveboard." Man, in less than ten years, he has forgotten his original intention."

Qi Cang lowered his head in defeat and said nothing bitterly.

"I warned you. It's hard to be an official, and it's even harder to be an upright official. If you can't resist the temptation of money and fame, and only seek your own wealth and future, then sooner or later this day will come." Lu Jiu'an didn't look at him again. , waved his hand: "Let's go."

Qi Cang got up from the ground in despair, bowed, and slowly retreated from the study room. Before taking two steps, a cold voice came from behind: "You Don't blame Mr. Lu for being ruthless to you. If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences yourself."

Qi Cang turned around suddenly. The man was tall and mighty. He was not General Zhenyuan. He shook his head: "Xia Guan Du Shi. Shu, how can I be a person who does not know right and wrong?"

"Master Lu has been so kind to us Ying Ping people. How could I blame you for no reason? It's all my fault that Brother Xu is obsessed with it. It's his own fault."

"As long as you know. "Han Zhi's eyes fell condescendingly on Qi Cang's face: "In the study just now, Mr. Lu didn't ask in detail who Xu Jingxian had received and what he was doing for him."

Qi Cang's back was filled with tears . He was sweating coldly and did not dare to look directly at Han Zhi. He turned his head and thought carefully: "I received a Canaan inlaid with gold and white jade three inlaid Ruyi. The other party is from the Rong family. I hope Xu Dingxian will make it convenient when drawing lots."

The so-called drawing of lots, When the Ministry of Personnel selects officials, to show fairness, they pre-write the names of the agencies, regions, etc. on a number of bamboo sticks and put them in tubes for people to draw in the hall.

It is self-evident how convenient it is.

And the Rong family also has a great background. It is a high-ranking clan in southern Shanxi and has a lot of wealth.

"It's not the same as selling an official position to get a title. If you disrupt the imperial court, I would never tolerate it." Han Zhi snorted coldly, "Go out through the back door of the office and don't let anyone see you. When you go back, tell everything about what happened here. Forget it. Don't bother Mr. Lu with these things in the future."

As soon as Qi Cang left, Han Zhi made a gesture, and a well-trained soldier was immediately ordered to come forward. Han Zhi said: "Follow Qi Cang and take a look. Is there anything strange?"

For some reason, Han Zhi always felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. Sure enough, at night, the spying soldiers came back and reported that after Xu Yingxian was imprisoned, Qi Cang was manipulated by someone who wanted to help Lu Jiuan.

"Is it me you're trying to catch?" Lu Jiu'an didn't expect that there would be much to it. "But even if I agreed to go to the Ministry of Punishment to plead for mercy, others would at most accuse me of being nostalgic for old feelings and disregarding the general situation, and they couldn't convict me. The other party wanted to What?"

"Drag you into trouble." Han Zhi reminded: "Have you forgotten? How did you get involved in the Qin Burning Case?"

"...Well, that's true. There's no reason to blame. "Even so, Lu Jiu'an had nothing to be afraid of with his back against the big tree, "But I have no grievances or enmity with that Song Zhangke, why would he want to harm me?"

Han Zhi said: "There must be someone behind Song Qishan as well? Someone is instigating it. How many things have you done since you came to Shannan? There are many people who like you, and there are also many people who hate you."

Lu Jiu'an touched his chin and guessed: "Let me think about it. , The person who hates me? Hu Bu, Dong Jiu Shizhong, or...Leng Ningruan?"

Han Zhi said disdainfully: "No matter who he is, he can't make much trouble."

After

that, Lu Jiu'an kept squatting. Turn over the fish scale book in the office.

The dense text made him dizzy. Two months later, he finally completed the statistics on the acres of land occupied by several temples, including Jinglan Temple, and the final results surprised everyone.

"Jinglan Temple alone occupies more than 800 acres?" Fu Wenxin felt incredible. "The entire cultivated land in southern Shanxi is only more than 4,000 acres, accounting for a fifth of it."

"Not only." Jiang Yuju He picked up an account: "Although this field is registered to a family named Zhu, the shadow of Jinglan Temple appears in the middle."

"So, it is also in this book."

"It is also in the book I checked! "

So many cases are definitely no coincidence." Lu Jiu'an looked solemn and ordered his subordinates to register these abnormal properties and investigate them intensively.

Then, through more than a month of overt and covert investigations, Jiang Yu and others, as well as more than ten capable subordinates seconded from the Royal Palace, brought back different investigation results from all directions.

Documents were piled on top of each other all over the desk, and the writing was clearly written in black and white. Every article tells Lu Jiuan that these abnormal properties are inextricably related to Jinglan Temple.

Jiang Yu sighed: "Who would have thought that according to the accounts, Jinglan Temple only has more than 800 acres. After thorough investigation, there will be more than 400 acres. In total, there are more than 1,200 acres. "

After many years of operation at Jinglan Temple, both poor farmers and rich households know a lot of people, and it is easy to persuade them to register the property in their name. Who can connect them together?

If he hadn't gone to such great lengths to check the entire fish scale register in southern Shanxi, he would have been kept secret.

After Lu Jiu'an and Han Zhi had some relief, he wrote a note and sent it to the Jinluan Palace the next day.

How many acres does Jinglan Temple occupy through land sales in the past few years, how many acres does Yuling Temple occupy...According to calculations, these lands can produce food every year, so how much land has been lost in Dazhou.

Every account was presented clearly, and once the huge data was revealed, everyone was shocked.

"I have collected all the evidence of guilt, and it is now placed outside the Meridian Gate. However, there are too many for me to move alone." Lu Jiuan said solemnly.

Emperor Yongxi immediately ordered two imperial guards to go forward. After a while, the two guards worked together to carry a heavy box in.

The box was about three feet long and two feet wide. It was opened and displayed in front of the civil and military officials.

This matter is not only related to people's livelihood, but also affects the national economy. Even if some officials could not help but defend Jinglan Temple because of their belief in Buddhism, they were frightened into silence by Emperor Yongxi's dark face.

Eunuch Donglan observed the words and took out four or five books at random from the box and held them in front of Emperor Yongxi.

The ministers held their breath and concentrated, all with their heads lowered, not daring to look directly at the holy face.

You can hear a needle drop in the hall.

Emperor Yongxi read the booklet in his hand and ordered his father-in-law Donglan to bring some up. Donglan came to the box and Lu Jiuan stopped him: "How dare you trouble your father-in-law to do it yourself? I'll do it."

Lu Jiu'an bent down and took out the box. After picking and picking, I deliberately found a dozen "seriously sinful" booklets, and put them into Donglan's arms. Donglan's thin arms were weighed down, and she glanced at Lu Jiu'an helplessly, but didn't say anything.

Emperor Yongxi looked at it and suddenly smashed the booklet on the imperial steps: "Why is there no rice in my Taoist vat? It was all stolen by a group of rats. Rats that steal the emperor's food, why do they keep it!"

The whole hall echoed with the words of Yongxi. Emperor Xi shouted angrily.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Lu Jiu'an looked over and found that the person who came out to speak was Liao Zhubu. He had been tricked by him when they played Werewolf in Lingshan, so Lu Jiu'an was deeply impressed by him.

Master Liao's calves were trembling, and he forced himself to calm down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Jinglan Temple is a famous ancient temple with believers all over the world. If Your Majesty dares to invade the temple, you may not be able to convince the public."

"Besides, these monk fields are not It was obtained by force and robbery,

and it was legal and compliant. How to convict it? Otherwise, why do you think His Majesty is so angry? A group of monks actually use such despicable methods. They claim to save all sentient beings. They are pushing the common people into a pit of fire. "

Jinglan Temple, in order to collect land, There are countless despicable methods used. Without exception, the landowners were first forced into high debts, and the landowners had no choice but to sell off their properties without difficulty repaying the debts.

Tian Caiquan is one example.

If Jinglan Temple immediately collects the spoils of war, in the long run, the officials responsible for this matter will definitely find something fishy.

Jinglan Temple naturally took it into consideration, so it did not directly come forward to purchase these lands. Instead, it took several turns to get the land under its name.

The people who were harmed did not know the truth, but in turn they were grateful to Jinglan Temple. How ironic.

In addition to this method, Jinglan Temple will also induce some people to donate land in the name of the temple to evade taxes.

"This is no longer a mouse, this is a moth." Lu Jiuan gritted his teeth.

"Exactly." Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance came out and agreed, "The rich are connected to each other, and the poor are helpless. This group of monks does nothing all day long. Every one of them is fat and big-eared and should be sent to the army."

One . Jinglan Temple can avoid tens of thousands of shi in land tax. There are many temples in the whole Zhou Dynasty. If they are not used to fill the treasury, then he does not have to tighten his belt all day long.

When Lu Jiu'an said there was another way to make money, the Minister of Household Affairs was still secretly guessing about another way to make money, but he found another way, "borrowing other people's hands and being generous with others' generosity."

Very good, very good!

This move solved the urgent need of the Ministry of Finance, so the Minister of the Ministry of Finance naturally wanted to stand up and join forces with him.

Under great pressure, Chief Liao persuaded: "That's not right, Your Majesty. Monks preach and preach, and the Buddha has long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people. Now touching the temple is the same as touching their Bodhisattva?"

Gonghuo, the Minister of Industry and Commerce: "What's so difficult about this? With all this evidence in front of us, the people are not blind. They can't even afford to eat, so why do they care about Bodhisattva or not?"

Chief Liao's cold sweat dripped down his forehead: "Anyway, I hope Your Majesty will think twice."

At this time, Yan Zhongyi said: "What Chief Liao said does have some truth. The Buddhist culture has a long history and cannot be forcibly eradicated, but it can also We cannot leave it alone, this matter needs long-term consideration."

After several discussions, it was finally decided to close some small temples, reduce the size of large temples, limit the number of monks in temples, and allow monks to return to farming. In addition, the number of monks' fields will be allocated according to the size of the temple, and people's fields must not be directly or indirectly occupied, otherwise they will be dealt with according to national laws.

Chapter 218:

Jinglan Temple used illegal means to harm the people and occupied fertile farmland, and was punished for several crimes. All illegally obtained property was confiscated and put into the national treasury.

The director of the hospital was the first to bear the brunt. According to the laws of the Zhou Dynasty, he was sentenced to be paraded in the streets and then imprisoned in prison, so that he could make atonement to his Buddha for the rest of his life.

This operation was smoother and faster than Lu Jiu'an expected. Apart from sighing, Lu Jiu'an was also very lucky that Emperor Yongxi did not blindly believe in Buddhism like some emperors in history and was able to treat monks and common people equally.

Lu Jiu'an handed over the report in the morning, and the result of the court's noon discussion. Before noon passed, he had already drafted a document and distributed it, and asked the officials in various places to post it in the yamen and announce it to the people all over the world. It was really a thunderous order.

The Minister of Revenue smiled from ear to ear, changed his previous attitude, and took Lu Jiu'an's arm very cordially and praised him profusely.

Lu Jiu'an was simply flattered, and was carried away by the enthusiasm of the Minister of the Ministry of Finance. The two parted ways at Zhengyangmen.

"It's strange that the Minister of the Ministry of Finance suddenly behaves like this." Lu Jiu'an muttered while straightening his wrinkled sleeves.

"Lu Jiuan!"

Lu Jiuan turned around suddenly.

Under the sunlight, Han Zhao's face could not be seen clearly. He stood behind the carved stone pillar, alone and cold, like the snow that has not had time to move away when spring arrives.

"That was my mother's favorite place when she was alive."

This sentence was said without a clue, but Lu Jiu'an understood it subconsciously. Facing Han Zhao's questioning, Lu Jiu'an could only reply dryly: "I'm sorry."

"I'm very disappointed." Han Zhao stood on the spot and calmly recounted his feelings, "Every time you kill a dog with righteousness, the most heartless is a scholar. Why do you want to touch Jinglan Temple?"

"King Jin'an, this temple has a glamorous appearance. "In fact, it's all rotten inside." Lu Jiu'an said, "Jinglan Temple is full of misdeeds. If he hadn't done those things, I wouldn't be able to touch him."

Han Zhao didn't speak anymore, his eyes became calm. Lu Jiu'an shuddered for no reason as he stared at him so emotionlessly and inorganically.

On the day when the government confiscated Jinglan Temple, Lu Jiuan went to the scene.

This was the second time Lu Jiuan came to this place. The glory of the famous temples and ancient temples no longer existed. Their crimes were made public. The people who came after hearing the news pointed at the temples and cursed loudly.

"Bah, you are deceiving the world and stealing your reputation!"

"You have tarnished the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva."

"God is watching. Isn't karma coming soon?"

Rows of monks in cassocks were put on handcuffs and anklets, looking disgraced. When they appeared in public view, the people swarmed over them, spitting and throwing rotten vegetable leaves at them.

"Go quickly, don't wait any longer." The soldiers in charge of custody were merciless, and the monk was pushed and jostled so hard that he was in an unprecedented state of embarrassment.

There are more than 1,500 monks in Jinglan Temple, and there are distinct levels of hierarchy in the temple.

Those captured by the soldiers were at the highest level, and they had a very high say in the temple. They not only participated in the entire plan to seize the land, but also controlled the fate of all the monks.

Secondly, there are the middle-level monks. Although this group of monks did not participate in the case of occupying fertile land, they have no Buddha in their hearts and just come to the temple for the good living conditions. They are obviously strong and capable of farming and living, but they choose to eat and drink. These monks were all expelled from the temple and forced to return to secular life.

Finally, there are the lowest-ranking monks, who are an important labor force in the entire temple. They sprinkle water, sweep the floor, carry water for cooking, including plowing the fields. They are basically the ones doing these dirty and tiring tasks. The temple euphemistically calls it spiritual practice, but in reality it is just enslaving them under the guise of training.

The scene was noisy and in chaos. People rushed into the main hall and aimed at the shining golden Buddha statue.

"Smash it. It was built with the help of our people!"

"No, it seems to have been donated to the temple by King Jin'an."

"Whatever, just smash it!"

Seeing this scene, Lu Jiu'an had no time to stop him: "Don't..."

Boom--

with a dull thump, driven by the combined efforts of more than a dozen strong men, the huge Buddha statue crashed to the ground.

The head of the majestic Buddha statue fell to pieces. One of its eyes fell on the door of the main hall, and the crowds of people coming and going passed over it.

This eye was like an abandoned orphan child. It lay quietly on the ground, watching the angry crowd without sadness or joy, watching the aloft Jinglan Temple falling into dust from the altar.

Lu Jiuan ordered people to put an end to this absurd riot as soon as it started. Under the protection of the soldiers, order was restored at the scene.

The "Destroy the Buddha" operation lasted for less than half a month before it came to an end intermittently.

On this day, Lu Jiu'an was sitting in his house when he suddenly heard the sound of the boy expelling him outside the door. He called the boy over and asked, saying that there was a beggar outside begging for food.

"Didn't I say that if you meet someone who comes to beg, you shouldn't treat him roughly?"

The boy quickly complained: "I remember your words. I have already given this little beggar a bowl of rice, but this little beggar not only doesn't want it, but You must have asked him to come to you."

"Oh? What does the little beggar look like?"

Lu Jiuan said happily: "Bald head, I know who it is. Come on. Come in."

Soon the little beggar was led in. His round head was extremely conspicuous. He was the little monk Lu Jiu'an met when he went to Jinglan Temple.

When the young monk saw Lu Jiu'an sitting in the courtyard, his face was full of joy, and then he pursed his lips and complained: "Obviously you asked me to come, but you didn't let me in."

"Hey, this little beggar doesn't know any dignity. "How could you yell at Mr. Lu?" Fu Wenxin scolded him with a serious face.

Lu Jiu'an smiled and pinched the little monk's cheek: "Where did the piece of paper I gave you go? If you take it with you, you won't be blocked by the disciples."

The little monk said aggrievedly: "It's such a thin piece of paper. I don't know which corner the paper fell into."

At this time, Lu Qi was passing by with a bookcase on his back and said, "Where did the little monk pick it up? It's dirty.

" "I didn't pick it up, this is a young guest." Lu Jiu'an said, "Are you leaving again?"

"That's right." Lu Qi patted the book box, "I wrote all the manuscripts last night about the recent temple. The news agency is still waiting for me to take him to report."

Lu Jiu'an was very happy: "The news agency is doing well. Not bad, Lu Qi can be considered successful in his career."

Lu Qi scolded and raised the table . I drank all the tea on the table, wiped the water stains from the corner of my mouth, and went out in a hurry.

Lu Jiu'an turned to look at the little monk: "Want to eat chicken butt?"

The little monk's eyes were like light bulbs, and they lit up: "Is it okay?"

"That's necessary." Lu Jiu'an couldn't help laughing, and shouted loudly, "Come on. "Come on, let the waiter prepare a plate of spicy chicken butt for this little guest."

The waiter got the order and was confused: "What kind of novel way is this, sir?"

The maid spat at him: "That's nonsense. It's not what adults want to eat. It's a little monk. I don't know where he came from. He was so dirty that he almost got kicked away by his disciples as a beggar."

"Well, I'll just say. Well, how could Mr. Lu, a fairy-like person, eat such crap?" The chef shuddered and quickly dismissed the image from his mind, not daring to think about it anymore.

When a plate full of bright red and oily chicken butts was brought to the table, the pungent spicy flavor mixed with the rich aroma of sauce hit your nose. The little monk sneezed heavily and his eyes went straight.

"This dish of yours has posed a difficult problem for our chef. The chef went to four markets to get the ingredients for the whole plate." Lu Jiu'an looked at him with a smile, "Eat quickly. It's all yours."

The little monk put his hands up, his mouth full of oil, and was moved to tears. Lu Jiu'an handed him a glass of grapefruit water to relieve his greasiness, "Eat slowly, why are you so sloppy?"

The young monk swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "A group of officers and soldiers came to the temple and took away the abbot and the master. , I was kicked out."

Lu Jiu'an frowned. He had clearly ordered that the young monks should be properly accommodated. Could it be that this group of people were acting in a treacherous manner.

"Who was kicked out?"

"My senior brother."

Lu Jiu'an breathed a sigh of relief and saw the young monk smiling again. He was not sad about his experience at all: "You have been kicked out, why are you so happy? "

The young monk said carelessly: "I don't like them in the first place. They and the master always bully me. I wanted to run away a long time ago. I deserve it if I get caught!"

Yang Miaomiao and Aduo came back from school in the afternoon. Seeing the young monk, I couldn't help but ask about his identity.

Lu Jiuan had no choice but to introduce him again, and then said: "He will stay here tonight. There is no spare room in the house. I have to share the same bed with A Duo tonight and let the young monk live in your room."

"Okay." Yang Miao Miao agreed readily without even thinking about it.

The little monk poked his head out of Lu Jiuan and looked curiously at the obedient big dog at A Duo's feet.

"What is he talking to the dog about?"

Ado raised his head and glanced at the little monk. After years of exposure, the wildness in Ado had long since faded, but there was still a certain amount of aggression in his eyes.

The little monk was startled and jerked his head back.

Lu Jiuan smiled helplessly: "Brother Aduo is training the dog so that the dog can become a qualified guide dog."

The next day, Lu Jiuan took the little monk to the market and bought some Several items of clothing.

"For...for me?" the little monk asked incredulously, holding the clothes.

"Of course, I'll compensate you."

The young monk didn't understand what Lu Jiu'an meant by compensation, so he didn't ask in detail. He happily carried the clothes into the room and quickly changed into new clothes. He touched the soft fabric and exclaimed exaggeratedly.

Lu Jiu'an waved to him: "I've been calling you little monk, but I haven't asked you your name yet. What's your name?"

"My monk's name is Jingchen."

"I'm not asking you for your name, I'm asking you before you became a monk. "My...my name

is Li Hui." These two words rolled hard on the tip of the little monk's tongue, like a carefully treasured treasure that could not be easily spoken. When it was spit out, the little monk's eyes were filled with tears. His eyes suddenly turned red.

Lu Jiu'an clenched his fists in emotion, took out the hat hidden behind his back, and put it on his head.

"Wear this hat and you will return to secular life."

"Really? Can your hair grow back?" The little monk pinched the corners of his clothes nervously.

"Really, Mr. Lu said that." Lu Jiu'an pressed his hat firmly down, "Now that little Lihui has returned to secular life, it's time to go back to find his parents."

Li Hui's dim eyes slowly burned. There were two clusters of bright flames.

Lihui's home is in a relatively remote mountain village and requires climbing over several high mountains to reach it. I don't know how Lihui's parents heard about what was going on outside and traveled all the way to send Lihui to the temple.

Lu Jiu'an planned to take him back in person to see how the decree on returning the land to the people was being implemented and whether local officials were slacking off in their work.

After traveling for three days, we finally arrived at our destination. Perhaps he was homesick and timid. At the end of the day, Li Hui hesitated to move forward. Lu Jiuan pushed him behind him and said, "Don't you miss your parents so much? Why did you bring them with you?" Come back with your chicken butt."

With Lu Jiu'an's encouragement, Li Hui walked up and tremblingly opened the dilapidated wood door.

The Lihui family's house is really dilapidated. After years of wind and rain, it has become crumbling, with mottled marks everywhere on the earthen walls.

The woman with gray hair in the yard was squatting on the ground sifting beans. When she saw Lihui, she was in disbelief at first, and then tears burst into her eyes. She rushed over and hugged Lihui in her arms: "My son... "

The mother and son hugged each other and cried. The sound resounded throughout the world. People in the house came out one after another after hearing the news. The family of seven hugged each other and burst into tears.

As Lu Jiuan expected, the Li family was also deeply persecuted. Lu Jiu'an told Li's father that in a few days, the government would return the land to them, and then give them a few taels of silver to allow them to simply repair their houses and live a good life.

Li Hui reluctantly sent Lu Jiu'an out of the valley.

"Why did the Lihui family open up wasteland in this inaccessible place? They really don't have good vision."

Ding Xin didn't know how to answer Mr. Lu, so he had to drive the carriage seriously.

"Do you think your General Han has facial paralysis?"

Ding Xin did not dare to answer Mr. Lu and remained silent.

Lu Jiu'an asked a few more questions, but received no response. Feeling bored, he went to the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.

The sun shines through the thick cumulus clouds and shines on the roof of the car. Everything seems so quiet. Suddenly, a strong wind blows in the valley, and the trees are swayed and make a rustling sound.

After a while, Ding Xin's voice came from outside: "Sir."

"Yes."

"It's going to rain."

"I know."

Chapter 219

A strong storm ushered in Shannan, with lightning mixed with thunder raging across the land. It was obviously not yet Unitary Hour, but the sky was completely dark and dim, making it difficult to see anything ten meters away.

Under such circumstances, it was obviously impossible to move forward. Ding Xin found an abandoned ruined temple and drove the carriage inside.

Lu Jiu'an just opened the car curtain, and the strong wind blew rain all over his face. The trees in front of the house were blown to and fro, like ghost shadows. Lu Jiu'an frowned: "Unlucky, what kind of bad weather is this? I went out clearly." It's not bad."

This temple is pitifully small, with only three rooms upon entering, and there are spider webs hanging everywhere. There is a Buddha statue in the middle of the temple. One arm is broken and the Buddha's body is covered with dust.

Ding Xin walked around the house and came back and said to Lu Jiu'an: "There are leaks everywhere. Only the left room can still walk. It's better for you to stay in the carriage."

"It's not safe to stay in the carriage." Lu Jiu'an got out of the carriage. Jump down and go straight to the next room.

The strong wind blew in through the hole, making people shiver with cold.

There are various sutras hanging in the temple, which have become dilapidated due to the erosion of time. Most of them had been wet by the rainwater leaking from the roof, and water was dripping down. Only the few remaining four or five prayer flags were still dry, and they were torn off by Ding Xin.

"Stab it -"

Ding Xin blew a fire stick and lit the collected prayer flags and wood. The light of the fire reflected on Lu Jiu'an's face, finally bringing a touch of warmth.

There seemed to be a hole in the sky, and the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and it seemed to be submerging the small temple.

"Looking like this, the rain will probably not stop for a while. Let's take shelter here and wait for the rain to lighten before leaving. Sir, please warm up by the fire first."

Ding Xin's clothes were soaked by the rain. Lu Jiuan said to He raised his chin: "There is a set of clean clothes prepared in the carriage. They belong to your General Han. He is stronger than you and may not fit well. You can make do with it."

Ding Xin lowered his eyebrows: "I don't dare."

Lu Jiu'an was spreading his hands on the fire to keep warm. He didn't notice that his body stiffened for a moment: "Go if you are told to go. What nonsense, just a piece of clothing, will General Han punish you for this? No."

Ding Xin was silent for a while, then turned around and went to the carriage. After a rustling sound, Ding Xin changed into clean clothes and came back.

Lu Jiuan looked up and smiled. Han Zhi's clothes were quite a bit too big on Ding Xin, making them look nondescript.

Ding Xin and Lu Jiu'an sat around the campfire. Lu Jiu'an looked at the rain outside the house and didn't know what he was thinking. Ding Xin couldn't spare any extra thought at this time to speculate. He kept moving his hands, turning them back and forth to make them wet. Clothes, I just want to dry my clothes and replace them as soon as possible.

Lu Jiu'an originally thought that the rain would stop after two or three hours at most, but he didn't expect that it would stop when it got closer to You. The dry food he had prepared in the car had been almost eaten when he arrived, and he was so hungry at this moment. Just call.

Ding Xin suddenly stood up: "I'm going to catch some game for you."

Lu Jiu'an disagreed: "It's raining so hard, the prey is hiding, where are you going to catch it?"

"There is a river not far away. There should be a lot of fish."

"Forget it," Lu Jiu'an stopped him, "It's just a matter of not eating. Your clothes will be wet again after you dry them.

" The general sent me to Mr. Lu to resolve all the crises and problems around you. Now that you are hungry, I should go find food for you." Ding Xin insisted.

He took off his clothes, revealing his upper body in fine clothes, told Lu Jiu'an to stay in the temple, turned around and rushed into the rain.

"One muscle." Lu Jiu'an scolded him as he watched his disappearing figure.

Ding Xin didn't like to talk at all. As soon as he left, the temple became quieter and quieter. Lu Jiu'an took out a book from the carriage and sat by the fire to pass the time.

After watching for a while, Lu Jiuan's ears perked up, and he turned around suddenly, saying, "You're back so soon?"

If you look closely, you can see where Ding Xin is. In this wilderness, a stranger suddenly appears. Come on, Lu Jiu'an became vigilant.

When the visitor saw him, he was surprised and said: "Hey, there are already people here. Sorry, the rain is too heavy. I finally found a ruined temple and came in to take shelter from the rain. I didn't mean to disturb you."

On the other side, Ding Xin had already arrived. By the river, the fish here usually have no chance to see people, and they seem a little slow when faced with cunning hunters. Ding Xin caught three of them without any effort.

He grabbed two strong grass stalks and twisted them into a rope, strung three big and fat fish together, and rushed to the temple with his hands on them.

He walked very fast, and as he hurried on, he thought happily in his heart: Mr. Lu treated me so well and even gave me the general's clothes to wear. I must do my best to cook a delicious dinner to repay him.

Ding Xin's whole body was filled with endless strength. He took three steps and two steps at a time, and returned to the temple in just a few breaths.

"Sir, I'm back."

The next moment, the blood in his body seemed to have solidified, and his mind went blank.

The bonfire in the temple was still burning, but the people nearby were missing. Except for the empty carriage, it seemed that no one had been there.

Ding Xin used trembling hands to remove the frame from the horse.

Not long after, a person and a horse were speeding past on the mountain trail in heavy rain.

...

Lu Jiuan is missing.

The news quickly reached Han Zhi's ears.

Han Zhi came out of the weapons camp and kicked Ding Xin over. The weapon rack was knocked out and fell everywhere.

Ding Xin endured the pain and stood up, a smell of iron quickly filled his throat.

Han Zhi's eyes were burning with overwhelming anger, and his aura was more terrifying than ever before: "You are my most trusted subordinate in Jinnan. I specially transferred you to stay with him. How do you protect him?"

"Subordinate " It is hard to escape the blame for the death of thousands of people." Ding Xin knelt on the ground, feeling extremely regretful. He should not have left Mr. Lu in search of food. Not only did he betray the general's trust, he also put Mr. Lu in danger.

Han Zhi pursed his lips into a sharp straight line: "I will settle the score with you later, the general. Now go to Prince Yu's Mansion and mobilize troops."

Lu Jiu'an disappeared in the temple.

Some people say that Lu Jiuan's dismissal of Jinglan Temple violated a Buddhist taboo and offended the Buddha. Otherwise, how could such a big living person disappear without a trace? The Buddha must have shown his magical power and took him away.

Naturally, Han Zhi would not believe such nonsense. He took his troops to the ruined temple first, and sure enough, he made a discovery there.

Nine wooden sticks of different lengths fell in a chaotic order where Lu Jiuan once stayed.

These nine wooden sticks are integrated with the surrounding environment, and ordinary people will definitely not notice them. But when Han Zhi saw this scene, his mind instantly recalled that a long time ago, when he was still at Ying Ping, Lu Jiuan leaned on the desk and told him:

"Morse code, three short, three long and three short, this is for help. Signal. "

Jiu An is asking for help.

Thinking of last night, in this ruined temple, where there was no one around, Lu Jiuan was dealing with the enemy while giving signals, Han Zhi felt an uncontrollable dull pain in his heart.

"When I find the mastermind behind the scenes, I will cut him into pieces."

However, Jinnan is so big, finding a person in it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, not to mention that it was raining when Lu Jiuan disappeared, and the rain washed away the All suspicious signs. The Prince Yu's Mansion searched for two full hours, but could not find any trace of Lu Jiu'an.

There were no clues, which undoubtedly made Han Zhi gradually lose his patience. He overturned the table with one palm, walked around the room like a trapped animal, and said angrily: "I can't find him, what should I do?"

Yong Xi The emperor held down his trembling hands, frowned slightly, and said disapprovingly: "When things are urgent, chaos happens, and you lost your way."

Han Zhi closed his eyes tightly and forced himself to calm down his breathing. When he slowly calmed down, His head regained clarity and he opened his eyes: "I want to go to the Lu Mansion."

Han Zhi rummaged through the cabinets in Lu Jiu'an's bedroom, randomly found the underwear he often wore, and held it in his arms. At this time, Lu Qi also received the news and hurried back from the news agency.

"General Han, have you found it?"

"Not yet."

Lu Qi suddenly felt the world spinning in front of his eyes, his body tilted, and his face turned pale: "How could such a thing happen..."

Han Zhi walked past him and walked out. , called for the grain, put the clothes under its nose: "Smell it well."

Lu Qi saw this scene and immediately understood. After gathering his mood, he walked over and said, "General, you want Wu Gu to go to the master? Let me do it. I am more familiar with Wu Gu's every move. We will act separately."

Jiang Yu also came over: "General Han, let's follow Lu. "Once the grain is found, I will ask Fu Wenxin to report it to you immediately."

"Okay." Han Zhi nodded, took the other search and rescue dogs in the house, and then took the general's token to the Soldiers and Horses Division. Jingwei mobilized more manpower.

He didn't believe it. He searched inch by inch and turned Shannan upside down, but he still couldn't find anyone!

Lu Jiu'an didn't know what was going on outside. He slowly woke up from a coma with a splitting headache. After a while, he found that he was hanging on the torture board in a cross-shaped position.

Lu Jiu'an smiled bitterly: Sure enough, he was still here for me.

At that time, when the stranger walked into the temple, Lu Jiu'an felt a strong sense of crisis deep in his heart. Even though the other party acted very harmless, Lu Jiu'an still did not dare to be careless. The objects that arrived left some marks on the ground.

If he really is careless, it doesn't hurt.

Looking back now, Lu Jiuan was extremely grateful for his caution at that time.

Not long after he put it down, his head suddenly became dizzy for some reason, and he fainted quietly without even a chance to resist. Thinking that the other party was afraid that he would shout for help and attract Ding Xin who was not far away, he used some special methods.

He didn't know what kind of drug the other party used. Lu Jiu'an still felt a little top-heavy.

He braced himself and observed his surroundings.

There was no window in the room, and it was cold and dim. The candle burning on the table was the only source of light in this space. Lu Jiuan initially concluded that this should be a basement.

The layout of the room is simple, but the furniture and materials are all of high quality. It is not difficult to tell from the layout of the room that the owner must be of high status.

Who could it be?

Lu Jiu'an inevitably remembered that when he was checking the fish scale book, Qi Cang came to him for help. Han Zhi saw at a glance that he was being used by others, so he analyzed the individuals who were behind the scenes for him.

Will it be the same batch?

The other party did not kill him immediately, but went to great lengths to tie him here. It seems that he has something to gain, and if there is a plan, there will be a flaw, so his life will be safe for the time being.

As for who the mastermind behind the scenes is and what he wants to do, everything will come to light as long as you see the person.

After such analysis, Lu Jiuan didn't panic anymore.

I just don't know if the mark he secretly left was destroyed or if Han Zhi understood it. Hey, don't think that he asked the wild beasts in the mountains to take it away and seek revenge on the lions and tigers.

Lu Jiu'an's mind was empty, and he thought further and further. At this moment, the sound of a bench being dragged came from the secret room that he had always thought was empty.

Lu Jiuan followed the sound and looked.

His vision was still blurry just now, and he only glanced around the room. There were four carved screens with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums placed on the west side of the room. Because of the viewing angle and light, he thought it was the west side of the basement.

Now he squinted his eyes and took a closer look, and naturally saw everything around him clearly. It turned out that the four-sided screens were not in a straight line, and there was space in the middle for passage.

But behind the screen, there is still a lot of potential.

The mastermind behind the scenes has been inside all along, and his every move after waking up was seen by the other party.

Chapter 220

An elongated figure slowly walked out of the darkness.

Lu Jiu'an held his breath and concentrated. For some reason, his heart rose in his throat, as if a terrifying monster was about to break out of the cage.

The man's eyebrows moved, bit by bit, reflected in the dim candlelight.

Lu Jiu'an saw his face clearly and said in surprise: "It's you."

He made many guesses, but he never expected that the other person was Jin'an Wang Han Zhao, whom he had only met a few times.

"Is it difficult to guess?" "

Why?" Lu Jiu'an asked, "Because I dismissed Jinglan Temple?"

"Jinglan Temple..." Han Zhao smiled ambiguously and did not answer: "I actually appreciate it. Yours, I have given you countless opportunities."

Lu Jiu'an was confused and didn't understand what opportunities he was talking about. "I am also a fifth-rank official in the imperial court. If I disappear without any reason, the government will not sit idly by. It won't look good on both sides. Is it worth it for a temple?"

"Do you think I still care about it now?" Han Zhao raised his hand and waved lightly. A cold-faced guard walked out of the darkness and placed a chilong-patterned armchair two meters away from Lu Jiuan.

The candlelight flickered, and the surrounding shadows seemed to grow larger, trying to swallow Lu Jiu'an who was hanging on the torture board.

Han Zhao turned around and sat down. When he looked up again, Lu Jiuan found that the other person seemed to have changed.

His face was cold, not like the coldness that used to repel people thousands of miles away from frost, snow and cold plums, but the coldness of hatred, like looking at ants.

This is the real, unreserved Han Zhao.

Han Zhao's slender fingertips tapped the armrest: "I originally wanted to win over you, and I showed my kindness to you three times, and you accepted it with a smile. At that time, I was secretly happy, thinking that I had conquered you with my own charm. But then... In a blink of an eye, you crushed all my good intentions into the dust!"

"Sorry..."

"Shut up!" Han Zhao said with sinister eyes, "You guys are all looking at those two brothers. What's wrong, why can't you surrender to me?"

Lu Jiu'an frowned: "You mean His Majesty and General Zhenyuan?"

"Who else makes me want to eat their flesh and drink their blood?"

Lu Jiu'an turned his head. He probably understood the reason: "Why bother? Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, wouldn't it be nice for you to be your King Jin'an."

"What a King Jin'an." Han Zhao laughed suddenly when he heard this, "Do you know what it means? ? Han Zhao is warning me to be cautious and keep my

own rules." "I am not as good as what he wants." Han Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "As long as it is theirs, I will take it! "

Hearing this, an incredible thought suddenly flashed in Lu Jiuan's mind: "You want to rebel?"

Han Zhao was stunned for a moment: "

No wonder I was confused at the time. What's the use of so much gold and silver? If the person behind Jinglan Temple is you, everything has a reasonable explanation. "

When the government confiscated the property of Jinglan Temple, boxes of snowflakes and silver were brought out and the Ministry of Accounts was dispatched. It took everyone a day and a night to complete the count, and the amount amounted to tens of thousands of taels. It is estimated that in addition to Jinglan Temple, several other temples are also involved.

Lu Jiu'an then remembered that on the way to Jinglan Temple, Han Zhao had speculated on the method of making gunpowder. It was obvious where the money ended up going.

He amassed money wantonly, made weapons, and raised troops to rebel. Everything was carried out without anyone noticing, and using the temple as a shield, who would suspect Han Zhao?

After thinking about everything, Lu Jiu'an actually felt a little funny: "So, I just wanted to take back the extra monk land, but by mistake, I ruined your big event. Are you the real reason why you kidnapped me? "

Han Zhao was noncommittal.

Lu Jiu'an asked again: "Did you send someone to approach Qicang and ask him to come to me for help?"

"Yes."

"If I go to the Ministry of Punishment to intercede, you can take the opportunity to cause trouble. At that time, you can depend on the situation. You can choose to help me win people's hearts, or you can add insult to injury. No matter which one you choose, you will reap the benefits.

"If you can't use it for me, then you can only get rid of it," Lu Jiu'an sighed

. His tone: "I just want to quietly work on infrastructure construction to make the people of this era live a better life. You don't have to spend your thoughts on me."

"It's ridiculous." Han Zhao said: "People in this world, street Those who beg, those who study in schools, those who do business in the market, and those who serve as officials in the court, all of them are not pursuing wealth and fame. You Lu Jiu'an actually said

that you are doing it for the common people. Those people will know and be grateful? Who will remember you in a few decades or a hundred years? Why bother to offend others and make yourself tired and uncomfortable? "

Lu Jiu'an wanted to say that people die like lamps . Mie, why don't I understand, and want to refute him? Even if King Jian'an has exhausted all his mechanisms, in the end it's just a handful of dirt. But when the words came to his lips, he only uttered this sentence: "You won't understand."

"I really don't understand." Han Zhao's indifferent pupils flashed, and he revealed a strange smile: "My third brother understands very well. "

Lu Jiu'an raised his head, his eyes were like lightning, and he asked warily: "What do you mean by this?"

"Lingshan Hunting, you are so happy in the hot spring bath."

He knew about my relationship with Han Zhi.

Lu Jiu'an's face was ugly, and his body involuntarily threw forward, and the chain on his wrist was shaken with a rattling sound.

Han Zhao clapped his hands happily, stood up slowly from the armchair, and walked to Lu Jiu'an: "My third brother, who has never been enlightened, is just deeply in love with you. Brother Huang is also indifferent, and he turned a blind eye to this." He closed one eye and called her Lu Aiqing, but allowed his brother to tease his courtier. Oh, I almost forgot, Han Zhi has nothing to do in his life, and it's hard to find someone he likes. , Han Zhi, as my elder brother, of course wants to tie you to Han Zhi. Maybe one day the mood will improve, and the two brothers will work together."

Lu Jiu'an was shaking with anger, and all the delaying tactics in his head had long been abandoned. When he reached beyond Jiuxiaoyun, he stretched out his foot and kicked him out hard. Unexpectedly, Han Zhao was hit hard.

Han Zhao's facial features were twisted into a ball in pain. He relaxed for a while and smiled sinisterly: "What do you think I should do to vent the hatred in my heart?"

"Kill or cut into pieces, it's up to you.

"It's okay. " Lu Jiu'an gasped violently, "In a hundred years, he will be a good man again." The guard beside him said in a cruel voice, "Break his legs."

The cold-faced guard stepped forward and without saying a word, he hit him hard with a wooden stick.

Severe pain spread rapidly from the nerve endings in his calf to his brain. Lu Jiuan broke into a cold sweat and his eyesight turned black. If he hadn't gritted his teeth, he would have screamed in shame.

This bastard...

the guard raised his hand again. Lu Jiuan closed his eyes in resignation. Unexpectedly, Han Zhao stopped him at this time: "Wait, I changed my mind."

Lu Jiuan's head hung weakly, his face It was bloodless. He had never suffered this kind of pain since he had traveled back in time. The pain almost made him faint, and he could only hold on with one breath.

Han Zhao walked to the corner, picked up a rouge box from the box, took out a little bit, and applied it on Lu Jiu'an's lips bit by bit.

Lu Jiu'an glared angrily: "What are you doing!"

He already had a peach-like face, but this time his mouth was smeared with a layer of bright red rouge, and his forehead was covered with dense beads of sweat. He looked truly stunning.

"No wonder my third brother is obsessed with you. From this point of view, it is understandable. I guess that when you and Han Zhi are together, you should be the one who bears the rain and the dew."

Lu Jiuan turned pale for a moment . , feeling cold all over the body.

Han Zhao held up his face and pecked him gently, but Lu Jiuan avoided him in disgust. Han Zhao wiped the corners of his lips with his fingertips happily.

"Well, it tastes good. I wonder if there is a saying among men that they should keep their virginity as pure as jade. How would Han Zhi react if he found out that you were lying on someone else's body? I'm very curious. Are you curious?"

Han Zhao finished his voice and entered the secret room. The door was pushed open, and three men stepped in. These men were all tall and strong, as strong as black bears. Lu Jiu'an took a look, his eyes were filled with fear, and he couldn't help but shrink back.

He had thought of all kinds of methods, but he didn't expect Han Zhao to resort to such a despicable method.

It's ridiculous that he, a seven-foot tall man, would one day end up in such a situation. If you are tortured by these people, you will not only lose your face, but also your life.

Might as well just kill him.

Seeing the people approaching gradually, Lu Jiu'an felt a huge sense of despair in his heart.

Why hasn't Han Zhi come yet?

There was no trace of emotion or desire on the faces of the three of them, and they began to take off the clothes on his body.

Lu Jiuan struggled desperately, and one of the men grabbed his foot and held it down easily. Lu Jiuan's resistance was vulnerable to the opponent's brute force.

Han Zhao sat on the armchair, resting his chin on his hands, humming a song leisurely, as if he was enjoying a good show.

"Bang--"

The door of the secret room was pushed open again, and several people in the room stopped what they were doing.

Han Zhao looked at the intruder and warned: "Zhu Yue, don't ruin my good deeds."

Zhu Yue said dissatisfied: "I should say this to you. You clearly promised that after everything is done, Lu Jiu'an belongs to me. If you let these people ruin such a beauty, aren't you like a cow chewing peonies?"

Zhu Yue pushed him aside two or three times, came to Lu Jiu'an, and glanced at his swollen calf. , tutted and said: "It's so pitiful, beauty, that I frightened you."

Lu Jiu'an had exhausted all his strength and looked at Zhu Yue and then at Han Zhao: "Why are you here?"

Zhu Yue was amused by his reaction. : "I am King Jin'an's guest, is there anything strange about it?"

This was just after leaving the wolf's den and entering the tiger's mouth, the look in Lu Jiu'an's eyes quickly disappeared.

"I'll take you with me and let you use the guest room." Zhu Yue simply said hello, picked up Lu Jiu'an, and walked out of the secret room.

It wasn't until he saw the light of day again that Lu Jiu'an was sure that his previous speculation was correct. Zhu Yue saw him looking around and ruthlessly exposed him: "Don't think about escaping, and don't think about who else will save you. Your General Han is already here. I searched it twice, but this is just an ordinary villa, so what can I find, right?"

Zhu Yue randomly picked a room and opened the door, throwing Lu Jiu'an on the bed. Then he took off his clothes, exposing his tendons, and covered his body.

"Let me go." Lu Jiu'an begged hoarsely as all his strength was exhausted.

"That won't work."

Lu Jiu'an turned his head and lay on the bedside, retching.

"You're disgusting now. You'll know what I'm doing later." Zhu Yue grabbed his chin with one hand: "I'm not as incomprehensible as General Han. Can he make you happy? By the way, you still I don't know, your former colleague Leng Ningruan is the one in my pocket. Unfortunately, I have tasted the taste of Shimui Zhi several times. It's too annoying. If he hadn't told us your whereabouts this time, I might not have been able to catch him. You ."

Lu Jiu'an's eyes rolled: "How could he know..."

"Don't underestimate the power of hatred. If I keep an eye on your every move all day long, I will definitely know where you are going."

Zhu Yue lowered his head, Lu Jiu'an said . You could even feel his hot breath on your face.

"Do you know? The way you look now is exactly the same as before Mu Lin died.

"

Hearing this, Lu Jiu'an was shocked. He didn't know where the strength came from, and suddenly overturned Zhu Yue: "Mu Lin's death." , is it related to you? Zhu Yue fell under the bed and laughed loudly: "

Mu Lin is a good friend of General Han. Isn't it normal for Han Zhao to deal with him?" "

Mu Lin's figure waving a folding fan appeared in front of Lu Jiu'an's eyes. A great anger swept over him. He breathed rapidly and shouted uncontrollably: "You killed him! What did he do wrong, you beasts! "