Xu Shi's eyes narrowed.
He had fought all his life and seen blood and corpses. He had seen many horrible scenes. However, the gentle smile and calm expression on Ning Que's face seemed to be more soul-stirring than those scenes he had seen in the past.
In an instant, he thought more highly of Ning Que and was more vigilant about how dangerous Ning Que was. The sympathy that occasionally flashed in his eyes disappeared without a trace.
Ning Que continued, "Of course, the story of the hunter's family being burned to death has nothing to do with me. I just heard it from others. I'm just curious, under such circumstances, what would you choose? I still want to ask the previous question. Is there really a person as pure as a lotus in the world? General, have you ever killed prisoners of war on the battlefield? Is it against the law of the Tang Empire to kill prisoners of war? General, when your subordinates rode past the fortress, did they kill the women and children of the barbarians on the grassland? If so, is it against the law of the Tang Empire? "
Then he looked at the general's old face and asked, "General, as an important minister of the Tang Empire, you should stand on the side of the Tang Empire. However, when the enemy's powerhouses entered the country, you not only did not guard against them, but also revealed my whereabouts to them. I would like to ask, even if this does not violate the law of the Tang Empire, does it violate your conscience?"
The repeated requests for guidance were like heavy punches that continuously pounded on the old general's heart. However, Xu Shi would not be shaken by Ning Que's words. He smiled slightly angrily and said, "Since you want to enter the human realm on behalf of the Academy, you have to accept the challenge of the world's powerhouses. Why don't you want to let them know your whereabouts? Are you afraid that you will lose face for the Tang Empire and the Headmaster of the Academy? "
Before Ning Que could speak, the general suddenly stopped smiling and looked at him coldly. He said, "Even if it was pardonable that you acted coldly when you were young, what about after coming to Chang 'an from the City of Wei?"
After coming to Chang 'an? Ning Que slowly raised his eyebrows.
Suddenly, there was a wind in the garden. It was slightly cold and the sky was dim. It seemed that it was going to rain.
"Where were you when the censor Zhang Yiqi died in the 14th year of Tianqi era?"
"Where were you when the old blacksmith in the east of the city died?"
"Where were you when the tea master Yan Suqing died?"
The general looked at him and asked indifferently.
…
…
Ning Que's expression did not change, but his body became stiff. If his previous questioning of the general was just a small trick, then the general's three consecutive questions of "where are you?" were really sharp and cold knives that could cut off a person's head.
He finally understood why Xu Shi was so wary of him and even secretly investigated and suppressed him. He confirmed that many people, starting from Lin Ling to the current number one person in the Tang military, had noticed the murders and even smelled the scent behind them.
Today, in the General's Mansion, the conversation between him and the General.
He was a general.
…
…
"When the censor Zhang Yiqi died, you were in the House of Red Sleeves. When Chen Zixian died, you were in the east of the city. When Yan Suqing died, no one knew where you were. However, that day was the Academy's examination. You had a bet with Xie Chengyun of the South Jin Kingdom, but for some reason, you did not attend the examination and even took two days of sick leave."
The general stared into his eyes and said slowly with endless pressure, "Don't think that you are really strong, don't think that you can really hide from everyone in the world, and don't think that you can erase the past just because you have become the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy. I said that I know everything about you, so I will tell you everything. Not a single thing will be missing."
Not a single thing would be missing. Not a single thing could be missing.
This was the spirit of the number one person in the Tang military.
Ning Que heard the general say something like this for the third time today. He did not know how many times he fell into silence.
There was also silence on the platform. The poplar trees in the garden were slightly trembling in the wind before the rain. The leaves that should have lived in the north whistled, as if they would fall to the ground at any time.
No one knew how long it had been.
The general said, "The Headmaster of the Academy once said that the law of the Tang Empire comes first. This is the highest creed not only for the Academy, but also for the entire Tang Empire. I will investigate what happened in the past. If I find out that you have violated the law of the Tang Empire, interfered with the court affairs, or even plotted against us, I will punish you according to the law of the Tang Empire."
Ning Que suddenly reached out and stacked the dishes in front of him.
Then he stood up, looked at the general and said, "The law of the Tang Empire emphasizes evidence. If you can get the evidence of these murder cases, I will wait for you in the Chang 'an Local Government."
After saying this, he bowed to the general and left.
…
…
After walking out of the General's Mansion, it was not long before Ning Que arrived at the familiar Vermilion Bird Avenue. He strolled on the flat bluestone road, looking calm and composed.
In the end, someone still guessed that he was related to those murder cases. This made him very nervous, but he was not shocked by the conversation in the General's Mansion.
Even if Xu Shi could represent the entire Tang Empire to sweep the world, he could not accuse Ning Que without evidence, let alone cause any harm to him.
Because he was not a soldier in the City of Wei, nor was he a foreigner who had just arrived in Chang 'an. He was now a student of the Second floor of the Academy and a great calligrapher who was close to His Majesty.
If he wanted to harm him now, he must first convince His Majesty, and most importantly, the Headmaster of the Academy.
Ning Que could not guess His Majesty's attitude, but he was very clear that the Headmaster of the Academy would not care how many people his student had killed, because the Headmaster of the Academy did not care about worldly affairs.
However, some parts of the conversation in the General's Mansion did have some emotional impact on him.
Xu Shi was right.
From the time he escaped from Chang 'an to the thousands of miles of starvation and entered the dangerous Min Mountain, Ning Que was, in a way, a person who did all kinds of evil.
The reason why he did all kinds of evil was because the world he lived in was full of evil.
In order to survive in the evil world, he had to do all kinds of evil.
Later, he came to the City of Wei and then to Chang 'an. He came to the peaceful and happy world and found that there were still many good people in the world, so he began to try to be a good person in the general sense.
Everyone wanted to be a good person.
Ning Que also wanted to be a good person.
Therefore, he had been learning how to be a good person since the City of Wei, all the way to Chang 'an.
This kind of learning could be said to be a kind of disguise, or even more like the formation of a second personality.
This kind of personality was very unstable. Sometimes he was mean, sometimes he nagged, and sometimes he pretended to be shameless to win people's favor. It was a little fresh, and a little cute.
But the real temperament in his bones was actually still the moment when he held the blood-dripping hatchet in the woodshed of the Official of Counsel's Mansion when he was four years old.
If he faced external pressure, if he faced death again, that ruthless and cold temperament would burst out from the deepest part of his body without hesitation.
It was the night when he climbed to the Second floor.
It was the same when he met the Horse Gang in the Wilderness.
It was the same when he shot Prince Long Qing by the Daming Lake.
It was always like this, and sometimes not.
This was Ning Que.
Unconsciously, he walked to the front of the Vermilion Bird.
At this moment, the spring rain that had been planned for a long time finally fell.
…
…
(Chapter Three: Try to finish before 2: 30.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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