The two of them sat by the window of the tavern, seemingly leisurely chatting about military secrets. Xu Beizhi had recently become addicted to drinking. Whenever he had the chance, he would drink a few cups. As for alcohol, whether it was good or bad, he did not abstain from it. However, every time Hsu Fengnian saw him drink, he looked like he was squatting in a latrine pit, unable to poop. Just looking at him made him uncomfortable. Xu Beizhi drank until he felt his stomach burning. He could not help but snort. Only then did he slowly say, "Guess how much money did the Thatched Cottage spend to find out that you killed the devil Xie Ling?"
Hsu Fengnian laughed. "At least a hundred taels of gold?"
Xu Beizhi shook his head. "Not a single copper coin was spent. The news was spread by a Yelu disciple in the capital at the brothel. It was quickly brought to the Thatched Cottage."
Xu Beizhi asked again, "Guess how much money did the Thatched Cottage spend to confirm that you had stayed in Dunhuang for a period of time?"
Hsu Fengnian thought for a moment. "I'll guess a few hundred taels of gold."
Xu Beizhi laughed. "Too little. About nine hundred taels of gold."
Hsu Fengnian clicked his tongue. "They are really willing to spend a lot of money."
Xu Beizhi was obviously not used to drinking, but he was bold when he drank. He drank it all in one gulp and gently tapped the cup on the greasy table. He looked out the window. Because of the skin on his face, he looked like a rough man, but his eyes were as gentle as a woman's. Fortunately, only Hsu Fengnian was facing him. This scholar, who did not know when he would be able to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat, sighed with emotion. "Wanting to find a spy who is proficient in disguise is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. Grandfather and I burned the midnight oil several times to calculate your route. During those days, the old man was full of energy. This kind of hide-and-seek game was like the southern glutinous rice dumplings he ate when he was young. It was quite chewy. You may not know this, but Li Mixi wasn't the only one who created the Zhuyan that was modeled after Liyang's Zhao Gou. Grandfather once helped to create the framework. Half of the credit went to Li Mixi for being able to become the Empress's most trusted minister, be known as the Shadow Prime Minister, and be the ninth Commandant of Festivals. Both of them are rare scholars in the Central Plains. "
When he said this, Xu Beizhi paused for a moment and looked at Hsu Fengnian. "When it comes to raising soldiers, Empress Murong is undoubtedly the best in the world. Zhao Clan's son isn't bad either. He's the King of Beiliang."
Hsu Fengnian cut him off with a laugh, "Him? What's more, during the Spring and Autumn War, it was a contest between the military cavalry and the literati. After toppling the noble families and rich clans, the scholars had no home to return to, no tree to rely on. Naturally they would bear a grudge against Xu Xiao, so there's no need to mention serving this butcher."
Xu Beizhi shook his head and said, "There are two kinds of raising soldiers, raising noble scholars and raising poor scholars. You have to know that the term 'scholar' originally only applied to nomadic scholars. For example, those School of Vertical and Horizontal Scholars who left their names in the annals of history because of their unhindered maneuvering and maneuvering, or the School of Thought's lobbyists. Later on, the scholars gathered and formed powerful clans, and only then did they begin to live like princes. Now that the edifice has collapsed, most of them have to work for the rice and millet. What's more, the rise of the poor scholar class in the imperial court is irresistible. There are many things that the King of Beiliang can't do, but you can. The scholars of the world were originally your Tide-listening Pavilion's millions of koi fish. Now it's just like how the Tide-listening Pavilion is connected to the rivers, raising koi fish mixed with wild carps. If you can pick a small number of them, you can succeed. Since ancient times, strategists have sought the protection of a wise ruler, nothing more than wanting to ride the dragon's momentum and soar to the top. "
Hsu Fengnian laughed and said, "If you tell Xu Xiao this kind of great principle, he'll doze off in front of you."
Xu Beizhi dismissed it with a laugh.
In Ruoshui Hut, a skinny old man dressed in luxurious Sichuan brocade rushed over from the capital's strategic location overnight. He had been sitting by the water's edge the whole time. Next to him was the beheaded Xu Huainan.
The old man personally checked the wound and the surroundings of the hut. He waved his hand and had his subordinates leave, leaving only a young maidservant carrying a lantern without a wick. It seemed that he didn't want anyone else to disturb him and his deceased friend.
In the night, the old man stretched out his withered bamboo-like arm and stroked his frosty white sideburns with his fingers. He muttered to himself, "When we were young, we came to the chaotic Beimang together. You said that you wanted to become a famous minister who could wear sword shoes and enter the imperial court unimpeded. You even laughed at me for being narrow-minded, saying that I wasn't someone who could accomplish great things and that all I had to do was play tricks behind your back. Look, what's the situation now? I can still travel at night in brocade clothes. Even when the Eight Prefects and the Twelve Great Generals see me, they only dare to curse me behind my back and say that I'll die a horrible death without descendants. You, on the other hand, don't even have a single descendant who has the guts to attend your funeral. "
"You thought highly of Xu Beizhi and taught him everything you learned. Because of our friendship, I've been hesitant to kill him. Old man Xu, why don't you send me a dream? I'll let him go then. "
"I thought that I would risk half my life to make sure that you die after her. You, you, how could you just leave like that? You even left so sullenly. What do you want? Repay a debt? Return it to whom? A dead person is like a lamp that goes out. I won't get to the bottom of it, so that you won't scold me down there. In this way, I'll be relieved. Don't worry. Let's not talk about Xu Beizhi. When the time comes, the Xu family has more than two hundred lives. I'll leave one or two for you. "
The old man, who was muttering to himself, sighed. After a long silence, he raised his arm.
The blind, deaf, and mute maidservant carrying the lantern immediately bent down and placed the lightless lantern in front of the powerful old man. She then handed over a pair of delicate scissors.
There were dozens of butterflies in the cage.
The old man took one out. His hands trembled like an old woman doing embroidery under a lamp. He cut the butterfly in half from the middle.
"After you die, the Prefect of Peace will be the biggest butterfly in the cage."
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