Chang''an.


    In prison.


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


    Insects and mice are the owners of this territory, while others are just passers-by.


    Darkness seems to have persisted for a long time, making people in it feel that not only light has been swallowed up, but time and life have also been swallowed up by darkness.


    Looking at the weak light on the stone wall in the distance, Li Kui knew that even this weak light was not reserved for these prisoners, but to allow the jailer who came in to inspect the prison to see the road clearly under his feet.


    Everything here does not belong to him.


    All his efforts have now come to nothing...


    People are dying and the money has not been spent!


    what to do?


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


    He regretted it very much, but now there was no new light to illuminate his path, only the oppressive darkness, and the insects and rats that laughed at him in the darkness and invaded his territory unscrupulously.


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


    ?Li Kui felt that these insects and rats seemed to have regarded him as a dead thing, a piece of carrion, and he did not want to really become a dead thing or carrion.


    ??If God can give him a chance...


    The sound of footsteps came.


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


    ?A voice that sounded familiar yet unfamiliar to Li Kui sounded. He seemed to be talking to the jailer about something, and then the jailer opened the lock and the chains rattled.


    Brother Li, are you okay? 』A dark shadow walked up to the wooden fence.


    Li Kui was stunned for a moment.


    The jailer stood aside and seemed to dim some of the lights on the stone wall.


    ?The light arrived in front of Li Kui again, and the insects and mice in the darkness scurry toward darker places, temporarily giving up their territory to Li Kui and the guest.


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


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


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


    ?Fan Cong''s face was slightly embarrassed.


    In any case, he did do such a thing and betrayed some people...


    In the eyes of some people in later generations, betraying someone may not be a big deal at all, but in the current era of the Han Dynasty, loyalty, filial piety, honesty and justice are still the yardstick that many people abide by. Fan Cong felt somewhat aggrieved when Li Kui slapped him in the face with such a loud slap. ashamed.


    But soon, shame became the fuel of anger.


    『Even if I don’t betray you, brother Li, wouldn’t you still be a prisoner? ! Fan Cong said coldly, "Those who know the current affairs are heroes. Now that the general trend of the world is on the side of Hussar, Brother Li, you have been in Chang''an for a while, can''t you see clearly?" ! 』


    『The Emperor is still in Shandong! ” Li Kui said loudly, as if he could maintain his momentum in this way.


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


    ??The two voices collided with each other within the stone wall, agitating each other, canceling each other out, and then the lingering sound was faint.


    The only sound left was the heavy breathing of two people.


    ?Fan Cong sighed, then sat down, separated from Li Kui by a wooden fence, "I''ve been in your cell before." 』


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


    ‘Sacrifice one’s life for righteousness…’ Fan Cong said in a faint tone, ‘Kong Wenju, is he famous? A lot of righteous deeds, right? Then what? If he gave up his life, where would his righteousness fall? Haha, his family property was divided, his house was occupied, and his fields were swallowed up... What''s even more ridiculous is that the people who did these things were not outsiders, but people from the same clan as him, and even his relatives and friends! Shandong, ha, the land of culture! The land of benevolence and righteousness! 』


    …How do you know this? Li Kui asked, then smiled, "Oh... I understand, is this what the hussar used to persuade you to surrender?" Haha, haha..."


    Not. ” Fan Cong shook his head.


    "snort! ” Li Kui obviously didn’t believe it.


    ?Fan Cong raised his head slightly, seeming to be immersed in some memories, "I also wanted to die...but then, I heard that I could take my family members to Chang''an..."


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


    ‘Family,’ Fan Cong pointed to himself, ‘mine. And, I actually picked it up..."


    “…” Li Kui was silent for a longer time, “So this is your reason? What reasons did you find for your rebellion? 』


    Not. "Fan Cong shook his head again, "Although I am really grateful to have my family here...but the real reason that made me make up my mind was not in Guanzhong, but in Shandong..."


    『Nonsense! ” Li Kui sneered, “This is probably just your own self-appointment and false pretenses, so what’s the point of telling the difference? 』


    Fan Cong smiled and said, "I faked my death at the foot of Luoyang City. The news spread to Shandong. According to the custom, if I die in battle, my family will be compensated, and I will be suspended from labor for a period of ten years... The rules are like this, right?" ? 』


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


    “The family members have arrived,” Fan Cong said in a faint tone, “I asked, but there is no pension, not even a penny. Because... they didn''t see my body! So they "didn''t know" whether I was alive or dead, so there was no pension, no cessation of hard labor, and no cessation of mediocrity! 』


    "..." Li Kui was silent for a long time, and then turned his gaze to one side. Over there was a darker corner, where insects and mice seemed to be rustling, chirping, and laughing, "Maybe... this matter should go through a process. …』


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


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


    ‘Uh…’ Li Kui couldn’t answer.


    『My wife...Yes, she was just a concubine before, but now she is a wife...Nothing can be changed, right? Although my wife has read books, she is not an eloquent person..." Fan Cong sighed, "I went to ask the officials, and then... I couldn''t explain this clearly, and I said I don''t know about that. It''s not up to him to ask this or say this. , asking the one who said that is not his responsibility... My wife has been running around for a month, going back and forth more than ten times, and no one... no one can solve the matter... Haha, I am faking my death, but... if I really die Woolen cloth? 』


    Li Kui remained silent.


    『If you ask urgently, the people in Hu Cao will look angry and express that it is okay for them to do so! Since he is dead, his salary and salary should be stopped. What is wrong with this? Did you break that law again? I just want to blast my wife and ask her to find the meritorious service. Fan Cong sneered, "Then Gong Cao also said that they had no problem too, everything was done according to the law!" The body remains unknown and life or death has not yet been determined, so no compensation can be given! Then I drove my wife to look for Hu Cao... The old mother at home needed to be raised, the children needed to be fed, the fields were taxed, and the silk Mayong was transferred... The little official who collected taxes and transferred money came straight into the door, rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, claiming that he had an order. , no one should be missing a penny! Even the copper hairpin that sealed my relationship with my wife was taken away from me... and the thin coffin given to my mother... also..."


    ?Fan Cong burst into tears and was speechless. Li Kui turned his head.


    Fan Cong wiped his face with his sleeve, his voice a little vague, "That''s when I knew that I didn''t owe Cao Mengde, nor did I owe the emperor, I only owed Hussar... If it weren''t for Hussar... I sent someone to pick up my family members. I...my wife said that they all wanted to die at that time..."


    "You...your people..." Li Kui asked, "Why do your people..."


    "ha. Fan Cong sneered, "Don''t you see clearly enough about Kong Wenju?" Tribe? If you have meritorious service and official position, they are human beings. If you have nothing and become a destitute family, they will wait to divide the house and land! At that time, you thought they were human beings, but you never thought that they no longer regarded you as human beings! 』


    Li Kui is silent. He also knew this. There are indeed some free schools in the clans with big surnames, and they will also distribute living money and food to the widows and widowers in the clan, but the price is that the family that accepts this money and food will from then on become the vassal, servant, and some kind of vassal of a certain big house. Servant in the sense of the word.


    ??And even if this system is available, not all families have it, and even if there are families, it is not open to everyone...


    ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


    “Brother Li, you are not from a wealthy family,” Fan Cong looked at Li Kui and said, “You should have seen it in Chang’an... It’s true that we are from Shandong, but there is no place for us in Shandong! So what if we learn well? A child from an aristocratic family can recite poetry and books at the age of three! At the age of seven, he can sing poems about the countryside! You can publish a book and become famous all over the world at the age of ten! 』


    『So what if you have the ability? If they say no, they can''t. They say they want to recruit talented people from all over the world, and how open they are rather than being eclectic, but in fact, the people they hire in the end are either the sons of this family, the grandsons of that family, ordinary people, etc... If not, you I don''t have to come to Chang''an..." Fan Cong chuckled twice, "Shandong like this, with such a court... is it worth it? That’s all. Brother Li, think about it carefully..."


    ?Fan Cong had no intention of letting Li Kui answer on the spot. Instead, he stood up, gave a slight salute, and stood up and left without waiting for Li Kui''s response.


    ?The sound of footsteps faded away, and amid the clanging of iron chains, the cell fell into silence once again.


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


    Is it worth it? 』


    ??If a court or a region makes it impossible for the living to live happily, for the dead to die without peace of mind, for the young to have no hope of success, and for the old to have no hope of living a long life...


    ??Li Kui knocked his head on the wooden fence, and there was a thud. It seemed that someone was still asking, "Is it worth it?" 』


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


    ?This time he knocked harder, and the rough wooden fence scratched his forehead, blood flowed down, and there was a burning sting.


    However, these three words still cannot be eliminated from my mind, and they are even getting bigger and louder.


    Is it worth it? 』


    …囧rz…


    ?In the prison, Li Kui was confused and unable to make a decision. In Chang''an City, there were also people who were confused and unable to make a decision.


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


    ? Wei Kang stared at Wei Duan with undisguised longing.


    Ever since Webster retired from officialdom, Wei Kang really understood what it means to be "a bird in the dark".


    ?His former smiling "friends" now avoided him like snakes and scorpions, and then he realized that what his father had always warned him about the need to be cautious in making friends was true...


    ??Wei Duan''s figure is slightly stooped, and his face is much older. Without authority, Wei Duan seems to be aging faster.


    Before, Wei Duan hoped to get in touch with Kong Rong''s children, just like a backdoor listing in the stock market, to regain some political capital, but he didn''t know whether he was hit by Doe, or was discovered, or whether it was the children of Kong Rong. You really have to concentrate on studying. Although Chang''an is mentioned, most people basically cannot see the children of the Kong family at all, so naturally there is no backdoor.


    ?Without authority and position, Wei Duan felt as if he was walking naked in a busy city. After the initial period of shame, anger naturally ignited in Wei Duan''s heart. He, one of the dignified "King Zhao Sankyu" back then, is now like a lost dog...


    What are you going to do? Wei Duan asked. He did not say yes or no, but directly asked Wei Kang what to do.


    With a gloating smile on his face, Wei Kang raised his eyebrows and said, "The fat black man is obviously scared!" He made a mistake! Now they should be gathering the strength of the three assistants in Guanzhong to deal with Prime Minister Cao with one heart and one mind, but he is at a loss! First, he had a disagreement with the Prince of Cavalry, and then there was a fire in the warehouse in the city. Because of the fire, Chief Wei Wen was implicated, and Chief Wei Wen was in trouble! 』


    『This fat black man usually puts on a decent face, but now at the critical moment, he panics! "The more Wei Kang talked, the more excited he became, "Now that this fat black man has lost the trust of the prince and the support of the general, how can the three assistants of Chang''an not be in chaos? How could he resist Prime Minister Cao? When Prime Minister Cao''s troops arrive at the city, it will be the day when this fat black man will be crowned! 』


    Both Wei Duan and Wei Kang suffered losses at the hands of Pang Tong, so Wei Kang hated Pang Tong deeply. Now that he saw Pang Tong behaving like this, not only did he not do anything for the people of Chang''an Sanfu, Although he was worried about his safety, he was extremely excited. He felt that this was a good opportunity to overthrow Pang Tong, allow Webster to return to politics, and re-list for financing.


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


    "Uh..." Wei Kang was stunned for a moment. Didn''t he say a lot of things before and what to do? But soon he said, "Since Pang Tong behaves badly, he cannot be the minister!" And in Chang''an, the most experienced and most powerful person to turn the tide is none other than my father! 』


    Idiot! spendthrift! ” Wei Duan scolded him unceremoniously, “You really won’t stop until you ruin Wei’s family fortune! Am I really..."


    Wei Duan suddenly remembered the words of Dr. Hua from the Baiyi Hospital, saying that he was too old and should not be angry, otherwise his life would be shortened easily. He stopped scolding Wei Kang, took a long breath, and warned himself not to be angry and not to be in trouble with him. This prodigal son cares about...


    Wei Kang rolled his eyes, wondering what went wrong with his idea.


    “Nowadays, it’s better to be still than to move…” Wei Duan temporarily calmed down some of his anger and began to explain to Wei Kang, “Try to turn the tide, haha, it looks beautiful, but what if you are knocked into the water by this violent wave? 』


    Wei Kang exclaimed, "Father, are you... scared?" If you don''t stand up to control the three assistants, can you achieve meritorious deeds just by sitting at home? 』


    ?Wei Duan rolled his eyelids and said, "Do you think the Hussar can definitely win?" 』


    What if? There are many elite soldiers and generals under the cavalry..." Wei Kang was stunned and said, "Father, you don''t know how...then if you put it that way..."


    『I don’t mean anything! "Wei Duan was afraid that this thing would go astray again, so he couldn''t help but yelled, "Now Wei Duan only has this little money left, so be safe!" Do you understand? ! Don''t act rashly! I mean what if, what if... When the time comes, if Webster steps forward now, wouldn''t it... If it is true... then it will be a perfect opportunity for Webster to rise again..."


    Wei Kang rolled his eyes, obviously thinking clearly about the key point, and nodded and said: "That''s true... But what if the victor is... the hussar?" So if we do nothing now, aren’t we missing a good opportunity? 』


    Wei Duan frowned, pinched his beard and pondered, and then said after a while: "That being said... I feel that Pang Shiyuan... shouldn''t be like this. There seems to be something wrong..."


    While he was talking, suddenly Wei''s disciples rushed into the corridor and reported with a strange look: "To the head of the family, young master... This Pang Lingjun came to the table and said that Wei Wen was domineering and had a bone in the back of his head..." He even said that the generals treated the generals too well, so that the generals and others did not know the kindness and wanted to cut down their subordinates. They even said that the Protector of the Western and Northern Regions had too much power and wanted to remove him from the position of Protector and change him to the Prefect..."


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


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


    But having said that, since the Eastern Han Dynasty, civil servants have trolled people, especially relatives, generals, eunuchs, everything except themselves, and even their own civil servants. It seems to have become a habitual political correctness, just like The little fairy bows her head here and that, and there is no one who doesn''t bow her head.


    Changan Sanfu, because of Fei Qian''s rule, this situation has not happened for a long time. The current situation is because Fei Qian left and Pang Tong had no one to suppress him, so his true nature as a "Han civil official" was exposed?


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


    Father! ” Wei Kang looked at Wei Duan helplessly, “Now...what are we going to do now?” 』


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


    "ha? who? 』


    Pang Shiyuan. 』


    "What? ! 』