On the other side, Cao Yan hurried down the mountain, intending to go straight to Xiao's house, but unexpectedly he met the person he was looking for halfway. Cao Yan wanted to go forward, but was shocked by the scene.
In fact, Xiao Yu was not the only one walking over there. Although Cao Yan rarely returned to the capital and did not recognize the faces of officials there, he still recognized the official uniforms. The man in purple clothes and green ribbons was clearly an official of the third rank or above.
And the old man in the front with gray hair and chicken skin, leaning on a nanmu cane...
There is only one person in this dynasty who can enjoy the gold seal and purple ribbon on his waist, and that is Grand Tutor Xie.
But hadn't he returned home to retire long ago? Why was he still walking around in court robes?
Although he didn't know what had happened, even if Cao Yan was not very perceptive, he knew that this was not the time to rush up and talk about family matters.
The appearance of so many high-ranking officials at the court was rare even in the capital city which was full of high-ranking officials. The people around were buzzing with discussions and gathered around. The officers and soldiers patrolling the city also noticed this situation and immediately some soldiers went to the front to clear the way, but Cao Yan frowned.
No, the number of people is wrong...
If they were really patrolling officers and soldiers, there would be too many people on duty today.
What do these people know.
Cao Yan looked around and immediately found a familiar face. Many of the garrison troops in the capital were retired soldiers from the Northern Army, so it was not surprising that he could find an acquaintance among them. Cao Yan immediately strode forward, came to the front of his former colleague, and asked, "What's going on?"
The other party thought it was just a bystander who came to join in the fun, and was a little impatient and wanted to push him away. After recognizing it was Cao Yan, he reluctantly nodded, looked him up and down, and frowned: "Why are you here?"
The tone of the words sounded as if he should be somewhere else.
Cao Yan did not answer, but repeated it again with a stronger tone, "What's going on?"
The other party was even more surprised than him, "You don't know? Didn't the general tell you?!"
The garrison in the capital naturally had a superior, and his official title was "General", but there was only one person who could be directly called "General" by them.
Cao Yan frowned and said, "I just returned to the capital today and have not yet reported to the general."
As the two were talking, the crowded people nearby pushed the guard, causing him to stagger. He immediately ignored Cao Yan's explanation and directly pulled the man by the hand to recruit him. Before Cao Yan could even ask anything, he was inexplicably given the responsibility of clearing the way.
The direction they were heading...
Jingzhao Prefecture?
Any one of them here can suppress the Jingzhao Yin to death. What on earth are they doing?
Cao Yan soon found out.
The hand, which looked like the trunk of an old tree and was covered with blue veins and wrinkles, held the drumstick.
The owner of the hand was clearly trembling from walking such a long way with crutches, but the moment he grasped the hammer, the slight tremors suddenly stopped, and it seemed as if even his shoulders and back straightened a little.
Nanmu's crutch fell to the ground. The old man refused the support of the people beside him. Relying on his legs that were so old that they could hardly support his body, he staggered forward, step by step, and finally stood in front of the drum.
The wooden frame on the outside of the drum has become dark with the passage of time, and the drum surface is also mottled due to the erosion of time. Even the red silk covering the drumstick has lost its original bright color because so much time has passed.
All the colors are dark, making people feel heavy when they see them.
There is nothing easy about making it make a sound.
“Boom—”
The drumstick and the drumhead overlapped, creating a violent vibration.
A dull sound spread out from the intersection, as if hitting everyone's heart. The sound was too deep and heavy. Under this invisible pressure, the people who gathered to watch stopped making any sound at some point.
Invisible ripples spread out in space, layer by layer spreading outward.
It seemed that the only thing left between heaven and earth was the dull sound of drums.
“Boom—Boom—”
“Boom—boom—boom—”
Inside Anguo Temple.
Chai Zhu was somewhat confused by Kong Tong's explanation and asked, "Drum?"
Could it be that the best temple in the world is so different from others? Others ring bells while they ring drums?
With his mind completely confused and unable to figure things out, General Chai cast a bewildered look at the Zen master opposite him, only to see that the other party was just looking at another person with a smile.
"In the past, I advised the people to cultivate good deeds for the next life, but some people used their bodies as a foundation to pave the way for the people."
Chai Zhu:?!
The confusion just now had not yet been resolved, but he realized who Master Kongtong was talking about.
The vague suspicion he had previously had was confirmed by these words, and Chai Zhu couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
He couldn't tell whether he was relieved because his guess was confirmed, or because the final outcome of such a person was so sad. In short, he felt complicated for the moment.
But I think the people around him must be feeling more complicated than him.
He couldn't help but turn his head, wanting to see Huo Yan's current expression.
Huo Yan must have come to Anguo Temple because of the truth that happened back then, right?
Now that he knew his father was such a person, he...
Chai Zhu's thoughts were completely interrupted by Master Kongtong's next sentence, and it even seemed that he could never continue.
"…I am not as good as you."
The old man just sighed, and there was a hint of relief in his tone.
Chai Zhu turned his head suddenly, and even his neck made a "cracking" sound as if he could not bear the weight due to the hasty movement. He looked at Kong Tong intently, not knowing whether there was something wrong with his ears or if this Zen master suddenly wanted to play a joke.
but……
However, he didn't see any sign of joking on Kong Tong's face.
...I am not as good as you?
Who are “you”?
A candidate who was easy to understand from the current situation, but far from reasonable, emerged. Chai Zhu turned his stiff neck again and looked at Chu Lu.
He remembered...
What did Brother Huo say when he came in just now?
"Deserve to die"? "Return to the living world"?
The shock of the information was too great, and Chai Zhu's expression was blank for a moment.
He suspected that he might have fallen asleep because he was too tired waiting for someone at the foot of the mountain. He was dreaming at the moment. Otherwise, how could he hear such a ridiculous thing? He suspected that Brother Huo was Prime Minister Huo who had come back from the dead... Hahaha... How is it possible? Coming back from the dead, this kind of thing is impossible... Haha... Ha...
Chai Zhu hesitated whether he should give himself a slap at this moment, using this simple and quick method to wake himself up.
But what happened next caused Chai Zhu's raised hand to freeze in mid-air before it even fell. His mouth was slightly open and his expression was dull.
As he moved, the Zen master opposite him stretched out his hand in front of him, right between them and Master Kongtong. Suddenly, ripples appeared on the empty ground, and the ripples spread out in circles, with the middle reflecting the roof of the quiet room like a polished bronze mirror.
If it comes to this, Chai Zhu can still explain himself by saying that this is a trick that can be done, but what happens next cannot be explained in any way.
Kong Tong just moved his finger, and the image in the "mirror" suddenly changed into a scene inside.
The golden glazed tiles shone brightly under the sunlight, and the overlapping eaves blocked the view inside. Even if Chai Zhu had never been there, he could recognize that this was clearly the Imperial Palace.
After this brief moment of floating in the air, the scene in the "mirror" fixed on the palace gate.
Outside the red wall, a group of officials in official uniforms and with ribbons on their waists were standing quietly, and not far away, Qin Bi, dressed in armor, was escorting several people over.
The composition of the group of people brought by Qin Bi was much more complicated. They were dressed differently, and there were even men and women.
Chai Zhu even saw Mr. Yan standing next to General Qin. Thinking of the hostile relationship between the two, he became nervous for a moment, but this time the atmosphere between the two was unexpectedly peaceful.
However, Chai Zhu soon had no time to care about what happened between the two of them. The curtain of the carriage behind him was lifted by a bare hand, and several female relatives walked down from it.
Chai Zhu saw Ru Dajia and Lin Gezhu whom they had the good fortune to meet in Xuzhou, and who was coming down with the two of them...
"aunt?!"
Chai Zhu finally couldn't help but scream out and reached out to touch it.
The moment his finger touched the mirror, it caused ripples. The image in the mirror was disrupted and turned into broken light and shadow. Chai Zhu hastily withdrew his hand and looked at Master Kongtong in confusion.
Kong Tong smiled kindly at the young man, then stretched out his hand and covered the light and shadow again. The picture was gathered again, and a group of people were already standing at the door of a hall.
After the eunuch announced the news, they filed in.
At the top of the stairs, the emperor was already sitting on a high chair in court robes, as if he had anticipated the situation before him.
Chai Zhu even had an illusion that he seemed to have waited for a long time before finally seeing this scene.
What are they going to do?
As I was confused, the picture became blurry and distant, but the sound in it became clearer.
The old man took a step forward and bowed down. His hoarse voice passed through the vast space and fell into his ears.
"I ask Your Majesty to review the old case of Prime Minister Huo."
Although he had some vague guesses, when he really heard this sentence, Chai Zhu was still shocked and his body leaned forward slightly.
“…”
“…………”
"In the sixth year of Hongshun, Luzhou was hit by a flood. There were bandits causing troubles. Prime Minister Huo was in charge of disaster relief. He could not avoid the relief money being robbed. He took the strategy of 'openly repairing the plank road and secretly passing through Chencang' and led most of the relief money to Luzhou with his private troops. He also took the responsibility of educating the people and taught them to build embankments to prevent disasters. Since the sixth year of Hongshun, although Luzhou has had minor disasters from time to time, there have been no major disasters. The incident in Luzhou was not Prime Minister Huo's fault, but his merit."
"It's been a long time, and it's hard to find any trace. But now there is a petition from the people of Luzhou, which may serve as evidence."
…
"I also have a report to make," another young man's voice sounded, "In the winter of the 24th year of Hongshun, the harvest in Suzhou and Huzhou was poor, the national treasury was empty, and the barbarians were invading. Jizhou was in a state of emergency and the army was short of rations. Prime Minister Huo spent all his family wealth and privately raised money from many officials in the capital to send to the border. As a result, the crisis on the border was resolved. The Northern Army is deeply grateful for this great favor."
Then came a female voice that Chai Zhu was very familiar with, "Huo Shang was trapped in the capital for many years and had no time to allocate manpower. The military rations sent to Jizhou were entrusted to the Chai family's caravan for escort. I can testify to this."
………………
…………
…
He did so much, one thing after another. Even though many traces have been erased and much evidence has been submerged today, the less than half of the things that have been left are still enough to keep people talking for hours.
The words were invisible, but the heavy weight between the lines made everyone in the hall bow deeply.
At the very end, in the silence, there was a faint sound of sobbing.
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