After several days, Li Xuandu and his group arrived at Sanhu County in Jiangling Prefecture. This county was named after three lakes in the territory. It is not far from Jiangling City. Because it is located at a dangerous place, there is a defender of about a thousand people stationed, guarded by a guerrilla.

Don’t underestimate the guerrillas of the third rank. For the people of a state, this is a great figure like a heaven. The governor in charge of the government affairs of a state is just a second rank. A third rank Qingluanwei governor can turn Luzhou upside down, and even the seventh rank magistrate is known as the "Hao Baili". Therefore, these third rank and fourth rank rank officials are real local emperors in the local area. They can be said to have turned their hands into clouds and rain. There are also those who have been in charge for decades. They are deeply rooted. It is not an exaggeration to say that they have one hand to cover the sky. Even the first and second rank officials in the imperial capital may not have such majesty.

After Li Xuandu and his group changed a new road, they successfully entered the county town. Because this place is close to Jiangling, known as the "bridge of the Seven Prefectures", there are many merchants and pedestrians coming and going, the county town has a mixed meaning, far from being as uncontested as Ping'an County. As soon as the three of them entered the city, they saw a group of strong-looking riders riding their horses, hanging their waists without any concealment, and there were bows and arrows on the backs of the horses that the court ordered to register in the yamen.

These people passed by Li Xuandu's carriage. After he walked away, Hu Liang said, "These people are from the Yuzhou Sanhui Escort Agency. They are probably around the Yuqi Realm. They are already considered good among ordinary escorts. Do you see those bows? The worst one is two stone bows, one stone is 120 kilograms, and their arm strength is comparable to that of the soldiers in the military camp."

Li Xuandu sighed: "Since ancient times, if it was a peaceful and prosperous era, the temple would be overwhelming the world, and all the masters of the world would be in the imperial court. Whether it was civil and military, they would push the imperial family forward for more than a hundred years. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the eight masters of the Six Gate and the Thirteen Grand Guards of Qingluan Guards had to bend down. In the chaotic era, the rivers and lakes were better than the temples, and the court declined. Now there are only a few big cats and kittens left in the six gates. Qingluan Guards are no longer as glorious as they were back then. It can be seen that the people in the martial arts world can even intervene in the battle for the throne."

Hu Liang said: "The country is unhappy and poets are lucky. The world is generally the case. Where did the world come from in peace and prosperity? They all cultivate their own character, and only in troubled times can they see the world."

The little girl sat obediently in the deepest part of the carriage. When she heard the conversation between the two, she couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what are the six doors? Is it also a yamen?"

Li Xuandu explained: "Strictly speaking, there is no yamen in the court. If there is one, it should refer to the general term for the three judicial departments, namely: the Ministry of Justice, Dali Temple and the Supervision Bureau, and the Ministry of Justice was the main one. In order to compete with Qingluanwei, which was still affiliated with the Grand Governor's Office, the Ministry of Justice established a secret agency to deal with cases related to the jianghu people with the support of the cabinet, because its headquarters hall faces north and south, and doors are opened on three sides of the east and west.

There are six doors on each side, so they are called the 'six doors'. The members are also called the headquarters as the 'six doors' because of their secrets. The people in the six doors act strangely, have fierce means, and specialize in handling major cases. They enter the yamen and leave the yamen. They are considered as figures in the yamen and represent the yamen to monitor the yamen and have great power in the yamen. Therefore, they are despised by the jianghu people who do not serve the court. Their reputation is similar to that of the Qingluanwei, and they are regarded as hawks in the court."

Zhou Shuning asked curiously: "Since the Six Doors are so famous, why have I never heard of it before?"

Li Xuandu sighed lightly: "The Six Gates are directly obeying the Ministry of Justice, and are also controlled by the Dali Temple and the Supervision Bureau. These three yamen are all subordinates of the cabinet. To put it bluntly, the Six Gates are actually directly obeying the cabinet. The dispute between the Six Gates and the Qingluan Guard was first a dispute between civil and military affairs. Later, the military officer lost his power and became civil and civil and military generals. Then the Qingluan Guard became directly obeying the emperor, which became a dispute between the monarch and ministers. If the monarch has strong power, the Qingluan Guard will overwhelm the Six Gates, and if the prime minister has strong power, the Six Gates will overwhelm the Qingluan Guard. During the battle of the imperial capital, the Six Gates will obey the cabinet, and the Qingluan Guard will obey the Sili Supervisor, and the Sili Supervisor will obey the orders of the Empress Dowager Xie. Now the Empress Dowager is in power, and the Six Gates will naturally be suppressed. Among them, the members are either dead or demoted or abandoned. There is little news about the Six Gates in the world."

Hu Liang interrupted, "As the saying goes, 'Girl', Qingluan is a bird, so Qingluan is a 'eagle', so the Six Gates can only be a little aggrieved, being a 'dog', one eagle and one dog, intimidating the world. In those years, how many people in the martial arts who were self-reliant in the world who died at the hands of both? After their death, the heads were cut off and hung on the city to be displayed on the public. Speaking of which, half of the people on the Taixuan List served in the court, and Xu Shisong became the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, which is an example. Two of the 13 Taibaos of Qingluan Guards were listed on the list, which is also an example. But these are things in the past. Whose ancestors have not yet been rich? Today, Qingluan Guards or Six Gates are no longer as powerful as they were back then."

Because Zhou Shuning was deeply harmed by Qingluanwei, she was particularly sensitive to the three words "Qingluanwei" and asked again: "Who is Qingluanwei's 'Thirteen Taibao'?"

Li Xuandu said: "Since the Emperor Taizu of this dynasty established the Qingyi Department, all Qingluan Guards have jointly elected the thirteen highest people, known as the 'thirteen Taibao'. The thirteen positions have been passed down, and one of them has been selected to fill them up after one died or one left. These thirteen people have a reputation among the tens of thousands of Qingluan Guards, regardless of their position. The Qingluan Guards who died at Chengtian Gate was one of the thirteen people."

While talking, the group had already arrived at the door of an old-fashioned inn in the downtown city, and then turned off the word and stopped talking about it. They entered the store to ask the shopkeeper. Because of frequent contact between customers and merchants, there were only the last two rooms left.

Hu Liang and Li Xuan both discussed: "I'm one of them, so that I can drink wine so as not to get drunk. Old Li and the girl have a care for you."

Li Xuandu nodded and said, "I just urge Shuning to practice."

The little girl naturally has no objection.

After paying the money and coming to the room, the little girl took off her embroidered shoes, sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated the qi and the heavens in a posture of facing the sky. This is her compulsory homework every day. The key to practicing qigong is to persevere. Whether it is a person with excellent roots or a person with low qualifications, she must adhere to the way of perseverance.

Li Xuandu sat next to the table, with his back facing Zhou Shuning, poured the tea from the teapot on the table, and then dipped his index finger in water to outline a style of sword moves with simple lines. At the same time, "Qing Jiao" also flew out of Li Xuandu's sleeves and flew in the air following the sword moves outlined by Li Xuandu. It seemed to be understatement, but in fact it was full of mystery.

About two hours later, the sky was dark. Zhou Shuning woke up from the meditation, quietly held the lamp, lay on the bed, held her cheek and looked at Li Xuandu's back, and was stunned.

Li Xuan poured out all the pot of water. When he reached out to pick up the teapot, he found that the teapot was empty. Then he came to his senses. After putting away the "Qingluan" and returning to his sleeves, he let out a long breath, turned his head and looked at Zhou Shuning, and asked, "Shuning, what are you thinking?"

The little girl came to her senses and replied, "I'm thinking about Xuannv Sect."

Li Xuandu joked: "Can't you wait to go to Xuannv Sect now?"

The little girl was suddenly nervous. She took a closer look at Li Xuandu. Seeing that he had no misunderstanding, she felt relieved and whispered: "I don't want to go to Xuannv Sect, I want to follow my brother."

Li Xuan was stunned for a moment and remained silent.

The little girl hurriedly said, "I can take good care of myself and will not drag my brother down."

Li Xuan smiled helplessly and shook his head and said, "The place I want to go next is very dangerous. I am afraid that I can't protect you."

The little girl's expression suddenly became lost and she said, "Then... I won't go. I'll listen to my brother and go to Xuannv Sect."

Li Xuandu said softly: "It's not a separation from life and death. When I finish what I have on hand, I will go to the Jade Girl Peak of Xuannv Sect to see you."

The little girl nodded heavily, and her face became a little more energetic.

Li Xuandu joked: "Actually, Yu Qingning is an excellent person. I am afraid that after you get to know her, you will forget your brother."

The little girl whispered: "I don't know!"

Li Xuan couldn't help laughing, blew out the oil lamp on the table, and smiled and said, "Sleep."

The little girl turned over, took off her coat, got into the quilt, and soon fell asleep.
Chapter completed!