Chapter 378: Clearing the Field
Chapter 378: Clearing the Field (-word chapter, please give me a monthly ticket)
Nothing happened that night, and in the blink of an eye it was the next day.
As expected, the news of Zhao Duan's meeting with King Huai'an yesterday spread everywhere, attracting the attention of countless people.
Feng Ju, the doctor who nominally led the "opening of the market", came to the Humble Administrator's Garden early in the morning. When he learned that Zhao Du'an had not woken up, he led a few officials who stomped their feet so hard that the Huai River trembled, and stood outside the bedroom with their butts sticking out, waiting patiently.
"Don't be impatient."
After getting up, Zhao Duan looked at the group of officials who were eagerly waiting outside the door, curled his lips, and said, "I have nothing to say."
In the next few days, Zhao Duan, as the focus of the entire Huting, was extremely high-profile.
The schedule was very full, and I started to invite one by one, or personally meet those "neutrals" in Huting City who were still in a "wavering" position.
He looks like he is trying to win.
In everyone's eyes, the Inspector Zhao Duan had a clear purpose, which was to obtain as many "votes of support" as possible before the "Meeting at Huting".
In contrast, the "Seven Kings" headed by Prince Jing were constantly exerting pressure in secret.
The city was in turmoil for a while, with the two forces fighting openly and secretly, which was too much to keep up with, and the outcome of the meeting in a few days was becoming increasingly unclear.
……
……
Fast forward five days.
In the house where Prince Jing was staying, a secret meeting came to an end.
In the room with the door closed, Prince Jing Xuwen, who looked noble, elegant and well-dressed with slightly graying temples, held a blue and white teacup in his hand and listened to a group of people sitting at the table reporting on the situation one after another.
"Your Highness, this is probably the current situation. Although Zhao Duan has been running high-profile, he has been clinging to his interests and has not given up even a little bit. How can those neutral clans be willing to surrender to the court? They often say they will cooperate, but when we actually release them, they still resist."
A middle-aged man dressed like a steward said seriously.
Several other "agents" of similar age and dress also echoed the sentiment.
Each of them represents a prince, and is also the main force in connecting and networking to obstruct the opening of the market.
Prince Jing took a sip of hot tea, put down the teacup, raised his calm and majestic eyes to scan the crowd, and said, "Where is the Huai'an Palace?"
"This……"
Everyone looked at each other and stopped talking.
"Humph!" Prince Jing snorted coldly, his face showing displeasure, and said in a deep voice:
"You all serve your respective masters, and you have worked hard during this period. This prince should not be involved in you, but the matter of Hu Ting is related to the honor and disgrace of our seven families. Since the master behind you has nominated me to temporarily take charge of Hu Ting, there are some things that should be made clear.
Those neutral parties you are trying to win over are of course important, but they are not the most important. I have said more than once that the most important thing is the attitude of the Huai'an Palace!"
One person hesitated and said:
"Your Majesty, as subordinates, we shouldn't make irresponsible comments about the royal family, but after so many days, Prince Huai'an hasn't said a word. We went to pay our respects to him, but we didn't see anyone except Zhao Duan."
Another person also sighed:
"Yes, it's not that we don't help, but the King of Huai'an seems to..."
"Forget it," Prince Jing's brows were filled with annoyance, and he suddenly waved his hand: "You can leave first, I will think about it carefully."
"…Your Highness, there are only three days left until the opening date set by the court…"
"I told you to retreat, are you deaf?!"
The agents were horrified and dared not say a word. They stood up, saluted, and left one after another.
Only Prince Jing was left sitting at the head of the large table, his face uncertain, as if he was weighing something and hesitating.
The door was open and the sunlight shone in from the threshold, its color as golden.
There were footsteps approaching outside. Xu Jinglong, dressed as a rich young man, walked in respectfully and bowed:
"Father, everyone has been sent away."
Prince Jing said nothing.
The young prince hesitated for a moment, took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it over and said:
"This is the news from the people at the Humble Administrator's Garden. Zhao Duan has already made plans to go to Yansuo Lake for a visit tomorrow. He said it's to relax before the meeting the day after tomorrow."
Prince Jing murmured softly: "Tomorrow?"
A trace of anxiety appeared in Xu Jinglong's eyes:
"Father, the meeting is about to begin, but Prince Huai'an still refuses to make a statement. What do you think is going on?"
Prince Jing sneered, glanced at his son, and said coldly:
"Xu An is telling me that what we are doing now is not enough. This old fox wants to see rivers of blood."
Xu Jinglong was startled and pretended to be nervous: "Will he really turn to the court?"
Prince Jing remained silent, as if he had made some kind of decision, and said in a calm voice without any emotion:
"Pass the order down and start tomorrow."
A hint of well-hidden surprise flashed across Xu Jinglong's eyes. He raised his head abruptly, pretending to be worried:
"Father, have you made up your mind? Are you going to kill the man surnamed Zhao in Huting? Isn't this... too much... Once the news spreads, the capital will definitely not give up..."
Prince Jing sneered and said:
"If my niece wants to vent her anger, let her go to Kuangfu Society, go to Donghai Qingshan, and find... trouble. It's not us who did it, so what does it have to do with me?"
Xu Jinglong suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes! Son, I'll do it right away!"
Watching the prince leave quickly, the sunlight spread onto the tables and chairs, as if setting Prince Jing's robes on fire.
This powerful private army that he secretly raised had much more real power than the prince on the surface. He slowly stroked the "safe and sound card" in his hand and said softly:
"Give orders to have someone go to Yansuo Lake ahead of time, and remember to take care of the worries of your subordinates."
In the corner of the room, a shadow suddenly moved, and a person was hidden:
"As ordered."
After responding, the shadow moved again, slowly seeping into the wall and disappearing.
Prince Jing murmured:
"Jian Wen spent many years raising so many assassins. Am I any worse than him?"
He slowly stood up, humming a local folk song from Jianchengdao, and walked into the backyard. He said to Princess Lu Yan'er, who was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun:
"It's your turn tomorrow."
The sorceress with a gentle appearance held a strange silver mask in her hands and remained silent.
……
……
Xu Jinglong left the mansion and quietly arrived at another small courtyard in the city in a carriage.
When I stepped in, I could hear a woman's miserable screams coming from the house from afar, accompanied by the creaking sound of a rocking bed.
Xu Jinglong did not dare to disturb them. He dismissed his men and stayed outside quietly for a while until the screams in the house stopped abruptly.
in the room.
On a bed, Senior Brother Qingshan, who was short, solid as a rock, with a square face and a huge nose, was lying on a fair-skinned beauty who was a head taller than him, and was cheering himself up.
After a moment, Duan Shuiliu let out a deep breath and glanced at the unconscious woman.
The emotions in the gray eyes settled and calm returned.
He got out of bed, casually put on a robe, and pushed open the double wooden doors. He looked down at Prince Jing, who had been standing in the courtyard and listening for a long time, with a smile on his face:
"The hospitality at the palace is excellent. I am very satisfied. The promise to your father remains unchanged."
Xu Jinglong smiled and said, "Then I'll rely on you, Senior. Tomorrow we'll cover the lake with smoke and hold Hai Chunlin back."
"Drag it?"
Duan Shuiliu looked unhappy and stared at him dimly:
"You think I can't beat that old eunuch?"
Xu Jinglong's smile froze: "No... I dare not..."
Duan Shuiliu struck out with a palm, and Xu Jinglong was pushed backwards by the palm wind and smashed out of the courtyard gate. Although he was not injured, he was in a mess and coughed continuously.
I heard the proud voice of Senior Brother Qingshan of this generation coming from the courtyard:
"If Zhao Duan hadn't bullied Junior Brother Chai in the past, do you think that you can ask me to be your thug in the palace just because of your father? Oh, thug? Are you qualified?"
There was anger in Xu Jinglong's eyes, but he didn't dare to show it at all.
"Dangdang!"
The double-leaf courtyard door slammed shut, and through the crack came the last sound of Duan Shuiliu:
"I'll do what I promised. Go away."
……
……
Humble Administrator's Garden.
In early winter, even the grass and trees in the south turn yellow.
As usual, after Zhao Duan met with several neutral parties in the morning, he ordered everyone to rest behind closed doors.
At this moment, deep in the Jiangnan-style garden, Zhao Duan was half leaning and half lying on a bamboo chair, sitting in the corridor, looking up and quietly gazing at a corner of the azure sky.
The pure blue sky is like a pure lake. When birds fly by, the sky seems to be caused by ripples.
"What do you want to see us about?"
At the other end of the corridor supported by red-painted wooden pillars, Eunuch Hai walked over slowly with his hands behind his back.
The sun shone wantonly on his wrinkled face.
Without the bright red dragon robe, the old priest was no different from an ordinary old man who liked to squat by the wall in the afternoon to bask in the sun and reminisce about the past.
Zhao Duan still looked at the two birds circling and chasing each other in the distant sky, and said softly:
"Qi Yuchun, is this person powerful?"
Eunuch Hai was startled, looked at him deeply, and said:
"There are many people with this name in the world."
Zhao Duan said calmly: "But as the third-ranked Tiangang in the Kuangfu Society, second only to Zhuang Xiaocheng, there is only this one rebel."
Eunuch Hai looked like he was reminiscing and said slowly:
"That kid... is okay. My family taught him some martial arts back then, but he is not practicing the martial arts lineage of Emperor Taizu. The Qi family... is also a family of military honors. The family's inherited spear skills are extremely domineering, with the reputation of Overlord Spear. Few people in the martial arts world can match them.
Qi Yuchun was also a disciple of military merit with a good family background. He had an extraordinary talent in spearmanship since he was a child. Later, he went smoothly and entered the secular world. He was appointed by the late emperor to serve in the palace as the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards.
The Jinwu Guards, the Imperial Guards... all have to obey his orders and take orders directly from the late emperor. Xue Shence can't control him..."
“Haha, come to think of it, if the Qi family hadn’t supported the Second Prince Jianwen, how could the Xuanmen coup have been successful?
Without the order of the commander-in-chief to mobilize the city defenses, how could Jian Wen break through the imperial city's defenses? Relying on the retainers he kept? That's not enough..."
Zhao Du listened quietly.
Of course, he had looked through the information about the rebel party of Kuangfu Society. Although he did not know the details, he still knew some of the leading figures among them.
Tiangang ranking is the ranking of the seats of the members in Kuangfu Society. Except for the nominal "first" which was occupied by Xu Jianwen's young son, Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was ranked "second", was the real leader of Kuangfu Society.
Qi Yuchun is the second-in-command of the Kuangfu Society.
When Wu Ling secretly brought the news that Qi Yuchun would arrive at Huting to assassinate him, Zhao Duan was surprised.
But then he thought again, if Prince Jing really wanted to take action against him, then Kuangfushe would undoubtedly be the most suitable person and the one who should bear the blame.
Not surprising.
"So, this Qi Yuchun is very powerful? Can you beat him?" Zhao Duan asked softly.
Eunuch Hai glanced at him unhappily:
"I am just old, not dead yet. Qi Yuchun... His Overlord Spear is best used in the military. If he leads a team of elite cavalry, I will have a headache, but if it is just him, we don't have to worry about it."
Is this true... Zhao Duan didn't dare to believe it completely. As everyone knows, old people's bragging should be taken with a grain of salt.
He turned back and asked tentatively, "What about Jiyue and Lang Shiba?"
Eunuch Hai said with a straight face: "I can't win, but I won't lose too badly either."
Seeing Zhao Duan nodded, the old priest's eyes became serious:
"Why, could it be that..."
Zhao Duan interrupted him and said with a smile:
"Tomorrow I have an appointment with the princess and a large group of talented people from the lake pavilion to go to Yansuo Lake to enjoy the scenery. Prince Jing has not bothered me for so many days, I am afraid he is holding it in for a big one."
Eunuch Hai frowned and asked worriedly, "Do you really have to go?"
Zhao Duan sighed and said helplessly:
"I don't want to either, but there is no other way. The King of Huai'an will not release the eagle until he sees the rabbit. The market will open the day after tomorrow. If I hide, it will be equivalent to my loss."
Eunuch Hai was silent for a moment, then turned and walked away:
"We'll go and inform them. You're on your own."
Zhao Duan laughed out loud, and as he laughed, his expression disappeared. He still looked up at the blue sky, but he saw that the two entangled birds had flown away at some point.
……
……
Nothing happened that night, and in the blink of an eye it was the last day before the meeting at the lake pavilion.
The atmosphere in the whole city is like a raging fire, and it will burn up if there is a fire tomorrow.
However, at this critical moment, when Feng Ju and others were so busy that they could not sleep or eat, they received the news that Lord Zhao was going on a trip with his beautiful daughter.
……
The name Yansuo Lake is said to have a long history.
It is a legend from ancient times that a Taoist priest came here in a small boat. When he arrived here, he saw the vast sea and the beautiful scenery, so he happily chopped wood to build a house and settled down by the desolate lake.
It was not just a place to live, but also to gather the beauty of mountains and rivers and to feel the spirit of heaven and earth. A flat and sharp cliff was chosen by the lake, and with the clanging of tools, it took ten years to carve out a huge statue of the god of the earth on the mountain.
According to legend, during the ten years that the Taoist was carving the statue, people from nearby villages often came and watched as the statue grew taller and taller and the Taoist grew older.
A few days before the completion of the statue of the earth god, it rained for seven consecutive days, the water almost overflowed, and the entire lake was shrouded in fog.
The villagers nearby vaguely heard the roars of dragons and tigers, and came to the shore in the drizzle to look. They saw that accompanied by a strange roar, the sky and the earth cleared up, the bright sun tore through the clouds, and also tore apart the mist and rain that locked the lakeside.
The statue of the earth god is lifelike, but the Taoist has disappeared.
“So, it was named this to commemorate this legendary day of smoke and fire.”
Xu Junling stood on the second deck of the ship, pointing at the lush mountains ahead, acting as a tour guide.
Zhao Duan, dressed in gorgeous clothes, stood next to her. Behind him were three masters, Eunuch Hai, Ji Yue and Lang Shiba.
And the maid Lu Shui, but the rest of the guards were not brought along.
On the next deck were officers and soldiers such as Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan, all holding their sword hilts and looking around vigilantly.
Haitang didn't come today because Zhao Duan deliberately arranged for her to do something else.
In addition to this ship, there are several other ships floating on the mist-shrouded lake.
There were many tourists on the shore. At this moment, the sounds of stringed instruments and women playing could be heard. One could also vaguely see scholars reciting poems and composing essays in several boats, competing with each other.
"That's an interesting story."
After listening to this, Zhao Duan smiled and looked towards the distance on the lake. There was a sunken area in the cliff that was indeed carved into a huge statue of the earth god.
The god of earth is extremely burly, with a ferocious appearance. He holds up a stele with one hand and covers the ground with the other. He looks at the mouth of the Grand Canal in the distance, with an air of dominance.
"The last time I saw the statue of the God of Earth was in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs of the capital." Zhao Duan said softly.
Xu Junling's eyes flickered: "Oh?"
Zhao Duan retracted his gaze and smiled at her:
"That time, I led people to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng, but was instead attacked by a sorcerer who cast a spell thousands of miles away, and I nearly lost my life. Later, I learned that Zhuang Xiaocheng deliberately led me there and set an ambush."
Xu Junling was wearing an elegant long skirt today, with a women's-style cloak with a deep red base and white fluff on the edges.
The cloak is wrapped tightly around her body to protect her from the cold wind from the lake in early winter.
A smile appeared on her beautiful oval face, and she said jokingly:
"Then this princess should pray that nothing goes wrong today, otherwise it will be me who led you here."
"Haha," Zhao Duan laughed loudly, "Not really, I was the one who invited the princess here."
The wind was strong today, blowing his hair in front of his forehead:
"I heard that the scholars along the Huai River like to write poems on the theme of this mist-shrouded lake. Are those mentioned above the same?"
Xu Junling smiled and said:
"It's not necessarily all poetry, but more of some games, such as poetry relay or couplets. It's early winter now, so fewer people come here to play. It's only lively in summer. This year is special because of the opening of the market. In the middle of winter, there are still so many people on the lake."
"That's it."
Zhao Duan slowly stopped smiling, squinted his eyes and looked ahead at the gradually approaching building ship.
At this distance, the talented men and beautiful women on the boat could see each other clearly.
At a glance, indeed quite a few of them are playing games.
Many people were looking over here, talking and guessing who this person with such an extraordinary demeanor could be.
Zhao Duan frowned and said unhappily:
"I came to the lake today, didn't I inform everyone? Why are there so many people disturbing me?"
On this ship, an official in charge of reception at the lakeside dock was stunned for a moment, beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead, and he stammered to explain:
"Sir, I didn't know you didn't like being disturbed, this..."
Zhao Duan sneered:
"Such a beautiful view is completely ruined by all these people making noise. Old Hou? Hoist the flag and tell these people to get out! I don't want to see any other boats on the lake for a quarter of an hour!"
The Hou people on the first deck responded suddenly:
"As ordered!"
Then, under the astonished gaze of the dock official, an official in brocade clothes took out a black flag of the imperial court and hung it up, and with all his might, he shouted to drive away the boats on the river.
The talented men and beautiful women, as well as the foreign businessmen who were originally sightseeing together, were stunned and some were unable to react.
Seeing that these people were disobedient, Hou Ren suddenly shouted:
"My Lord has ordered that all outsiders be driven out within a quarter of an hour!"
Then, this troublemaker from Lihua Hall sank his knees, suddenly leaped up and jumped onto the boat next door.
He waved his scabbard and hit people wildly, and even kicked a scholar who came forward to argue with him into the lake.
With him as an example, the other officers followed suit and jumped one after another. Those who were far away simply abandoned their boats and chased after them.
Order the boatman to leave immediately and not disturb Lord Zhao from viewing the scenery.
Those who resisted were beaten up with fists and kicks. Many handsome and talented men fell into the icy river water like dumplings and floundered towards the shore.
There was chaos on several ships, with women screaming and crying.
"Ah...hitting someone!"
"Sir, please spare us... We are leaving now... Ah... Plop!"
"How dare you act so arrogantly in broad daylight? And is there a king... Ouch!"
"My father is..."
The marquis swung his scabbard fiercely, hitting a noble young man so hard that he ran away in panic. He laughed grimly and said, "Pooh!"
"No matter who your father is, we dare to beat the prince, get out of here!"
……
on board.
The little princess who witnessed this scene looked unhappy. Her sweet and elegant smile froze on her face. She frowned and looked at Zhao Duan who had an indifferent expression beside her:
"Envoy Zhao, if you act this way, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the court if it gets out."
She spoke rather tactfully, but the maid Lushui was already filled with anger, thinking that Zhao Duan was too domineering.
They had some understanding of Zhao Duan's style of doing things, but they still felt uncomfortable.
Zhao Duan just smiled and said quietly:
"My princess, don't you find these people annoying? No matter how beautiful the scenery is, if too many people see it, it will become vulgar. The beautiful scenery in the world, like beauties and precious jade, is hidden away and can only be enjoyed by a few people."
Xu Junling frowned even deeper. She took a deep breath and did not argue with Zhao who suddenly became hateful. She just turned around and said:
"In that case, you can just enjoy the scenery on the river by yourself. I am feeling a little unwell. Please lower a small boat and take me to shore."
Zhao Duan looked at her meaningfully and said:
"My princess, you've ruined the fun. How can the host leave before the guests have had their fun?"
Xu Junling turned around, her eyebrows furrowed even deeper as she wrapped in a bright red cape, her eyes looking dim:
"What exactly do you want to do?"
The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth curved upward, and a chilling and cold taste surged in his eyes.
He raised his hand, and under Xu Junling's surprised gaze, he pressed it on her shoulder, moved closer, sniffed the fragrance of the woman's purse, and whispered:
"Can't you guess it, Princess? If there are really outsiders coming to the lake, wouldn't it be better if there are fewer people left here to enjoy the scenery?"
Xu Junling's face became serious: "Do you think there will be danger today?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"I don't want that either. But to be prepared, I have no choice but to keep the princess with me. Only in this way can your father be freed from the suspicion of assassinating me."
Xu Junling's face changed.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Zhao Duan put a finger on his lips:
"Hush, listen, someone is coming."
……
Layout is updated first and then modified
(End of this chapter)