Chapter 396 Zhang Yan1's Assist
Chapter 396 Zhang Yanyi's Assist (5k)
Crunch...crunch...
The sound of the wheels rolling over the snow was particularly pleasant in the wind.
"Gee!" Hou Ren swung the whip in his hand and steered the carriage around and around. Under the cover of Shen Juan and Qian Kerou, he made several big circles and appeared on a relatively quiet street.
"My lord, the tail has been shaken off."
When the carriage passed through an alley, Shen Juan and Qian Kerou crawled out, rolled into the carriage, shook off the snow on their bodies, and spoke to Zhao Duan, who was resting with his eyes closed in the carriage.
"Yes." Zhao Duan slowly opened his eyes, looked at the two disguised subordinates, and smiled:
"Thanks for your hard work."
The action in Huangting Lane eventually attracted some people's attention.
Zhao Duan wasn't sure who the troublemakers were, but fortunately, since the incident happened suddenly, he hadn't been targeted by any powerful figures.
After the group left the chess stall, they easily got rid of the people who tried to follow them with their rich experience in "anti-tracking".
It was only at this time that the three subordinates finally found time. The young secretary Qian Kerou was full of admiration:
"Sir, you have such ability, it's amazing!"
True feelings from female subordinates.
Shen Juan was also amazed:
"I thought the little monk was so confident that he dared to challenge the national player, but I didn't expect that the adults were more skilled and easily resolved the problem.
Hehe, when the news spreads, the people in the Western Regions might think that Princess Wenzhu deliberately brought you over to defeat the little monk... Does this count as creating a rift between the two sides? Hiss, sir, was this chess game also part of your plan? "
The male subordinates are just imitating others.
Zhao Duan rolled his eyes, shook his head and smiled:
"How can I be so amazing? It just happened to be a coincidence."
Although this coincidence is indeed too coincidental in the eyes of some people...
And, just as Shen Juan said, after the Red Sect master learns the details, he might indeed suspect that Princess Wenzhu did it on purpose... Zhao Duan could only say sorry, he really didn't mean it.
Who made Dan Che run into his gun?
Although it must be admitted that if we compare the real chess skills, the young monk Danche is definitely stronger than him.
but……
We can't just stand by and watch Dan Che sweep the chess world while letting these bald thieves from the Western Regions who are suspected to be in cahoots with "Great Master" succeed, right?
"Don't underestimate this princess. I believe she can resolve some misunderstandings. I didn't expect that a tentative contact would turn out like this."
Zhao Duan spread his hands, looking innocent.
whispering sound--
The three subordinates said nothing, but they were a little bit unconvinced. As for their master's unpredictable chess skills, they could only say that they had become so used to it that they were almost numb.
"Anyway, let's go back first and keep our mouths shut about this matter."
Zhao Duan gave the order seriously.
The incident has become so serious that he suspects that his cover will be exposed sooner or later... He can only try his best to cover it up, and it would be best if it is exposed later.
Otherwise, if people knew that "King Zhao" was involved with Princess Wenzhu, it would not be a good thing.
Shen Juan and Qian Kerou responded, but Hou Renmeng, who was driving outside the curtain, did not say a word.
On the contrary, the carriage suddenly stopped!
From outside the carriage curtain, there were the sounds of horses neighing and Hou Renmeng's unusually alert voice:
"My lord, it seems that the tail is not shaken cleanly."
Zhao Duan's heart trembled, he raised his hand and quickly lifted a corner of the car curtain. As the cold air rushed in, three pairs of eyes in the car clearly saw a "weird man" standing in the middle of the street ahead.
He was wearing a large dark cloak that covered his body from head to toe, his feet were shoulder-width apart, his hands were folded in front of him, and he was leaning on an exceptionally large scarlet sword!
One end of the giant sword was nailed to the snow-covered ground, the hilt was pressed down by the man's big hand, and words were engraved in golden ancient seal characters on the sword.
"...You can leave on your own and don't worry about me."
Zhao Duan looked at the strange man blocking the road for a moment, and suddenly said with a strange look, "Don't worry about me."
Then he stepped out of the carriage.
Qian Kerou and the other two exchanged glances, feeling curious, but still obeyed the order in silence and left.
“Zazaza—”
The carriage left quickly, leaving only two people on the quiet street.
The cold wind from Zhao Duan's sword lifted up a corner of the man's cloak, revealing the dark priest robe underneath. He clasped his fists and bowed:
"But the Tianshi Mansion, the little Tianshi? Brother Zhong Pan?"
Zhong Pan smiled in surprise and said, "You are Zhao Duan."
……
……
The person who is better than Dan Che is related to my aunt?
At the door of the Imperial Study, Xu Zhenguan's snow-white face showed a hint of surprise, and he said:
"Please go to the side hall."
Russian qing.
In a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Princess Wenzhu, wrapped in a long skirt soaked by the dirty snow and mud, stepped over the threshold and saw the smiling face of the empress beside the brazier in the room:
"Aunt, is it cold outside? Come and sit down and have a cup of hot milk."
The Western noblewoman, who had experienced a little bit of years of experience, also had a gentle smile on her face and took off her coat with the help of the palace maid.
There was also a warm hot water bottle in the frozen and stiff hands.
First there were some meaningless greetings, and then the topic turned to the chess game in Huangting Lane.
"Aunt, are you saying that the chess player who defeated the young monk Danche is a talented person from Beijing whom Dongcheng met unexpectedly?" Xu Zhenguan was sitting on a chair next to the brazier.
He looked at the woman sitting opposite him in surprise.
Princess Wenzhu nodded, with amazement and complexity still on her face:
"That hero calls himself Link. At first, I thought he was chivalrous and kind-hearted, but I never thought he could do such a thing."
You seem to be teasing me... When did such a talented person named Lin appear in the capital? I know nothing about it. The empress was a little skeptical.
But no matter how he looked at it, he could not see any signs that the aunt in front of him was deceiving him, not to mention that the matter was already tinged with weirdness.
From a standpoint, although Wenzhu's mother's family is in the State of Yu, there is no reason for her to deliberately sabotage the Western Regions delegation - and to use such crude means.
When things cannot be predicted logically, luck is the only thing to rely on.
Then, Princess Wenzhu took advantage of this topic and began to praise Mr. Lin frequently. The more Xu Zhenguan listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She frowned cautiously:
"What does Auntie want to say?"
Princess Wenzhu smiled like an auntie: "I have no other intentions, I just think such a talented person should not be buried."
Xu Zhenguan nodded:
"I will look for this person myself. The court is in need of talents right now. If it is true as what you said, I will make use of him."
Princess Wenzhu smiled ambiguously:
"Auntie means that since you can use Zhao Duan, this Link..."
Xu Zhenguan's face was frosty and almost turned cold. She said indifferently:
"Aunt, you don't have to say anything more."
With her intelligence, how could she not hear the hidden meaning?
She saw through her aunt's subtle intention of introducing her to a new lover and felt unhappy about it.
He even developed an inexplicable aversion to the so-called "Mr. Lin".
"Zhao Qing's talent is incomparable to that of any nobody." Realizing that her attitude was too cold, the empress made some amends.
Princess Wenzhu's smile froze, and she smiled awkwardly, but sighed in her heart, wondering what kind of magic potion that treacherous minister surnamed Zhao had given her niece?
My niece was so deeply poisoned that there was no cure.
Seeing the atmosphere become awkward, Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips and took the initiative to change the subject:
"My aunt is here, how about staying in the palace tonight? I have already ordered people to clean up the place where my aunt used to live in the palace, and the furnishings are exactly the same as before."
Speaking of this, her imperial aura softened a lot, and she even took the initiative to hold her aunt's hands, which were much rougher than her own, and smiled:
"Tonight, you and I will put aside everything else and just talk about ourselves as aunt and niece."
Princess Wenzhu was stunned for a moment, and when she met Xu Zhenguan's bright and earnest eyes, a warm feeling surged in her heart.
Yes, my niece in front of me was only the empress for less than three years after all.
And in this huge palace, looking around, apart from myself, where else can I find any member of the Xu family?
Thinking in this way, Zhenguan must be very lonely in this capital city, just like himself when he was in the Golden Tent in the Western Regions.
Flames were dancing in the red-hot charcoal basin under the two women's feet.
Outside the side hall door, dark clouds blocked the sunlight and a few snowflakes were falling faintly.
The thin ice crystals fell on the deep red palace walls, like a sigh.
The aunt and niece talked softly, reminiscing about their childhoods and the rare warm moments in the royal family that were buried in the past.
Although they are of different generations, perhaps the two women's experiences have too many similarities.
Both were neglected by their parents, both loved reading, and both had demonstrated women's skill and wisdom in critical situations and achieved extraordinary achievements.
Although the two women had not had much emotional interaction in the past, when they spoke at this moment, there was a special feeling of royal affection spreading through them.
"Zhenguan, there are some things I shouldn't say,"
Princess Wenzhu saw that the time was right and tried to speak:
"I have also heard about the unpleasantness between you and those uncles in the Western Regions. I know you are suffering. It is not easy to maintain this situation, but the royal bloodline is fighting against each other, which is ultimately a shame to our ancestors..."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to smile, and the affection in his eyes slowly faded away:
"Auntie, are you here to lobby me?"
"I just don't want to make things too awkward." Princess Wenzhu said with a wry smile:
"If you agree, I thought, as the New Year is coming to an end, I will come forward and talk to your uncles. After all, we are all family. If we can make peace, why bother..." Xu Zhenguan smiled and shook her head. She slowly withdrew her hand and said with complicated eyes:
"Aunt, I actually admired you very much at one time."
Princess Wenzhu was stunned.
Xu Zhenguan sat slightly sideways, looking towards the deep palace outside the door, and said softly:
"What you did after you married and went to the Western Regions, and how you were able to stand firm as a woman surrounded by wolves, and how you have such a reputation today, made me admire you very much."
After a pause, she suddenly smiled in an incomprehensible way and said:
"So, after the Xuanmen coup, I was pushed by the situation and sat on the throne without knowing why. I went to ask people how you did it in the Western Regions. I wanted to learn from you, but after seeing it, I realized that we are different. In fact, the difference is huge."
Princess Wenzhu opened her mouth and said, "You..."
Xu Zhenguan waved his hand to interrupt her and said softly:
"Although outsiders often compare me with you, I know that you and I are different. Aunt, do you know how I see you?
A vassal. Yes, a vassal. In fact, you have always been a vassal of power.
You obeyed your father before you got married, so even though Grandfather Emperor treated you coldly, you still obeyed his will and went to the Western Regions. I am different. When my father asked me to get married, I would not listen. "
“After you went to the Western Regions, you became a vassal of your husband through marriage. Although he was seriously injured, he was still there. As long as he was there, he was a banner that gathered the forces under his command.
You cleverly used this flag to force him to live for a few more years, and during this time, you became a frontier soldier of the Yu Kingdom in the Western Regions and a vassal of the Buddhist Dharma King. "
"Aunt, from the beginning to the end, you have always put yourself in a position that is useful and valuable to stronger people who hold power.
So you seem to be wandering between various forces, but you are still trying to please people. This time is the same. You returned to Dayu and put yourself in the position of a relative, trying to please me. "
Princess Wenju's throat was dry.
She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Xu Zhenguan again with a smile.
"It's okay. No need to explain. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this. If I hadn't been talented in cultivation and hadn't been recognized by the Tai'a Sword and had a fairly strong cultivation base, I wouldn't even be as good as you. Aunt, you've played the princess card very well..."
"Back then, when you were in the Western Regions, you used your identity as a princess to become the link between the Yu Kingdom, the Buddhist ancestral temple, and the several large tribes in the Western Regions, thereby maintaining your status.
Now, you are doing the same thing as you did back then, wanting to become the bond between me, the empress, and the eight princes...
This is called... Haha, according to Zhao Duan, it's 'path dependence'. He always comes up with some weird but appropriate words. "
Xu Zhenguan's smile deepened a little, and he said:
"But Yu State and the Western Regions are different after all. Aunt, you have been outside for too long, and perhaps you have already forgotten the cruelty here. Why would I want to start a war with my uncles?
It's just that the situation forces people to do so, just like the moment Chen Jiuyan sat on the chess stall in Huangting Alley, it was almost impossible for him to get down. "
Princess Wenzhu was silent.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered what Master Lin had said to her at the entrance of the alley in East City not long ago.
The State of Yu was different from the Western Regions.
Therefore, it was wrong for her to try to get close to the people by following the same method she used in the Western Regions.
Therefore, it was also wrong for her to try to be a "middleman" and ease the conflict between the empress and the eight kings by following the old method of forming alliances.
She made the same mistake twice in one day.
It was pointed out by Master Lin and his niece respectively, that from this perspective, the two people are really a good match.
And I... seemed to have thought too naively about the bloody affairs of the royal family.
"Okay, aunt," Xu Zhenguan suddenly laughed again and pulled her up:
"I've already told you that we won't talk about that tonight. I'll take you to see the tidy bedroom."
Princess Wenzhu also smiled bitterly: "Actually..."
Xu Zhenguan pulled her out, and the empress in white flew into the snow like a fairy:
"By the way, the date for the Buddhist debate has been set. It will be held in two days outside the Shenlong Temple. Do you want to go with me to watch the excitement?
Oh, if it weren't for the sake of giving face to the Western Region Dharma King, I wouldn't have allowed it. But they can forget about how many people will come to watch the debate this time."
Princess Wenzhu sighed and said with a smile:
"I want to change into a new dress first. I got a lot of mud on me after going out."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and let go, calling a female official over:
"Take Princess Wenzhu to change her clothes. Let her wear my clothes first."
After the others left, Xu Zhenguan's smile faded and he asked a familiar eunuch waiting at the door:
"Mo Chou is not here?"
The eunuch said respectfully, "Mo Zhaorong has gone to look for the chess player."
Xu Zhen nodded and ordered:
"Send an order to the imperial court to investigate that Link. Do it quietly, don't make a big fuss. By the way, spread the news of our victory over the Western Regions in chess. Humph, if those bald donkeys want fame, then give them fame."
"Yes."
"Wait," Xu Zhenguan suddenly spoke again, hesitating slightly, and said:
"Has Zhao Duan done anything these days?"
"I have never heard of it. Master Zhao has been recuperating at home these days and has not shown up."
"How is his chess skill?"
"This...how would this servant know?"
"Well..." Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment and said:
"When you go to the imperial court, find out if Zhao Qing is at home today. If not, where did he go? Is there anyone from Lihua Hall out today? There is no need to make a big fuss. Ask Ma Yan to investigate quietly."
The eunuch was surprised: "Your Majesty, are you doubting that the chess player who defeated the Western Regions player is..."
Xu Zhenguan said unhappily, "I told you to do it, don't be so long-winded."
"I know I was wrong. I'll do it right away." The eunuch shrank his neck and ran away.
The Empress in White stood in the corridor, looking uncertain, and whispered:
"You can't be so amazing at playing chess, can't you?"
Reason told her that it was unlikely, but when she thought of the guy's past actions, she became a little uncertain.
……
……
The backyard of Zhao Mansion.
A figure jumped in from behind the wall, then looked around vigilantly with full senses.
Avoiding the gazes of the servants and several large wolfhounds that guarded the house, he quietly passed over the roof, pushed open the door, and rolled into the room.
"Huh, I'm finally home."
Zhao Duan closed the door, glanced at the extinguished brazier in the room and the low temperature in the room, and muttered:
"It seems no one is coming in."
This morning he instructed the servants in the mansion that he would go into seclusion to practice and should not be disturbed during this period.
Now that he has climbed back over the wall, he also wants to conceal his whereabouts today as much as possible.
"Unfortunately, the incident has become a bit of a fuss. Zhenbao must have heard about it. Next, many people in the city will be looking for the non-existent Link... At most, we can keep it a secret for one or two days, or two or three days. I'm afraid he will be exposed..."
Zhao Duan took off his coat, sat at the table, and muttered helplessly:
"It's not my fault. If I hadn't made such a fuss, no one would have investigated me so publicly..."
Shaking his head and putting this episode aside, Zhao Duan took out the storage scroll from his arms and shook his wrist lightly.
"Wow--"
Immediately, dozens of thick scriptures fell on the round table and piled up into a small mountain.
He picked up a book at random. The book felt cold to the touch, and the cover had the words "Golden Sutra of the Galan" written in large letters.
Zhao Duan twitched his lips, almost gritting his teeth: "Old Zhang is really thoughtful."
Zhong Pan’s interception was not unexpected.
After encountering the little Taoist priest, the two went to a nearby shop to sit down. Zhao Duan was not surprised that Jin Jian's "senior brother" could see through his disguise at a glance.
As for why he was able to recognize the other person, it was thanks to the portrait of Zhong Pan that he obtained from Jin Jian when he visited the Tianshi Mansion that day.
That day, he didn’t get to meet Old Wang…呸, Old Zhang…呸, Old Heavenly Master Zhang Yan.
I didn't get to see Zhong Pan, but I didn't expect to meet him today.
Considering the intelligence that this ferocious senior brother helped him in the battle of Yansuo Lake, Zhao Duan expressed his gratitude warmly.
He originally wanted to "arrange" a meal for the other party and then go to Yanzhi Hutong to listen to some music or something, but Zhong Pan just smiled and said that he came here on the orders of Zhang Yanyi.
A batch of Buddhist scriptures were sent to him, and the exact time of the Buddhist debate two days later was informed.
"Although I don't know why Master wants me to give you these scriptures, but Master said that you might need them." Zhong Pan's smiling words are still ringing in my ears.
……
in the room.
Zhao Duan looked at the pile of scriptures and sighed softly:
"You're the only one who can do it."
Obviously, Zhang Yanyi, who was good at divination, had predicted that Zhao Duan might be restless in this debate.
Therefore, as the leader of the Tianshi Mansion who was very happy to see the Buddhists having fun, Zhang Yanyi actively offered assists.
Zhao Duan opened another "scripture" called "Debate Intelligence" and his mouth twitched.
Well, this one is simply handwritten, and it even details the topic of the upcoming debate, possible extensions of ideas by both sides, and even reference materials such as a guide to past works by the “holy monk” Red Sect masters.
"Old Zhang, you really think highly of me..."
Zhao Duan muttered softly, but the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
Do you want to stir up some trouble during this debate? The vindictive King Zhao said that he had this intention long ago.
"Bodhisattva Nagarjuna wants to pick a fight with me, right? Master Dajing, you dare to assassinate me, right? Master Red Sect, your Western Regions ancestral temple accepted Dajing's surrender, right? And that old nun Prajna... wants to sleep with me, right?"
"A gentleman's revenge is from morning till night. Do you really think that the attempt to assassinate me will be forgotten? I haven't figured out how to do it yet, but since you have provoked me, don't blame me for being cruel."
(End of this chapter)