Chapter 420 The counselor enters the situation personally
Chapter 420 The counselor enters the situation personally
Yunxi was suddenly called. She turned back and saw a woman dressed as a man walking along the corridor.
He was dressed as a scholar, with thick black hair sticking out from the corners, round and charming eyes on his palm-sized face, and a cold temperament. A cloth bag hung around his waist, and a round, cake-like object could be vaguely seen from the heavy cloth bag inside.
It turned out to be the member of Kuangfu Society who had planned to assassinate Zhao Duan in Hu Ting.
"Sister Yuebai!" Yunxi smiled brightly.
She and Lin Yuebai are old acquaintances. Before she followed Zhuang Xiaocheng, Lin Yuebai had taught her a lot.
The two were as close as sisters, but unfortunately she later followed Zhuang Xiaocheng to the capital, while Lin Yuebai went to the local branch, and they were separated.
This time, Yunxi was one of the "prisoners exchanged by the imperial court" and successfully returned to Kuangfu Society with Qingniao.
In line with Zhao Duan's prediction, Zhuang Xiaocheng found a reason to put her and her group of captives under house arrest in disguise.
But perhaps in order to appease people, at least on the surface, Yunxi is no different from other members, and even has the aura of a lone hero.
Today is New Year’s Eve, and many members gathered together to celebrate the new year.
The two were reunited.
"Master called me?"
Yunxi tilted her head, stood up, brushed off the dust on her butt, and looked puzzled:
"what's up?"
Lin Yuebai smiled and naturally took the girl's hand:
"I don't know either, but Master, during this visit, he has met many brothers and sisters who have been tortured, imprisoned, and returned."
The old dog is interrogating the prisoners alone?
Yunxi's heart moved, and she became secretly alert, with a look of confusion on her face.
Lin Yuebai stroked the girl's scarred hand, with a look of pity and love in his eyes, and sighed:
"You have suffered a lot in the past few days. You were captured by the court's lackeys, especially the traitor surnamed Zhao. You must have suffered endless torture. Fortunately, you have finally escaped from the wolf's den. The master must be concerned about you..."
Before Yunxi was exchanged for prisoners, she took the initiative to accept a round of punishment to strengthen her disguise - if Baibai Pangpang was exchanged for prisoners, even a fool would know that there was something wrong with her.
Seeing Lin Yuebai's self-blame and hatred for the court's lackeys at this time, Yun Xi hesitated to speak.
She really wanted to tell the other person the truth.
But she also recalled the "spy training" Zhao Duan had given her before she was released from prison. She had no idea where that guy got the series of dense rules, including the "chaining" techniques.
In short, it is extremely dangerous to rashly develop "companions" without sufficient investigation.
"It's all over," Yunxi forced a smile.
But in Lin Yuebai's eyes, this expression was just a strong girl using a smile to hide the pain she had suffered. She gritted her teeth and said seriously:
"Yunxi, although the last assassination attempt on Zhao thief failed, I promise you that as long as I am alive and my brothers and sisters are still here, I will avenge you sooner or later and cut that Zhao thief into pieces!"
No... You have no idea how terrifying that guy is. I guarantee that you will be the ones who fail in the end... Yun Xi muttered in her heart, with a touching look on her face: "Sister Yuebai, let's go."
The two girls walked along the corridor towards another courtyard.
This is a private estate where grapes are grown in the summer. Local people only thought it was the property of a wealthy man, but they did not know that it was one of the strongholds of the rebels.
Tonight, the village is decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, and the brothers and sisters of the Kuangfu Society are drinking, singing and dancing. It is New Year's Day, and the government has relaxed its search for them, and the rebels have stopped their sabotage activities.
It was a tacit truce between the officials and the bandits during the festival.
A rare time to relax.
When Yunxi arrived at a house, she happened to see the door open and the maid Qingniao walked out.
The two looked at each other, and Qingniao's eyes lit up, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Lin Yuebai, he closed his mouth.
"Are you here to see the Grand Tutor as well?" Yun Xi took the initiative to speak, which was consistent with her personality.
The bluebird said "hmm", stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
Lin Yuebai patted the girl's shoulder to show encouragement, and then the two left.
……
After the people left, Yunxi took a deep breath and pushed open the door with her scarred hands. Zhuang Xiaocheng was standing in front of the wall with his back to the door.
Hanging on the wall was a map of the territory of the State of Yu, with markings of different colors on it.
Zhuang Xiaocheng turned around. This old man with the demeanor of a great scholar looked much more tired than he had been half a year ago. When he saw the female disciple coming in, he showed a look of guilt and heartache: "Yun Xi..."
"Disciple greets the teacher." Yun Xi appropriately showed a look of grievance and excitement.
It perfectly portrayed the struggle of an abandoned child seeing her family again - before being released from prison, Zhao Duan rehearsed this scene with her repeatedly.
"As Zhuang Xiaocheng's disciple, you will definitely be scrutinized. If your acting skills are not up to standard and your flaws are discovered, it will be extremely dangerous!" Zhao Duan once said seriously:
"So, you must practice until you are flawless, otherwise you will stay in the imperial prison and forget about prisoner exchange."
At this moment, the results of countless drills were remarkable, and even with Zhuang Xiaocheng's keen eyesight, he could not find any flaws.
He hurriedly walked around the table and, with the acting skills of a seasoned politician, perfectly portrayed the image of an elder who was regretful and worried:
"You... have suffered! I only regret that I am incompetent as your teacher. That day in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs..."
"Teacher, I understand! The Earth God has limited magical powers, and taking you away was the right choice at that time..." Yun Xi said.
Sneer in my heart:
If I hadn't known the truth long ago, I would have been deceived by this old dog and continued to be devoted to him.
Zhuang Xiaocheng was so moved that his eyes filled with tears, and he took his disciple aside to ask about his well-being.
The self-blame and guilt were beyond words, and even a few tears were squeezed out, after the two actors, who were good enough to be admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Beijing Film Academy, performed a scene of deep affection between master and apprentice.
Yunxi finally spoke: "Teacher, you have something else to talk to me about."
Zhuang Xiaocheng said solemnly: "To be honest, I suspect there are spies from the imperial court among these prisoners."
Yun Xi was horrified: "You mean, some brothers and sisters betrayed the righteousness? And joined the false emperor?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng saw that her indignation did not seem fake, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, saying:
"I am not sure either, so I came to you. I have absolute trust in you, so I am speaking these words to you alone.
"I would like to ask you to secretly observe the other members for a period of time, especially those who have returned from the prisoner exchange. Alas, I am unwilling to do so, but the false emperor is powerful and we are weak, and we cannot resist the sabotage of the traitors."
Old dog, you told everyone this, right? It's not just about identifying with your own eyes, but also about us keeping an eye on each other... Yun Xi sneered and nodded firmly:
"I will definitely do my best! For the dawn of the world, even if I sacrifice, I will have no regrets!"
Zhuang Xiaocheng was very pleased and gave Yunxi some words of encouragement before sending her off.
After the girl left, the smile on his face faded. He flicked away tears with his fingertips and heard the walls in the room slowly moving.
Facial features suddenly appeared on the rammed earth wall, and then a man slowly walked out.
He was about thirty years old, with broad shoulders, khaki skin, and a robe of the same color. He had a square face and a flat nose. He said calmly:
"Do you think there's something wrong with her?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and said, "Among these prisoners, she is the one I trust the most."
Ren Kun, the "Earth God" sorcerer who ranks fourth among the Tiangang of Kuangfu Society and is actually the third most powerful person in the society and whose martial arts are comparable to Qi Yuchun, sneered:
"Because she's stupid enough?"
At the beginning of Zhao Du'an's time travel, Ren Kun "descended as a god" in a temple in the southern suburbs of the capital, traveled thousands of miles to rescue Zhuang Xiaocheng, and was also the murderer who killed "Zhao Du'an" with one blow.
He had witnessed the scene in the southern suburbs with his own eyes, so he asked this question.
Zhuang Xiaocheng snorted coldly and stared at him unkindly:
"If you hadn't underestimated the enemy and didn't use your full strength, allowing Zhao Duan to survive, why would we be in such a passive position today?"
Ren Kun was unhappy: "Master, how many times are you going to bring this up? I told you, my finger was enough to kill him at that time. Who would have thought that the protective magic weapon on this kid was so strong?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng was too lazy to argue and asked, "Has the Purple-Robed Taoist arrived?"
"I came early, waiting for you."
"Go over there."
Ren Kun stepped on the ground with his right foot, and the floor beneath his feet suddenly became like a quagmire, with circles of earth-yellow ripples that enveloped the two people in the room.
Then the two of them sank into the ground and used the escape technique to get out of another room in the manor.
The doors and windows of the room were closed and isolated by talisman formations. There was only a round table, a few chairs and a candlestick in the room.
There were two people sitting at the table.
The first one was Qi Yuchun, the former commander-in-chief of the imperial guards.
The other person was actually a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a purple Taoist robe, with a long black beard and an immortal look.
Seeing Zhuang Xiaocheng and Ren Kun walk out, the two of them looked over.
"Master, I have been waiting for a long time. Just speak up if you have anything to say." The Taoist in purple said calmly, "I have another Taoist in my palace waiting for your presence."
Zhuang Xiaocheng ignored the guy's frivolous words and sat down. The senior executives of the Kuangfu Society were all gathered. He looked at Qi Yuchun: "How are the princess and the prince?"
The commander-in-chief Qi Yuchun said:
"It has been arranged. We will leave the Forbidden City Villa tomorrow and hide in another base."
Zhuang Xiaocheng nodded and said seriously:
"There is no need to elaborate on the current situation. The power of the false emperor is growing day by day. If we cannot respond effectively, we will only fail. Now that the court has used the prisoner exchange to attack us, I will take the opportunity to join the game and lure Zhao Duan to come and capture him."
This former patriot showed a fierce and resolute look on his face:
"Now, the location of the Forbidden City Villa should have been delivered to the court. With the thief Zhao's habit of revenge and the promotion of the Li Party in the court, it is very likely to arrive after the new year.
By then, as long as we get rid of this person, it will certainly cause great damage to the pseudo-emperor's regime and greatly boost our momentum."
The other people looked solemn.
Qi Yuchun hesitated, then said:
"Master, you are different from us. You are a mortal. Why don't you evacuate with the prince and the princess? Since this place is a trap, we are the hunters."
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and laughed at himself:
“Don’t underestimate Zhao Duan. If I were not here, he would not fall for it, and you don’t have to persuade me.
Since I have received the will of His Highness Jianwen, I shall live and die with the Kuangfu Society. Since the Zhao thieves have become a great threat because of me, I shall also eradicate them to prevent future troubles."
Everyone was moved.
The purple-robed Taoist even clapped his hands and laughed:
"Taifu has such great ambitions, I cannot be stingy. You must know that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. I want to see what kind of waves this Zhao thief can make in this world without the support of the false emperor."
……
……
Beijing.
The New Year’s Eve Lantern Festival finally faded away.
Zhao family.
When Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan, two daughters, each holding a small persimmon lantern in their hands, returned home in a carriage under the protection of servants and guards.
He was surprised to see Zhao Duan standing in the yard making a snowman.
"Brother? You're back?"
There was surprise in Zhao Pan's watery eyes, and she ran over with the exquisite little persimmon lantern in her hand.
Looking at the ugly snowman in front of him, the girl frowned and said with disdain:
"So ugly..."
Eugene Hua was not as happy as her daughter. She walked over with the persimmon lantern in her hand, twisting her waist, and said carefully:
"Didn't you say you wouldn't stay at the palace tonight?"
Zhao Pan was unhappy when he heard this: "Mom, it's New Year's Day, isn't it normal for my brother to come home and live with me?"
Zhao Duan clapped his hands, brushed off the snow powder on his hands, and a wry smile appeared on his face.
Originally, he thought that even if the empress wanted to put on a show, she should keep him in the palace for one night.
But the result was that Zhenbao said, "The palace will offer sacrifices to the ancestors early tomorrow morning." It would be against etiquette for you to stay in the palace... The newly-appointed Prince's Guardian returned home alone.
But it was normal when you think about it. Letting those ministers know that the empress had an affair with the prince's guard in the palace the night before the ancestor worship was almost like sending ammunition to the enemy.
"It's Chinese New Year, so we should stay at home."
Zhao Duan said casually, drew his sword and wrote three big characters "Zhuang Xiaocheng" on the ugly snowman.
Then he chopped off the snowman's head with his sword, exhaled softly, and almost whispered:
"It's time to avenge you."
"Ah, revenge for whom?" The mother and daughter didn't understand, they just thought Dalang was weird.
"nothing."
Zhao Duan smiled and tried to comfort the two of them. Then, as if he remembered something, he casually threw a scroll of imperial edict in his arms to Eugene Hua:
"Aunt, please help me store it."
"Imperial edict?!"
Eugene Hua was stunned and caught it in a hurry, and the small lamp in her hand fell to the ground.
When she unfolded the imperial edict in confusion and saw the words clearly in the light of the lantern, both mother and daughter were stunned and couldn't believe it.
After Zhao Duan casually explained that he had been promoted to Shao Bao and his future treatment would be equivalent to that of a third-rank official.
Eugene Hua and her daughter seemed to be under a spell of immobilization. It took them a while to recover. Then they were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy. Then, the whole Zhao family was in an uproar.
The servants and maids could not hide their joy, as the saying goes, when one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper.
Although Zhao Duan had considerable power before, he was only a fourth-rank military general after all. Now, with one more step forward, the entire Zhao family has officially become a wealthy family.
It is conceivable that the Zhao family is destined to have a sleepless night tonight.
At this time, it was past midnight. Zhao Duan stood in the middle of the courtyard with his sword in his hand, and heard the deep sound of the New Year's bell coming from the direction of the bell tower of Tianshi Mansion.
"when--"
"when--"
Time finally came to the third year of Tianfeng.
……
……
That night, the sound of firecrackers lasted until late at night.
The next day, the Spring Festival, Zhao Duan was awakened early by the officials and nobles who came to pay New Year's greetings one after another.
The news that he was promoted to Shao Bao last night spread throughout the officialdom at lightning speed.
It immediately caused a sensation.
For a moment, all the officials and nobles hurriedly prepared to send New Year's gifts to the Zhao Mansion.
This has made life difficult for the Zhao family.
All day long, there was a constant stream of people coming to pay New Year's greetings, and they were all important people who had to be received in person.
In just one day, the gifts people sent filled up the two rooms.
Zhao Duan's face was so stiff from smiling, and he continued the next day. The officials who came were of a lower level but still at the same level as him, so he still needed to greet them with a smile.
When Ma Yan brought the gift to the door, the atmosphere between the two was particularly awkward.
On the one hand, Zhao Duan's official position is still the police chief, and on the other hand, the ranks of the two bosses and subordinates are equal.
On the third day, Zhao Duan finally found some time. He left the reception job to his stepmother, and he himself drove a large cart of gifts from others and headed straight to the Tianshi Mansion.
The main point is that even if you travel through time, the custom of distributing New Year gifts cannot change.
The next few days were still busy, with one social engagement after another.
After the tenth day of the first lunar month, the influence of the officials being promoted finally faded away.
However, it is already a long way from what Zhao Duan promised to do, to arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng within three months.
This caused a group of court officials, led by Li Yanfu, to inquire about the matter, wanting to see what means Zhao Duan had to dare to make such a guarantee.
Zhao Duan continued to socialize in Beijing until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
And it was on the morning of the sixteenth day.
At dawn, the south gate of the capital opened ahead of schedule, and a special "caravan" quietly left Beijing and headed south to Fengcheng.
-
ps: I feel anxious every time a new plot starts
(End of this chapter)