Chapter 438: Qingshan Visitors
Chapter 438: Qingshan Visitors (6k)
Crazy? Has Xu Jianwen's biological mother gone crazy? Was it because of the shock of Xu Jianwen's death during the coup? Was she mentally stimulated and became insane? Or was it a problem that occurred after she was banished to the cold palace and imprisoned for a long time?
Zhao Duan was stunned, and immediately a strong sense of doubt and surprise surged in his mind.
Immediately, he thought of a new possibility:
Pretend to be crazy to avoid disaster!
If Xu Jianwen died, and the entire Xiao family, the foreign relatives, were implicated for the crime of treason, then is it possible that Concubine Xiao pretended to be crazy to escape death?
"She is really crazy. At least I can't see any signs of disguise. When the news of Jian Wen's death reached the harem, she fainted and was like this when she woke up."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to understand what was in his mind at a glance and explained it calmly.
"..." Zhao Duan smiled awkwardly, restrained his distracting thoughts, and said seriously:
"So, torture is impossible?"
It is obviously too difficult to interrogate a crazy concubine and get valuable information.
Punishment is unlikely to be effective at this time because it is difficult for normal people to follow the thinking of a mentally ill person, and it is impossible to determine which words are credible and which are fabricated.
"I tried to send someone to communicate with her, but she was completely immersed in her own world and was completely unable to communicate with anyone." Xu Zhenguan sighed softly.
Zhao Duan looked up and saw that the crazy concubine had no food in their hands. She immediately turned her head with a gloomy expression and walked into the house.
He tried to call out, but the latter ignored him.
Ah this... Zhao Duan was also in a dilemma and tried to ask:
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Xu Zhenguan rolled his eyes, with an expression that said, "If I had an idea, I would bring you here." "I was just wondering if Mr. Zhao has any good ideas."
No... I'm not a psychiatrist, I can't invite the fox fairy raised by Gongshu Tianyuan over...
Well, it's not completely impossible. The key lies in two drawbacks. First, it is still unclear whether the fox fairy can make a mad person speak normally. Second, the fox fairy's torture means killing Concubine Xiao...
Zhao Duan frowned and thought hard. The bright sun shone on the mottled and cold courtyard of the cold palace. On the bare branches in the corners of the walls covered with weeds, sparrows occasionally flapped their wings and fell down.
Xu Zhenguan did not interrupt. After a moment, Zhao Duan suddenly raised his head and said hesitantly:
"I do have a way. You can try it."
As he spoke, Zhao Duan turned his wrist and a silver scroll appeared in his palm. It was the "Taixu Painting Scroll" that he used as a storage device.
Another function of it is to create illusions.
Assisted by the disguise mask of Thousand Illusions God, it can be called a combination skill.
Xu Zhenguan raised his little eyebrows, looking like he was watching your performance.
……
In the dilapidated room of the cold palace, the tables and chairs were broken, and there were cobwebs in the corners.
Concubine Xiao walked back to her bed, curled up on it, covered her stomach with her hands, pulled up the tattered quilt that revealed the cotton wool, covered herself with it, and began to sleep.
In a trance, an invisible force swept through the surroundings, and an illusory voice came to my ears:
"Queen Mother...Queen Mother..."
Concubine Xiao opened her eyes wide and saw in a daze that she was lying on a large and luxurious bed with silk curtains draped over it.
Her mind was a little confused, and she slowly sat up, looked around, and was surprised to find herself in a luxuriously decorated bedroom.
The sunlight outside the palace was bright and somewhat dazzling, as if her years in the cold palace had all been a dream. Now that she had woken up, she was still the imperial concubine, she had just taken a nap.
"Mother..."
Suddenly, a tall figure stepped into the room. He was dressed in luxurious clothes and was about thirty years old.
His appearance was about 60% similar to the deceased emperor, and it was the second prince Jianwen.
"Xu Jianwen" smiled and said, "Did your mother get too sleepy? I'm here to pay my respects."
Concubine Xiao was struck by lightning. She stared at the other person in a daze, tears rolling down her eyes.
She immediately ignored the unreasonable details around her, stretched out her arms, stumbled out of bed, and rushed to "Xu Jianwen". She touched the other's face with both hands in surprise and cried with joy:
"You are still alive...still alive..."
Xu Jianwen looked puzzled, and comforted her to sit down, saying with a smile:
"Did mother have a nightmare in her afternoon sleep? The child was fine, why did you tell him he was dead?"
"Don't say that word!" Concubine Xiao covered his mouth, as if she didn't want to hear the unlucky word "death", sobbing:
"Mother dreamed that you were gone, and everyone was gone..."
Zhao Duan, who had disguised himself as Xu Jianwen, continued to comfort and persuade him:
"My queen mother was confused in her sleep, so I'm afraid she remembered it wrongly. Do you still remember that I came to pay my respects to you a few days ago?"
"Yes, I've been here... I've been here..." Concubine Xiao murmured.
Sure enough... According to the information provided by Zhenbao, the last time Concubine Xiao saw Xu Jianwen before she went crazy was probably when he came to pay his respects before the coup... Concubine Xiao's memory ended here...
The reason why she cannot interact with outsiders and is immersed in her own world should be a self-protection mechanism of the stress-trauma brain...which means...as long as you use the right way to enter "her" world, you can have simple communication...
Zhao Duan's mind flashed, and he continued to persuade her, gradually asking her whether she still remembered the last time they paid their respects and the conversation between the mother and son.
The last conversation should be one of the scenes that Concubine Xiao remembers most deeply. Even if she was crazy, she should not forget it completely.
As expected, Concubine Xiao cried and said:
"Remember, remember... You said you might have to leave the palace for a while, and asked mother to wait for you... Always wait, even if there are accidents, wait... You will come back..."
Zhao Duan's expression changed and he stared at her: "Accident? What accident?"
Concubine Xiao shook her head blankly:
"I don't know... I don't know... I'm waiting... waiting for you to come back..."
After that, no matter how he tried to probe, he couldn't get any valuable information.
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, brought Concubine Xiao back to bed and coaxed her to sleep, then removed the "Illusionary Realm" and the disguise.
He turned around and walked out of the room, closed the door, and repeated the information he had obtained to the empress standing outside the door.
Xu Zhenguan was surprised that this guy's idea actually worked. He also frowned when he heard what Concubine Xiao said:
"If this is true... then Jian Wen was indeed ready to take action at that time, but he did not tell her the truth."
Of course I can't talk about rebellion... Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Your Majesty, I think the key point is the purpose. Jian Wen wanted to stage a coup, so there was no need to take the risk and say these words to Concubine Xiao in advance. If he was worried about his own failure, he should have expressed his affection for each other instead of saying these things...
But he insisted that he would be away for a while, and that he would definitely come back... It sounded as if he was afraid that Concubine Xiao would commit suicide after the 'accident' happened."
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment and said:
"Noble Consort Xiao was appointed by my father, and she did not participate in the coup. Even if Jian Wen is defeated and the Xiao family is wiped out, under the premise that my father has passed away, no matter who succeeds to the throne, whether it is me, the crown prince, or any other prince, she will not be executed, but will be banished to the cold palace."
Zhao Duan said in a deep voice:
"That makes sense. Jian Wen was worried that Concubine Xiao would commit suicide after his 'death', so he deliberately said all this... Either it was false comfort, or..."
Xu Zhenguan sighed:
"Or maybe he did have a backup plan and didn't die completely. Instead, he used some method to deceive everyone... and hoped to come back again."
The king and his ministers quieted down.
Only the sparrows chirped in the courtyard.
Even though I already had a guess in my mind, confirming that Xu Jianwen was still alive was still a heavy topic.
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan tried to speak.
Xu Zhenguan smiled first and said:
"I'm mentally prepared, so it's not a surprise now. Don't worry, I know what to do. Now it seems that Jian Wen's intention is obvious.
He wants to hide behind the scenes and provoke the Eight Princes to have a head-on conflict with me. He can hide behind and wait for the opportunity to strike, so that he can benefit from the conflict between me and the Eight Princes...
If he wants to hide, then let him go. Everything remains the same. Continue to attack the Kuangfu Society and respond to the outside world without changing anything."
Zhao Duan thought about it and nodded vigorously.
Jian Wen being alive may sound like a big deal at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, it is not a big deal.
Now the situation is clear, Jianwen is only a prince in title.
If you stand out at this moment, without enough chips in your hand, you will only become a puppet of the Eight Kings.
This is definitely not what Xu Jianwen wants to see, so Zhen Bao's speculation is most likely his strategy.
It is not difficult to break it. As long as we suppress the Eight Kings and secure our throne, the remnants of Jian Wen will not be able to cause any waves.
"If Your Majesty is determined, I will do my best to help." Zhao Duan did not forget to express his loyalty.
Xu Zhenguan rolled his eyes, took him out of the cold palace, and ordered the eunuchs to change Concubine Xiao into a better set of bedding and clothes, and to tidy up the cold palace.
……
As the king and his ministers walked back, the empress let out a sigh and smiled as she changed the subject:
"You have performed a great deed this time, but I have not yet rewarded you."
Ah? Are you really going to give me the old emperor's concubine? Zhao Duan was uneasy, but thinking about it, it was quite exciting. He swallowed his saliva and said, "I will obey your majesty. I will accept whatever your majesty gives me."
Xu Zhenguan looked at him suspiciously, snorted, and said:
"How far are you from reaching the upper level of the Divine Chapter?"
Isn't she a concubine? How come she is talking about cultivation... Zhao Duan said honestly: "It's still a little short."
Xu Zhenguan said "yes". Not surprisingly, she walked in the long and narrow corridor with her long skirt dragging on her shoulders. The towering crimson palace walls on both sides were solemn and beautiful.
The empress said calmly:
"While you are away, I have ordered people to collect and prepare natural treasures suitable for your current state. During these days, you can move into the palace and practice in the Martial Arts Hall with Eunuch Hai.
Breaking from middle-grade to upper-grade, using a vast amount of natural treasures to strengthen your body can save a lot of time. Before, your foundation was not strong enough to withstand too much medicinal power, but now it’s almost there.
Before the peach blossoms bloom in the spring, it is possible to enter the upper grade, but as for when you can break through the bottleneck and enter the world, outsiders can’t help much.”
Zhao Duan was stunned.
So... is this the surprise you secretly prepared for me? You started preparing it while I was on a business trip? Doesn't that mean you'll give it to me regardless of whether I succeed in arresting Zhuang Xiaocheng or not?
He felt warm in his heart, and suddenly realized that this arrangement was somewhat urgent. You know, in the past, the empress was not very willing to let him take drugs... Why did she change her attitude this time?
Well, it seems that after the official announcement of the Great Banquet, the attitude has changed, whether it is preparing medicine or taking the initiative to teach me to draw before...
Zhao Duan was so happy that he suddenly blurted out:
"Your Majesty wants me to enter the secular world as soon as possible so that I can be with Your Majesty... Ouch!"
Zhao Duan rubbed his thigh and grimaced, feeling as if he had just been hit by an electric current, and felt numb and tingling.
The electric light on Xu Zhenguan's white, almost transparent fingertips disappeared, and she kept a straight face, as if she didn't hear clearly:
"What did Zhao Qing just say?"
"...Nothing." Zhao Duan was speechless.
This woman, I'm afraid her secrets have been exposed, right? Isn't she just trying to push me into the world as soon as possible so that she can practice dual cultivation with me?
We are all adults, what are we afraid of...
Xu Zhenguan seemed to feel that she had overreacted, but this topic made her feel ashamed after all. And what she didn't say was that this year seemed to be a good year, but in fact it was full of crises.
Zhuang Xiaocheng would rather sacrifice himself than kill Zhao Duan... This shows that the rebels are being pushed into a corner.
How far are the Eighth King from being cornered?
The empress vaguely sensed the dark clouds behind the clear sky, and she was eager to improve her realm and step into the true heavenly realm.
Marrying Zhao Duan, who is accompanied by "Dragon Soul", and practicing together is one solution, but Zhao Duan doesn't know when he can enter the worldly realm.
Secondly, she didn't know whether this method could help her reach the next level. In history books, there was no one who reached the Heavenly Man Realm through dual cultivation...
In comparison, what she cares more about is this year's "Fengshan".
Xu Zhenguan suddenly said: "At the latest in summer, I will go south to Luoshan to offer sacrifices to the gods."
Zhao Duan was stunned, and keenly caught her sense of urgency:
"Are you in such a hurry? Are you worried about the Eighth Prince's rebellion?"
"Only one aspect," Xu Zhenguan sighed.
"According to the agreement between Emperor Taizu and the Qingshan clan, at the latest at the beginning of next year, it will be the time for my Dayu royal family to compete with Qingshan again in a hundred years. This time, Wu Xiankui will definitely not let me win, so I have no choice but to accept the challenge."
Yes, the competition was held the year after the Buddhist-Taoist duel... because Old Xu was jealous of the duel and copied it...
Zhao Duan frowned and said, "Can't we not compete?"
Xu Zhenguan shook his head bitterly: "Not competing is admitting defeat, and admitting defeat has a price."
Zhao Duan asked doubtfully:
"The Qingshan lineage seems to be very obsessed with winning or losing. Do they want the reputation of being the best in martial arts? The royal family doesn't care that much about this, does it?"
Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said softly:
"What Wu Xian Kui wants is never the so-called fame. He is a martial arts fanatic who only wants to break through the void and reach the realm of 'human immortal'. Therefore, what he has always wanted is the inheritance of the martial god of my royal family."
Zhao Duan was stunned. This was the first time he heard such a secret.
So, are the two sides gambling on such a big scale?
It involves the foundation of the royal secrets, no wonder she takes it so seriously... If she loses the ancestral inheritance, let alone the possible consequences, the mere fact of not being able to face her ancestors would be a fatal matter.
Zhao Duan suddenly felt a sense of urgency. If he couldn't advance before the empress's Fengshan ceremony, he was afraid that after Zhenbao advanced to the "Heavenly Man", he would be even more unable to break through the defense...
But how can the "world" be so easy to enter? How many people are stuck at this barrier for their entire lives.
As for asking Zhenbao to postpone his Fengshan ceremony and wait for him, the situation did not allow it.
"Next, I will try to enter a high-level position as soon as possible." Zhao Duan took a deep breath and said seriously.
Xu Zhen looked at his serious expression and couldn't help laughing:
"Okay, just let it go. By the way, according to the rules, both sides must issue a challenge to each other within one year before the competition.
In this century, it will be Qingshan's turn to send people. At that time, the disciples sent by Qingshan will also compete with my royal family members... Well, now there are only royal family members serving, so we can learn from each other."
Discuss? Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes:
“Will that water cut-off come?”
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
"If he comes, I will capture him and kill him myself. I believe Wu Xiankui will be speechless for assassinating an official of the imperial court."
...It seems that guy will never come... Zhao Duan thought for a while and said:
"But it should be okay to collect some benefits from Qingshan disciples, right?"
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him and said, "Don't overdo it."
This is tacit approval.
Zhao Duan raised the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing with ferocity. It was not easy to pursue the matter of Duan Shuiliu and Qingshan breaking off ties, but since they had a tradition of exchange, he should not blame himself for being ruthless.
Especially... the last time Zhao Duan took action was at the lake pavilion in the smoke-shrouded lake, and at that time he only threw a flying knife.
In other words.
Up to now, except for a very few people like Tang Zhao who have experienced his martial arts, the impression of the rest of the people in the world on Zhao Duan's cultivation is still at the stage of cheating with the Taia Sword.
No one would have thought that in just half a year, he had grown rapidly under the hellish training of Pei Niannu opening his skull time and time again.
……
……
On the coast of the East China Sea, Qingcheng is located on the earth.
Behind this city, which was expanded from a small town, is the Daqing Mountain, most of which is hidden in clouds all year round.
On the top of the green mountain, on a steep cliff facing the East China Sea.
Wearing simple linen clothes, straw sandals, with an axe hanging around his waist, he looked at the rather kind Chai Keqiao as he walked along the steps exposed to the wind and rain with a smile.
Arrived on the cliff.
I could hear the breeze from the East China Sea and the sound of waves hitting the cliffs.
Chai Keqiao looked respectfully at the burly figure who was sitting cross-legged with his back to him, facing the sea:
"Master, I have entered the realm of the secular world."
Wu Xiankui, who was sitting alone on the cliff, had a tall and sturdy frame, with a coarse linen robe fluttering in the wind. His rough and messy hair was a mixture of black and white, and was casually tied behind his head with a ribbon.
On the face of that middle-aged man who was about fifty years old, there was a mark between his eyebrows that was the size of a fiery red date and was faintly surrounded by purple air.
The only real martial arts grandmaster among the four "celestial beings" in the world today opened his eyelids and nodded calmly:
"good."
Chai Keqiao grinned, revealing a row of snow-white teeth, waiting for more compliments.
But Wu Xiankui only commented with a slender "not bad", and then nothing more was said. He just threw something out of his sleeve:
"Now that we have entered the world, you will lead the team to the capital to issue a declaration of war."
Chai Keqiao pinched the scribbled challenge letter that flew over and scratched his head:
"Will your disciples go? I heard that those who go there to challenge others will also have to compete with people in the palace."
Wu Xiankui said calmly: "You don't dare?"
"No," Chai Keqiao scratched his head and said with a strange look on his face:
"I heard that my senior brother failed in his attempt to assassinate Zhao Duan... Although my senior brother left the mountain a long time ago, we are still from the same lineage... Zhao Duan is not a good person. The last time I went to the capital, I was just challenging him, but they mobilized a large army to surround and kill him..."
"..." Wu Xiankui seemed to be choked, and after a moment he said unhappily:
"When two countries are at war, they don't kill envoys. The Queen of Yu is as magnanimous as any man. Just go ahead and no one will die."
Chai Keqiao said with a bitter face, "Is your disciple going alone?"
"Go pick someone yourself." Wu Xiankui seemed too lazy to talk to this disciple and waved his sleeves:
"get out"
Chai Keqiao only felt a strong wind blowing on his face, and he was thrown high into the air like a fallen leaf by the sea wind and fell into the dense forest.
When he got up, he looked up at the cliff from afar and muttered:
"I didn't say I won't go... Alas, once you step into the secular world on the mountain, you have to go down the mountain. As the ancestors said, when a young bird grows up on a cliff, it will be pushed off the cliff by the big bird. Life and death are determined by fate, and there is no connection anymore... Only a very few people stay to guard the mountain, and they don't care about worldly affairs. How can I invite them out? Well... I can only find those I can beat..."
Chai Keqiao put the letter of challenge into his arms, straightened the axe at his waist, and walked down the mountain in his straw sandals.
On the green hills, there are man-made platforms every few hundred steps on the long mountain path.
There were disciples practicing on the platform, oblivious to the people around them.
Chai Keqiao walked to the first step in the mist, hesitated for a long time under the unfriendly gazes of the brothers guarding the mountain in the mist, and finally walked down awkwardly.
On the second step, he walked straight to a thatched cottage and rang the bell outside the cottage.
After a while, the door of the hut opened and a woman in her twenties walked out. She was wearing warrior clothes, with her hair cut short to the ears. She had a pretty face, cold eyes, and a thin sword hanging from her waist.
Xiao Ran stared at the smiling young master of the Chai family in the past and said coldly:
"Is something wrong?"
Chai Keqiao smiled and said, "I'm going to the capital to issue a challenge. Do you want to go?"
"Not interested." Xiao Ran's face darkened and he was about to slam the door and go back.
But I heard Chai Keqiao say quietly:
"Although the Xiao family is gone, I remember that there is still a Concubine Xiao in the palace, right? Senior sister, don't you want to meet her? After all, she is your aunt, right? I remember that the next war secretary can stay in the palace for a while."
Her surname was originally Xiao, which was later changed to "Xiao". She was the only woman left after the "Xiao family" of the in-laws was wiped out during the Xuanmen coup.
Chai Keqiao continued to add: "Sister, don't you want to see if my aunt is okay now?"
Xiao Ran turned around.
The two continued walking down and reached the third platform.
Chai Keqiao walked straight towards a young man who was slashing the air with a sword and whose eyes were covered with a black cloth.
"Woo!"
The young man slashed with his sword, and the air formed a vortex. His ears moved slightly, and he stopped:
"Senior brother, is there something wrong?"
Chai Keqiao smiled and said:
"Haven't you always been dissatisfied with Zhao Duan and stood up for the young monk Tianhai? This time there is a chance..."
"I'll go." The sword-wielding young man with a black cloth said coolly. He swung his sword and a large tree in the distance was cut off and slowly fell down.
"Those who seek fame and reputation, and those who harm loyal and good people, should be punished by everyone."
Chai Keqiao's smile froze, and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Do you know that the tree you cut down was originally planted by me?"
Blindfolded youth: “…”
Xiao Ran turned around and walked down the mountain with a cold look in her eyes. She was going to see her aunt, and if anyone treated her badly, she would vent their anger on her.
(End of this chapter)