Chapter 448 Future Plans: Disguise as a Man

Chapter 448 Future Plans: Disguise as a Man

Chapter 448 Future Plans: Disguise as a Man

The wide carriage drove slowly and soon drove out of the three alleys of Xi'an Gate.

As an alley close to the imperial city and separated by only a river, it is inhabited by the most top-ranking nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

I heard from the housekeeper Gu Chunzhu that the huge house at No. 1 San Tiao Lane was the residence of Xin Guogong Tang He.
Number three and number four belong to Xue Xian, Duke of Yong, and Yang Jing, Duke of Rui.
Although their family backgrounds have declined, they still hold great importance in the army.

Lu Yunyi plans to take some time to visit them.

Just as he was thinking, Liu Heiying shook his arm, pointed to a mansion not far from the window and said:
"Brother Yun'er, look, this is the Prince of Kaiping's Palace."

Lu Yunyi looked over and saw a mansion that stood out among the scattered buildings.

It is ten feet taller than an ordinary mansion.

The glazed tiles on it emit golden light in the evening sun.

Kaiping Palace.

After Duke Zheng Chang Mao was exiled to Longzhou, he thought his life would be ruined.

But his younger brother Chang Sheng inherited his father's achievements in October last year and was named Right Pillar of the State and Founding Duke, a title that was inherited by his descendants.

The power of the Kaiping Palace not only did not weaken, but became even stronger. One family, two countries!

Although Chang Mao's title of Duke of Zheng could no longer be passed down, at least he was still a Duke while he was alive.

Although his father-in-law, Duke of Song, Feng Sheng, had his seal of general confiscated,
But such people, even if they have lost their military power, still have extraordinary abilities.

Therefore, the power of the Kaiping Palace became increasingly powerful, even if it was like boiling oil on a raging fire.

Lu Yunyi looked at the palace in front of him, and his eye sockets became deeper and deeper.

All the power we have today will vanish in a few years.

The huge Kaiping Palace would collapse, and the two dukes would be unable to turn the tide.

Lu Yunyi thought about himself and examined himself carefully.
I found that the halo around me was all the merit bestowed by the court.

He does not have the same personal strength as the founding heroes, and is not even as good as those officials in Yiling County.

They are rooted in the local area and have a solid mass base.

Even if they lost everything given by the court, the connections, money and land accumulated over the years would continue to allow them to stir up trouble and stir up the situation.

And he himself seems to be in the limelight and unrivaled at the moment.

But if their merits in the imperial court were taken away, they would instantly be reduced to their original form and become "border residents of the north."

In the future, forces like the Kaiping Palace will collapse.

Needless to say, he might just be doing it for the sake of convenience of the court, and he may not even have the slightest ability to resist.

Once this feeling spread, it quickly filled his entire body and mind, making him seem a little absent-minded.

Even though the carriage was moving slowly, the Prince of Kaiping's Palace was no longer in sight.
He still held the curtain with one hand, staring blankly out the window.

Liu Heiying, who was standing by, noticed his abnormality, stopped smiling, and asked:
"Brother Yun'er, what's wrong?"

Lu Yunyi's dull eyes turned slightly, he lowered the curtain, and spoke in a deep voice:
“We had a very smooth year and got a little too complacent.

We need to stay alert and plan carefully what we will do after arriving in Xinchengwei.

Although it is only a temporary place of employment, we still want to take root there firmly.

Even if the officials there are replaced again and again, we must let them still remember our contributions.”

Liu Heiying's eyes rolled around, and he was a little worried:

"Brother Yun'er, this will offend people."

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips and said, "It's okay. We were cautious in the past because our status was too low.
Now we have meritorious service and a strong backer.
If we don't bully others, we are kind-hearted. Being hated by others is nothing."

Liu Heiying was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded.

Lu Yunyi's face looked somewhat solemn as he thought about what he had seen and heard in Yunnan.

Even though the Ming Dynasty was newly established, it was still difficult to be an official.
If a local official does a good job, the people will praise him afterwards.
When the successor came, the people still praised him.
They will even compare the current officials with the previous ones and say that they are not as good as so and so.

The two officials who originally had no intersection might become enemies and harbor grudges against each other because of this.

In the new city guard, if he did something that would make the people grateful, it would undoubtedly lead to a strong conflict with his successor.

However, Lu Yunyi doesn't care now.

It's already the 22nd year of Hongwu. If things don't get better soon,
When he is beheaded, he will kneel beside Lan Yu and become a staunch "rebel against the prince".

At this time, Liu Heiying, who had been thinking for a while, spoke in a deep voice:
"Brother Yun'er, tomorrow I will start making future plans for the New City Guard and the preparations we need to make."

"I'd better do it myself."

Lu Yunyi rejected his kindness and then asked:

"Are you interested in serving as a commander in a nearby area?"

Liu Heiying was stunned, then raised his hand and pointed at himself.
"I?"

"Could it be me?" Lu Yunyi smiled unhappily.

"No, no, no, no, I can't go."

Liu Heiying shook his head like a rattle, and his big, round face turned into an oval.

Lu Yunyi continued to persuade: "With this military achievement, you and I should have been promoted.
But we all have the same problem, we are too young.

Therefore, the imperial court would disperse the credit and promote the generals in the army as much as possible.

If you want to be the commander of a place, you only need to tell us, no need to bother, the court will be happy to see it happen."

"No, no! I don't have that ability." Liu Heiying still waved his hand and shook his head, saying:
"Brother Yun'er, I know exactly what I am capable of.
Before I was eight years old, I was not good at anything, and my father was planning to take in more concubines since he was old and strong.

It was only because of you that I achieved something.

Later I thought about it and realized that my father was right.

When I take the lead, it's always a mess.
But if someone is directing the work, it will be done beautifully.

If I become a commander, it would be like slapping a fly on a tiger's head - I don't want to live anymore."

Liu Heiying spoke very quickly, and the dark gold hat on his head kept sliding down. He had to struggle to straighten it, which looked very funny.

Lu Yunyi's face remained calm, and he spoke calmly:
"There's no benefit for us to get together. If something goes wrong, we'll all be in trouble. That's not safe."

"What could happen?"

Liu Heiying curled his lips nonchalantly.

But he soon realized something, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked eagerly:
"Brother Yun'er, can't we get over the killing of Chen Zhize?"

"This matter is over. Before the real court battle,

It’s just a trivial matter and it won’t separate our heads.”

"What's that?"

Liu Heiying widened his eyes with curiosity, his heart full of doubts.

He simply couldn't see clearly some things happening in the court.

Like most people, I only realized it after it happened.

When the time comes, open your mouth wide and shout "Oh~", it turns out there were already clues.

Lu Yunyi thought about it carefully and said in a deep voice:
"The situation in the court is changing, and the two forces are fighting fiercely.
As princelings, we are the first to bear the brunt of the consequences.
If there is any change in the court, the first to die will be those of us who are at the forefront.

Being a chess piece has its advantages and disadvantages.
We cannot just be princelings when it is profitable, this is the principle of being a real man."

The words were somewhat incomprehensible, but Liu Heiying understood them.

His dark face looked solemn and covered with cracks, showing the vicissitudes of long battles.

"I understand, Brother Yun'er, a real man should be grateful and repay kindness."

Lu Yunyi nodded and said nothing more.
He turned his head to the small carriage window, lifted the curtain, and looked quietly at the outer door.

The sky gradually turns yellow, and people are coming and going on the streets, it's so peaceful.

The Qinhuai River is outside the city wall of Yingtian City.

Like the market outside Yuezhou city, it is the product of countermeasures from above and policies from below.

There is a curfew within Yingtian City, but the Qinhuai River is located outside Yingtian City. There is a curfew there, but the people do not report it and the officials do not correct it.

Curfews are only enforced on certain days and times.

For example, when the army is about to go out to war, when the imperial examination is being conducted, or when the court holds a grand sacrifice.

Of course, there are some legitimate reasons for staying up all night, such as New Year's Day and other major holidays.

A lantern festival will be held on the Qinhuai River, and even the gates of Yingtian City will not be closed.

But today, it was obviously not one of them. The carriage arrived at Zhengyang Gate, where people were coming and going, full of haste.

Thanks to Lu Yunyi's identity, the carriage passed quickly.

He also met an acquaintance, Guan Dewu, a close confidant of Dingyuan Marquis Wang Bi and the city gate guard.

The last time he returned to Puzikou City during the northern expedition, Wang Bi brought him to Beijing. This person was on duty there, so they had met once.

But Lu Yunyi's feeling was completely different from before.

I have seen fighting and parting of life and death on the battlefield.
Whenever I see old acquaintances again, I always have mixed emotions and always want to say something, fearing that I may never see them again.

The carriage swayed, its wheels rolling over traces of time on the bluestone road, and it drove out of Yingtian City step by step.

Liu Heiying was surprised to find that:

"Brother Yun'er, the road outside the city is also paved with bluestone slabs. It's so flat."

Lu Yunyi smiled, opened the curtain in front of him, and pointed forward:
"That's the Qinhuai River, where the rich and powerful gather. A glass of wine costs one tael of silver. This little distance is nothing."

Liu Heiying looked over.

The scenery changed quietly, and the winding Qinhuai River came into view, like a dazzling silver ribbon inlaid in the earth.

The light of the setting sun originally gently sprinkled on the sky,
The earth was covered with a layer of light golden veil, but at the moment when the carriage met the Qinhuai River,
The brilliance of the setting sun seems to be overshadowed by the brilliance of the Qinhuai River.

The sky seemed to darken all of a sudden.
On both sides of the Qinhuai River, more than 20 classical restaurants are scattered in an orderly manner.

Flying eaves, carved beams and painted buildings, antique style,

The lights on it are bright, just like stars falling into the world.

There were countless pleasure boats floating on the river, and occasionally melodious singing and string music could be heard, drifting in the wind.

They are decorated magnificently, and each pleasure boat looks like a palace floating on the water, with bright lights reflecting the sparkling river surface.

Seeing this scene, Liu Heiying suddenly held his breath.

The small eyes seemed to be dilated to the maximum at this moment, with sparkling gleams of light in them.

Lu Yunyi was also stunned for a moment, shook his head and smiled bitterly.
I haven't seen such a luxurious scene for a long time. When I suddenly saw it, I felt a little surprised and unfamiliar.

"Wow——" an exclamation came from not far away, and Lu Yunyi looked over.

I saw three carriages parked on both sides of the official road. Like them, I stopped to watch and was also shocked by the scene before me.

Looking from Lu Yunyi's side, he could see two heads sticking out of the window.

You can vaguely see his handsome face and fair skin.

Liu Heiying looked at them and turned back in surprise:

"Brother Yun'er, a woman dressed as a man."

Lu Yunyi nodded: "Let's go."

"Hey~ Brother Yun'er, that's so boring, just look at me."

Liu Heiying raised his eyebrows and a smirk appeared on his face that he often showed in Gyeongju.

When Lu Yunyi saw him like this, he suddenly felt dazed.
Since joining the army, it seems that I have never felt so relaxed, so I just let it go.

Liu Heiying looked at the carriage in front, then looked at the Qinhuai River in front, and spoke in a deep voice, as if thinking about something:
"The shadow of the oars is revealed in the ripples of the brocade zither, and the flickering lanterns wander in the night. A pool of rouge-colored spring water flows into the dreams of the previous dynasty."

For some reason, Lu Yunyi suddenly got goose bumps and shrank back.

Liu Heiying raised his eyebrows at him with some pride:
"Brother Yun'er, don't be so old-fashioned. These young ladies like this tone."

As expected, the two heads on the carriage in front looked over at once.
There was also a slightly crisp voice:

"Who is that brother in the car? I have never heard of this poem before."

When Liu Heiying heard this, his face fell instantly, and the excitement in his heart was no longer there.

He doesn't like the buddy voice, he likes the mature sister voice.

Lu Yunyi in the carriage was amused and hurriedly urged:

"Hurry up, someone is talking to you."

Liu Heiying shook his head and had to continue. However, he ignored the question in front of him and thought for a while before continuing:
"The Yangtze River runs from east to west, and the beautiful scenery of the village is charming. The ten-mile Qinhuai River is a reminder of the heyday of the Six Dynasties."

“Great poem!!”

The crisp sound came again, this time it was not as hard as before, and carried some of its original sound.

Liu Heiying's expression relaxed a lot and he felt relieved.

"Excuse me, who is in the carriage?" the voice came again.

Liu Heiying still didn't care and directly pulled the curtain closed, and told Feng Yunfang who was driving:

"Go, walk slowly."

"Yes"

Feng Yunfang's face was red at this moment, but the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed no matter what.

It has long been rumored in the army that General Liu is an unparalleled poet.

If he hadn't been ugly, he would have passed the imperial examination long ago and countless women would have fallen at his feet.

The carriage began to shake, and the huge wheels began to roll slowly, rolling on the flat bluestone road, making a creaking sound.

Qin Qing, who was in the carriage in front, leaned against the window and watched the carriage move.

His eyes suddenly widened, with a look of disbelief in them.

Are there still people in this capital who are so ignorant of etiquette?
Soon, Qin Qing saw her own attire.

He was wearing a light blue Confucian robe, with his hair piled high, revealing his round forehead. His face had been modified in some ways, including a beard, but he still looked handsome.

He also realized that he was riding in a relatively large carriage for men, inlaid with carvings of animal heads and weapons.
Instead of a women's carriage carved with patterns of flowers, flying birds, etc.

"I forgot I'm a man."

Thinking of this, Qin Qing felt that the two poems were excellent. As she was a carefree person, she simply opened the curtain and jumped off the carriage.

Pointing at the slowly approaching carriage, he swung the folding fan in his hand and shouted:

"I am asking you a question. Who are you from?"

At this time, Song Wan'er, who was in the carriage in front, also jumped off the carriage.
Looking at Deng Lingyun who showed her head in the front, he waved his hand:
"Sister Lingyun, please go back. Your business is everywhere in the Qinhuai River. You can't show your face."

Deng Lingyun thought about it and decided to withdraw her head.
"Then hurry up and don't cause trouble. We still have important things to do."

"Don't worry, it won't delay you from meeting your lover!"

Song Wan'er laughed, and then lowered her voice.
"Cough cough."

Song Wan'er coughed twice and was very satisfied.
Today she was wearing a white dress, a square hat, and holding a folding fan in her hand.

She is a good girl on weekdays, but now she disguises herself as a man and sneaks away from home.

It made her feel an indescribable excitement, and she even walked with a smile on her face.

She restrained her smile and walked towards Qin Qing, pretending to be a stranger.

"what happened?"

Coming to Qin Qing's side, she asked in a low voice.

Qin Qing raised her eyebrows and looked forward, her heroic face showing a hint of anger:
"I met a scoundrel who wrote great poems. He refused to stop the car when he saw we were men. It really pissed me off!"

Song Wan'er was somewhat helpless:
"This is Qinhuai River. The young man who came here must be looking for pleasure. How could he care about us?"

Before he finished speaking, the slowly moving carriage slowly stopped.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a young man who looked like a wealthy landlord poked his head out. He had a fat head and big ears, and a sturdy appearance. He spoke in a muffled voice:
"Are you two going to Qinhuai River as well? My carriage is big enough, why don't we go together?"

Seeing his face, hearing his voice,

Qin Qing secretly thought that it was him, and she felt relieved. She was about to shake her head to refuse.

But Song Wan'er on the side waved her arms excitedly, with a gleam in her eyes, nodded repeatedly, and answered in a low voice:

"Thank you, sir. I will obey your command."

Although she said so, her eyes were not on Liu Heiying.

Instead, he stared at the young man in white with a smile on his face sitting in the carriage.

For some reason, Song Wan'er felt her body soften.

This is the handsome man she has always been thinking about, gentle, elegant and masculine!
"Who is he? Who is he?"

“I want to get in the car!!!”

(End of this chapter)