Chapter 449 Bodhisattva, please respect yourself!
Chapter 449 Bodhisattva, please respect yourself! (5k)
"Leaving now?"
Zhao Duan asked in surprise, the other party's schedule was really rushed.
The young priest Song Jinxi said "yes" and explained:
"They were not seriously injured. Perhaps they didn't want to stay any longer because they lost, so after a brief rest, they packed their bags and prepared to leave. They even declined our arranged farewell. Didn't you ask me to keep an eye on them and notify you when they were ready to leave?"
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and said, "Where is the person now?"
On the main road leading to the gate of the imperial city, a horse-drawn carriage was rumbling along, its wheels rolling over the stone pavement. Chai Keqiao himself acted as the coachman, holding the reins, with one leg hanging down and his straw sandals swinging back and forth.
Seeing that the city gate was approaching, he turned around, opened the curtain, and asked Xiao Ran in the carriage:
"Are you really leaving now? You won't go to see your aunt again? The Empress will probably allow it."
Xiao Ran was leaning back in the carriage with a small bundle on his knees, while Qi Ye was sitting cross-legged on the other side.
She looked depressed, with both the unwillingness to lose to Zhao Duan and the loneliness of leaving this sad city:
"No need. Auntie has forgotten me. If I go there again, it will only cause trouble for her."
Chai Keqiao pursed his lips and stopped persuading her. The carriage was about to arrive at the gate of the imperial city when suddenly the sound of horse hooves was heard from behind.
Zhao Duan came over on horseback: "Wait a minute!"
Chai Keqiao narrowed his eyes, stopped the car, and bowed:
"Master Zhao, do you have any more advice for me?"
Zhao Duan was on his horse, holding the reins, ignoring the guy, and just said to the carriage:
"Miss Xiao, I have a gift for you to take away. Please accept it."
Xiao Ran opened the curtains and stared at him coldly, then suddenly raised her hand and caught a jewelry box that Zhao Duan suddenly threw to her.
She raised her eyebrows, and heard Zhao Duan say calmly:
"Don't get me wrong. This is an item that was confiscated when Concubine Xiao's residence was searched. It was a gift that Concubine Xiao prepared for many of her nephews and nieces during the New Year. This should be the one she prepared for you. Your name is on it."
Xiao Ran was stunned, unable to believe that this guy could be so kind.
Zhao Duan said: "By the way, those unruly female officials in the Shangshan Bureau have been dealt with by Mo Zhaorong."
After saying this, he rode away.
Only the Qingshan trio were left staring blankly at his back as he rode away.
inside the carriage.
Xiao Ran placed the jewelry box on top of the bag on her knees with a complicated look, only to find an old note stuck in the gap of the box.
Her nickname was written on it in beautiful handwriting. When she opened the box, she saw a emerald green ice flower bracelet on the red silk cloth.
Xiao Ran pursed her lips and suddenly choked up.
……
……
Afternoon, Zhao's house.
After Zhao Duan returned home, he was immediately interrogated by his aunt and sister like a curious baby.
Eugene Hua was concerned about whether he was injured, while Zhao Pan was particularly curious about the "Peach Blossom Sword" that was widely circulated in the officialdom.
Zhao Duan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he simply demonstrated at home how to cut peach blossoms silently with a branch, which made the two women in the family scream and shout.
Return to the study.
Zhao Duan walked past the framed portrait of the empress hanging on the wall, sat at the desk, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote down the preparations for this trip to the south for Fengshan.
"Although I have Princess Lu as my accomplice, I must not be careless. My enemies are not only Prince Jing in public, but also the clans of Jiancheng Dao."
"We must bring enough people."
Zhao Duan wrote down a few names on the paper:
"Eunuch Hai has agreed to go south with me, and will bring most of the palace servants with him. Well, there is no need for such a large-scale battle to protect me. Their main purpose is to prepare for the Zhenbao Fengshan Ceremony and clear away obstacles in advance."
"We must bring Lang Shiba and Ji Yue, as well as Lihuatang's trusted men, who are easy to use and safe to use... As for Haitang and the others, there is no need to bring them."
"Unfortunately, Gongshu Tianyuan and Jin Jian have left the capital again to go out for training, so I can't get the Tianshi Mansion's combat power for free for the time being... However, I can write to them before I leave and try to trick these two guys into coming to Jiancheng Dao..."
Zhao Duan thought about it, but still felt it was not stable enough. Suddenly, the sound of dogs barking was heard in the mansion.
A servant appeared hurriedly outside the door:
"Master, someone is looking for you outside. It seems to be... a woman who has been to our house before."
A strange woman came to your house?
Zhenbao is here?
This isn't the right time... or is it Mo Chou?
Zhao Duan frowned, pushed the door open and walked out. As he walked out of the mansion with doubts, he saw a woman in a cloak standing at the door.
Seeing him, she gently reached out her jade hand and lifted the cloak, revealing her plump and graceful figure and a familiar face. The corners of the woman's mouth rose:
"Donor, we meet again."
Zhao Duan's pupils narrowed, and he subconsciously covered his waist: "Prajna Bodhisattva?!"
……
……
Built road.
Unlike the capital city, which is geographically located in the north, Jiancheng Road does not have the spring-like weather all year round like Lingnan, but its climate is also pleasant.
After the arrival of the God of Spring, the earth turned green, and flowers and plants flourished. Literati from all over the country went outings in groups.
On this day, Prince Jing’s palace was full of people, and they went out for an outing.
Prince Jing, who has an elegant temperament, slightly gray temples, and looks somewhat like the late emperor, is wearing gorgeous clothes and standing under the shade of a tree, looking at the stream in the distance where his young sons and daughters are playing and making noises.
Beads of various colors were wrapped around his right arm, which was glittering but not vulgar.
"Father, the secret agent has delivered the latest intelligence about the Kuangfu Society." Crown Prince Xu Jinglong pulled behind him and bowed his head respectfully.
"explain."
"After Zhuang Xiaocheng was beheaded in the capital, the court sent shadow guards to spread Zhuang Xiaocheng's personal gossip in various places, which was quite effective. Although it was still a short time, even in our Jiancheng Road, people in the market began to talk about it, and the reputation of Kuangfu Society fell to the bottom."
Prince Jing snorted coldly:
"What a trick! It must be the work of Zhao Duan again. Not only did it damage Zhuang Xiaocheng's reputation, but it also shook the foundation of the rumors that the Kuangfu Society had painstakingly fabricated. No one in the court would use such a shameless and shameless scheme except this person."
After a pause, he asked again:
"What was the reaction of the Kuangfu Society? How did they deal with it?"
Xu Jinglong said with great regret:
"There was no response. After Zhuang Xiaocheng's death, the people of the Kuangfu Society were in disarray. Fortunately, Xu Jianwen's son was still alive. Qi Yuchun took up the banner and appeased the people, which barely prevented the society from falling apart. However, the vitality of the society was greatly damaged. In a short period of time, it is impossible to fight against the court."
Prince Jing didn't care much:
"Qi Yuchun has military power but no ideas. In his hands, Kuangfu Social Network will never be successful. If Zhuang Xiaocheng had agreed to submit to me, why would he have ended up like this? Oh, but it's good that he's here, and it's hard to control the orphan and widow left behind by Xu Jianwen..."
"Father is planning to..."
"No hurry," Prince Jing pondered for a moment and raised his hand to stop him. "Haste makes waste. Let Qi Yuchun hold on for a while and see which prince can't help but take action."
"Yes," Xu Jinglong nodded, and then changed the subject:
"The secret agent also sent a message saying that the bribery case of Marquis Liu'an on the Huai River seems to have leaked out and was reported to the inspector. But it has not been confirmed yet."
"Stupid," Prince Jing snorted coldly, his contempt evident:
"This group of local nobles have been living in comfort for too long. It would be fine if they bribed some minor officials, but they are so bold as to seek the position of prefect. It is so obvious that the court must be blind to not notice it. That Marquis of Liu'an is also a bold and stupid person."
Xu Jinglong thought for a moment and said tactfully:
"I guess it's because those Jiangnan nobles are desperate and are too afraid of the new policy."
Prince Jing said calmly:
"But it's better to expose it. At this time, my niece must be furious. After a thorough investigation, she will surely send officials from the capital to severely punish these nobles to pave the way for the officials who will come after her.
We just need to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the tigers, and wait for the people from the imperial court to come down and beat these clans until they are hurt and scared, and then we will help them and give them a hand. In this way, these people will know that the only way to survive is to fully support the king. "
Xu Jinglong smiled and said:
"Father is using a knife to kill someone. These local nobles are respectful to us on the surface, but in fact they are not very obedient. By torturing them like this, the court will help father train the dogs and help strengthen our wings."
Prince Jing's mouth curled up slightly, with a proud look on his face:
"What else?"
"Oh, the second son of the head of the Shen family died of illness, the one called Second Master Shen. It is said that the old lady of the Shen family fainted for a short time due to excessive grief." Xu Jinglong had a gossipy expression on his face. Second Master Shen... Prince Jing was thoughtful:
"Has the cause of death been determined?"
"It is said that the evil spirit entered his body. Mr. Shen became ill when he returned from the capital last year. He told others that he was infected with the cold poison due to the bad mountains and rivers on the way, but after my son's investigation, it is suspected that he was killed by a master."
Last year, Zhao Duan rushed to Taicang and arrested the provincial governor Gao Lian and brought him back to Beijing.
Gao Lian’s wife, Shen, was the daughter of the Shen family, a wealthy family in Jianchengdao. In other words, Gao Lian had the support of the Shen family.
At that time, the second master of the Shen family went to Beijing and met with Li Yanfu, the leader of the "Li Party". He wanted to use Gao Lian's case to negotiate with the empress and silence the Taicang County Magistrate.
Later, Zhao Duan sneaked into the prison and killed Gao Lian. The empress then sent palace servants to intercept Master Shen who had hurriedly fled the capital and warned him.
In fact, his life was cut short. After Mr. Shen came back, he fell ill and could not get up. Even though the Shen family invited many miracle doctors, they could only keep him alive for two more months.
"The old lady of the Shen family loved this grandson very much. He was more favored than the nominal head of the family. Now he died at the hands of my niece... Haha, the old lady of the Shen family will probably wait for an opportunity to take revenge." Prince Jing said with a smile.
Prince Xu asked curiously, "Does the old lady dare?"
Prince Jing sighed:
"Many times, the older a woman is, the more terrible she is when she goes crazy, and she doesn't care about the consequences. When you act outside in the future, don't assume that everyone is calm and tolerant and can be manipulated. Haven't you heard that when a warrior gets angry, blood splatters five steps away?"
"My son has learned a lesson."
Prince Jing nodded and looked at his young sons who were fishing in the river, and Princess Lu Yan'er, who was standing by the river with a smile on her face and always pretended to be gentle in front of outsiders.
He said, "The Governor of the Grand Canal still refuses to bow his head. Go and give him a warning. Remember to do it cleanly and don't involve the palace."
Xu Jinglong smiled and said, "Don't worry, father."
……
Xu Jinglong took a few guards with him, left the suburbs in a small entourage, and arrived at a dock.
There were people waiting at the dock, respectfully welcoming His Royal Highness the Crown Prince onto a small boat and heading towards a ship anchored on the river.
On the boat, young and strong men in uniform grey short-sleeved shirts stood respectfully.
In front of this group of people, the leader was a middle-aged man wearing a green scholar's gown, holding a folding fan, and with his hair combed meticulously, like a Confucian scholar.
"The distinguished guest invites you to chat in the cabin."
The scholar in blue shirt smiled and raised his hand, looking like a well-educated and virtuous man from a scholarly family.
Xu Jinglong looked indifferent, neither smiling nor angry, and walked into the cabin expressionlessly. When the door closed, there were only two people left in the room.
The scholar in blue suddenly fell to the ground in respect, almost crawling on his face: "He Xiaolou respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Xu Jinglong was arrogant, his eyes full of condescending indifference. He did not look at He Xiaolou who was kneeling in front of him. He sat down slowly, picked up a pear from the exquisite fruit plate, and said lightly:
"I'll ask you to do something. Make your hands and feet look nice."
"Your Highness, please give me your instructions."
"The wife and daughter of the Governor of the Grand Canal have returned to their hometown. They will be back in a few days and will definitely take the river. The river is the territory of your Cao Gang. Tie them up and hide them, and then..."
The leader of the Cao Gang, named He Xiaolou, was well-known in the gangs of Jiancheng Road and even the Huaishui Road. A big man in the underworld with countless gang members listened quietly, with a little sweat on his forehead.
"Remember?" Xu Jinglong asked after he finished explaining.
"remember."
"Hmm? I didn't hear clearly."
"...I forgot. I don't remember anything." He Xiaolou changed his words.
"Very good." Xu Jinglong, who was always submissive in front of his father but punched hard in front of others, smiled with satisfaction, threw the half-bitten pear aside, letting it roll in the cabin, and walked out in a cool manner:
"The leader of the Cao Gang is quite comfortable. The fruits and vegetables are fresher than those in the palace."
He Xiaolou bowed his head and said, "I will order someone to pick the freshest ones and send them to the palace."
"Let's go." Xu Jinglong got off the boat without looking back.
After watching the Crown Prince leave, He Xiaolou slowly collected his expression and resumed the demeanor of a scholar, but the gloom between his brows still lingered.
A confidant glanced at his leader's knees and saw some dust on his robe, so he squatted down and brushed it off.
He Xiaolou held a folding fan in his hand, looked at the water flowing in the river, and said:
"Take someone with you for a walk."
Behind him, a warrior with an iron rod on his back and a red silk wrapped around his right arm said "hmm" softly.
"I'll go back and rest. Tell them to take the boat home." He Xiaolou turned around and went back into the cabin.
Soon, the entire ship sailed along the river and headed into the distance. However, as it left, at the stern, a warrior wrapped in red silk threw a fresh corpse into the rushing river with an expressionless face.
"boom!"
The gang member who had just brushed the dust off He Xiaolou's knees opened his eyes wide. The lifeless body rolled down, and a ball of white waves suddenly appeared.
……
……
The people from Qingshan left the capital quietly and did not attract much attention.
The martial arts competition was just a prelude to the once-in-a-century showdown between the Empress and Wu Xiankui.
In addition to causing a big stir in the officialdom, the news was slowly spread to the world through the mouths of insiders, but this was a long process.
A few days after the competition ended, an official ship set sail again from the capital's dock and headed south.
……
"Wow—"
Amid the familiar sound of waves, driven by his biological clock, Zhao Duan ended this round of meditation and breathing on time.
He pried open his eyelids and saw the familiar setting of the cabin.
"I never rode on a boat in my previous life, but I'm really enjoying it this time."
Zhao Duan sighed softly and rubbed his cheeks with his hands to relieve the fatigue accumulated from the long boat ride.
"In this age without entertainment, it is really boring to travel by ship. I suddenly understand why Xu Fu took 300 boys and girls with him when he sailed eastward... What is long-term vision and foresight? He has learned it all by playing... In comparison, Zheng He's voyage to the West was not successful. In addition to the male crew members, there were only old women doing laundry on the ship... Zheng He didn't understand anything... Oh, Zheng He was a eunuch... That's fine."
Many days had passed since we left the capital, and as spring deepened, the wind direction on the Grand Canal was favorable and the ship was moving at a very fast speed.
But the last time he sailed south, he only reached the border of Linfeng and Huai River. This time, he crossed the Huai River and arrived in Jiancheng Dao.
Logically speaking, the Fengshan team should be huge, riding on a huge dragon boat, flying a bright yellow dragon flag, and officials and common people lining the streets to welcome them wherever they pass.
But the above was only the scene when the empress went south during the Xia Dynasty. Zhao Duan was leading his men to attack the front this time, so he naturally couldn't be so extravagant.
Moreover, considering the dense hatred value around him, Zhao Du'an kept an extremely low profile on this trip. He even ordered his spies to block the news and try to enter the country quietly so as to attract the attention of the local nobles in Jiancheng Road and his old rival Prince Jing later.
Therefore, the ship hardly stopped along the way, except for the necessary supplies. The journey was extremely boring and the few books carried were all torn to pieces.
"Dong dong dong."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the cabin door, and then without waiting for his response, the door was pushed open.
Outside the door, there stood a female Bodhisattva with a plump figure, skin as white as porcelain, long hair that was as bright as Zhenbao's, and eyes that were almost transparent.
Prajna Bodhisattva, wearing her thin monk's robe that was almost see-through, smiled and said:
"Donor Zhao, it's time for lunch."
Zhao Duan subconsciously took two steps back and said helplessly:
"Buddha, how many times have I told you to knock before entering... Well, although you knocked this time, you should have waited for my permission to come in. What if it's not convenient for me at this time and you just barged in, wouldn't that be..."
Prajna Bodhisattva's face, which looked like a face that was smooth as a peeled egg and without wrinkles, did not look like she was over fifty years old. She smiled brightly:
"Isn't it just right?"
"... Bodhisattva, please respect yourself! Don't forget what His Majesty said before you left Beijing!"
Zhao Duan's scalp tingled, and he felt a little upset because of this female Bodhisattva who kept coming to him and could fly all over the country of Yu State.
Prajna Bodhisattva's smile remained unchanged, but his expression was somewhat gloomy:
"Of course I remember that Her Majesty said that if I dared to eat you, she would peel off my skin. However, this place is thousands of miles away from the capital, and the emperor is far away. I am confident that I can use magic to cover up the movement. Donor, your journey is boring, so aren't you tempted?"
(End of this chapter)