Chapter 462 Xu Zhenguan: I will vent my anger for you
Chapter 462 Xu Zhenguan: I will vent my anger for you (5k)
The dark clouds in the sky were torn apart.
The surface of Taizu's divine weapon, which was unattended, was flowing with a faint crimson color, and it rushed straight towards the palace with a low and sharp whistle.
"Father, be careful!" Crown Prince Xu Jinglong was horrified and subconsciously tried to pull Prince Jing's sleeve, but the latter's legs seemed to be nailed to the ground and he could not be pulled.
However, this "flying sword" was not aimed at taking the head from Prince Jing's neck, but under the gaze of the father and son, it pierced into the attic in front of them.
Inside the building.
The old sorcerer, who had just finished the seven-day curse, stood up when the Taia sword pierced through the dark secret room and pierced his heart.
He lowered his head in shock, looked at the sword that pierced his chest, then slowly raised his head and looked along the gap in the dark secret room.
At the entrance of the cave, a ray of pale sunlight was shining in, illuminating the jade bowl with dried blood on the ground, the mourning stick, and the small "coffin" on the old sorcerer's waist.
"boom!"
The old sorcerer, his lifeless body, fell straight down.
The Taia sword, which had been soaked in blood, flew out of the attic secret room as if it had completed its mission, returned along the original route, and disappeared into the clouds above the palace.
Only Prince Jing and his son were left standing downstairs like statues.
Until Princess Lu Yan'er came over and said with a horrified look: "What happened just now was..."
Prince Jing Xu Wen looked unusually calm and said, "Our Majesty has entered the city."
……
……
The grain transport office.
In a tea room for entertaining guests, the windows were open.
Zhao Duan and the Queen of Yu State sat opposite each other and drank tea.
Well... to be precise, Zhao Duan was diligently and eagerly performing the "tea ceremony" he had mastered. After going through a complicated process, he finally presented the tea bowl with both hands: "Your Majesty, please..."
"Om-"
There was a sound of cracking air in the courtyard, and Zhao Duan caught a glimpse of the Taia sword flying in from the open window out of the corner of his eye.
He walked around the room as if seeking credit, showing the blood on the sword, and then with a "clang" he inserted the sword into the scabbard by himself.
Xu Zhenguan took the tea offered by Zhongquan with satisfaction, took a sip with her red lips, and then said:
"The one who cursed you has been killed."
The tone was understated, as simple as eating and drinking water.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and then he flattered, "Your Majesty's swordsmanship is extraordinary, and it really opened my eyes!"
The empress was immune to his dragon fart, but she still felt happy when she heard his pleasing words.
After a long separation, Zhao Duan finally relaxed and admired Zhenbao's beauty from a close distance.
Cold, otherworldly, and the most beautiful woman in the world... The empress without the dragon robe is just like a sword fairy, with a plain face and no makeup or jewelry on her body. The world is vast, but there is no woman who can compare to her.
Especially considering her noble status as a female emperor, she exudes an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.
In short: the buffs are fully stacked.
A low-level time traveler, a human stud, with a large harem;
A high-level time traveler, just one person, is unparalleled in the world.
"What? You don't recognize me after not seeing me for a few months?" Xu Zhenguan put down the emerald green tea bowl with her white jade fingers and glanced at Mr. Zhao opposite her with her beautiful eyes.
"Ahem, I haven't seen Your Majesty for a long time since I went south. I miss you so much that it can be said that 'I miss you day by day but I can't see you, and we drink water from the canal together'..." Zhao Duan went along with it and was not polite at all.
The main focus is sincerity.
Xu Zhenguan's dignified and cold face flushed slightly, and he said unhappily:
"I originally thought that you had just recovered from the curse and illness, but now it seems that I was overthinking. Zhao Qing's demeanor is still the same as yesterday."
Oops, I was so excited that I forgot to play the victim... Zhao Duan immediately covered his chest, frowned, and showed a painful expression: "Your Majesty... I have been overworked during this period..."
Xu Zhenguan rolled his eyes and said calmly:
"You have worked too hard, Zhao Qing, so go and rest first, so that I won't waste your energy."
Zhao Duan changed his tone and said seriously:
"But isn't it strange, Your Majesty? As soon as I saw Your Majesty, my waist and legs no longer hurt. It's true that no panacea is as good as Your Majesty..."
Xu Zhenguan felt a little comfortable being licked, and suddenly felt that all his efforts to control the sword along the way were worth it, but he still interrupted in time:
"Let's get down to business. Why did you get into danger today? And what happened after you arrived at Jiancheng Road?"
Well, happy times are always short, and it’s time for the familiar work reporting session again… Zhao Duan sighed and began the reporting process familiarly.
Although Xu Zhenguan continued to learn about the work of Zhao Duan and his party from the secret spy "Wen Liang" in bits and pieces, the information recorded in the secret letters was not detailed enough. Now that Zhao Duan has told the story in detail, it feels vivid and new.
When she heard that Zhao Duan had rescued Ning Zechen's wife and daughter, and followed the Cao Gang to find the Shen family, and Xu Jinglong came to interrupt, she snorted coldly. How could she not see through Prince Jing's heart?
When he heard that Zhao and Ning had been assassinated, he initiated the "Whale Fall Plan". Using his identity as the Fengshan envoy, he united various forces in the surrounding areas and jointly strangled the Shen family.
At the same time, the Shen family also tried their best to fight back. As the two sides engaged in a tug-of-war for a month and a half, her eyes lit up slightly, and she was quite appreciative of Zhao Duan's actions.
Until the Shen family was about to be defeated and suspected to have surrendered to Prince Jing's Mansion, Zhao Duan was cursed to death... and took advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack on the Fashen Sect... The empress frowned slightly and opened her red lips:
"So, you didn't know where the leader of the Fashen Sect was beforehand."
Zhao Duan was also a little scared and nodded:
"The intelligence provided by Princess Lu Yan'er did not mention the leader. Now that I think about it, I was not careful enough in my trip today."
Xu Zhenguan saw what he was thinking: "Do you suspect Lu Yan'er of betrayal?"
Zhao Duan hesitated and said:
"It is impossible to determine. Although Lu Yan'er is the princess consort, she is actually just the guard of Prince Jing. It is not surprising that the information she got is not detailed enough. Moreover, it cannot be ruled out that Prince Jing deliberately leaked the information to lure me out for an ambush."
At this time, there was a knock on the door outside the teahouse.
Song Jinxi walked in with a bow, and saluted to the two people in the room in turn before saying:
"Your Majesty, the interrogation results of the captured sorcerers are out. We interrogated them separately, used some torture, and compared their confessions. They should be correct.
According to his confession, the leader of the Fashen faction arrived early today, and they were also surprised. Not long after arriving, they noticed the movement of Zhao Shaobao coming, so they made temporary arrangements. "
A sudden visit? Wasn't this a trap arranged in advance? Zhao Duan was stunned.
Seeing that the empress didn't speak, she waved her hand and asked Song Jinxi to leave first, exhaled, smiled bitterly and said:
"There is one more possibility. Perhaps it is because I am just too unlucky."
Because of my bad luck, I happened to run into the God of Law. Also, because it was just past noon when I was being chased, the seven-day curse ended, the bad luck dissipated, and the Empress arrived in time to save me...
Damn, is this luck so mysterious... Well, in a world where gods exist, it seems to make sense...
Zhao Duan was complaining madly in his heart.
However, this result made him feel relieved. If Lu Yan'er was exposed or betrayed, that would be the worst thing.
As for whether Prince Jing would suspect Lu Yan'er after this incident, he was not worried.
In order to cover up Lu Yaner's identity, Zhao Duan also arranged for the shadow guard to take the initiative to expose a secret line to obtain intelligence from Prince Jing's Mansion during the attack outside the city.
In this way, even if Prince Jing investigates further, he will believe that the information was obtained by the shadow guards.
"The curses of the Baiyi Sect are indeed hard to guard against. The methods used by evil gods such as the God of Death and the God of Death are strange." Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly, agreeing with this guess.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Zhao Duan deliberately broke the atmosphere and took the initiative to ask:
"Speaking of which, why did Your Majesty come here so suddenly? The dragon boat is still far away..."
"..." Xu Zhenguan had a stern face. It was hard to say that he was worried about the safety of this guy, so the emperor abandoned the Fengshan fleet and came here alone in advance. He could only say stiffly:
"I have noticed the whereabouts of the leader of the Fashen Sect, so I followed him here."
Really? Why do I feel that this explanation is not smooth enough... Zhao Duan looked doubtful.
Xu Zhenguan felt uneasy at his suspicious look, and turned his head slightly, humphing:
"Do you think that I will abandon the important matter of Fengshan for you?"
Zhao Duan nodded with a smile, like a fox that had stolen a chick:
"Your Majesty, so it is. But speaking of this, what is the identity of this leader of the Fashen Sect? I did not find it in the archives when I was in Beijing."
Speaking of this, Xu Zhenguan also became serious and shook his head:
"I don't know either. This person is extremely mysterious, as if he appeared out of nowhere. It is said that after the death of the previous generation of 'God of Law', he appeared with a warrant from the God of Law, intending to take over the organization.
Others were dissatisfied, but this person cultivated the Way of Heaven, and was extremely powerful, so he was able to secure the position of leader for more than 20 years. Today, I was really surprised when I fought him. Although his cultivation was not as good as that of a celestial being, he had also taken a step forward. "
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"I am only worried about whether this person will threaten the Fengshan ceremony. Prince Jing secretly dispatched Duan Shuiliu and Fashen to send sorcerers here. He has evil intentions and must be trying to disrupt the Fengshan ceremony..."
Xu Zhenguan raised his red lips, smiled slightly, and said confidently:
"A mere so-called 'God of Law' is not enough to threaten me. It's the same even if you add the Broken Water Flow." When she said this, she looked disdainful, showing the demeanor of a strong person.
Although the empress is a "pseudo celestial being", as an emperor, she is blessed with dragon energy. When it comes to combat power, she is in no way inferior to a real celestial being.
This was also the reason why she dared to go south to offer sacrifices to the gods.
"Even if a celestial being really comes, even if I cannot win, I will not be defeated!" The empress simply gave Zhao Duan a reassurance pill.
Damn, is my Zhenbao so strong now?
Zhao Duan was delighted, but he still asked the question in his mind:
“Your Majesty is not afraid of the villains, but those people cannot defeat Your Majesty, but they can disrupt the Fengshan Ceremony and prevent Your Majesty from making further progress... This is difficult to prevent.
I dare to ask, Your Majesty, since you can enter the palace with a sword, why are you still unwilling to take action against Prince Jing? If Your Majesty does not want to bear the infamy, I can do it for you. "
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"It's not that I'm soft-hearted or considerate of my family. It's just that the Fengshan ceremony is imminent... Prince Jing is a vassal of Jiancheng Dao and has royal blood. He carries a certain amount of luck. If he dies, it will be the biggest disruption to the Fengshan ceremony."
Still saying this?
Yes, Fengshan is to use the mysterious things like dragon energy and national destiny to ascend. Although Prince Jing is not a dragon, he is also a "Jiao" with dragon blood, and Luoshan is in the local area. Once the dragon dies, it will definitely involve the movement of qi...
No wonder Prince Jing dared to make small moves at this critical moment, because he knew that Zhenbao would not touch him for the sake of Fengshan...
Otherwise, once Prince Jing is killed, the other princes among the "Eight Princes" will surely rebel...
If all the kings rebel at the same time, it will inevitably lead to the instability of the dragon energy in Zhenbao's body and the decline of his realm. It will be easy to fall to the level of "the leader of the God of Law"... That would be really troublesome.
Zhao Duan sorted out the logic and sighed.
Xu Zhenguan stared at him with her beautiful eyes, thinking that he wanted to kill Prince Jing for revenge but failed, so she softened her tone and comforted him:
"Once I succeed in my promotion this time, I will be able to secure the throne, and I will then settle accounts with Prince Jing."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I sincerely hope that day will come soon, not for personal revenge, but for the peace of the world."
Xu Zhenguan was surprised to find that this guy seemed to be sincere in what he said.
The empress nodded, and suddenly asked for no reason:
"Have you been with that old nun recently..."
"I have been a chaste woman, as Eunuch Hai can attest. That old nun tried to seduce me time and again, but I ignored her..." Zhao Du'an said righteously.
The empress blinked and said teasingly, "I can verify it."
What she meant was to ask Eunuch Hai for confirmation.
Zhao Duan was very straightforward. He started to untie his belt with both hands and pretended to take off his pants: "Your Majesty, please test me if you want."
"......?" Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment, his mind was temporarily stuck, his face flushed, and he spat angrily:
"How shameless! Who wants to see your..."
At this time, footsteps were heard again outside the tea room, and then the door was pushed open with a creak, accompanied by Ning Zechen's deep voice:
"My Lord, upon hearing of your triumphant return, I..."
Governor Ning stepped over the threshold, still in the motion of opening the door, when the expression on his face suddenly froze.
His words got stuck in his throat as he stared blankly at the emperor and his ministers in the tea room, as well as the action of Zhao Duan untying (tying) his belt.
There was silence.
Governor Ning's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He decisively turned around and left the room, slammed the door, and then knelt on one knee outside the door, saying in a trembling voice:
"Your Majesty, I, the Governor of the Grand Canal, Ning Ze, did not know that the Holy Saint was coming. I entered the gate without permission and disturbed the Holy Saint. I deserve to be put to death!"
in the room.
Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath, pressed his forehead with a headache, glared at Zhao Duan who was smiling awkwardly, and said helplessly:
"Governor Ning has worked hard and made great contributions. I heard from Mr. Zhao that you have made great contributions. There is no need to be polite. Come in and talk."
Ning Zechen, who was kneeling outside the door, did not move and said:
"Your Majesty, thank you very much. Envoy Zhao, thank you very much. I will not go in to disturb you. If your Majesty has any instructions, I will do it immediately."
Lao Ning has been in the officialdom for many years and knows when to listen to the polite words of his superiors and when not to.
He just hated that he was not blind.
"..."
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, feeling tired and too lazy to explain, so he simply said:
"Well, in that case, Governor Ning will take care of it and inform everyone in the city that I am coming early. I will hold a banquet tonight and personally celebrate for Zhao Qing and Ning Qing. Remember... send a message to the Shen family and Prince Jing's Mansion, and tell them not to miss the event."
Zhao Duan fastened his pants and looked at her in surprise.
The empress smiled at him and said:
"Since you have fought this battle to the end, I will come forward to finish it."
……
……
The Empress arrives at Jianning Prefecture!
This news was delivered like a whirlwind to the desks of important figures throughout the city.
As expected, there was an uproar. No one knew why the Emperor left the fleet behind and arrived ahead of time just as the Fengshan fleet entered Jiancheng Road.
Soon, three things happened: the abnormal celestial phenomenon ten miles outside the city, Zhao Duan leading his men back from outside the city, and flying swords entering and leaving Prince Jing's Mansion. These things added a strange and mysterious color to the news of the empress's arrival.
For a while, there were many speculations, and people all over the city were imagining what big thing had happened.
The dinner was still arranged at "Jingyuan".
That is, the place where Zhao Duan encountered two assassination attempts last time.
Only this time, the banquet in Jingyuan was even more grand and solemn, with officials, gentry, and dignitaries from all over the city all present.
However, given their status, they couldn't even see the empress, and were just arranged far away on the outskirts of Jingyuan to join in the fun.
Zhao Duan changed into the official robe of a third-rank junior guard, followed the empress, and dealt with this group of people on her behalf.
This also caused an uproar. According to rumors, Lord Zhao, who was seriously ill and almost dying, appeared in such a spirited manner. This was a shocking thing in itself.
However, some insiders were not surprised, but were looking forward to tonight's show.
When Prince Jing, accompanied by Crown Prince Xu Jinglong and Princess Lu Yan'er, arrived at Jing Garden, they happened to see the Shen family's convoy parked on the shore.
The old lady with silver hair and a dragon-headed cane changed into luxurious dark green clothes. She was accompanied by her maid Hong and the eldest son, the head of the Shen family.
The two sides looked at each other, without any further communication, and nodded, indicating that they had met before.
Then, in full view of everyone, he walked into Jing Garden and paid homage to the empress.
"Your Majesty, I, Xu Wen, pay my respects to you!"
Zhao Duan sat next to the empress, in the closest position, overlooking the two groups of people from Prince Jing's Mansion and the Shen family who were paying their respects outside the pavilion.
There were gauze curtains hanging at the four corners of the pavilion, and a long table in the middle. Xu Zhenguan sat in the middle, with Zhao Duan and Ning Zechen on his left and right.
Eunuch Hai and others stood behind.
As for Prajna Bodhisattva... It is worth mentioning that after the old nun learned that the empress was coming, she left a letter and ran away... The general idea is:
Now that Your Majesty has arrived, I will take my leave and go to the temple of Shenlong Temple in Jianchengdao to receive the legacy left by Master Dajing.
It was as if he was afraid that if he left a step too late, the narrow-minded empress would become jealous and cause trouble for her.
Zhao Duan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and lamented that he didn't even dare to see her once before saying goodbye. How terrible was Zhenbao in Prajna's heart...
"Uncle Wang, please stand up. We are all family, so there is no need to be polite." Xu Zhenguan looked down at Prince Jing outside the pavilion and said with a smile.
Prince Jing slowly stood up, his face respectful:
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I didn't know that Your Majesty had come so early. I am sorry for not welcoming you."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said meaningfully:
"Really? I thought those people in the suburbs were arranged by Uncle Wang to welcome me."
Prince Jing pretended to be confused: "Who is it, Your Majesty?"
Xu Zhenguan smiled faintly: "Nothing, come here, please take a seat."
A king and his subject, an uncle and nephew, who wanted to kill each other, met for the first time in three years. They were warm, polite and graceful.
The old lady of the Shen family knelt on the ground and never heard the empress's order to stand up, so she had to stay motionless.
It was as if...it had been ignored intentionally or unintentionally.
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Next up is the Fengshan plot, which is the end of the second volume. I am looking forward to the third volume...
(End of this chapter)