Chapter 496 Mr. Right
Chapter 496 Mr. Right
After receiving a positive response from the empress, Zhao Duan left with a satisfied look on his face.
After sending away the "future emperor's husband", Xu Zhenguan did not return to the bedroom, but went back to the fourth floor of the old building again.
She also planned to visualize once more to confirm whether there would be any new changes in her current self after entering the "human world".
The night was quiet. The empress in white placed the fiery red lantern on the floor, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and entered into meditation.
An even stream of air blew out from her delicate nose.
In a trance, Xu Zhenguan also had a familiar feeling of weightlessness, as if falling from a high altitude into another world.
At the same time, in the big city where Zhao Duan lived in his previous life, at the same time in the early morning.
In a bustling metropolis, on a bench in a certain public park, a young woman in her twenties suddenly appeared curled up and sleeping soundly.
Xu Zhenguan opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Her messy long hair covered half of her face, revealing a face that was exactly the same as she was in the "outside world".
However, her clothes had changed. She was wearing a women's shirt on her upper body, trousers on her slender legs, and a pair of light-colored sandals on her feet, revealing her ten delicate toes.
"Every time I come in, it's the same time, the same place, the same identity, as if time has been frozen at this point."
Xu Zhenguan took out his cell phone from his pocket, turned it on, and looked at the Arabic numerals on it.
It was here that she had her first visualization, with nothing on her except a cell phone and a bunch of keys.
Unfortunately, she didn't know the unlocking password of the phone at all, so she couldn't open it until now. She also didn't know which house in the city the key in her hand led to.
"It doesn't seem to make any difference. Let's see if our stay here will be extended."
Xu Zhenguan was thinking, at this moment, a car passed by outside the park, and the bright headlights swept over her. She subconsciously raised her hands to cover her eyes.
As the vehicle left, her beautiful eyes flashed with deep curiosity and vigilance.
Even though she has been here many times, the city is still full of novelty to her because she only stays here for a short time each time.
As an emperor, she even wondered, if this was really another world recorded by Emperor Taizu, how powerful would the strong people here be?
The "carriage" that can build such a magnificent building is faster than the war horses in the army.
Shaking his head, Xu Zhenguan put his cell phone in his pocket, walked out of the park, and walked skillfully in a certain direction.
Soon, she appeared outside a Taoist temple with a plaque named "Taiqing Palace".
This was the only place she found in this strange city that made her feel familiar and at ease.
Moreover, although the rules of Taoist temples in this world are very strange, she knew through trial and error that Taiqing Palace was still open at this time.
There was a kind-hearted female Taoist priest who claimed to be a "management staff" and would allow her to stay for a while as long as she asked to be homeless.
This time is no exception.
When Xu Zhenguan knocked on the door, he expressed his request for accommodation to the female temple priest who was about 40 or 50 years old and wearing a green Taoist robe in slightly unfamiliar Chinese.
The middle-aged female temple priest with gentle features and a kind personality hurriedly said, "Come in first. I'll call the police for you, but the police station will have to wait a while before someone can come."
Xu Zhenguan knew that the female Taoist priest had reported to the government, but every time she stayed here, she would wake up before the officials arrived.
Soon, the empress was brought into a room, and a middle-aged female temple keeper chatted with her while arranging the fortune sticks on the table.
The empress had no mood for idle chat. She stared blankly at the "marriage tree" in the courtyard that was hung with colorful strips of cloth.
According to a female temple priest, for some reason, in the past two years, it has become popular for young people to come to the temple to pray for marriage, and this business is very popular.
"How about asking for a marriage? I won't charge you any money."
The female temple keeper looked at her and said with a smile, "I can tell fortunes, and I'm very good at it."
Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Thank you."
After providing her birth date and other information as requested by the female temple keeper, the other party fiddled with it for a while and handed her a jar filled with beads, each of which had a surname written on it.
Xu Zhenguan reached out and picked up a bead at random. The surname on the bead was quite rare, it was the character "Zhang".
The female temple keeper laughed and said:
"Your future Mr. Right will have this surname. According to the hexagram, you will definitely get married before you are thirty. His career... is also a government-funded one."
Xu Zhenguan was holding the bead with the word "Zhang" written on it in a daze. Suddenly, he shook his head and smiled, then threw the bead into the jar.
I thought to myself: He is indeed a charlatan.
The husband I chose was clearly named Zhao.
……
……
same night.
On Linfeng Road, a ship was sailing northward under the moonlight.
Eunuch Hai, with slightly gray hair and wearing a scarlet dragon robe, stood on the deck, bathing in the moonlight and breathing gently.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the cabin, and Mochou came out of the cabin and walked to the side of the ship.
"Miss Mo, why aren't you sleeping?" Eunuch Hai opened his eyes and looked at her:
"You've been running around for days. You're just an ordinary person after all. If you don't get enough rest, you might get sick."
Mo Chou looked haggard, wrapped in a female official's robe, and said nothing as she stared at the broken moon in the river. The direction of the capital was dark:
"I can't sleep. It's hot in the cabin. I came out to get some fresh air. I don't know where His Majesty is now."
Eunuch Hai bowed and said, "Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. You must have entered Linfeng by now, escaped the pursuit of the rebels, and will return to the capital in the near future."
The news of the battle in Baihua Village has not yet spread, because almost all the people who participated in that battle died, resulting in that except for a very few people, not even Eunuch Hai knew the details.
All we know is that a fight broke out, many experts died, and Your Majesty and Zhao Duan are on the run.
There was no way. He was simply being held back by Duan Shuiliu and his men, and had lost track of the empress.
Therefore, he could no longer provide escort and simply changed direction, leading his Wugong Hall priests to join the Fengshan team including Mo Chou, the Minister of Rites, and the Grain Transport Governor Ning Zechen who were heading north.
"I hope so. However, after so much time has passed, I'm afraid many people in the capital have become restless."
Mo Chou frowned:
"I'm just worried that we'll be late and something will happen in the city. I heard that King Heng of Qingzhou has led the rebels to the eastern suburbs of the capital... If the capital is lost, even if Your Majesty returns..."
Eunuch Hai said calmly:
"Although I don't understand government affairs, I know that Qingzhou's military is not strong. The King of Heng is ambitious but incompetent. He is not a hero, but more like a fool. This was evident when he was the first to send his son Xu Zudi to the capital to cause trouble. There is no need to worry."
After a pause, the old eunuch continued:
"As for your majesty, with Zhao Duan's talent, he will be able to escort you back to the capital safely."
Zhao Duan... Mentioning this hateful "rival in love", Mochou couldn't help but snort, gritting her teeth:
"This guy is really lucky. His Majesty will favor him even more after protecting him all the way."
Mo Chou, who had a crush on the empress, was secretly dissatisfied and decided to continue competing fairly with Zhao Duan after returning to Beijing.
She still believes that with the empress's extraordinary talent and beauty, no man in the world can match her.
Although she was not worthy, she could be a maid and stay with the empress until the end of her life. Poor Mo Chou, who was in love with Zhao Duan, didn't know that Zhao Duan had climbed onto the dragon bed... She didn't know that a coup had broken out in the capital, and it had even been quelled...
Eunuch Hai glanced at her without saying a word. He raised his hand and hit the sail. A strong wind blew, the sail swelled, and the ship accelerated to rush to the capital for help.
……
……
The eastern suburbs of the capital, dozens of miles away.
In a plain area, the rebels of Qingzhou Road and the five military camps of the imperial court had been confronting each other on the Qingzhou border for many days.
If you look down from the sky, you can see large military camps at both ends of an open space on the ground.
As one of the "Beijing Camps", the Fifth Army Camp's weapons and soldiers are naturally elite, but the current situation is too complicated.
The Prince Heng on the opposite side was a royal relative and fought under the name of "loyalty to the king". As a minister in the court, Grand Tutor Dong neither dared nor had the right to rashly order a war.
We can only station troops for defense.
The Qingzhou rebels did not take the initiative to start a war, and the two sides were temporarily deadlocked.
Moreover, due to the slow intelligence, they were still unaware that the empress had returned to the capital.
At this moment, inside the Qingzhou rebel camp and the central army tent, the lights were brightly on.
The core members of the rebel army gathered together and sat in a tent to discuss military affairs.
Sitting at the top was a pampered middle-aged man, about fifty years old, with a beard, and the demeanor of a powerful person who was used to ordering people around. He was none other than Prince Heng, one of the "Eight Princes".
Sitting below Prince Heng, on his left was a young man in his thirties with red lips and white teeth. He was Zhao Duan’s “old acquaintance”, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xu Zudi.
At the beginning, Xu Zudi and the female head of the Donghu Xiao family went to Beijing together with Mr. Zhengyang, because Prince Heng and Princess Yunyang were brothers from the same mother.
Therefore, Xu Zudi stood up for the good-for-nothing Li Lang, arrested two pawns from Lihua Hall, and made trouble for Zhao Duan.
As a result, he was slapped in the face by Zhao Duan, and the Privy Councilor Xue Shence stepped in to mediate, so the fight between the two sides did not escalate.
Later, Zhao Duan accepted Madam Xiao from Donghu to join him at the market in Huting, and plotted against the prince.
On the right hand side of King Heng, there was a heroic general in his thirties or forties wearing armor, with his back straight. His head was slightly drooped, and his eyes habitually fell on the ground to conceal the expression in his eyes.
Surprisingly, it was the highest-ranking general of the imperial court’s military stationed in Qingzhou, Commander Wei Xianzong.
This time, Prince Heng was able to quickly gather the rebels and march to Beijing thanks to the surrender of this commander.
Below the two of them came the rest of the palace's civil officials and military officers.
"Father, Dong Xuan in the court controls the Xiuwen Academy and refuses to give in. If this continues, the Beijing camp ahead will not give in. We are rushing to Beijing this time. Although we have Qingzhou behind us, the army does not carry much baggage and food. If the stalemate continues, it will be bad!"
Xu Zudi spoke first, handing over some intelligence sent from the capital:
"As for the news that we sent people to spread in the city that the empress was dead and the city was about to fall, it was quite effective. Now the people in the city are in a panic, and the people in the court are in turmoil. In my opinion, it is better to take action first."
Inside the tent, another general also agreed:
"Your Highness, what His Royal Highness said is absolutely right. My Qingzhou troops are now ahead of the other princes and are at the gates of the city. This is destiny. However, if we continue to stalemate, I am afraid that other princes will come to attack before the court collapses, and we will miss the opportunity."
Another counselor from the palace hesitated and said:
"What the prince said is of course correct, but the prince's cautious method also makes sense. I don't have many soldiers in Qingzhou. If we go to war with the five military camps in front, there will inevitably be losses. After we capture the five military camps, there are still the Shenji Camp guarding outside the capital, and there are also the Twelve Guards in the city..."
The reason why the Qingzhou rebels were reluctant to start a war was that they were afraid of the troops left behind in the capital.
Worried about losing too many people.
Therefore, he had been playing the card of "serving the king", trying every possible means to cause turmoil within the court, in order to enter the capital without resorting to war.
At this moment, everyone in the tent gave their own advice and discussed the matter.
"Be quiet!"
Finally, a large hand without calluses slammed down on the table, and everyone fell silent.
The pampered and ambitious but incompetent Prince Heng glanced at his "ministers", raised his nose, and cast his gaze towards Wei Xianzong, the commander of the Qingzhou Army:
"What does Xianzong think?"
Wei Xianzong clasped his hands, stood up and saluted respectfully:
"I will only follow the orders of the prince. Whether to fight or wait is up to the prince to decide."
A bootlicker... Xu Zudi glanced at him while holding his folding fan. He had no good impression of this commander who was always a little gloomy.
Prince Heng was very satisfied with Wei Xianzong's performance. He nodded slightly and said arrogantly:
"Everything you said makes sense. Since those treacherous officials in the city have seized the power of my royal family and are unwilling to open the gates to welcome me, it is indeed inappropriate to continue dragging it out.
However...if we rashly start a full-scale war, the ones who will be lost in the end are the soldiers and horses of my Xu royal family...Now that the people in the court are unsettled, the people in the imperial camp outside the city and the imperial guards inside the city must also be in a panic. How can a subject dare to fight with me?"
After a pause, King Heng made the decision:
"So, let's just have a fight first, send out the evil beasts, and suppress the arrogance of the Fifth Army Camp. Let these soldiers who think they are from the Beijing Camp see how powerful our Qingzhou troops are!
Heh... outsiders all think that I don't have many soldiers in Qingzhou and am not good at fighting. This is simply ridiculous. If I have no one to rely on, how dare I be the first to go to the capital to defend the king?"
He had a sneer on his face and was not afraid of the well-equipped Beijing army.
It seemed that as long as he gave the order, defeating the Beijing camp would be as easy as eating and drinking.
Everyone in the tent looked as if it was a matter of course.
Xu Zudi smiled proudly:
"Father is right. Do those idiots really think that our Qingzhou troops can't attack the city? Oh, it's not that we can't, we just don't want to suffer losses.
As my father said, it would be most appropriate not to engage in an all-out fight to the death first, but to fight a battle first, defeat the five military camps, and then force them to surrender.
As long as we win a great victory and tell those corrupt scholars in the city that our Qingzhou soldiers can break into the city if they want to, then they will be really afraid!
By then, as long as we send more people to spread the propaganda in the city, we won’t be afraid that the court will not open the gates to welcome father into the city!"
The rest of the people also agreed.
King Heng laughed and ordered the war to begin tomorrow.
The generals dispersed and prepared to mobilize their troops for battle.
After everyone had left, King Heng also stood up, left the central military tent, and returned to his luxurious military tent where he slept.
At this moment, two beautiful concubines were waiting in the military tent, making the beds and folding the quilts:
"Your Majesty!"
King Heng stepped into the big tent, said "yes" softly, and suddenly asked:
"How is Xiao Dong'er?"
A concubine lowered her head and said: "According to the order of the prince, she is under solitary custody. Does the prince want to arrest her?"
"Forget it," King Heng waved his hand, showing little interest.
"If I wasn't worried about the Xiao family's trouble behind my back, I wouldn't bother to bring a widow with me. It's unlucky. You guys should go out too. The war is imminent, and I need to conserve my energy."
"Yes."
After the two beautiful concubines left, Prince Heng walked to a box in the corner and opened it. Inside the box was a strange and mysterious half-body armor.
It is fiery red all over, with a black human face pattern on the front.
"The throne is something I am determined to obtain." King Heng held up the mysterious armor, raised the corners of his mouth, and showed a disdainful look: "With this in my hand, I can kill anyone, even the gods and men, unless they come out!"
(End of this chapter)