Chapter 566 Zhao Duan: Prince, we meet again
Chapter 566 Zhao Duan: Prince, we meet again (asking for guaranteed monthly ticket)
Palace guards?
In the dark palace garden, the moment Zhao Duan felt the strong wind blowing on his face, he almost instinctively held up an illusory golden bell on his body.
"boom!"
"boom!"
Two waves of air rippled on the surface of the golden bell, making a dull sound. Zhao Duan took two steps back and released his strength.
In the field of vision, I saw a tall and thin old man in a plain robe floating down.
The two looked at each other.
Lu Qingfeng!
Zhao Duan immediately recognized that the man was the guard of Princess Xu Junling, the famous "Demon Lu" in the martial arts world many years ago.
When he was in the capital, he was beaten by Hai Gongfeng, and later appeared in the Taicang Silver Mine case.
"Zhao Duan!"
When Lu Qingfeng saw Zhao Duan's appearance, he was also shocked and his movements paused for a moment.
At this moment, he caught a glimpse of a flying sword against his throat. A chill ran down the soles of Lu Qingfeng's feet. He wanted to speak, but his throat was blocked by a ball of water!
Ji Yue, hiding in the dark, silently made hand gestures, and the gurgling water in the pond beside her was at her disposal.
"Don't make a sound unless you want to die."
Zhao Duan took a step forward and punched Lu Qingfeng in the Qi sea, causing the Qi in his lower abdomen to become disordered.
Said in a low voice.
"Woo-"
Lu Qingfeng's eyes went dark and he wanted to speak, but suddenly a finger came quickly and pressed on his forehead. The martial arts master's limbs trembled and he fainted silently.
Yu Xiu retracted her hand, and the jade flying sword was also retracted into the pure white cuff, and she whispered:
"It's just a divine chapter, nothing to worry about."
The brief sound of fighting just now attracted the maidservants approaching from a distance. Two red lanterns swayed in the darkness and suddenly fell to the ground.
Jin Jian took back the staff he had pointed at, and with his other hand he pushed down his glasses, looked at Zhao Duan, and proudly raised his hand to A:
"It's done!"
Lang Shiba's ears moved slightly, pointed in a distant direction, and whispered:
"Sir, there is movement over there."
……
In the west wing of the palace.
The lights in the window were bright, and under the light, the silhouette of a graceful beauty was imprinted on the window paper.
Inside the room, Xu Junling, who had an elegant temperament and sweet appearance, was sitting at the table, flipping through her favorite poetry book.
As it was just nightfall, she had not yet gone to bed and was still fully dressed in her gorgeous dress. In the candlelight, her smooth face looked as delicate as warm jade.
"Ugh!"
However, the poetry collection that he had never read enough in the past seemed boring to him tonight. Xu Junling sighed, closed the book, and his beautiful brows revealed his melancholy.
These past few months have been the most difficult months in the princess' life.
The empress was enthroned, six rebel kings entered the capital, the Huai River was divided up by two kings, and even Jingchuan Town, the headquarters of Huai'an Palace, fell into the hands of King Mu.
Prince Huai refused to see visitors and hoped to avoid disaster. He placed bets on many parties to avoid disaster, but he did not expect the situation to take a turn for the worse.
Now that Zhao Shixiong has defected to the imperial court, the atmosphere in Huai'an Palace seems to be normal, but in fact everyone is on pins and needles, and she, the princess, is worried and unable to sleep.
"what sound?"
Suddenly, Xu Junling heard some noise outside the house and she became nervous.
She stood up, opened the door, stepped out of the threshold, looked into the dark garden from the corridor, and called out tentatively:
"Xing'er? Lan'er?"
The maid did not respond.
Xu Junling frowned and turned back to his room out of anxiety, but as soon as he stepped in, the door behind him slammed shut.
The candlelight in the room flickered.
"Who?!"
Xu Junling was horrified, and then he looked in amazement to see that in the blink of an eye, several figures of different appearances had appeared in the room.
And one of them, sitting in the same position as she was just now, was flipping through a collection of poems with great interest.
The other party raised his head and looked at her with a smile:
"Princess, long time no see."
"Zhao Duan!"
Xu Junling's pupils narrowed, his scalp numbed, and he subconsciously turned around and was about to run out the door - although the two were old acquaintances and had a friendship, things were different now.
But the next second, Lang Shiba's sharp scimitar was across the door, blocking her way.
Zhao Duan patted his butt and stood up. He walked over with a soft voice, pinched Xu Junling's jaw with his fingers, and forcefully turned her head towards him, saying with a smile:
"Why does the princess avoid me like a snake or scorpion?"
"You...how did you come..." Xu Junling did not dare to move, as if she had returned to the time when the lake pavilion was covered in smoke and she was kidnapped by Zhao Duan as a shield. She suddenly remembered something and said in a trembling voice:
"Where's Master Lu?"
"Don't worry, he's not dead." Zhao Duan came closer:
"We don't have time to reminisce. We are here to see the prince. We are in a strange place. May I trouble you to lead the way?"
He came to find his father... Xu Junling's breathing tightened, and he did not dare to disobey, so he immediately nodded obediently:
"I'll take... you guys there."
Zhao Duan was not worried that she would play tricks, so he took the princess out of the west wing and walked east along the corridor.
Whenever they encountered patrolling servants along the way, Lang Shiba and Ji Yue worked together to deal with them.
Perhaps because they attacked from the inner courtyard and the back house, they did not encounter any strong enemies except Lu Qingfeng.
On the way, Xu Junling's hands were restrained by a rubber band, so he walked and tried:
"Governor Zhao is here, but there is no need to do this. I am just an ordinary woman and cannot make any waves. Now the war has started on the front line. Is the governor coming from the front line?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Princess, there is no need to test us. You and I are acquaintances. As long as you cooperate tonight, I can ensure that not a single tile of the palace will be damaged."
……
As they were talking, a group of people entered the inner house, which was unexpectedly deserted.
Black bamboos are planted in the courtyard, and in the grand main hall, the lights are bright, with the halos of light from the candles spreading out, illuminating a corner in front of the hall.
Zhao Duan led four worldly realm masters and escorted the princess to the main hall. He was shocked to see two figures in the hall, ready for battle.
Sitting in the main seat was an old man with a plump figure, fair face, and so well-maintained that his age was almost unrecognizable.
He was dressed like a rich man, sitting upright in an armchair, with a large ink painting hanging on the white wall behind him.
It was actually the King of Huai'an, Xuwen!
Next to the old man, there was a young man who looked somewhat similar to the old man, holding a folding fan in his hand and looking sternly.
Prince of Huai'an, the princess's elder brother, Xu Qian!
"Sister!"
Xu Qian, who was in the hall, saw that no one was standing in the bright light outside the hall and said in a lost voice.
King Huai'an had no expression on his face and said in a deep voice, "Come out!"
"Crash-"
In the darkness of night, there was a commotion in the quiet palace. Zhao Duan glanced over and saw hundreds of swordsmen and axemen pouring out from every corner. They were all wearing night clothes and had a fierce aura. They were definitely not mediocre and almost all of them had cultivation.
On the roof walls on the left, right, front and back of the backyard, there were figures shrouded in darkness, holding different weapons.
His ears moved slightly, and he even heard the sound of bows and crossbows being strung. It seemed that in the darkness farther away, there were a large number of crossbowmen lying in ambush.
As long as King Huai'an gives the order, crossbow arrows will swallow up this open space like locusts!
As expected, the palace is full of dangers and is heavily guarded!
Subconsciously, Lang Shiba drew out his scimitar, Ji Yue made a hand gesture, Jin Jian and Yu Xiu also frowned, and each of them knocked on the magic wand and flying sword.
The divine consciousness belonging to the worldly realm is released to the surroundings.
"what!"
The captured princess suddenly screamed. Zhao Duan's right hand was like an iron clamp, grabbing her delicate neck, as if he could break her neck with just a thought.
"Lord Huai, it's been a long time since we last met. Is this how you treat guests?"
Zhao Duan smiled calmly, not showing any nervousness at all, as if he was oblivious to the swordsmen lurking around him.
This is not due to the hostages in hand, but rather due to the strong confidence.
The Huaiwang Mansion is a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan, so it is normal to keep some martial arts masters in the mansion.
But facing the several world-level realm masters who came together today, it was really not enough. They could deal with it without the help of Zhong Pan outside.
"It is an honor for me to have such a noble presence here, Governor Zhao. However... visiting my house at night is one kind of disrespect, and kidnapping my daughter is another kind of disrespect. How about letting my daughter go and then discussing it?" Huai'an King Xu An said in a deep voice.
Zhao Duan sneered and did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked around slowly, as if looking for something.
Looking around the courtyard, the swordsman suddenly stopped and saw a familiar face in the crowd.
Feng Xiaolian!
Back then in Yongjia City, I was ordered to meet him in a brothel to convey the good intentions of the Huai'an Palace.
Then, at the request of Zhao Duan, the head shopkeeper sent a blank letter to Zhao Shixiong!
This guy... really escaped back...
After Zhao Shixiong surrendered, Zhao Duan asked about this man's whereabouts and learned that Yongjia caught fire that night and Feng Xiaolian had no news since he sent the letter, disappearing without a trace in the chaos.
When Feng Xiaolian, who was also wearing a nightgown, met Zhao Duan's gaze, her eyes were complicated, filled with fear and surprise.
"Manager Feng is here too," Zhao Duan was not affected by the tense atmosphere at all. He smiled and greeted him, as if he was meeting an acquaintance on the street, and joked:
"Last time in Yongjia City, I haven't thanked Manager Feng for his help yet."
Feng Xiaolian's face changed. She didn't dare to answer rashly. She glanced at King Huai'an first, then pursed her lips and said:
"Greetings, Governor Zhao. I didn't expect to meet you here today."
Zhao Duan smiled faintly, his eyes falling on a round stone stool next to the black bamboo in the yard.
He used his free left hand to grab it in the air!
The stone pillar was suddenly frightened, whirring in the air, and fell to the ground with a bang.
Zhao Duan lifted the hem of his robe and sat down surrounded by a group of martial arts masters.
Xu Junling was forced to kneel on the ground beside him with his knees softened, with her holding his neck with her hands and supporting himself on the ground with his hands, in a kneeling dog-like posture.
"How dare you humiliate the princess? Let my sister go!"
Prince Xu Qian was angry and scolded loudly.
Zhao Duan glanced at the stupid prince with a strange look in his eyes, but ignored him and continued to look at the King of Huai'an with a smile as bright as spring breeze:
"Your Highness, you are joking. I am an old acquaintance of the princess. I am taking the liberty of visiting her today. It is a good opportunity for the princess to introduce me to you.
It’s just that the last time the lake pavilion opened, the taste of the river fish cooked by the prince in Dafeng Tower is still in my mind, and I don’t want to meet again today, but without wine and meat. ”
Prince Huai'an sat upright in the armchair without getting up.
Looking at his daughter, who was on all fours and restrained by Zhao Duan, the rich and wealthy prince who loved food did not show much emotion on his wealthy face.
He said calmly:
"Since we parted at Huting, I didn't expect that in just a few months, Governor Zhao has impressed me.
Not only did I hear that his martial arts skills had reached a new level, but he had recently defeated Qingzhou and conquered Linfeng. In particular, there were recent rumors that Governor Zhao had recaptured Yongjia City without a single soldier, and had made Zhao Shixiong willing to be the vanguard to quell the rebellion...
"Everything has surprised me greatly. Even my daughter, Jun Ling, has often expressed her feelings to me in the palace, saying that Your Majesty has an unparalleled vision and has really found a great talent who can serve as a pillar of the country."
The atmosphere is very weird.
Zhao Duan tied up the princess in an almost humiliating manner, and the murderous aura around them was as dense as a spider web.
But King Huai'an actually praised Zhao Du'an in a polite tone.
But what was even more strange was that no one present noticed anything was wrong.
It was clear that a year ago, when Zhao Du'an met the King of Huai'an, he had to rely on his status as an imperial envoy to barely dine with him.
But today, this evil guest has become equal to the King of Huai'an in momentum, and even surpasses him.
Zhao Duan listened with a smile and said:
"Your Highness also impresses me. In this age of war, you are still able to get along with everyone. I heard that Your Highness is supporting the armies of Prince Jing and Prince Mu at the same time to fight against the imperial court? You are so rich and powerful."
King Huai'an was silent for a moment, a hint of bitterness appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he shook his head and said:
"General Zhao, there is no need to say such things. You should know that I have no ambition to rule the world. All I want is to be a safe and wealthy man!
This was the case when I was at Huting and did my part to help the court open the market, and it is also the case now that I am shutting myself in to protect myself.”
Zhao Duan asked with a smile:
"So, the reason why I sent the chief treasurer Feng Xiaolian to Yongjia City to collude with me is the same?"
As soon as these words were spoken, even though everyone on the scene was from Huai'an Palace, the atmosphere still became subtle.
He pierced it directly!
Feng Xiaolian was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.
King Huai'an was also startled, and suddenly he sighed softly, with some anger flashing in his eyes:
"If Commander Zhao still remembered this, he shouldn't have barged in like this today, and he shouldn't have treated my daughter like this!"
When this matter was brought up, he became a little annoyed.
When the two kings started their armies and divided up the Huai River, King Huai'an believed that the empress could not hold on to her country, and that the two factions most likely to claim the throne were Jiancheng and Yunfu.
So I bet heavily on it.
He wanted to reverse the wrong investment he made when Huting opened.
To this end, he did not hesitate to issue an order to give up resistance and hand over the entire territory of the Huai River, leaving only the palace and various businesses.
Originally, with the wealth of Huai'an Palace, it could have survived the extortion from the two kings.
But the empress returned to the capital and stabilized the court, and Zhao Duan successively defeated the Qingzhou rebels and the Yunfu rebels led by Su Dan.
Prince Huai'an had no choice but to try to contact them again, but he had no obvious inclination at that time and still believed that the court had a greater chance of losing.
The reason for contacting is just in case, it is a businessman's instinctive habit of not putting all his eggs in one basket.
Who could have thought that Zhao Duan's operation and strategy of sowing discord not only involved Feng Xiaolian but also involved him.
After Prince Mu Xu Jingtang learned the news, he personally led his troops to the palace and took away a lot of money from Prince Huai'an.
It almost caused serious damage to the royal palace.
Fortunately, the eight kings are still in alliance.
Even for the stability of the alliance, Xu Jingtang did not dare to really destroy the Huai'an Palace at this time, or go too far.
In this way, I barely escaped the disaster.
And then, Zhao Shixiong's rebellion made King Huai'an even more uneasy.
-
A little stuck, this chapter is a little shorter.
(End of this chapter)