Chapter 617 Identity exposure crisis!
Chapter 617 Identity exposure crisis!
"Your Majesty means..."
Zhao Duan was stunned and looked at the empress in confusion.
I didn't understand a bit.
He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to fly to Binhaidao temporarily when I am about to fight with Prince Jing? I am afraid that this is not appropriate.
Firstly, I am not sure of the exact time of the battle when I enter Binhai. Secondly, even if I can predict it, Your Majesty will rush over thousands of miles and fight in a hurry, so I am afraid..."
He thought Zhenbao was crazy.
Xu Zhenguan stared at him seriously and shook his head:
"I am not rushing over there at short notice. I am going to Binhai with you to kill Prince Jing."
Zhao Duan was even more confused.
He shook his head subconsciously:
"No, under the current situation, if Your Majesty is away from the capital for a long time, not to mention whether the entire court will be in trouble and the military will be in chaos, this action alone is enough to alert Xu Wen in advance and cause the operation to fail."
A country cannot live without a king for a day!
Xu Zhenguan quietly watched him analyze seriously, and suddenly smiled sweetly, and the old building became bright.
Her eyes were gentle and she said:
"Of course I know what you said. But what if I could be like you, physically away from home, but my spirit could return through this stone wall?"
Zhao Duan was stunned, and a flash of light flashed through his mind: "Your Majesty just..."
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"Just now, I saw in Emperor Taizu's practice notes how to use this mural to travel back and forth between the soul and spirit."
No... So, the traveling of soul and spirit is not my privilege, but there are corresponding methods... Zhao Duan opened his mouth.
Xu Zhenguan smiled faintly, looking calm and composed:
"In this way, I can also do what you did, leaving a puppet body in the palace, and quietly leave the capital and go to Binhai."
Zhao Duan said:
"Your Majesty, you usually just attend court in the palace, occasionally review memorials, and hold meetings... and these tasks do not require your real body at all. As long as you are away for a short period of time, you can completely hide it from everyone and make it impossible for anyone to find out."
Xu Zhenguan nodded gently:
"And I will go to Binhai with you. Regardless of whether Wu Xiankui is killed or not, we will definitely be able to kill Prince Jing. Once Prince Jing is dead, Prince Chen will no longer be a concern, and the internal crisis of the Yu Kingdom will be solved. By then, even if it is exposed, it will no longer be relevant to the overall situation."
The king and his minister looked at each other, both pairs of eyes sparkling.
Zhao Duan's breathing became even more rapid. If this was the case, the ambush plan would be much more secure.
Well, the prerequisite is that the empress must hide her identity well and not reveal it in advance.
The empress seemed to see through his thoughts and said seriously:
"So, it is indeed necessary to meet Master Zhang."
As she spoke, she swept Zhao Duan's soul, and the whole person rose from the ground and turned into a golden rainbow.
In the blink of an eye, they had arrived outside a small courtyard deep in the Tianshi Mansion.
In the afternoon.
There is still some snow inside the Tianshi Mansion.
However, the mysterious banyan tree in the courtyard was green and full of vitality. When the empress pushed open the wooden door, she saw lush flowers and plants growing on the ground in the courtyard, which seemed to be in two different seasons from the outside world.
"Swish..."
Under the big banyan tree, there is an empty bamboo chair.
Suddenly, the door of the house in the courtyard was pushed open, and the old Taoist priest wearing a soft black priest robe walked out with his hands behind his back.
On his ruddy face, he glanced at the emperor and his ministers with narrow eyes and sighed softly:
"The old man really wants to retreat and have some peace and quiet for a while."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "When the world is at peace, the Heavenly Master can live out his days in peace."
Why sleep for a long time when you are alive? You will sleep forever after you die... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, but a smile spread across his face:
"The Heavenly Master is fulfilling the will of heaven and should take action to turn the tide."
Zhang Yan puffed his beard and glared, highly alert to his flattery, and said unhappily:
"What are you doing here this time? Don't tell me that you are going to tear up the Heavenly Man Agreement and want me to go out and deal with Xuan Yin or Wu Xian Kui."
"Master Zhang, what do you think I am? Since it is an agreement, I will not be the first to violate it." Xu Zhenguan smiled faintly, with unparalleled grace:
"It's just that the Buddhist sect in the Western Regions has now raised its banner to avenge the destruction of Buddhism by Tianshu six hundred years ago. In fact, the Taoist sect was the main force in the destruction of Buddhism in the past."
Zhang Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed:
"When will the injustice be repaid?"
After a pause, he said:
"I have no control over the fight between the Western Regions and the imperial army. But if the Western Regions Buddhist sects make a big move, the Tianshi Mansion will send sorcerers to join the fight."
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly: "This is the best."
Zhao Duan was not surprised by this. If the Buddhist masters only relied on the masters in the imperial army to resist, they would definitely not be able to hold out.
It is only a matter of time before the Tianshi Mansion joins the war.
However, compared to the expansion and development of Buddhism in the past few hundred years, the Taoist sorcerers are a loose alliance, so they lack organization and are too scattered. Although they are not inferior to the other side in high-end combat power, they are far inferior to Buddhism in terms of middle-level monks.
This was also reflected in the original Buddhist-Taoist competition.
"Your Majesty, do you have anything else to say?" Zhang Yan's heart skipped a beat when he saw that the emperor and his minister had finished their conversation and did not move.
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "Indeed, I have one more thing to ask of you."
"..." Zhang Yan sighed and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, please tell me first."
Xu Zhenguan said calmly: "From now on, Mr. Zhao will go to Binhai Road to kill Prince Jing. I will accompany you in plain clothes."
Zhao Duan nodded quickly: "Yeah!"
Zhang Yan was startled for a moment, wondering if he had heard wrongly: "Your Majesty is leaving the capital?"
"No, it's both leaving and not leaving." Xu Zhenguan pointed at Zhao Duan who was in a spiritual state:
"I will also use secret techniques, like Zhao Qing, to leave the capital physically, but my spirit will return from time to time. Therefore, I want another puppet body that suits me. Also, I hope that the Heavenly Master can help shield the secrets of the Heaven."
She did not hide anything, but revealed her plan in detail.
It's not blind trust. But with Zhang Yanyi's cultivation level, if she leaves Beijing, the old master will definitely notice it.
Besides, Wu Xiankui is fine, but Xuan Yin, the bald donkey, has profound magic skills. If the empress leaves the capital, Xuan Yin might be able to calculate and sense it.
If Zhang Yan is willing to cover it up, there will be no risk of failure.
"Like this kid?" Zhang Yan's eyes flickered, showing surprise. He looked deeply at the emperor and his ministers, and suddenly said:
"Your Majesty, has your cultivation improved recently?"
Zhang Yanyi knew very well: if Xu Zhenguan had this secret skill before, he would never have hidden it.
The fact that it is being used now can only mean that it has been mastered recently, which is very likely to involve the secrets of royal inheritance.
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "Indeed, I have gained something from time to time."
Zhang Yan hesitated for a moment and nodded:
"Okay. The puppet will order the public transport to the palace later. After your majesty leaves, I will also cover it up."
The reason why he agreed was not because of personal relationship, but because of the incident of "Tianshu destroying Buddhism" mentioned by the empress after she arrived.
What this means is that in the face of the great enemy of Buddhism in the Western Regions, the imperial court and Taoism are allies.
What’s interesting is that due to the cooperation between Prince Jing and Xuan Yin, although the Tianshi Mansion nominally does not interfere in the secular world, in fact, it has to take sides.
If you don't take sides now, when the imperial court is defeated, the next place to be destroyed will be the Tianshi Mansion.
The lips are dead and the teeth are cold.
Zhang Yan sighed in his heart: We have finally come to this point.
It was like a replay of the war that happened six hundred years ago.
Amid the chaos, the Tianshi Mansion would eventually be unable to remain immune.
Zhang Yan laughed at himself and looked at Zhao Duan and said:
"Are the Jade Sleeve and the Golden Tablet still with you? I will order the crane to deliver the decree and ask them to go with you to Binhai and await your orders."
Zhao Duan was stunned.
What Lao Deng meant was that the Tianshi Mansion had finally stopped standing idly by and had decided to take action?
That’s right…Buddhism has raised the banner of “revenge”, and the situation is different from the previous civil war.
Immediately, the second thought came to his mind: Is this Old Deng going to carry the crane to the front line again? Oh, no, no.
"Thank you, Heavenly Master."
Zhao Duan guaranteed:
"In this battle, unless I die, I will not let my two disciples fall into danger."
Zhang Yanyi glared at him unhappily and said with a curled lip:
"As long as Your Majesty is going with me, I won't worry." Okay, this freeloader clearly thinks that the Empress will do it herself, so he doesn't mind doing her a favor.
The two sides agreed.
The emperor and his ministers were about to leave when Xu Zhenguan suddenly paused, turned around and said casually:
"One more thing, Xu Jianwen is not dead."
Zhang Yanyi sat on a rattan chair under the banyan tree, closed his eyes, and remained unmoved:
"Oh."
Xu Zhenguan's long eyelashes trembled:
"Master Tian knew this long ago?"
Zhang Yan took a long breath, but seemed to have fallen asleep.
……
……
The Coastal Road.
On the edge of the East China Sea stands the "holy land of martial arts" which is famous in the world.
At this moment, clouds and mist are swirling above the green mountains.
Although it is winter, the climate near the sea is humid and the mountains are all indigo.
Dressed in gorgeous clothes and a jade belt around his waist, with a graceful appearance, Prince Jing Xuwen walked on the mountain path in the clouds, heading down the mountain.
There were two people following him.
Princess Lu Yan'er was wearing a veil and a simple blue dress.
Duan Shuiliu, a short and broad man, was dressed in cloth.
The three of them walked down from the top of the mountain and arrived at the flat stone platform on the mountainside. All they saw were rows of thatched houses.
There are Qingshan disciples who are immersed in their own martial arts world and have no idea what the world is.
Only three people walked side by side.
"I've met senior brother."
The three of them said in unison, clasped their fists and saluted towards Duan Shuixing.
They were the "threesome" who had represented Qingshan disciples and went to the capital to compete:
Chai Keqiao, Xiao Ran, and Qi Ye.
"Yes," Duan Shuiliu nodded and said lightly:
"Master has told the prince that he will lend him a group of Qingshan disciples to go down the mountain to assist. The three of you can bring others who are willing to go down the mountain and set off together."
Chai Keqiao and the other two were somewhat surprised:
Did Master agree to help Prince Jing?
"May I ask," Chai Keqiao blinked, "whether Master would..."
Duan Shuiliu glanced at him, his face stern, and said vaguely:
"What kind of person is Master? How could he interfere in the mundane affairs of the mortal world?"
No way? Back then, Fengshan was also... The trio muttered in their hearts, and clasped their fists respectfully:
"understood."
Prince Jing stood on the mountain path with a smile and exclaimed:
"With Qingshan's influence in the martial arts world, it will be easy for me to defeat that Zhao thief."
Princess Lu Yan'er said nothing, looking at the end of the sea of clouds below the mountain, and the large group of armed cavalrymen ready to go at the foot of the mountain. Her eyes were vague, unable to hide her worry.
……
……
In a remote cemetery somewhere.
Suddenly, a flutter of paper money fell from the sky.
A sloppy man with disheveled hair and a long sword made of old copper coins was walking in the cemetery with a crow.
The long sword swung out.
"Crash..."
In the illusory Yellow Springs Road, there is a faint sense of soul recalling.
The soil of a tomb before his eyes cracked open, and in the thick black air, Guhuo Zhenren crawled out weakly, his face as pale as paper.
Looks haggard.
As soon as he crawled out, he tremblingly threw a copper coin to the leader of the Underworld Cult.
The leader of the Dark Cult grabbed it and said with a smile:
"Is this your last coin? Well, you still have some money, but no matter how strong your cultivation is, it can't withstand being torn apart again and again. I have to remind you that with your current weak soul, if you split your soul again, I'm afraid your cultivation will fall back to that of a mortal."
Guhuo Zhenren sat on the grave, gasping for breath, and said unhappily:
"It's none of your business. Even if I only have one life left, so what? I only care about why I died again this time, and why I was not called back by the God of Death. Did I go to the capital again? Or did I meet Zhang Yanyi?"
The leader of the Dark Cult said calmly:
"Then I don't know. Anyway, you're on your own."
After saying that, the leader of the Underworld Cult left in a hurry, just like a social animal who was perfunctory at work and wanted to go home as soon as he got paid.
Guhuo Zhenren did not keep him, and he rested on the grave for a long time before he stood up and staggered out.
He planned to go to a reserved post station to find out his whereabouts before his death.
——Every once in a while, he would send a letter to a certain place, clearly stating his current actions in the letter.
In this way, even if he died and lost his memory, he would still know roughly what he had done through these letters after he was resurrected.
Well... But I only know the details, it's impossible to know how he died...
"Could it be that Xu Jianwen has provoked some powerful enemy again and has tricked me?
Humph, if I didn't want to rely on him to regain the throne, I could continue to be the imperial teacher. Why would I work for him?
Sigh, after I have rested well, I will go to Binhai as soon as possible. I have to take out the things in the treasure house, repair my injuries as soon as possible, and restore my cultivation... I hope that no one will covet the treasure house this time..."
……
……
Jianning Prefecture.
In an unknown temple.
On this day, the young monk Tianhai, with a thick yellow cloth tied on his head to cover his third eye, carried a six-way stick and a bag on his back, bid farewell to the abbot of the temple, and went down the mountain alone.
"Did Prince Jing go to Binhaidao? Great, then we'll join him."
The young monk Tianhai had a deep look in his eyes:
"If it wasn't by chance, how would I know that Princess Lu Yan'er of Prince Jing is actually a descendant of Pei Niannu's lineage? We must inform Prince Jing and tell him to be careful..."
Monk Tianhai walked hurriedly.
As the only survivor of the battle in Baihua Village, Monk Tianhai had clearly seen Zhao Duan summon "Pei Niannu"...
After being rescued by the Jiancheng rebels, he was sent here to recuperate.
During the days of recuperation, he gradually came to understand the situation in the outside world and slowly connected everything together.
"Pei Niannu... Lu Yan'er... Is there any relationship between the two? Zhao Duan, I will not let you succeed again."
Tian Hai pursed his lips, his eyes were cold and full of hatred:
"You and I are enemies, and I will kill you!"
……
……
"Ah!"
Beijing.
Zhao Duan, whose soul had just returned to the Zhao Mansion and entered the puppet body, just sat up and couldn't help sneezing. He rubbed his nose and frowned:
"Who is cursing me?"
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ps: Ha ha ha, next is the drama of husband and wife teaming up, the plot of bombarding Qingshan is just around the corner...
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of this chapter)