Chapter 65

Since He Jingyuan received the letter sent from the main city of Jizhou, he learned that the little daughter of the Fan family was kidnapped for no reason. After Fan Changyu went to read the files, he could not sleep at all. He was reading a military book in the tent when the personal guards guarding outside the tent suddenly came into the tent to report that Gongsun Yin wanted to see him.

He Jingyuan had no idea what this chief aide to Marquis Wu'an was up to, so after a moment's hesitation, he asked his guards to invite the man in.

When the curtain was raised, Gongsun Yin was not the only one who came in.

He Jingyuan's eyes fell on the man behind him, who was wearing a black robe with cloud patterns and arrow-sleeved sleeves. After a moment's pause, he quickly stood up and asked, "Lord Marquis?"

Xie Zheng raised the corner of his lip: "Master He, how are you?"

Compared to those veterans who had fought on the battlefield, he was really too young, and with his handsome appearance, many people in the army did not obey him in the early years. They felt that he was born into a good family, as the only son of the Xie family and with Wei Yan as his uncle, so he was able to rise high in the army.

But with the recapture of Jinzhou and the recovery of the twelve counties of Liaodong, this achievement, which no one had dared to surpass since the previous dynasty, finally suppressed all voices of doubt.

Outsiders only praised him for his natural talent, but as a fellow military commander, He Jingyuan knew very well that any one of his military exploits would be enough for an ordinary military commander to brag about for the rest of his life.

Behind all this glamour, it must have been gained with blood and repeated risk of life.

Even though He Jingyuan was more than two years older than Xie Zheng, he admired this youngest military marquis in the history of the Dayin Dynasty from the bottom of his heart.

He led Xie Zheng to the main seat and asked, "Why did you suddenly visit Lucheng?"

Xie Zheng did not refuse. If he did not sit in this seat, the people in the room would not have to sit down.

He sat down leisurely and took the cup of tea served by He Jingyuan himself. When his eyes met He Jingyuan's, He Jingyuan hunched his back a little because of the previous grain collection incident, and there was a hint of guilt in his eyes.

Xie Zheng twitched his lips slightly, but did not attack at this time. He just said: "Old Sui Tuo led 50,000 troops to besiege Jizhou. He wanted to completely cut off the water supply route after the spring. Now that the front line is stable, I am worried about the supply in the rear, so I came here to take a look."

He Jingyuan clasped his fists and said solemnly: "Please rest assured, Lord Hou. As long as I, He, am still alive, I will not let the thieves capture Jizhou."

Xie Zheng tapped the armrest of the armchair with his knuckles. His dark eyes were smiling, but he looked dignified without being angry. "I came here not because I don't trust Lord He. Whether Luzhou can be defended or not depends on Lucheng. But there are only 20,000 soldiers in the city. Once Prince Changxin attacks the city, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist. The newly recruited soldiers are said to be 50,000, but in fact there are only 30,000, and they are all Zhuangjiahan who have never been on the battlefield. If we really have to drive all the personal soldiers to the tower to defend it, Lucheng will not have much advantage. Mr. Gongsun and I have inspected the terrain around Lucheng and come up with a plan to swallow up the 50,000 soldiers and horses that Prince Changxin has surrounded outside Lucheng."

He Jingyuan had not had a good sleep since he was trapped in Lucheng. When he heard Xie Zheng say that there was a way to defeat the enemy, he could not help but be surprised and asked, "I wonder what plan you are thinking of?"

Xie Zheng looked at Gongsun Yin, who answered for him: "The water of Wu River flows from west to east, passing through Jizhou, but its source is in Yanshan. After the spring, the ice and snow on Yanshan melted and turned into water flowing into Wu River. We sent troops to build dams upstream to temporarily block the water of Wu River. The riverbed water level in Lucheng area is still low. Lord He can lure the troops under the command of Prince Changxin to cross the riverbed. Then, we can blow up the dam upstream and flood Prince Changxin's 50,000 troops."

When He Jingyuan heard this plan, he couldn't help but applaud: "This is a great plan! But building a dike is not a small matter. It will require the mobilization of thousands of soldiers. How can we deceive the scouts of Prince Changxin?"

Xie Zheng said, "Prince Changxin has just written a letter of war to me, intending to take Yanzhou. I will borrow 20,000 soldiers from Jizhou and send most of them to the upper reaches of Wuhe River to build dams. Lord He will send more people to kill the scouts. In this way, we can conceal our plan."

He Jingyuan was very puzzled. "Mr. Gongsun said before that we should weaken the defense of Yanzhou and lure Prince Changxin to attack. If Prince Changxin falls into the trap, we should go straight to Yanzhou and catch it off guard."

Gongsun Yin smiled and said, "Lord He is right. Prince Changxin is trying to take advantage of our strategy. He pretended to fall into our trap and take Yanzhou, but in fact he is still attacking Jizhou, so as to occupy Yanhu and dominate the waterway."

After all, He Jingyuan was an experienced veteran, and he immediately understood what they had said before. Leading the troops back to support Yanzhou was also a trick to make Prince Changxin think that they were really going to protect Yanzhou.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "If Prince Changxin also realizes this is a conspiracy, what should we do?"

Xie Zheng said firmly: "He won't notice."

He Jingyuan looked puzzled.

Gongsun Yin suppressed his laughter and explained, "The Marquis's only daughter is in the hands of Prince Changxin. The Marquis borrowed troops to return to Yanzhou this time, ostensibly to rescue his only daughter."

Xie Zheng's cold eyes swept over Gongsun Yin, who quickly sat up straight.

He Jingyuan was a little confused. It took him a while to calm down. He clasped his fists and said, "I didn't know about the daughter that the Marquis was so happy to have. I think the daughter suffered in the hands of thieves."

Gongsun Yin had tried hard to hold back his laughter, but was almost ruined by He Jingyuan's words.

Xie Zheng looked extremely unhappy, but he finally explained: "She is my wife's sister, but the thief misunderstood her identity."

He Jingyuan had just been forced to accept the fact that Xie Zheng had a daughter. Now he learned that the person abducted by the bandits was not his daughter but his wife's sister. Although he had psychological expectations about the sudden appearance of a marquis' wife, he was still surprised.

If it was just his daughter, born to the woman he kept by his side, then it wouldn't be a big deal.

But he already had a marquis' wife, which was no small matter. How many noble families in the capital were racking their brains to wait for a marriage with him? Even after the rumor of his falling out with Wei Yan spread, the royal family, who had been oppressed by Wei Yan, wanted to marry a princess to him so that they could use him to suppress Wei Yan.

How many people have been eyeing this position with red eyes, when will it be taken?

Not only He Jingyuan, but even Gongsun Yin was greatly surprised.

He originally thought that Xie Zheng's feelings for the butcher girl named Fan were just a favor to her for saving his life and a little love developed over time, but he didn't expect that he actually regarded her as his wife?

For a moment, Gongsun Yin even wondered if Xie Zheng had been cursed.

Although he is the only male left in the Xie family, they are still a century-old family. If he gets married, there will be a bloody storm in the entire capital. After all, it means that the power in the entire capital will be redistributed.

Only the most outstanding ladies in Kyoto from aristocratic families are worthy of being the head wife of the Xie family. Wouldn't it be a joke for the whole capital to marry a country girl?

Gongsun Yin frowned tightly, knowing very well that the man he had known for more than ten years was definitely not the kind of person who acted on impulse. He wanted to ask him a few more questions, but because He Jingyuan was there, he held back.

Xie Zheng saw that He Jingyuan and Gongsun Yin were both out of control, but his eyes were calm and he just asked, "What do you think of this plan, Lord He?"

He Jingyuan came back to his senses, temporarily suppressed the shock in his heart, and said hurriedly: "This plan is brilliant, all the troops in Lucheng are at your disposal!"

As he spoke, he raised his hands above his head and presented the Jizhou tiger talisman.

There is no more sincere expression of loyalty than this.

Xie Zheng took the tiger talisman, and seemed not to take this iron talisman that could mobilize the entire army of Jizhou seriously. He played with it on his fingertips and said with lowered eyes, "There is one more thing I want to ask Lord He."

The fact that he used the word "ask for advice" was somewhat intriguing. He Jingyuan vaguely guessed what he wanted to ask. Ever since he stopped Wei Xuan from collecting grain, He Jingyuan had decided to tell him everything he knew. At this moment, he only said, "If you have anything to ask, just ask. As long as I know something, I will tell you everything I know."

Xie Zheng accepted his assurance, raised the corners of his lips, and said, "In Lin'an Town, Qingping County, there is a butcher named Fan. Why did Wei Yan want to kill that couple? How many times did he send people to that family's house to look for something, and what was it?"

Gongsun Yin frowned subconsciously when he heard Xie Zheng ask so many questions about the Fan family. Could it be that his preference for the girl from the Fan family was related to Wei Yan?

He Jingyuan's expression was somewhat complicated. He also wanted to know how much Xie Zheng knew about what happened back then. He asked, "Before I answer you, could you tell me why you want to investigate the affairs behind the Fan family?"

Xie Zheng said, "My wife's parents died a violent death, so we have to investigate for her."

When He Jingyuan heard this, he suddenly raised his eyes, and it was no exaggeration to say that he looked shocked.

Xie Zheng thought that he was just like Gongsun Yin, and was surprised by the identity he promised Fan Changyu. He felt a little unhappy and said with a slightly cold expression, "Master He, can you tell me now?"

He Jingyuan's fingertips trembled slightly. He lowered his old eyelids and was silent for a long time. He sighed, "The dead butcher Fan was a subordinate of the prime minister. Later, he betrayed his master and escaped to live in hiding. However, he was still found by the prime minister and killed. As for the thing the prime minister wanted, I don't know what it is."

Wei Yan had once been kind to him and had later cultivated him. Although they now had different political views, He Jingyuan still respectfully addressed him as "Prime Minister."

Xie Zheng's eyebrows suddenly became stern, but the corners of his lips still had a smile, "If I am not mistaken, that thing should have been taken away by Lord He."

He Jingyuan said bitterly: "I took it, but I really don't know what it is."

Xie Zheng's patience was a little less: "Master He, do you think I will believe this?"

He Jingyuan said: "Whether you believe it or not, everything I said is true."

Xie Zheng sneered: "You don't even know what Wei Yan wants, how can you find it for him?"

He Jingyuan laughed at himself, "What I have done in Jizhou these years has already displeased the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister asked me to kill the Fan couple just to see if I was still loyal to him. He didn't ask me to find anything along the way. That thing was given to me by the Fan couple before they died. He told me to give it to the Prime Minister when he wants it, and not to open it and look at it myself."

Xie Zheng sensed something strange in what he said and asked, "Are you familiar with the Fan couple?"

He Jingyuan couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes: "It's an old friend of He."

Gongsun Yin was unaware of the Fan family's affairs. Hearing this, he could not help but ask, "So Lord He killed his old friend in order to make Wei Yan believe that you were still loyal to him?"

He Jingyuan said nothing, which was considered as his tacit agreement.

Seeing his wounded appearance, Gongsun Yin said something cryptic: "Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and righteous. It's no wonder that you are not the master."

He Jingyuan heard the sarcasm in his words and said, "If I don't take action, the Prime Minister will always send someone else. If I kill the Fan couple, I can still fulfill their wish and save the two children of the Fan family. If someone else goes, it will be like cutting off the roots."

Gongsun Yin was speechless for a moment, as they all knew Wei Yan's methods very well.

After a moment, he asked, "Wei Yan did not ask Lord He to find the object. Lord He later presented it to him. Aren't you afraid that Wei Yan would be suspicious?"

He Jingyuan replied: "Of course I was afraid, but since the Marquis married Miss Fan, I think he knew that the two sisters knew nothing about their parents. My old friend is gone, and I feel guilty. I just want to protect the remaining bloodline. At that time, Wei Xuan was defeated, and rumors about the Marquis's life and death were also out. The situation in the northwest was chaotic, so the Prime Minister had to use He, so he turned a blind eye."

Xie Zheng tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingertips and remained silent. What He Jingyuan said was not much different from his previous guess.

Gongsun Yin asked again, "Did you really not look at the things that the Fan family gave to you, Lord He?"

He Jingyuan smiled bitterly: "Mr. Gongsun is really a joker. If I read it, will the Prime Minister still tolerate me?"

Gongsun Yin looked at Xie Zheng and shrugged.

After asking so many questions, it seems that many mysteries have been solved, but the really important ones have not been asked.

Xie Zheng suddenly raised his eyes and asked: "When Fan Erniu was with Wei Yan, what was his name and what was his position?"

He Jingyuan had cold sweat dripping down his forehead and said, "My Lord, please forgive me for not being able to speak now."

When Xie Zheng didn't smile, his eyes were particularly oppressive. He looked at He Jingyuan and asked, "Why?"

He Jingyuan felt bitter. He knew the truth behind the Fan family and what it meant to Xie Zheng. If he had no connection with the Fan family and just happened to find the Fan family when investigating the Jinzhou case, he might still be able to hope for the kindness in his heart. The couple of the Fan family were dead, and the dust had settled. He should not pursue the orphan girl of the Fan family anymore.

But he actually called Fan Changyu his wife, and the little daughter of the Fan family was kidnapped by thieves who mistook her for his daughter. He Jingyuan couldn't imagine what the two sisters of the Fan family would face after revealing the truth.

He would tell Xie Zheng the true identities of the Fan couple, but not now, at least after the Fan sisters were safe.

The author has something to say:

I spent my mom's birthday with her. I didn't gain weight, so I'll give everyone 100 red envelopes.

There is one more chapter, you can read it tomorrow morning!