Chapter 52: The double meaning sent chills down my spine.

Upon hearing this, Li Keyong, who was on the couch, turned his pale face and looked over, coughed twice, and asked, "A marriage decree? What kind of marriage decree?"

Li Cunxu also looked at him strangely.

Zhang Yin said, "I want to marry Zhu Qing. I have known her for a long time and know that she is capable enough to help the State of Jin. If you don't believe her, I will marry her and keep her by my side to observe. Perhaps she can be of use."

Li Keyong frowned deeply and remained silent.

Li Cunxu exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't she and Feng Huaihe husband and wife? You..."

Zhang Yin quickly explained, "Actually, both she and Feng Huaihe were forced into this situation. They weren't a real couple; Feng Huaihe kidnapped her family to threaten her."

Li Cunxu snorted, "I've seen plenty of ruthless warlords forcibly taking beauties. But Feng Huaihe appears so refined and elegant; I never expected him to do something like this."

Li Keyong remained silent, his face pale. Although he had agreed with Feng Huaihe to do everything according to Zhang Yin's wishes, the relationship between the three of them seemed delicate, and he was hesitant to rashly agree to the marriage proposal to Zhu Qing.

He stalled, saying, "I don't know if this is true or not yet. You should go back and wait. I will give you an answer once I have investigated it."

Zhang Yin remained silent for a moment, thinking that being too aggressive would arouse suspicion, so he did not press the matter further and took his leave.

As soon as the person left, Feng Huaihe came out from behind the screen and looked thoughtfully in the direction Zhang Yin had left.

Although Li Cunxu admired his abilities, he did not approve of his treatment of Zhu Qing. He looked at him with a complicated expression and said, "I never imagined that Mr. Huaihe would use such methods."

Feng Huaihe lowered his eyes and remained silent.

He doesn't deny what he's done, and he knows he's despicable, but as long as he can get Zhu Qing, he'll accept any despicable method.

Regardless of the relationship between the three, Li Keyong only asked, "What he just mentioned, should we agree to it?"

Feng Huaihe pondered for a moment: "Agree to it."

Li Cunxu interjected, "Are you willing to do that?"

Feng Huaihe said firmly, "I have my own considerations."

-

Zhang Yin left the Jin King's palace and went to the prison to find Zhu Qing.

Zhu Qing had been waiting for news from Zhang Yin, her heart filled with anxiety. Finally, she heard Zhang Yin's footsteps. Zhu Qing got up and walked to the cell door, where she saw Zhang Yin pacing anxiously towards her.

Seeing Zhang Yin's less-than-pleasant expression, Zhu Qing was somewhat prepared and asked frankly, "Your Highness, will you not see me?"

Zhang Yin looked sad, hesitated for a moment, and finally just let out a long sigh.

Seeing his reaction, Zhu Qing understood perfectly. She asked dejectedly, "What did you tell him?"

Zhang Yin said, "I pleaded for you, but he said he needed to consider it. Because of your relationship with Feng Huaihe, he doesn't dare to trust you and doesn't want to see you."

Zhu Qing lowered her eyes, feeling somewhat distressed. It was all Feng Huaihe's fault for ruining her life.

Hearing their conversation from behind, Nie Zhen led Manman forward and asked worriedly, "If that's the case, what should we do? Do you have any news about Zheng Yang and Uncle Yu?"

Zhang Yin frowned sadly and shook his head.

Nie Zhen was anxious and nervous. She wanted to ask Zhu Qing, but she was afraid of bothering Zhu Qing, who was already looking for a way out, and making him even more annoyed. She bit her lower lip anxiously, her face pale, and sat back down on the haystack with Manman.

Seeing her distraught state and tears welling in her eyes, Zhu Qing couldn't bear it. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "It's all Feng Huaihe's fault for dragging me into this mess. He told me long ago to let me go and make my own way, but he never listened. Now look what's happened! He's dead, but he's made me suffer like this!"

Zhu Qingqi's eyes reddened, worried about his sister-in-law and Manman, and anxious about the whereabouts of his two brothers.

Her blame for Feng Huaihe reached its peak, but she knew now was not the time to lose her temper. She needed to think of a way out. Her first goal was to leave this place and regain her freedom so that she could possibly find her two older brothers.

Zhu Qing asked, "Is the heir apparent's attitude very firm?"

Zhang Yin looked troubled: "I was wrong. I told the Prince that Feng Huaihe forced you, but he didn't believe me. He just said it was a trick by you and your husband. He is very firm and doesn't want to see you."

Zhu Qingyue listened, her heart growing increasingly anxious.

In his anxiety, Zhang Yin suddenly said, "I have a way that will allow you to find your two elder brothers even if you don't see the heir apparent."

Zhu Qing's eyes lit up slightly: "What method?"

“The Prince of Jin’s men discovered traces that Feng Huaihe was still alive in the Bozhou area. I thought, if he is really still alive, could we use a plan to lure him out?”

If we can lure Feng Huaihe out and find someone to question and coerce him on the spot, we can see where he took the Zhu Yubo brothers.

Although the probability is high, Zhu Qing cannot be completely certain whether her brothers were taken away by Feng Huaihe to be used as leverage against her.

However, if she can lure Feng Huaihe out, figure out what happened, and have him explain it to Li Cunxu, she might be able to gain her freedom and then go find someone.

Zhu Qing thought this was a good idea. "Do you have a plan?"

“Yes,” Zhang Yin said firmly, “Since he is alive, he will definitely keep an eye on Jinyang and your situation. As long as the news of our marriage is released, he will definitely come to find you.”

Zhu Qing was taken aback. How did we end up talking about marriage again? She said, "But I'm stuck here and can't get married. Besides, I don't want to do it this way."

Zhang Yin smiled slightly and reassured her, "Don't worry, it's not a real wedding. Didn't I say I was just releasing this news?"

Zhu Qing suddenly realized that this was a good idea: "Then let's do it this way."

But then he thought, Zhang Yin didn't have any special abilities in his previous life, so how come he's so good at devising strategies in this life?

She was on guard, wondering if there was some trap waiting for her. Then she remembered the assassin and deliberately probed, "Did you know that someone tried to assassinate Feng Huaihe the night before he set off?"

Zhang Yin genuinely didn't know, and after a pause, he confessed, "I don't know."

"The assassin said he was sent by you."

Alarm bells rang in Zhang Yin's mind. He was completely unaware of this matter. If it was Feng Huaihe who did it, Zhu Qing would probably suspect that he was no longer willing to cooperate with him.

Although he didn't know the ins and outs of the matter, he quickly came up with a solution and made up a story: "I remember now, when we went to besiege Huang Chao together, Feng Huaihe did indeed mock me about this matter on the way."

"But he said that he arranged for an assassin to kill him, and after staging the whole thing, he shifted the blame onto me, all to annoy you."

After Zhang Yin finished speaking, he raised his dog-like eyes, looking sincere yet fearful: "So you really believe him, and that's why you're annoyed with me?"

"No," Zhu Qing said frankly.

She had long suspected that the assassin was arranged by Feng Huaihe himself, but she never expected it to be true.

Based on Zhang Yin's description, it was indeed something Feng Huaihe was capable of doing. Who told him to keep comparing himself to Zhang Yin?

Now that things had come to this, Zhu Qing completely believed Zhang Yin, and was even more convinced that since Feng Huaihe had gone so far as to hire assassins to stage the whole thing, he was probably the one who did it to his two older brothers.

The goal was to force her to get married.

In this way, the person who most wants to marry her will definitely be unable to resist running back to her when he hears that she is going to marry Zhang Yin, and then she will have the upper hand.

Zhu Qingyue thought about it more and more and felt that Zhang Yin's method was very effective, so he urged him to do it quickly.

Zhang Yin breathed a sigh of relief without revealing his presence. Fortunately, he had passed this hurdle. He left some snacks and comforted Zhu Qing for a few moments before slowly leaving the cell.

Zhang Yin arrived outside the Jin King's palace and saw the warm early spring sunshine shining down on the azure sky, where a flock of wild geese flew by in unison.

He suddenly felt that the beautiful scene before him highlighted the dark and filthy thoughts in his heart. He felt disgusted and repulsed by his own behavior, yet he couldn't suppress the base desires within him.

Zhang Yinqiang suppressed his self-loathing and pretended nothing had happened as he continued to leave.

-

-

The next day, a horse-drawn carriage slowly drove into Jinyang City.

Zhu Feichuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the bustling crowd on the street, his brows furrowing: "I wonder how Qingqing and my eldest and second brothers are doing."

Chen Sangguo came over from the side, opened her arms and hugged him tightly from the side, resting her chin on his shoulder and laughing: "Aren't you always the most optimistic? Don't worry, Qingqing is smart, she will definitely find a way to get through this."

Zhu Feichuan scoffed, "Of course I trust her, but I still have to do something."

Chen Sangguo deliberately scolded him, "You only have a few stinking coins now, what can you do? But luckily, Yunmeng wasn't implicated, she should still be at home, right?"

Zhu Feichuan nodded. He was still traveling as a merchant in Kaifeng when he heard about the Jinyang Incident, so he hurriedly took Chen Sangguo back with him.

Although Zhuo Yunmeng was still safe and sound, Zhu Feichuan was more eager to see his family. He didn't go to the house, but instead took Chen Sangguo to the prison, where they were stopped by the soldiers.

Zhu Feichuan took out a pile of money to bribe the soldiers, who retorted righteously, "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Seeing that there was really no other way, Chen Sangguo pulled Zhu Feichuan aside, "Why don't we go find Zhang Yin? He has connections, maybe we can get a meeting with him."

Zhu Feichuan scoffed, "What good would it do to find him? If he were useful, would Qingqing still be locked up?"

"It seems so."

Zhu Feichuan's eyes darted around, "Why don't we go to the Prince's mansion and find the heir apparent? Give him some food and supplies, and we can not only ask about the situation, but perhaps we can also beg him to release Qingqing."

Chen Sangguo agreed: "That works!"

The two optimists acted swiftly, spending two days preparing provisions before ascending to the gates of the Prince's residence.

Logically, Li Cunxu wouldn't see just anyone, but upon hearing that it was Zhu Qing's family delivering provisions, he quickly invited them in.

A short while later, Zhu Feichuan and Chen Sangguo entered the room, saying they wanted to exchange 10,000 rations for Zhu Qing's freedom.

Li Cunxu was worried about not having an excuse to release Zhu Qing so that he could comply with Feng Huaihe's request and let her marry Zhang Yin.

Zhu Feichuan has presented an opportunity and even offered 10,000 jin of grain for free. With the war at its most intense, Li Cunxu cherishes this opportunity and immediately agrees, ordering someone to release Zhu Qing and the others from prison.

Zhu Feichuan and Chen Sangguo went together to pick up Zhu Qing from prison, but halfway there they received a message from Chen Zhong saying that there were some problems with the weapons being forged and asking him to come and take a look.

Considering that Chen Sangguo hadn't seen Chen Zhong for a long time, and that the weapons were related to his future trade routes, Zhu Feichuan took Chen Sangguo on a detour to find Chen Zhong first, deciding to go home after finishing the weapons business.

-

While Zhu Qing was dozing in the cell, he heard a strong shout from the jailer: "Come out, you can leave now."

Zhu Qing snapped out of her daze, grabbed her sister-in-law and Manman, ran to the door, grabbed the doorpost, and asked in surprise, "Why can we leave all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," the jailer said as he unlocked the door. "It was a message delivered personally by the heir apparent."

"Heir?" Li Cunxu.

Zhu Qing was somewhat puzzled. Why had the person who refused to see her yesterday suddenly let her out? But this was not the time to think. She quickly returned to Xihuatang with her sister-in-law and Manman.

As they passed through the streets, Zhang Yin happened to be on his way to the Prince's residence for a meeting. He was sitting in his carriage when he saw them from afar and wondered, "Why are they out here?"

The attendant sitting beside him glanced at him and said, "I heard that the heir apparent released him personally."

Zhang Yin didn't call out to anyone, he just watched Zhu Qing walk away. He slowly lowered the carriage curtain and asked, "Are you sure Feng Huaihe is dead?"

The attendant said, "We sent people to look for him. They said there were his tattered clothes, bloodstains, and signs of a large insect feeding on him at the foot of the hill. There was no sign of him alive, so he must be dead."

Zhang Yin gave a faint "hmm," also feeling that Feng Huaihe was definitely not going to make it, but he still felt a strange sense of panic in his heart.

He arrived at the Prince's residence, where Li Cunxu summoned several advisors for a meeting. Zhang Yin assumed it was because of the war that he had come in such a hurry, but to his surprise, Li Cunxu, sitting on the general's seat, said, "I have found Feng Huaihe's whereabouts."

Zhang Yin's heart skipped a beat, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Really? Didn't he confess and then run away?"

"Hmph, he betrayed my father, causing him to fall seriously ill. Did he think he could get away with it by running away? Of course I will bring him back and make him wish he were dead."

Zhang Yin clenched his fists nervously. Feng Huaihe was actually alive and had been found by the heir apparent. If Feng Huaihe were to return alive, wouldn't all of his plans be in vain?

Even after the meeting ended, Zhang Yin was still very anxious. As soon as he left and returned to his carriage, he kicked his attendant hard.

The attendant immediately stumbled to the ground, not knowing what he had done to anger his master. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "My lord, please calm your anger!"

"Didn't you say Feng Huaihe was dead?" Zhang Yin's eyes were bloodshot with rage, veins bulging on his forehead, his face contorted in a terrifying grimace. "Is this the result of your work?"

"I also want to do a good job, but the money you gave me, sir, is really too little, so..."

"You still complain that your salary is too low?!"

Zhang Yin was so angry that his chest heaved, and he really didn't want to see him: "Get out!"

The attendant scrambled off the carriage, rubbing his sore buttocks, unable to understand how Zhang Yin, who used to be kind, gentle, and generous with his salary, had suddenly become stingy and irritable.

He was asked to do a favor, but only given two thousand coins. That wasn't enough! It made him want to quit!

Zhang Yin was unaware of what his attendant was thinking. He only felt that he had already given a lot of money, and it was clear that the attendant himself was not capable enough!

Zhang Yin rubbed his temples, telling himself that now was not the time to be angry or furious. He had to think of a way to prevent Feng Huaihe from affecting his plans.

But Li Cunxu said that Feng Huaihe would be brought back in a few days, at which point all the lies would be exposed.

Fortunately, the Prince of Jin's bestowed marriage has arrived, and he will soon be able to marry Zhu Qing. Even if Feng Huaihe returns at that time, it will be of no use.

On the contrary, she could use Zhu Qing, whom he liked, to humiliate and abuse him, making him realize that she was stronger than him, both in terms of background and the choice of being loved by Zhu Qing.

Zhang Yin quickly came up with a solution after a moment's thought, and instructed the coachman to go to the flower-washing hall.

When Zhang Yin arrived at Xihuatang, Zhu Qinggang had just finished dinner with his family and was discussing how to find Zhu Zhengyang and Zhu Yubo.

But they had no clue. None of them had been to the battlefield and didn't know what had happened in Bozhou. The only person they could use who had been to the scene was Zhang Yin.

Zhang Yin stood outside the Washing Flower Hall, peering through the crack in the door to observe the situation inside and listen to the conversation.

Nie Zhen leaned against the table, one hand on her forehead, the other stroking Manman's pigtails, and choked out, "I don't know what Bozhou is. I only know that your elder brother was injured protecting Prince Jin, and I don't know how he is now. What will happen to Manman and me if he dies?"

While in prison, Nie Zhen's grief was not yet apparent, but here, seeing the traces of her life with Zhu Zhengyang, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

Zhu Zhengyang was the only support for a woman like her. In this era, losing her husband meant losing everything.

Zhu Qing understood her and patted her shoulder to comfort her: "He and Second Brother should be together. Second Brother knows medicine, so he will definitely treat his injuries."

Nie Zhen wiped away her tears. "What should we do?"

“I have already discussed it with Zhang Yin. We will fake a marriage with him to lure Feng Huaihe out.”

Nie Zhen looked bewildered: "Why bring up Feng Huaihe?"

Before Zhu Qing could speak, he became worried again: "But you are a girl after all. This relationship with Zhang Yin is not good for you..."

"I don't care about those empty titles."

No sooner had Zhu Qing finished speaking than a knock sounded on the door.

Zhuo Yunmeng, who had remained silent until now, was the first to get up and open the door.

Zhu Qing glanced to the side and saw Zhang Yin, dressed in a blue robe, standing at the door, his gaze gentle and his smile faint. "Qingqing?"

Zhu Qing hurriedly went over: "Is there any news?"

"Yes, may I speak to you in private?"

Zhu Qing walked with him to the wishing tree. The sunlight overhead shone on the fluttering red silk, and the gentle scene eased the slight tension in Zhu Qing's heart.

Zhang Yin leaned against a tree trunk, his face grave: "The men I sent out today have news that they've found the whereabouts of your eldest and second brothers."

Zhu Qing seemed to see a glimmer of hope: "Really?"

“Yes,” Zhang Yin said without batting an eye, “They are actually in Jinyang, but they are being guarded very well by Feng Huaihe’s men, just like the heavily guarded imperial prison.”

Zhu Qing said, "We need manpower to bring them out."

"But we don't."

Zhang Yin said, "I have a plan. We can ask the heir apparent for help, but we need to offer something in exchange for sincerity. After all, it is always a taboo for a strategist to have troops. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhu Qing lowered her brows in thought.

The number of troops required for this matter is not enough to warrant the ruler's concern.

However, the experiences of several lifetimes made Zhu Qing unable to fully trust Zhang Yin. She said, "I need to see where my eldest and second brothers are before I can be sure."

Zhang Yin murmured, understanding what she was worried about. In her previous life, she had been just as cautious and would never act rashly.

He said, "I'll take you there tonight at 9 PM."

Zhu Qing agreed.

Because the outcome was uncertain, Zhu Qing did not tell Nie Zhen the news for the time being, lest she have hope only to have it dashed again.

In the stillness of the night, Zhu Qing waited alone in the Washing Flower Hall until 9 PM before leaving.

Zhang Yin waited for her at the alley entrance. Both of them had curfew signs, so they left without any hindrance.

It was too dark at night for Zhu Qing to see the scenery outside the carriage clearly. He only knew that the carriage had been winding and turning for about two or three hours before it slowly came to a stop.

Zhu Qing jumped off the carriage. In the quiet night, only the sound of the wind blowing gently past her ears could be heard. She looked around and saw that the place was remote and empty, with only two or three houses that were far apart from each other.

Zhang Yin walked behind her and said in a low voice, "We still have a long way to go. The carriage is too conspicuous. Come with me."

Zhu Qing followed closely behind him, barely able to make out the path with the help of the dim night light. In the distance came the sounds of barking dogs, mixed with the sound of their footsteps rising and falling.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Zhang Yin, who was walking in front, finally stopped, turned around, and pointed to Zhu Qing, saying, "It's right there."

Zhu Qing looked up and saw that the long alley was deep and quiet at night. At the end of the alley was a small house with two swaying lanterns hanging from the eaves, the light illuminating the groups of people guarding the door.

Not far away, there were some street debris. Zhu Qing hid behind the debris, staring intently at the patrolling men, and whispered in a puzzled voice, "He actually went to such lengths?"

If so many people are needed just outside, I wonder how many are inside?

Seeing this, it was clear that there was a very high probability that Feng Huaihe was still alive, and that he was probably hiding somewhere, enjoying her anxious state.

Once she's reached her breaking point, he'll slowly reappear and tell her, "Come and beg me."

Zhu Qing felt angry at herself, clenched her fists, and felt that Feng Huaihe was even more heartless and insane.

Zhang Yin whispered, "Let's leave first, it won't be good if we're discovered."

Zhu Qing nodded, not rushing forward, and retreated back into the carriage with Zhang Yin.

The carriage moved slowly, its creaking noise disturbing Zhu Qing's peace of mind. She tried to calm herself down and think of ways to get manpower from Li Cunxu.

Although Feng Huaihe still gave her some money, Li Cunxu is now suspicious of her, so she absolutely cannot hire any more people, otherwise she would be handing Li Cunxu a knife to kill her.

Zhu Qing then recalled being released earlier that day and looked at Zhang Yin, asking, "Li Cunxu suddenly released me; did you help me?"

Zhang Yin was slightly taken aback. He didn't know why either, but when Zhu Qing asked, she obviously didn't know either, so he said, "I pleaded with the Prince of Jin."

Zhu Qing hummed in response and offered a faint thank you. He then said, "I have a way to get some manpower from Li Cunxu that he won't be wary of. The weapons that Feng Huaihe had the swordsmiths forge were not given out by him before, but they might be of use to me now."

Hearing this, Zhang Yin's anxious heart finally calmed down a little.

This was exactly the result he wanted. Once he obtained Li Cunxu's men through this incident, he would use them to kill Feng Huaihe.

Moreover, he also wanted to lure Feng Huaihe out and kill him on the day he married Zhu Qing, so that he would die at the scene of his wedding with Zhu Qing.

He must be unable to return, unable to interfere with him, and whether in this life or the last, he will always be his defeated foe.

Zhang suppressed the sinister desire in his heart and said gently, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

-

Zhu Qing acted immediately, and that very night he went back and found Bao Fu, asking him to bring over the weapon that Chen Zhong had made.

However, they only have one set of weapons. As Feng Huaihe said before, this is their only bargaining chip. If they hand it all over, they might be discarded after they have served their purpose.

Zhu Qing had a plan; he took a separate set of weapons and went to find Li Cunxu.

Li Cunxu heeded Feng Huaihe's advice and summoned her to his study.

When Li Cunxu received the weapon from Zhu Qing, he examined it closely. In addition to a sharp and hard blade, there was also a helmet and armor. Judging from the details, it was clearly made by the legendary Lingnan swordsmith.

Li Cunxu's eyes gleamed with undisguised light: "It really exists! It really exists! I thought swordsmiths were just a legend, but I never imagined that such a perfect set of weapons really existed!"

Zhu Qing calmly said, "A single swordsmith cannot forge too many. But my third brother is a merchant, and he's quite successful now. He can hire people to learn the technique and forge more weapons for Your Highness. I only ask that Your Highness provide some manpower..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Cunxu said directly, "I grant your request!"

In short, Feng Huaihe will eventually get him to agree.

His straightforwardness startled Zhu Qing for a moment before she realized, "Your Highness isn't going to ask?"

"What's there to ask? You can leave now." Li Cunxu was afraid that if they continued talking, he would give himself away.

Seeing that his lord was dismissing him, Zhu Qing didn't press the matter further and silently withdrew.

With a weight lifted from her heart, she felt that as long as she led her men to rescue her brothers, the matter of marrying Zhang Yin could be disregarded.

However, the news of the marriage decree from the Prince of Jin had already been sent, and she was afraid that resistance would cause unforeseen circumstances, so she could only proceed according to the original plan for the time being.

As soon as Zhu Qing left, Li Cunxu happily took his weapons and went to the Jin Prince's Palace to find Feng Huaihe.

During this time, Feng Huaihe lived in a side hall of the Jin Prince's Palace, taking care of Li Keyong while planning for his future.

Without needing to announce his arrival, Li Cunxu pushed open the door and saw Feng Huaihe standing by the window with his hands behind his back, motionless as if frozen in place.

“Zhijian, you two are such a pleasant surprise to me,” Li Cunxu said as he stepped forward and noticed that Feng Huaihe was looking at a piece of clothing.

It is a wedding dress.

The groom's wedding attire hung on the rack in front of Feng Huaihe. He gazed at it with a gentle expression and tender look, a deep affection shining through his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Li Cunxu exclaimed in surprise, "You're even preparing wedding clothes for Zhang Yin? What kind of quirk is this!" He immediately felt goosebumps all over his body.

Feng Huaihe reached out and gently touched the soft fabric of the wedding dress. "It's for myself."

Li Cunxu: "Hmm?"