Chapter 83 Urgent News

On the morning of the second day after Governor Song Mingde returned to Bianliang City, the sky was still dark and gloomy when a series of horse hooves suddenly rang out outside the Luocheng Gate. The gate's hinges twisted, slowly opening in both directions. Nimble warhorses trotted across the stone pavement, their riders holding high beacons. An urgent 800-li message arrived from the border, delivered directly to the palace by courier through Fengming Gate.

The palace curtains swirled, the lingering fragrance of the elixir carried away by the night wind. The current emperor rose from his bed, took the letter, glanced at it, and angrily threw it to the ground. Not long after, the gatekeeper opened the palace gates. Teams of servants rode out at full speed, heading straight for Dongxing Street, where the nobles and ministers lived.

As soon as there was a commotion outside, Wen Yao opened his eyes in the silent darkness.

Her eyes were bright and she looked very energetic, not even slightly like she had just woken up from sleep. Wen Yao subconsciously moved her arm, then suddenly stopped.

Zhao Xuanxu hasn't woken up yet.

He closed his eyes and lay behind Wen Yao, his chin resting on the top of her head, one hand cushioning the back of her head, the other across her waist, his legs entangled with hers. This was a position that could almost be described as a vicious embrace. Fortunately, Wen Yao was very adaptable and could sleep in the wild mountains or hanging on trees. After sleeping like this for a few days, she was very accustomed to Zhao Xuanxu's tight grip.

Wen Yao wondered what had happened outside and didn't move. When she heard hurried footsteps approaching the door and Zhao Xuanxu's breathing suddenly changed, she touched Zhao Xuanxu's hand and pushed his arm away.

"Something happened outside."

Wen Yao put on his clothes and sat up, lighting a nearby lamp. The flickering candlelight and the sound of the butler knocking on the door appeared in the bedroom.

Zhao Xuanxu leaned over from behind with his arms supported, his hot chest pressed against Wen Yao's back, his slightly cool and smooth hair hung down, sliding into Wen Yao's collar and causing a tingling sensation.

He was still sleepy and impatient, which was manifested in the fact that His Royal Highness Prince Yan pulled up the quilt to surround himself and Wen Yao, hugged Wen Yao and prevented her from standing up.

The steward didn't know what was going on in the room, but he knew it wasn't a wise decision to disturb his master's rest at this time, so he said in a very soft voice, "Master, the palace has summoned the ministers and several princes to come in immediately."

Zhao Xuanxu closed his eyes slightly, buried his nose in Wen Yao's hair, and spoke coldly and fiercely: "What's the matter?"

The steward was even more respectful: "The messenger who delivered the message only came here to explain the connection with the north. As for the rest, I don't know for now."

North.

Hearing these two words, Wen Yao turned her face to the side, her cheek pressed against Zhao Xuanxu's, their breaths entangled. She touched Zhao Xuanxu's head resting on her shoulder and said, "Go quickly, so Zhang Yun won't come looking for you with all his clamor."

Zhao Xuanxu paused for two seconds, responded slowly, lifted the quilt and stepped barefoot on the ground.

The steward outside heard the noise and hurriedly pushed open the door, waving his hand and asking someone to come in and serve. Maids filed in, holding clothes and toiletries and helping Zhao Xuanxu change behind the screen.

A maid came up to Wen Yao with a tray and asked in a low voice, "Is my lord ready to get up?"

Wen Yao: "Get up, get up, I can do it myself."

Her clothes were simple in style, not as long as Zhao Xuanxu's, which made them extremely troublesome to put on and required help.

Wen Yao slipped into slippers and sauntered behind the screen, quickly changing his clothes and tying his belt. He then went to the side to wash his face. Turning back, Zhao Xuanxu was also fully dressed. His dark blue brocade robe with a dark pattern was remarkably elegant. In the flickering candlelight and the dim night outside, Prince Yan stood with a sullen expression, his presence imposing.

"Hurry up, hurry up." Wen Yao: "Put some candies in your sleeves and eat them on the way."

It's like sending a child to school.

The eunuchs summoned by the Prince of Yan waited for a long time outside the palace, and finally saw the gate open. The Prince of Yan came over with the Feathered Guards, his sleeves slightly lowered, and he jumped on his horse and headed towards the palace.

Wen Yao practiced swordplay, biting a fried pancake in his mouth, picked up a freshly baked bamboo woven cat head, and strolled out.

The hotel where Bu Guanlan stayed was not far from Dongxing Street, both in the richest and most prosperous area of ​​Bianliang.

When Wen Yao arrived, the sky was only slightly brighter than before. She climbed up to the eaves of the restaurant's third floor with ease, pushed open the corridor window, and landed safely under the silent gaze of several Liuli Island guards.

"Miss Wen?"

"Hey." Wen Yao shook his head: "Where is Bu Guanlan?"

What she asked was where Bu Guanlan was, not whether Bu Guanlan had woken up.

The guard also answered directly: "In the backyard."

This restaurant had been booked by Bu Guanlan, which was what set him apart from other martial arts masters. He always traveled with a grand ceremony. Not only did he bring maids and guards, but he also brought his own doctor and cook. A large group of people had come from Liuli Island, and now the three-story restaurant was occupied by the Bu family.

As soon as Wen Yao walked to the backyard, he saw the water tanks in the yard shaking. The water waves were lifted up by the sword energy, jumped up to half a person's height, and then fell back into the tank.

This was Bu Guanlan's habit. He would rise at this time every day to practice swordplay on the cliffs by the sea of ​​Liuli Island, rain or shine. When Wen Yao first arrived on Liuli Island, he found it particularly novel. He would crouch on a tree branch, Xingyi Sword in hand, and watch Bu Guanlan's sharp sword energy and exquisite sword moves.

The sword rises like the tide, and white waves hit the cliffs. It becomes clear at a glance what the Chaosheng Sword and the Chaosheng Sword Technique are.

Wen Yao stepped inside. Bu Guanlan's expression remained unchanged. With a twist of his wrist, he deflected his sword energy. He picked up a fallen leaf with the tip of his sword and gently held it out to Wen Yao.

Wen Yao took the leaf with a smile and flicked it: "You are really loyal. You repeat the same thing every day for more than ten years without getting tired of it."

"As long as I love it, I'll never get tired of it even if I repeat it for the rest of my life." Bu Guanlan smiled faintly and sheathed his sword. Luo Jiu, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward to take Chaosheng's sword and carefully placed it in the sword case.

Bu Guanlan looked at Wen Yao, his gaze pausing at her side: "Prince Yan didn't come with us?"

"I have something to do and I have to go to the palace." Wen Yao picked up the cat's head and said, "I guess I will be busy when he comes back. This is for Ayin. I don't have anything to do right now, so I'll send it to her."

Luo Jiu listened, walked forward and silently hit Bu Guanlan's lower back with his elbow.

Bu Guanlan relaxed his clenched hands and said, "The fish oil is out."

"Yeah, about right."

Bu Guanlan: "Take a few boxes with you when you leave later."

Wen Yao was not polite: "Okay! Thank you, Boss Bu."

Luo Jiu, who was handsome and popular with girls, stood aside and closed his eyes in despair.

Wen Yao had originally planned to stay in the restaurant for a while, waiting for A Yin to get up and hand over the bamboo weaving to her personally. Unexpectedly, when daybreak broke out, something seemed to have happened on the street again, and there was a sudden commotion.

She walked to the window with a bowl in her hand and looked down at the crowd of people rushing in one direction.

Wen Yao stuffed the cherry pancake into his mouth, poked his head out of the window, and recognized that it was the direction of the Fengming Gate of the Imperial Palace.

...The cherry in my mouth suddenly lost its fragrance.

"Hey!" She called out to someone living downstairs, "What's going on? What are you looking for?"

"I heard the Liao devils in the north chopped off the heads of our Tianshui envoys and demanded we pay tribute every year. If we don't comply, they'll send their troops south and attack Bianliang!" the man said anxiously, "The scholars who came to take part in this year's Spring Examination are now at the gates of the Imperial Palace. If they want to fight, then fight! We must not lose the dignity of Tianshui! Everyone, hurry over to see it."

Wen Yao put the plate on the table, picked up the Xingyi Sword and jumped onto the window.

Bu Guanlan, who was listening nearby, called out to her, "Are you going to stop those candidates?"

"The emperor has a bad temper. A crowd gathered at the palace gate to cause trouble. Someone might even die." Wen Yao said, "Besides, the emperor just summoned the ministers to the palace, and I don't even know what's going on. I'm a little curious how the scholars and the common people knew so much about what was going on in the palace."

Bu Guanlan nodded: "Okay, go ahead. I'll send someone to deliver the fish oil to Prince Yan's Mansion."

Wen Yao walked along the eaves and headed straight for the Fengming Gate, which was always in turmoil.

When she arrived, the imperial guards had already emerged, swords drawn from their waists, flashing coldly as they pointed at the nearly one hundred scholars kneeling before the Fengming Gate. The common people had gathered early to watch the excitement, forming a dense circle in the distance, their chatter deafening.

Wen Yao had just crouched down on the nearest eaves when he heard the leading scholar raise his arms and shout, "We will never surrender to Liao! The northern barbarians are extremely rampant, killing my blood brothers and plundering my Tianshui city! Our hatred is as deep as the sea, and we will never reconcile!"

One call and a hundred responses.

As soon as he finished speaking, the many scholars who followed him raised their hands, their emotions becoming even more excited: "The shame of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun should have been washed away long ago! Northern Liao has gone too far, and we, Tianshui, must defend our national prestige!"

"Those who advocate peace are actually traitors within Tianshui!"

The party negotiating peace is the Yongwang Party, one of the two current parties. This is a very bold statement. Wen Yao couldn't help but applaud when he heard it.

She couldn't help but take a closer look. She saw that these people were all dressed in simple cloth robes. They were not scholars from wealthy families. Each one was thinner and weaker than the other. Therefore, the fact that they were kneeling on the ground, facing the imperial guards' swords and glaring at them, showed a kind of stubborn toughness and unyielding spirit.

"We, men of high ideals and courage, will not sit idly by and watch such a humiliating treaty being signed!" the leading man declared, his spit splashing in the faces of the approaching imperial guards. "Even if you throw me into the Ministry of Justice's prison today, I will not let this be said!"

The Imperial Guards were the emperor's personal guards, not ordinary bodyguards. They were primarily the children of officials. They were known for their tempers, except when it came to the nobles within the palace. The guard's expression shifted, and he immediately kicked the man in the chest and shoulder, shouting, "How dare you! The palace gates are strictly prohibited! If you dare disrupt the gates, you will be killed or your skin will be ripped off!"

Wen Yao felt something was wrong.

Sure enough, the imperial guards kicked out, and the weak scholar fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder and unable to speak. This man was very influential among the scholars. After he fell face down, a group of people hurriedly supported him, shouting and shouting, their faces even more angry.

Some of the onlookers from afar gasped, feeling apprehensive for these iron-willed scholars who had dedicated themselves to their country and their people. Some even began to discuss the shame of surrender and how agreeing to submit to Northern Liao would be a sign of the nation's demise.

"No, big brother?" Wen Yao squatted on the eaves, his mouth twitching, speechless: "They just fought in public, and the Imperial Guard selection only looks at physique and not brains?"

Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought so.

In the distance, horses galloped. A man in black came galloping from the end of the long street, whip in hand. Seeing this, he was filled with anger and shouted, "Stop! Don't move!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and immediately quieted down: "Young General Zhongli... Young General Zhongli is here."

Wen Yao raised his eyes and saw Zhongli He dismounting from his horse in the distance and striding towards him.

He was the descendant of a meritorious official and a general who achieved success at a young age. The people in Bianliang City welcomed him at the city gate and threw flowers and fruits to him. Naturally, they all knew him and spontaneously retreated to both sides, making way for Zhongli He to walk ahead.

The imperial guard quickly released his grip on the scholar's collar and bowed respectfully, "General Zhongli."

Zhongli He's eyes were like knives, cold and sharp. His entire body tensed, his expression growing increasingly stern, a menacing aura lingering. "What's going on in the palace?"

"The adults are all in the Lama Temple to discuss matters. The higher-ups have forbidden anyone from gathering or causing trouble outside the palace gates." The imperial guards were also in a dilemma. Gripping the long swords at their waists, they looked up at Zhong Li He's expression and said, "We are told to get rid of these people as soon as possible."

"They didn't say anything wrong." Zhong Li He didn't give them any face at all and said coldly, "How are you going to deal with these people in front of so many people? Are you going to kill them directly?"

Tianshui values ​​literature, and even if a scholar-official commits a capital crime, the death penalty is rare; at most, the punishment is exile. This is the iron rule established by Emperor Taizu. How could the imperial guards dare to respond to this? They even said they dared not.