The charcoal fire inside the room was burning very brightly, and the monks were dressed in white robes.
He looked much thinner, probably from the hardship of his journey, and his eyes and brows looked cold.
There's a kind of aloofness that keeps people at arm's length.
The two men's conversation focused on the current situation of the siege of Jincheng and its future.
Qin Shang first thanked Dao Ci for saving hundreds of thousands of people in Qingchuan and Jincheng.
Next, they probed Daoci's opinion to see what the next step should be.
Wei Xiao led his troops to rescue Qingchuan and Jincheng.
Now that the garrison in Daning has arrived, it won't be so easy for them to leave.
After all, it's easy to invite a Buddha, but difficult to send one away.
Wei Xiao, the garrison commander of Danning City, was arrogant and disobedient, even ignoring orders from the governor's office.
The garrison officers of Qingchuan and Jincheng were below him, and their troops were far fewer than his, so they naturally could not control him.
Even the Embroidered Robe Envoy wouldn't have the power to command him.
In other words
He can do whatever he wants. Qingchuan, Jincheng, and Danning—the three cities are all under his control.
The monk said, "Has the Embroidered-Robe Envoy not received the news? The Prince of Ying has already died in battle at the Pingxi Military Command. Now the entire Pingxi Military Command is leaderless."
Qin Shang's eyes flickered.
He smiled and said, "Master, where did you get this information from after all your travels?"
The monk's expression remained calm.
"Wei Xiao informed this humble monk."
Wei Xiao? That's possible.
He had served in the military for many years and had many informants. No wonder he agreed to send reinforcements to Qingchuan.
Qin Shang: "That's true. The King of Ying was overconfident and underestimated the enemy, fell into a trap, and has already died on the border. Now the Right General of the Pingxi Commandery has temporarily taken over the military command. It's not appropriate for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to interfere in military affairs."
The monk's dark eyes gazed at him.
"Why do I say that? The Pingxi Army has been enclosing territory and acting autonomously for years, and the imperial court can only issue warnings from afar. The Pingxi Army has 300,000 troops, but the commander-in-chief, Prince Ying, died on the battlefield, which shows that there is chaos in the army. It is precisely because of the Embroidered Uniform Envoy that we need to sort out the rules and regulations in this matter."
Qin Shang let out a long "oh," his eyes smiling.
"Even the master thinks that way."
He poured a glass of warm wine and handed it to Daoci.
"To be honest, I do have a secret letter from His Majesty. I do intend to go to Renjia City, the seat of the Pingxi Governor's Office. However, I must first settle the matters in Qingchuan and Jincheng before I can report back to His Majesty."
Whether there was a secret letter or not is not important.
He was the emperor's favored illegitimate son. Although he was only a commander of a thousand embroidered-robe officers, he had a great deal of autonomy in his actions.
Unlike the other princes in the capital, he came from humble origins.
That is precisely why planning is even more necessary.
He had volunteered to go to Yongzhou to welcome back the Buddhist disciple, hoping to find other opportunities.
Unexpectedly, everything turned out just right, as if it were all destined by fate.
Qin Shang: "I've heard that Chief Secretary Song of the Pingxi Commandery is currently recuperating in Jincheng. I've tried to visit him before, but haven't been able to get an audience. I've heard that Chief Secretary Song is a devout Buddhist. I wonder if you could introduce me to him, Master?"
The monk put his hands together in prayer position.
"I am willing to obey your orders."
Qin Shang laughed: "Then I'll have to thank the master."
.
After he left, Dao Ci sat in the room and closed his eyes to rest.
The black figure on the roof nudged Qi Su.
"You can leave now."
Qi Su: "No, I'm a person with dignity. No man has ever dared to make me wait this long. Goodbye, I'm going to get my beauty sleep."
The mistress grabbed her.
"So you'd rather just lie on this rooftop for an hour doing absolutely nothing?"
Qi Su: "...You're right, I'm someone who listens to advice. I'll go down and collect some interest."
She jumped off the roof.
The wine pot on the table was still warm, and Qi Su poured half a pot of wine into it.
Wipe your mouth.
"The wine is good, but it contains medicine."
It's obvious what kind of antidote it is.
The white-robed monk sat with his eyes closed, his face showing signs of weariness.
They did not speak.
Qi Su took his hand and began to check his pulse.
The Gu worms inside his body were still dormant, everything was stable, and there were no signs of them causing trouble.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm not in the mood today. Let's talk about the bugs tomorrow."
She kicked off her shoes and sat on Daoci's bed.
It seems they're planning to settle down here.
"Oh, right, there's something else that's a bit urgent. Is your girl Ayan still of any use? If not, get rid of her as soon as possible."
Ayan is an important character in the original book.
Qi Su was afraid that taking matters into her own hands might create some unforeseen butterfly effect. After all, she was just cannon fodder.
Therefore, it's better to let Dao Ci take action.
Ayan was originally killed by his scheme.
The monk looked up.
When those dark eyes stare intently at someone, it's as if all their thoughts have nowhere to hide.
"What unusual things has she done lately?"
Qi Su: "That would cause quite a stir. Do you remember Huatan Temple?"
As she mentioned this, Dao Ci's expression grew even colder.
Although his face was expressionless, his long, slender fingers, resting on his knees, slowly clenched.
Qi Su: "This girl is amazing. This time, she wants to turn the entire Jincheng into a purgatory for Huatan Temple."
“I’ve found that kind of Gu. They call it Black Water Gu, and they guard it very closely. I managed to add something to it, so it’s not as scary now. But, as far as I know, this is all they have. Whether there are others behind the scenes, I don’t know.”
If Jincheng is thrown into chaos by the plague, no amount of reinforcements will be of any use.
Even the chaos in Jincheng could involve Qingchuan.
The current situation will immediately reverse.
Dao Ci nodded with a stern expression.
"I understand."
Qi Su sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs.
“Of course I trust you to do things. But I’m just reminding you, you know about the relationship between Commander Qin and this Miss Ayan, right? If this Miss Ayan dies in our hands, Commander Qin will go mad.”
Dao Ci slowly said:
"She won't die at our hands."
.
The blue cloth carriage returning from the north of the city swayed back and forth.
An oil lamp hung on the front of the vehicle, illuminating a faint patch of road ahead.
The interior of the car was dimly lit.
Ayan sat in the carriage, hugging her knees and closing her eyes to rest.
The maid beside her reported the information she had gathered.
"The Buddhist disciple has returned from Danning City. Lord Qin personally went to discuss important matters late at night, speaking to him with great kindness and concern."
Ayan laughed and said, "Oh, that's quite remarkable."
Since it's so useful and so remarkable.
Then the Qin merchants will probably stop doing business with me.
After all, what Beiting could give him, he could now easily reach out and get himself.
Why leave yourself vulnerable to others?
The carriage turned onto the long street.
Ayan sighed.
"It seems we can't keep this monk here."
I had thought he would be useful, so I decided to keep him until after next year's Lotus Mountain Buddhist Assembly.
But I never expected him to be in such a hurry to die.
What kind of monk is he? He can't let go of his identity as a prince of the previous dynasty.
Chaos was brewing in Yongzhou, but it was suppressed with a nonchalant tone.
Unexpectedly, he would be of such use in the Northwest.
No wonder he came from Ganjing to Yongzhou to recuperate.
If you can't have it, you can only destroy it.
It's a pity that all the hard work of the past few months has been wasted.
Maid: "But the Embroidered Robe Envoy is keeping a very close watch on him now. Lord Qin also values him highly. I'm afraid it won't be easy to make a move against him."
Ayan said, "It's not difficult at all. It's not like we're going to take a knife and chop him up."
She fiddled with the beaded bracelet hanging on her wrist.
A slight smile.
"Of course, on the surface, he can't die by my hand. Don't worry, maybe the opportunity will come soon."
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