Chapter 243: Old Friend Comes to Seek Refuge
"Sun Qingchen?" The first person to speak was the person next to him.
Sun Qingchen was puzzled. He looked up and saw that it was the retired Emperor Zhou Mian, formerly Prince Gong. He sat beside the young emperor, his desk only half a step away from the dragon-headed table, appearing even more majestic.
That glance frightened Sun Qingchen so much that he quickly lowered his head and said, "I'm here."
The Emperor played with the petition he had submitted through Prime Minister Han. "You said you were the magistrate of Lan County? You were a Jinshi in the 13th year of the Tianwu reign, and have been in office for seven years now. I remember you."
Sun Qingchen was terrified, but he didn't know what to say. Everything he wanted to say was already written in the memorial.
"How dare you!" With a scolding, the retired emperor suddenly threw the memorial in his face. Sun Qingchen knelt down in fear, touched the ground with his forehead, and apologized repeatedly.
Even the young emperor turned pale with fright.
"As the chief official of Lan County, you allowed Lan County to be lost for almost a year before reporting it! And you still dare to say that you are not an accomplice of that traitor?!"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to report this. Ever since Lan County was captured, the thieves have held me and my family captive. I've written several letters pleading for help, even sending a blood-stained letter to General Bai in nearby Qianzhou, but all my requests have fallen on deaf ears! I was only recently released, and as soon as I was, I immediately brought my wife back to the capital to meet Your Majesty!"
"Oh, that's ridiculous! According to your account, the thief held you captive the entire time, didn't kill you, and instead kept you locked up and fed you, and then finally let you go? Now, let me ask you, since you said you sent a letter in blood asking for help, who did you ask to deliver it?"
Sun Qingchen's face turned pale, his body stiffened, and he couldn't even speak!
"You actually asked the rebel's family to deliver a letter, Lord Sun, how foolish you are! Isn't that like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth?"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to report this. That man is the rebel's uncle, a Jinshi (Jinshi) from the seventh year of the Tianwu reign. His name is Xu Deyuan! He once held the position of Imperial Doctor—"
Unexpectedly, Han Xiang frowned and looked at the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I remember that Xu Deyuan offended Zhu Ci last year because of the timber case and was exiled to Qianzhou. I never thought he would lead a rebellion! He is truly a ruthless person!"
Sun Qingchen was a little confused after hearing this and quickly said, "Master Han, it wasn't Xu Deyuan who rebelled, but his niece Xu Zhenying!"
Sun Qingchen's words caused the entire Baohua Hall to fall silent for a moment.
Then, the emperor was the first to exclaim in surprise: "You said that the rebel from Jinzhou Prefecture is a woman?"
"That's right. But Your Majesty, you must not underestimate this woman. She's only been operating in Lan County for a few months, yet she's already conquered Jinzhou and Qianzhou Prefectures, becoming a powerful lord in the southwest. Furthermore, she's exceptionally skilled at winning over people. Each of her subordinates is fiercely loyal to her, willing to sacrifice their lives for her. Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but this woman's intelligence far surpasses anyone I've ever met. Even Zhou Heng to the east couldn't match her in rebellion! Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot let your guard down. You should first dispatch troops to eliminate these rebels! Otherwise, if she becomes too powerful, the three-hundred-year foundation of our Great Zhou Dynasty will be in jeopardy!"
"What nonsense! Sun Qingchen, you, an official appointed by the imperial court, actually lost to a mere woman. This is a humiliating shame! I think you are deliberately exaggerating the strength of the rebels in order to shirk responsibility for the loss of the city. You are absolutely despicable! Someone, drag this Sun Qingchen out and chop him up!"
Sun Qingchen was horrified. He had traveled thousands of miles to come back to report the news to the court, but the emperor actually wanted his head?
"Your Majesty, I am wronged! I never deliberately exaggerated the traitor's behavior. In fact, she is truly terrifying! In just one year, the people of Lan County only know her, Xu Zhenying, and not the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. What's more, she even ordered the people to beat the Chief Eunuch and the Military Supervisor of the Transportation Bureau to death! If the court does not send troops to eliminate her, where will the reputation of the Great Zhou Dynasty be? Where will the prestige of the Great Zhou Dynasty be?!"
"You're still talking nonsense! That eunuch from the Transportation Department arbitrarily raised taxes to a whopping one million taels, and he was beaten to death by the indignant people! Well done to him, I think! Such a deceitful scoundrel, let him die, what's the pity?"
Sun Qingchen was horrified. "But the Transportation Bureau represents the imperial court. Even if they are guilty, they should be sent back to Bianjing for trial. How could Xu Zhenying punish them privately?"
"How dare you! Don't try to excuse yourself for losing the city! Even if it's true that the traitor killed the people from the Transportation Bureau, it's also true that you, Sun Qingchen, lost the city and still lived. Come, drag this traitor's accomplice out and execute him on the spot!"
The imperial guards rushed forward in a hurry, wearing armor and holding swords. Sun Qingchen had never expected that he would die in the imperial city. He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and kept crying out that it was unfair.
"Your Majesty, the government is unstable now. It is inappropriate to massacre officials again, as this may cause a stir in the court. Considering that Sun Qingchen has come a long way to report the news, please spare him this time and throw him into the Heavenly Prison first."
"Just do as Prime Minister Han wishes!"
After Sun Qingchen was dragged away, the people in the room breathed a sigh of relief. The retired emperor slammed the table fiercely and said, "Sun Qingchen! He's so stupid that he can't see the situation clearly! The Tartars in the north are about to march south. We only have 500,000 soldiers, which is barely enough to resist the Tartars. And he actually dared to ask us to deal with a female bandit. It's a complete joke!"
Emperor Zhou Zhong glanced at his father's expression and said submissively, "Your Majesty, father, are absolutely right. What's even more despicable is that this person can't distinguish between the important and the urgent. He only cares about boosting others' morale and destroying his own prestige. This kind of alarmist talk disturbs the morale of our army. He really should be dragged out and executed!"
The Emperor said again, "He said he wrote a letter to Bai Ci'en. But after the defeat, Bai Ci'en has been hiding in Qianzhou and refused to come back? If it weren't for the military officer's repeated pleadings on his son's behalf, I really wanted to chop off Bai Ci'en's head. Well, considering the increasingly tense situation in the north, let's first issue an order to let Bai Ci'en return. He will be demoted one rank and sent to the north to fight the Tartars."
Han Xiang also nodded in agreement.
But in his heart he felt sorry for Sun Qingchen.
This person is somewhat loyal, but unfortunately he cannot see the situation clearly.
Now that the new emperor has just ascended the throne, the opposition voices within the court have not been completely eliminated. There are even many people who support Prince Ming. Even if Prince Ming rebels, he is the real son of the late emperor.
The new emperor's throne was not obtained in a legitimate way. From the new emperor's point of view, the most difficult opponent at the moment is still Prince Ming in the east.
If the injustice is not redressed, the emperor's throne will never be safe.
But Sun Qingchen couldn't see through the truth that one must first stabilize the country before resisting foreign aggression, and he actually kept encouraging the emperor to suppress the bandits?
Haha, what can a bandit do, let alone a female bandit.
However, even though they occupied two states, they still dared to be so arrogant.
Once the east is stabilized, all the rebels in the Great Zhou Dynasty will not be able to escape!
However, Sun Qingchen was afraid that he would never understand it in his lifetime.
He never imagined that he, a loyal and brave man, would end up almost being beheaded.
Sun Qingchen sat on the dim and damp prison floor, deep in thought, tossing and turning, as if something in his heart was being torn apart.
Could it be...is he really wrong?
Where did he go wrong?
Why was he so devoted to the Zhou Dynasty and the emperor, but was rejected by the emperor and abandoned by the world? Why was that?
At this moment, Sun Qingchen's heart ached. His world seemed to shatter into pieces. He wanted to wail, to curse the man on the throne for not distinguishing between loyalty and treachery, and even to end his life.
The future is so bleak.
He came here across thousands of mountains and rivers with a loyal heart, but was thrown aside and trampled on repeatedly in the mud.
What a pain!
At this moment, he seemed to be back in Lan County and saw that courageous figure.
He really wanted to catch that person, beg her for the truth, and ask her where she had gone wrong.
That woman is so smart and can see through people's hearts, she must know the answer.
He seemed to see the woman's calm and steady smile, as if all the troubles in the world would disappear with just a wave of her sleeves.
Sun Qingchen was like a dying man, with a dull look in his eyes. He lay on a bed made of hay, having not eaten or drunk anything for two days. His eyes were dull and he seemed to be about to die!
In the middle of the night, Sun Qingchen heard footsteps, followed by a man's rough voice: "The one from Jinzhou Prefecture... is he inside?"
Alarm bells rang in Sun Qingchen's mind!
Here they come, here they come, it must be the person who is going to kill him!
Sure enough, the emperor will not let him go!
Sun Qingchen was once a wise man, but now he is dying inexplicably. He doesn't even know the reason. He just died in a daze.
He is unwilling to accept this!
He hates it!
He didn't know what he hated, but the resentment in his heart was already rising, making his chest heave, as if the suppressed beast in his heart had awakened!
If he had the chance to do it again, would he still choose to come to Bianjing City to report the news?
If he had the chance to do it all over again, would he be able to abandon his family and career to follow Xu Zhenying and fight to his heart's content?!
Yes, if I had known this would happen, I would die anyway. Instead of dying in a dark cell in the city of Bianjing like this, I might as well follow Xu Zhenying and create a new world!
Sun Qingchen was suddenly frightened by the thoughts in his mind and his scalp went numb!
He was shocked to realize that deep down in his heart, he had such outrageous thoughts!
However, there was no time to think about these things, because the man walked up to him.
He was a lean and capable middle-aged man with squinting eyes. Although he was wearing the official uniform of a jailer, he had an imposing aura that was even more intimidating than the imperial guards in the court!
Very good. This man looks like he has been through many battles and has a murderous aura. I think he is a veteran of the battlefield. He has no regrets in dying at the hands of such a hero.
Sun Qingchen closed his eyes in despair, waiting for death to come.
There is no such thing as no regrets.
There is only grievance, reluctance and anger!
Damn it, if he could do it all over again, he should overturn the court and reshape the world!
But the lean man didn't draw his sword. He just stood in front of Sun Qingchen and asked condescendingly: "I heard you came from Jinzhou Prefecture? I want to ask you something -"
Sun Qingchen's eyes suddenly widened, his expression a little dazed.
"Do you have any wealthy merchants named Xu?"
Sun Qingchen was still a little stunned.
After thinking about it for a long time, he let out a breath.
This person wasn't here to kill him? !
Sun Qingchen felt a surge of joy at having escaped death, but then frowned and sighed, "Oh, there aren't any wealthy merchants, but there is one powerful rebel. I wonder which one to ask, brave man?"
Zhao Qiaonian scratched his head. Since they dispersed from Xingyuan Prefecture, they all returned to Bian Jing one after another. Although they were reprimanded by their superiors, at least their lives were saved.
The brothers were still traumatized by their last trip to Qianzhou, and no one wanted to be an exiled escort anymore. In addition, they had money in their hands to bribe people. Some bought houses and women, some bought shops to start small businesses, and some simply used money to smooth things over and move up. At one point, the ten of them left and dispersed.
Only Zhao Qiaonian looked like a lost soul after he came back.
He often couldn't help but think that Xu Qingying and her group were all old, weak and sick. Even though Xu Qingying was a genius, she was still a girl. What would they do if they met bandits like Li Datou again?
Zhao Qiaonian felt regretful and kept thinking that it would have been better if he had not left.
He even missed the days of swords and knives.
That exciting feeling made him feel like he was still alive.
It's better than the current dull and unchanging days.
"Rebel?" Zhao Qiaonian frowned. There were many refugees in the Jinzhou area, so it was not uncommon for there to be rebels who declared themselves kings. Moreover, people like Li Datou could occupy the city and become king. It was estimated that anyone in Jinzhou could rebel now.
Wait...is Sun Qingchen talking about the traitor named Xu?
Zhao Qiaonian didn't know why, but his breathing became tense. His throat felt dry and hoarse. "The traitor surnamed Xu? Who?"
"Who else could it be? Haven't you heard of Xu Zhenying from the southwest?" Sun Qingchen sneered repeatedly, looking at the jailer again. "It's a blessing for the common people of Bianjing City that you haven't heard of him! You can enjoy yourself for a while longer. When that female devil swings her sword south, your good days will be over! Our Bianjing City is in danger, lying on the edge of swords and axes, and yet no one notices! How pitiful! How ridiculous!"
This time it was Zhao Qiaonian who was stunned, Xu Zhenying!
What a familiar name!
Even in his dreams at midnight, he was still thinking about the days when he fought together with her during the refugee rebellion!
How refreshing it is!
Zhao Qiaonian's scalp went numb at that moment!
But now, he had already mastered the skill of keeping a straight face. He suppressed his pounding heart and repeatedly confirmed, "Are you talking about Xu Zhenying? That... sounds like a girl's name!"
"Oh, just because she's a woman, the world underestimates her! So what if she's a woman? When it comes to being ruthless and manipulating people's hearts, all the men in the world put together are no match for her! Just wait and see. Now that Jinzhou and Qianzhou in the southwest have fallen into her hands, she will soon come south to seize Bianjing. Then you will know how vicious this woman is!"
Zhao Qiaonian almost instantly confirmed that the big traitor Sun Qingchen was talking about was Xu Zhenying!
Good job!
He thought that Xu Zhenying was no ordinary person and that he would be able to soar into the sky one day. It would not be surprising if he could become the richest man in the southwest. However, he did not expect that he would directly rise up in rebellion and change the dynasty!
She actually dared to rebel!
But then I thought, what was Xu Zhenying afraid of?! Back when she was selling soap, she had the audacity to hype it up and sell it at exorbitant prices. Later, she even used her recipe to beckon the wealthy in Xingyuan Prefecture, making a hundred thousand taels overnight!
What else is she afraid of?! Is there anything in this world that she can't do?!
Oh my God!
Zhao Qiaonian felt suffocated, and then the blood in his body began to boil and burn.
Somehow, he suddenly remembered Ming Xiaoshuang who had disappeared halfway and had no news since then!
Damn, that guy must have gone to Xu Zhenying halfway!
Judging from Sun Qingchen's tone, it seems that Xu Zhenying and his team have become a hegemon in the southwest region and have the power to compete for the whole world!
Oh shit.
Zhao Qiaonian cursed again!
He could even imagine that he had missed out on this immense wealth and honor because of his momentary hesitation!
Suddenly, Zhao Qiaonian was filled with anger, rage, panic, and tension. He also felt resentment towards the traitor Ming Xiaoshuang. If he had known he was determined to join Xu Zhenying, why had he not taken him with him?
But Zhao Qiaonian calmed down and thought again, he must not be as brave as Ming Xiaoshuang at that time. Think about it, Xu Zhenying had almost nothing at that time, but he dared to abandon his mother and not follow her. Now that he saw that the rebellion was already successful, he just added icing on the cake. After all, he was inferior to Ming Xiaoshuang!
Zhao Qiaonian couldn't wait to know more news, "That woman is very powerful!"
Sun Qingchen looked up, a little surprised, "You know her?"
"It's more than just acquaintance, it's a connection! Last year, when the Xu family got into trouble, it was a few of us brothers who escorted them. That girl is incredible, and you can tell at a glance that she's going to soar to great heights in the future! Oh, and she seems to have a subordinate who listens to her very much. His name is Ming or something. Do you know him?"
"Ming Xiaoshuang!" Sun Qingchen gnashed with hatred. "That villain is despicable. Now he is one of the top figures in Jinzhou Prefecture. He can practically walk around like a tyrant!"
As Sun Qingchen spoke, he realized that his tone was a little sour.
The previous anger inexplicably dissipated, and now his mind was filled with thoughts that if he, Sun Qingchen, went there, even if he couldn't be granted a title or appointed as a prime minister, he could at least get a position under Xu Zhenying and do something practical for the people. Wouldn't that be better than being a scapegoat in the corrupt court of the Great Zhou?
At this moment, the desire to rebel reached its peak for both people inside and outside the prison.
Zhao Qiaonian also nodded frequently, "That kid has some quick wits, but the key is that he's willing to take risks and is loyal!"
Yes, he's a gambler! He likes to gamble big!
Each person has his own thoughts.
One was so eager to achieve something, he couldn't wait to pack his bags and head to Jinzhou overnight.
One is anxious to get out and wants to figure out where to go next.
Then both of them fell silent.
Sun Qingchen was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Zhao Qiaonian left.
After Zhao Qiaonian left, he did not waste a moment. He changed into his official uniform and asked for leave. He walked quickly through the city of Bianjing at night and came to a two-courtyard house.
He was very excited and knocked on the door quickly and urgently. Soon the drunk Da Niu came to open the door. When he saw Zhao Qiaonian's solemn face, he knew something had happened.
The two men have established a deep relationship since returning from Xingyuan Prefecture, and can even be said to be close brothers. Although Da Niu left the police team and only drank and had fun every day, the two of them have been through life and death, and their brotherhood has not faded at all.
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