Chapter 134 Zheng Yun walks into a trap
On the way, we met Grandpa Ling, who was wearing a Taoist robe and was leading a group of old men and children towards the polo field.
This group of people were not from the Tuntian camp. They looked timid and their clothes were clean but worn out, patched and washed to a pale color. The children were shoeless, but the shoes on the old people's feet were either woven from straw or made of animal skins.
Everyone was carrying a large bag, and when they saw a stranger, they would stand behind Grandpa Ling.
It made Grandpa Ling seem like a divine master, protecting these believers.
He quickly pulled Grandpa over and asked, "Who are these people?"
Grandpa Ling stroked his beard and smiled, "Refugees from the mountains."
"They are afraid of officials and soldiers, but not Taoist priests. Aren't you worried that the refugees will not leave the mountains? Look, my grandfather has brought you so much after just one trip into the mountains!"
Jin Sui was terrified: "It's dangerous in the mountains! How can you go there!"
"Xiao Hu is with you, it's okay. Grandpa can't live in the border town for free! If I go back to my old job, I can help you a little."
"I saw that it was lively here, so I brought them here to have a look. I also wanted to let them know that Border Town would not harm them, so that they would dare to leave the mountains and become Border Town residents!"
It is true that everyone has his or her own expertise. In the minds of the refugees, the border soldiers may talk till their mouths water, but they will not be able to defeat the Taoist priest with such a noble character.
This was a method that Jinsui had never thought of. As soon as the soldiers entered the mountains, the refugees hid, but when Grandpa entered the mountains, they would come over to talk.
Grandpa Ling introduced to the refugees: "This is the King of Border Town."
The group of refugees instantly became like sheep hearing a wolf coming. They wanted to run but had nowhere to escape. Some people were so scared that they fell to the ground.
Jin Sui said hurriedly, "Don't be afraid, everyone. There is a football match in the border town during this period, and the trade zone over there is like a temple fair. You can go there to trade."
"I see you guys are carrying a lot of bags, are you here to trade as well?"
Some of the braver elders stepped forward and bowed awkwardly: "Your Majesty, we want to exchange for some salt and grain. We have no money, so we can only exchange herbs and animal skins."
Jin Sui hurriedly called a soldier over: "Take them to our work point exchange point and exchange their supplies for small change."
Then he said to the old people, "I will collect your things for you. It will be more cost-effective than taking them to the market."
She took the opportunity to ask, "Before, many young and strong men came out to serve this king and earn work points. Why haven't they come recently?"
Several children suddenly showed sadness in their eyes, and the old man burst into tears: "At that time, the bandits attacked, and many people died under their knives. Those who survived were also injured. No one dared to come out."
Jin Sui felt guilty, as this was something she had overlooked, and hurriedly said, "Take some medicine back with you when you leave, and ask the Taoist priest to count the number of casualties, and I will give you compensation."
She only cared about the border soldiers and the people in the border towns who were implicated, and completely forgot about the refugees and herdsmen.
Damn Zheng Yun, the Tartars are hateful, and scum like Zheng Yun is even more hateful! A wave of self-blame surged in her heart. She also blamed Li Heng and the nobles for not paying attention to the refugees, but she was the same. She planned to discuss the issue of refugee resettlement with Gu Changxiao after the polo game and come up with a plan.
Grandpa Ling explained to the refugees what the pension was. After they looked at each other, they all knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Jin Sui arranged two soldiers to escort them to the market, and whispered to Grandpa Ling: "Grandpa, don't get tired."
Grandpa Ling was full of energy: "If you make me lie down and eat dry food every day, I will be tired! We have traveled through mountains and rivers to come to the border town, and this little thing can still tire me out."
"Grandpa, I tell you, convince these old people first, and I guarantee that the refugees will be willing to leave the mountains! They live like savages in the mountains. If you give them food, they will definitely be willing to stay."
Jinsui was not happy, but felt even more guilty. He had been in the border town for more than two months, but still hadn't gained the trust of the refugees.
We must bring these poor abandoned people out of the mountains and let them live a normal life in the border town.
When the two returned to their residence, they saw two boxes of silver on the table. Jin Sui was shocked: "They didn't even assign anyone to guard them! What if they get stolen?"
Gu Changxiao: ...This is what you are worried about!
"Who dares to come to the King's room to steal things! This was sent by Miss Yan, right? How could she come in and out of your room without asking?"
Jin Sui was too lazy to argue with him. When it came to the Yan family, he lost his mind. Who of us cares more about the Yan family?
If I don't talk to him properly, do you really think I have no temper?
Jin Sui pushed the silver on the table, sat down with a big face, and looked directly at Gu Changxiao: "There are no outsiders here, Your Majesty, let's make things clear."
Gu Changxiao felt his heart tremble. Is Taoist Ji angry? Is he angry about my attitude towards Yan Jiu? "I estimate that the imperial edict from the court should come in less than a month, and I won't be able to play the role of the King of Li for long. If you have any opinions about me, let's talk openly."
Gu Changxiao said hurriedly: "I have no opinion on Brother Ji."
"So you don't care about the border town, just like Wei Zhubo, you just want to go back to Chang'an and use the border town as a temporary stopover?"
Gu Changxiao was a little hurt by these words. He looked directly at Jin Sui and said, "I can never go back to Chang'an in this life! I can give my life to the border town!"
Jin Sui was confused now: "Then why do you always hold us back? You clearly know how important the support of the Yan family is to the development of Border Town. Why do you always treat the head of the Yan family in a weird way?"
Gu Changxiao was anxious for a moment and said what was in his heart: "I just don't like you to be close to him!"
Jinsui: ...
How did we become close? She didn't ask, but her expression said it all.
Gu Changxiao felt his ears getting hot: "Write him a poem and write it on the Thirty-Six Stratagems and give it to him."
Jin Sui was speechless: "Ten thousand taels of silver, big brother! Not to mention writing a poem, I can even write a million-word paper!"
"You still talk by candlelight at night and sleep with your feet together."
"Don't spread rumors! How could we sleep with our feet touching? Look at how delicate he is, would he want to share this shabby bed with me?"
How come I didn't notice that you were acting like a primary school student before? Jin Sui was impatient: "Can you make your words clearer? What are you fussing about?"
Soon she thought of something and said in surprise, "You don't think I'm Yan Jiu's man, and developing Border Town is for the Yan family, right?"
If this is not explained clearly, Gu Changxiao feels that Taoist Master Ji will quit his job tonight.
He said hurriedly, "No! How could I misunderstand Brother Ji like this! Brother Ji has a sincere heart for Border Town and for me, and I am grateful in my heart."
"I just think that you and Yan Jiu are too intimate. He has long passed the marriageable age, but has never married. Maybe he likes beautiful boys like Brother Ji..."
Gu Changxiao's voice became lower and lower. He regretted bringing up this topic immensely. He felt that he was as stupid as Yan Shiyi.
Jinsui thinks so too. It turns out that being stupid is an infectious disease. When there are too many idiots around you, you will be infected.
She was also too anxious and spoke without thinking: "Are you worried that Yan Jiu and I will be a match for Long Yang? My God, what are you thinking? If it really is Long Yang, neither you nor I would be with him!"
Then Jinsui regretted it and wanted to slap himself in the face. It turned out that stupidity is contagious.
For a moment, both of them were extremely embarrassed, one looking at the window and the other looking at the table, as if even the air had stopped.
They both wished that time could go back a quarter of an hour ago. They would never talk about this topic, let alone say such stupid things!
Finally, it was Gu Changxiao who broke the silence first: "I will never be rude to the Yan family again. I need Brother Ji's help in the development of Border City. Please forgive my rudeness, Brother Ji."
"If I have done anything wrong, Brother Ji, don't worry, just speak up."
Jin Sui lowered his head and said, "Yes, I was too excited and said something I didn't think of. Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart."
Cheng Yu's voice came from outside the house: "Your Majesty, the imperial envoy is here."
For the first time, Jin Sui thought Cheng Yu's voice was so nice! If she had come a little later, she would have been embarrassed and turned into mud.
She quickly carried the silver box under the bed, too embarrassed to even look at Gu Changxiao's face, and said coldly, "Let's get down to business first. Let's get over this topic and don't bring it up again."
Gu Changxiao agreed with this and nodded repeatedly. He decided to do something to make Taoist Ji happy. He immediately thought of: "This money is the dividend of Yanzhizhai. Half of it should go to the Border City Treasury and the other half should go to Brother Ji. I will carry a box to Taoist Ji later."
Jin Sui's embarrassment instantly turned into a smile. The boss was really smart! She was just thinking about how to remind him!
"Thank you very much, Brother Gu! Quick, deal with Zheng Yun first, and then we can have a good game."
Gu Changxiao: ...Master Ji’s expression changes so quickly!
Maybe what Taoist Xiao Ji likes is not men or women, but money.
Cheng Yu reported the situation of the imperial envoy in detail: "There are more than 300 people coming. I have carefully checked and there are no soldiers from Yanzhou. It seems that Governor Li is not involved in this matter."
"Among the three hundred people, dozens of them are from the imperial envoys. Although the others are dressed as servants, you can tell at a glance that they are bandits and horse thieves."
"Zheng Pengpeng did not betray the prince. Zheng Yun was desperate and wanted to use the imperial envoy to overthrow the prince. He was so stupid as to bring in the horse thieves as manpower."
Jin Sui smiled and said, "That's perfect! It saves Han Xing from having to run into a den of thieves to catch someone."
"The imperial envoy came with great momentum, heading straight for the most crowded arena, holding the imperial edict and shouting for the fake Li King to be killed. Your Majesty, will this incident scare the people in the trade zone?"
Jin Sui shook his head: "No! Border Town has never had any exciting events, so let the people watch a big show! I just said that we didn't invite a troupe for the competition, and here comes the singer."
"Is Huo Zian back?"
"No, Huo Tiqi has not shown up yet."
Jin Sui sneered, "That guy ran away? He was still talking about raising Niu Da's child, but he ran away when he got the chance. He is really heartless."
She looked at Gu Changxiao: "Sorry to bother you, Brother Gu."
Gu Changxiao chuckled and said, "Your Highness is too polite. Let me go first."
In fact, Jin Sui had reminded that they should take this opportunity to exchange identities, in front of so many people, and with the imperial envoy as a witness, the real and fake King Li would be accepted by the soldiers.
But Gu Changxiao insisted that the time was not right yet and that he had to wait until the imperial edict of reward arrived before changing it.
He had no choice but to find another way, that is, he would meet the imperial envoy in advance. As long as he showed up and said that this plan was to catch all of Zheng Yun's party, the timid imperial envoy would definitely be willing to help the king.
When Jin Sui and his companions arrived at the stadium, the already lively venue became even more lively, with the sounds of quarreling almost blowing the sky apart.
Yan Shiyi was yelling at Zheng Yun, but what was funny was that behind Yan Shiyi was a group of young men from noble families who were participating in the competition, and behind Zheng Yun was a group of horse thieves, making it as noisy as a vegetable market.
The imperial envoy held up the imperial edict and shouted in the middle: "Shut up! Do not act rashly in front of the imperial edict!"
Jin Sui smiled and said to Cheng Yu: "The officials in Chang'an should also feel how disrespected the royal family is in Yandi. Even the rank of the imperial edict has been lowered."
Cheng Yu didn't find it funny, but sighed softly: "The expansion of the nobles is not good for the country."
Of course, now is not the time to discuss this topic. Jin Sui hid behind the crowd and waited for Gu Changxiao to meet the imperial envoy.
Unexpectedly, although Zheng Yun was arguing, her eyesight was very good and she could see her behind the crowd at a glance.
He pointed at her and said to the imperial envoy: "That's the fake King Li! Look, sir!"
When the imperial envoy took a look, all his worries disappeared and he felt confident. He had been worried that he might have made a mistake before, but now he was sure that this King Li was a fake!
The officials in Yan had never seen King Li, but they had seen him often. Although this short guy was very handsome, he was definitely not King Li!
He was just about to hold up the imperial edict and order the guards to capture the fake King Li.
Suddenly, a hand pressed on his shoulder, and a familiar voice came from his ear: "Who do you say is fake?"
Imperial Envoy Liu shuddered all over and his legs went limp. If Gu Changxiao hadn't supported him from behind, he would have fallen down.
"Your Majesty! Why are you here?"
There were too many eyes staring at him, so Gu Changxiao couldn't say much to him, and whispered quickly: "The fake Li King is my substitute, no one in Yan knows about it, so don't make it public!
Zheng Yun colluded with the bandits to bring disaster to the people. I have designed a plan to catch them all in one fell swoop. Lord Liu should know what to do, right?"
At this moment, Zheng Yun discovered Gu Changxiao. He shouted angrily, "How dare you! You actually threatened the imperial envoy! Someone, arrest this guy!"
He also said to Liu, "This guy is the fake Li Wang's personal guard. They must be in the same group! Your Excellency must execute him as well!"
Yan Shiyi jumped up and down: "Zheng Pifu, you dare to hurt the prince's people, I will chop off your dog head and feed it to the dogs!"
Then he shouted to Gu Changxiao: "Come here quickly! Don't get close to them!"
At this moment, Gu Changxiao suddenly felt that the Yan family was not so annoying after all.
Zheng Yun was still shouting, "Humph, what prince? He is just a fake, a wild boy who came out of nowhere! You idiots are still defending him. You have brought shame to our Yandi nobles!"
After he finished cursing, he turned to the imperial envoy and said, "Sir, quickly give the order to arrest that impostor!"
Imperial Envoy Liu, whose legs were no longer weak, slowly took back the imperial edict and walked in front of Zheng Yun, under the watchful eyes of everyone.
Instead of shouting "Catch the fake King Li" as Zheng Yun expected, he raised his hand and slapped him hard!
Zheng Yun was beaten so hard that she spun around in a circle. She was still dazed when she heard Imperial Envoy Liu shouting:
"Zheng the thief deceived me, slandered the prince, and conspired with mountain bandits and horse thieves to plot a rebellion! Someone, come! Take down Zheng the thief and his gang!"
Zheng Yun was completely stunned. She pointed at Jin Sui, who was walking forward with his arms folded and smiling, and said, "Your Excellency is wronged! Look carefully, this Li King is fake!"
Seeing that things were not going well, the horse thieves attempted to escape, but were all captured by Han Xing and his men who were well prepared.
Zheng Yun was also tied up. Jin Sui stepped forward and looked into his angry eyes: "Run away! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I can still make you come back on your own."
"This time, I will take your head as a sacrifice to my people who died in vain!"
(End of this chapter)
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