Chapter 51: Merchants' Discussion
Lin Kui sent Xiao Beiheng into the carriage, put his feet on the pedal, and looked back at the two people riding away.
The prince's thoughts became more and more complicated.
He got in the car and sat opposite Xiao Beiheng. After hesitating for a moment, he asked:
"Your Highness, why don't you order the guards to kill Xiao Zhuo? This is the order of the prince, and he also sent..."
Xiao Beiheng picked the leaves off his shoulders with two fingers and said with a smile, "Are you so kind as to give them horses as a gift?"
Lin Kui nodded.
Xiao Beiheng chuckled and said, "Since His Majesty has already ordered Liu Yi to seal off all the checkpoints leading to the outside world in Liangzhou, do you think Xiao Zhuo can escape?"
Lin Kui lowered his head in thought. He had known about this for a long time. Could it be that the Crown Prince did not want to kill the deposed Crown Prince himself?
Seeing that Lin Kui still looked confused, Xiao Beiheng shook his head and said:
"If the deposed crown prince is really killed by this prince, how do you think His Majesty will treat me, or rather, how will he deal with our Qi Wang Mansion?"
Lin Kui was startled, and suddenly a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
I thought Your Majesty was too foolish. If His Royal Highness gets rid of Xiao Zhuo, Your Majesty can charge the Prince of Qi's Mansion with murdering the deposed Crown Prince. That way, you'll kill two birds with one stone, killing the deposed Crown Prince and taking them all away at the same time.
"I'm glad you understand." Xiao Beiheng smiled and picked up the teacup beside him, taking a sip. "If Your Majesty has this idea, we should cooperate with him, right?"
Wanting Xiao Beiheng to take the blame is underestimating him.
Wouldn't it be more interesting to let them kill each other?
Lin Kui stroked his beard and nodded.
"By the way," Xiao Beiheng put down his teacup, "Send a message to Governor Liu, telling him that Xiao Zhuo is about to leave Liangzhou."
Now, Liangzhou Governor Liu Yi has already deployed personnel at various checkpoints on the Liangzhou border, unless Xiao Zhuo can grow wings and fly away.
Lin Kui stood up and bowed respectfully: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will do it right away."
Xiao Beiheng smiled and nodded: "In this way, things become..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly started coughing violently.
The maid next to her panicked and hurriedly took the tea and handkerchief, but was pushed away by Xiao Beiheng, who snatched the handkerchief and covered her mouth with it, and then started coughing violently again.
"Your Highness may have choked on some water," Lin Kui said to the maid, "It's nothing serious."
Xiao Beiheng raised his head with a red face, threw the handkerchief in his hand on the floor, and panted rapidly:
"Xiao Zhuo, what a powerful method."
Lin Kui was startled and quickly bent down to pick up the crumpled handkerchief and unfold it to take a look.
There were spots of blood on the handkerchief.
…
Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo rode their horses for two days and arrived outside Liangzhou City.
"Once you leave here, you will reach the territory of Shengzhou," Xiao Zhuo raised his whip and pointed to the pass in the distance.
"Husband, let's take a break." Shen Yuexi jumped off the horse, untied the water bag at her waist, took a sip of water, and handed it to Xiao Zhuo, "Here, you take a sip too."
She was initially daunted by horse riding, but after two days, she became quite good at it.
They did not dare to stop along the way. They just bought some easy-to-carry and non-perishable food from the roadside shops and continued on their journey without stopping.
Xiao Zhuo took the water bag, looked at the opening of the bag, and did not move.
Shen Yuexi thought he despised her, so she patted the horse's neck and said with a smile: "You can use it for what it is worth. When we leave Liangzhou, I will buy you another big water bag."
Originally, both of them had water bags, but Xiao Zhuo's bag accidentally fell and leaked halfway, so now she was the only one left.
Xiao Zhuo seemed to want to say something, but after hearing what Shen Yuexi said, he shut up and stopped talking. He just cast his gaze on her cherry red lips for a moment, his eyes dark, and drank silently.
The two rested for a while and continued on their way. Perhaps because they were about to reach the city gate, Shen Yuexi felt particularly relaxed.
"After we leave Liangzhou, do you want to buy a carriage?" She touched the silver notes in her pocket, which were nearly six hundred taels, a huge sum of money. No matter how bad the conditions in the border areas were, she was not afraid anymore.
Xiao Zhuo looked at the city gate not far ahead and suddenly said, "Let's not get close for now."
Shen Yuexi was stunned, not quite understanding what Xiao Zhuo meant. They had already reached the city gate, so why did they have to change?
But on second thought, she immediately understood.
Even in Tongliao County, there is a wanted poster for Xiao Zhuo, not to mention here.
She stood up from the saddle and looked out at the city gate. She found that there seemed to be many more soldiers and officers, and the people leaving the city were having their documents checked one by one.
That was a symbol of status in ancient times, and neither she nor Xiao Zhuo had it.
She looked at Xiao Zhuo in surprise: "The Emperor is moving too fast."
In just a few days, the city gates were blocked.
When she came to her senses, she patted her chest in relief. Fortunately, the two of them didn't rush over directly.
"What should we do next?" Shen Yuexi asked Xiao Zhuo, "Can we go around it?"
Xiao Zhuo shook his head and said soothingly, "If we take a detour, it will waste a lot of time. Let's find a place to rest for now and leave the city tonight."
tonight?
Aren’t the city gates closed at night?
Isn't Xiao Zhuo going through the city gate?
"That's right, let's leave the city at night." Xiao Zhuo told her clearly.
As for how to leave the city, Xiao Zhuo didn't say much. Seeing that he seemed to have a plan, Shen Yuexi stopped asking and just followed Xiao Zhuo.
She and Xiao Zhuo found a resting place far from the city gate. It was quite far from the city gate and it was a busy road with many caravans coming and going. They were all businessmen.
The two of them came to a roadside stall that specialized in tea and sat down. After ordering some tea and some food, they heard the voices of several people talking behind them:
"Do you know that it's much harder to get through the border now than it was a few days ago? There haven't been so many soldiers and officers before. Is something going on at the court? Or is there going to be a war at the border?"
"How could we possibly fight a war? Even if we lose that desolate border, the imperial court won't care."
"I believe that, but why is it so strict to pass the customs recently?"
"It is said that they are going to catch a wanted criminal."
After listening to their conversation, Shen Yuexi became a little nervous and looked at Xiao Zhuo. Xiao Zhuo shook his head at her, indicating that there was no need to worry.
Although Xiao Zhuo already had a corresponding plan, she still didn't dare to put all her hopes on him.
At this time, another person was heard saying, "It's getting cold now, so you can sell this linen for some money."
The group shifted their topic back to business. After all, they were all traveling merchants, and their biggest concern was their own pockets.
They discussed business there, and Shen Yuexi heard a lot of useful information.
After leaving Liangzhou, you will enter Shengzhou. Going north along the border of Shengzhou, you can directly pass through the border. There is a different style from Dayan, and it is also a place where merchants frequently travel.
But it is said that the danger is also extremely high, and merchants are often robbed by the Western Rong on the opposite side.
She looked at Xiao Zhuo again, wanting to ask him, since the border is so dangerous, why not change places.
Xiao Zhuo seemed to have noticed something and replied, "It's okay. The Western Rong only come to plunder in winter, so there aren't too many of them."
Shen Yuexi put down the teacup and stared at Xiao Zhuo with clear eyes.
"We can't have to deal with those marauders again in the winter, can we?"
If that's the case, it's better to change your route as soon as possible.
Xiao Zhuo took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Don't worry, I can handle it."
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