Song Zhaozhao
Seeing that the two brothers tacitly agreed and did not deny it, Li Bei's eyes moistened slightly and he looked up at the sky: "God is really watching over us, General Gu bless us..."
After the army had rested, the group began their migration again.
When they saw the curling smoke rising from Songbai Village, the three of them had already exchanged a lot of information with the rebels.
Song Tiaotiao listened quietly for a while, and finally asked Li Bei: "Brother Li, among the bandits you have interrogated recently, has anyone mentioned the court re-examining old cases?"
Li Bei thought for a moment and nodded after hearing this: "Recently, a few bandits have been saying this. They said that because the court was re-examining the case, their Bangdu was implicated and thrown into a dungeon. They had no one to protect them, so they were driven north by the officers and soldiers..." Having said this, Li Bei saw that Song Tiaotiao was particularly interested in this, and continued to talk about many related things.
By unraveling the whole incident and integrating it with what we know previously, it is not difficult to decipher the reason why the old emperor wanted to reexamine the unjust case.
Now, in the court, the imperial power and the regent faction are competing against each other.
The old emperor wanted to use the hands of the existing powerful officials in the court who were related to the unjust case to re-examine the case and regain some support for himself as soon as possible. However, the regent would definitely not do as he wished. Every time this matter was brought up, he would use the method of using a small effort to achieve a great result and put the matter aside as other matters.
Unable to fight openly, the two factions could only fight secretly, each showing off their abilities.
Combining the information he had obtained, Chen Pinglang rode his horse to Gu Chengjue's side and chuckled softly, "It seems that the chaos in the capital is really in full swing. The person above can't sit still, and the same goes for the man surnamed Li. They don't even care about the external threats in the west."
Gu Chengjue pondered for a moment and said, "Li Huan and the Western Rong have a connection. For the benefits he promised and the constraints he imposed due to concerns, the Western Rong will probably assess the situation in the near future and refrain from launching large-scale military campaigns in the west until the situation in the capital is settled. They are all gambling, and now, all parties are paying off their bets."
Chen Pinglang chuckled softly and whispered, "But who could have imagined that this world-changing gamble would be played out right when it was almost done and you would suddenly show up?"
Gu Chengjue lowered his gaze with his long eyelashes, but did not respond directly: "Is everyone okay over there in Qingxu?"
Hearing this, Chen Ping's eyes fixed, "Our plan is going smoothly. But do you still remember that guy named Fang Jue? In the past, the people called him a dog official, but now, he and Qing Xu have hit it off and are cracking down on corrupt officials under his command. He has many methods, and he is the best at treating the symptoms. He is ruthless when dealing with those who want him to cherish their past friendship. Speaking of which, he has been waiting for this day for a long time." At this point, he chuckled, "After all, he used to be a person like Qing Xu..."
Seeing that Gu Chengjue remained calm, he chuckled quietly, "I knew you already knew about this. He's using this disguise of colluding with corrupt officials to serve as my father's hidden agent in the court to confuse the public. This really makes things much easier for us..."
By the time the rebel army was approaching Songbai Village, which was only a few hundred meters away, the stars had already moved and the moonlight was hazy.
They found a good hiding place again and slowed down their pace.
As the main branch of the rebel army, although they are not the largest in number, they are the most elite among them.
The reason they were heading towards Songbai Village this time was not only to eliminate the bandits, but most importantly, to push back from the northern border to the west to support the rebels stationed in the west.
This mountain, this night, is the place and time for their final rest.
If we go further, we will be close to the Mobei camp, so we must be careful in everything we do.
After Gu Chenglang and Li Bei settled the teams, he returned to the campfire where the three of them had lit a fire. He glanced down at the three of them, then looked back at Li Bei quietly: "Abei, I'm..."
Li Bei smiled and looked at him, then waved his hand and said, "Alang, I understand everything, and so do my brothers. Go back quickly and visit your home. The army is under my watch, so you can go without worry. We'll see you tomorrow."
It is said that one feels homesick when close to home, and no traveler is immune to this.
What's more, the previous separation was a separation between life and death that almost led to them being separated by death.
In Gu Chenglang's eyes, the courtyard was still within reach.
But on the road leading there, there are not only lush vegetation and flourishing summer flowers, but also the fragrance of fruits, vegetables and medicine quietly dissipating in the breeze, and strong cattle and sheep are sleeping comfortably in the grass pens.
Being there, one feels as if in a paradise free from the hustle and bustle of the world. Gu Chenglang's heart, long immersed in killing, finally regains some clarity from the bloody exhaustion.
His younger brother, at this moment, was looking at the girl who had accomplished all this with a smile on his face, and his words inadvertently revealed his pride in his sweetheart.
It is not difficult to understand from this that he has carved every little thing his sweetheart has done and engraved it in his heart.
Therefore, the description of the origin and whole process of the scene before their eyes is so vivid and lively that it can make people empathize with them, and quietly reveal to the listeners the time that belongs only to each other.
The corners of Gu Chenglang's lips rose slightly. After thanking Song Tiaotiao from the bottom of his heart, he raised his eyes and stared at the courtyard in the distance that was gradually becoming clearer.
He vaguely remembered that his younger brother had always liked a girl.
It seems that most of the memories he recovered were correct.
Then the person he loves must have been waiting for him very hard...
By the time they reached the yard, all four of them had dismounted.
In the yard in front of me, the lights in the two wooden houses in front and back were off.
Apart from the wind blowing through the trees and the chirping of cicadas in the grass, there was no other sound in the entire courtyard.
The people outside the courtyard couldn't bear to disrupt the peace. They walked slowly and quietly into the courtyard.
But the door that means returning home must eventually be opened by someone.
“Squeak—”
The wooden door was gently pushed open to create a gap.
Seeing this, Song Tiaotiao frowned.
If my mother-in-law and the others had fallen asleep, the door should have been locked.
Since the last encounter with bandits, Song Tiaotiao and Gu Chengjue have reinforced the doors and windows of their home and made multi-faceted upgrades to anti-theft measures, door bolts being one of them.
At this moment, Gu Chengjue also noticed something strange and looked around the courtyard. "Pinglang, are there any secret guards stationed here?"
Seeing this, Chen Pinglang frowned, clapped his hands, and said a few Sanskrit-like codes to the empty space.
Then, a man in night clothes appeared quietly among the pine and cypress trees. After a few ups and downs, he walked in front of Chen Pinglang and bowed, waiting for orders.
Chen Pinglang raised his eyebrows and said, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Your Highness, yesterday, the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, Song Zhaozhao, came to visit. She said she had the latest news about Prince Ning's mansion and invited the Princess Ning and the others to board the carriage. They haven't returned since then."
Song Zhaozhao...
"Song Zhaozhao..."
When Song Tiaotiao whispered this name in her mind, her heart tightened. And when she heard this name coming out of Gu Chengjue's mouth, her eyes could not help but look towards Gu Chengjue.
But unexpectedly, she saw Gu Chengjue's face was as cold as ice.
On the way back, the smile as fresh as spring breeze was now shattered by the cold light in the phoenix eyes, and replaced by the cold and lonely background that Song Tiaotiao had not seen in Gu Chengjue for a long time.
But this coldness was not as indiscriminate as before. Because it was targeted, it was even sharper. It was like an arrow made of ice, ready to pierce people's hearts. The bloody murderous aura made those who saw it shudder.
Seeing him like this, Song Tiaotiao was puzzled for a moment, so she had to delay and ask the most important matter at hand: "Brother, how many people have followed you now?"
"Because this person's whereabouts were suspicious, to ensure the safety of the ladies, most of us followed him."
Song Tiaotiao nodded: "Then will you make marching marks on the roadside?"
"Yes, young lady. Please rest assured, we have other ways to contact them. Moreover, if they are not far away, our messenger should return immediately."
Seeing the two Gu family members' solemn expressions, Chen Pinglang said in a deep voice, "Send the signal now." At this point, he rubbed his hair in annoyance, "Did Song Zhaozhao come here all along? Now, do you want to go look for him?"
Gu Chengjue and Gu Chenglang exchanged a glance, then pulled out a pair of objects from their sleeves, ignited them, and tossed them into the air. Instantly, a flash of red light appeared in the sky.
Seeing this, he said in a deep voice: "Chase her. She can't get far." Having said this, he turned his head to look at Song Tiao Tiao, his eyes filled with guilt. He hesitated to speak, and finally said: "Tiao Tiao, are you tired...?"
Hearing this, Song Tiaotiao looked into those equally weary eyes and shook her head gently. She then walked with them to the tree, untied the horse ropes, and led Mo Yun over to her side. "I won't be able to sleep well tonight unless I see that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are safe."
…
The fourteenth year of Yongyu.
The emperor ordered the Ministry of Justice to re-examine the case of Ning Wang's rebellion. It took only three months, and all the grievances of the Ning Wang family were presented in the court.
After reading it, the emperor was furious and heartbroken. He immediately dealt with all those who had wrongly convicted Prince Ning according to law and announced it to the world.
A year later, the Ning Wang Mansion's injustice was redressed.
Out of the emperor's compassion, those who hold official titles in the Ning Wang Mansion will return to Beijing to receive their titles, while those who do not have official titles will be properly settled after the Ning Wang Mansion in Beijing is repaired.
"Aunt, it's already late at night, and the world is in turmoil. You and Madam Bo should have a good rest here tonight."
The woman's graceful smile appeared under the light.
Zhao Lingwang felt a sudden chill in her heart. Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for so long that she felt distant, or perhaps it was because after Song Zhaozhao had conveyed the emperor's will, he had found various excuses to keep them in this courtyard, never letting them set foot outside.
Zhao Ling and Bo Shuang exchanged a glance and said, "I think it would be best if we could return home sooner rather than later. After all, it's been a while since I've been away for a few days, so I think it's time to go home."
Song Zhaozhao lowered her eyes and laughed softly: "Tiao Tiao... I heard that my sister Tiao Tiao is now very famous in this northern border. When I was at home, I never knew that she had learned so much knowledge. I really admire her." Having said that, she raised her eyes and looked at the two people in front of her.
Seeing their guarded expressions finally relax a little, Song Zhaozhao chuckled softly, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "I think I'm really not a good sister. This time, I have to see it clearly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
