Taiping Crack 406. Surprise and Doubt
On this day, something happened in the Liyang City Governor's Mansion where the Great Chu Emperor was staying temporarily. If anyone knew about it, it would be a shocking event. However, those who knew about it would never tell anyone, because some of them had been silenced by Mo Jingli, and those who could not silence it were all Mo Jingli's confidants who did not have the courage. All of the people in Liyang City, from the nobles to the ordinary people, did not know what happened. The only thing they knew was that the Chu army's food and grass were burned by the Mo family army last night.
In Mo Jingli's room, several doctors knelt on the floor, fanning themselves and trembling, not daring to move. Mo Jingli sat on the bed, staring at the people below with a cold expression, his face twisted and ferocious, as if a storm was about to come.
"Tell me...can it be cured?" Mo Jingli asked in a cold voice after a long while.
There was silence in the room for a long time before a royal doctor said tremblingly, "Your Majesty... this assassin... the assassin was too heavy-handed. Moreover... he also drugged me. We are incompetent and can do nothing to save him..."
Mo Jingli's face flashed with murderous intent, and he sneered, "Take him out and chop him off! If you are incompetent, why are you still alive?" Two guards came in and dragged the doctor who had just spoken out. The doctor shouted in horror, "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty... Your Majesty, spare my life!" Unfortunately, Mo Jingli ignored him and stared at the remaining doctors kneeling beside the bed, asking, "What do you say?"
Several imperial doctors were frightened out of their wits by Mo Jingli's ruthless and cruel methods, and hurriedly said, "We will...we will do our best...Your Majesty, please spare my life..."
"Do your best?" Mo Jingli was still dissatisfied, and the imperial doctors quickly changed their words: "We will definitely prepare the antidote and cure the emperor... We will definitely..." Who cares about the crime of deceiving the emperor now? If you deceive the emperor, you will die later, and if you don't deceive the emperor, you will die immediately. The imperial doctors hurriedly made promises, as if someone was not cut somewhere that shouldn't be cut, but just accidentally cut a cut on the hand.
Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "I will give you three days."
"Yes! We obey your command!" The imperial doctors all breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.
Looking at these terrified doctors, Mo Jingli snorted coldly and said, "Get out!" The doctors scrambled out to study the prescription. Although they knew in their hearts that the person who stabbed Mo Jingli was clearly trying to cut off his roots, let alone whether they could research an antidote. Even if Shen Yang, who was known as the miracle doctor of the time, came with the Biluo grass, it would be useless. After all... people are not garlic sprouts, which can grow again after being pinched off. But none of them dared to tell the truth. After all, the lessons of the past were right in front of them. At this moment, these doctors couldn't help but hope in their hearts that the Mo family army would quickly break through Liyang so that they could escape.
In the room, Mo Jingli leaned against the head of the bed, staring at the letter in his hand that he had read countless times, his eyes changing constantly.
"Old minister Qiu Yunan requests to see His Majesty." A somewhat old voice sounded outside the door. Mo Jingli said in a deep voice, "Come in."
An old man in his sixties dressed as a scholar walked in, looked at the person on the bed and bowed his head cautiously, "I wonder what the emperor wants to see you for?" Mo Jingli stared at him for a long while before asking, "Sir Qiu, you can be considered a veteran minister who has served four dynasties, right?"
Lord Qiu said quickly: "Your Majesty, I have been an official since the time of the late Emperor." It's a pity that he has a bad fate, average ability, average appearance, and average family background, so he is still unknown after four dynasties. But at least he is a good person, and he has lived a stable life these years. Now, the capable people in the court of Da Chu have died or left, and now it is his turn to come to the fore. However, Mo Jingli still does not value him, but he has no choice but to promote him because there is no one else to use.
Mo Jingli raised his hand and handed the letter over, saying, "Then take a look. Do you recognize this handwriting?"
Lord Qiu carefully took the letter and read it. He was stunned by the content of the letter at first, but soon noticed Mo Jingli's cold eyes and quickly focused his attention on the handwriting. He frowned and shook his head for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, I don't recognize this handwriting."
Mo Jingli sneered and said, "Really? Doesn't it look familiar?"
Looks familiar? Puzzled, Lord Qiu returned his gaze to the letter. This time he was able to make out something. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "This... Your Majesty, this handwriting seems to be from... from..."
"You studied under Su Zhe, right?" Mo Jingli asked coldly. In those days, Su Zhe was not only a great scholar in Da Chu, second only to Mr. Qingyun, but also a famous calligrapher. There were countless people who wanted to become his disciples. But there were only two people who had the opportunity to be taught by Su Zhe from the beginning of enlightenment.
Mr. Qiu nodded and said, "Not bad, but... this person's handwriting is very different from Mr. Su Zhe's. Su Zhe's handwriting is elegant, with the elegance and pride of a scholar. But this person's handwriting is more casual and domineering. At first glance, they are not similar, but if you look closely, there is indeed a shadow of Su Zhe, so he should have learned from Su Zhe since he was a child." Only by learning from a young age, the habit has been engraved in the bones. Even if he becomes independent later, there are still traces to follow.
Mo Jingli threw out another letter and asked, "Are these two handwritings from the same person?"
When Lord Qiu opened it, he was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground. This memorial was written by Prince Ding. Although Mo Xiuyao was not a famous calligrapher, because of his status and reputation, his handwriting was sometimes found outside and was even more expensive than that of many famous calligraphers. Lord Qiu had been an official in the court for thirty or forty years, so he had naturally seen it before. But... wasn't Prince Ding already dead?
Looking at Mo Jingli with some horror, Lord Qiu even forgot the proper etiquette. He secretly wondered in his heart whether the emperor had gone crazy because of what happened last night. Seeing Lord Qiu's shocked expression, Mo Jingli's face became even more embarrassed. Does he like being suspected as a madman? He compared the letter for a long time, but the person who left the letter seemed to have done it on purpose. The handwriting on the letter was seven points like Mo Xiuyao, but three points were not quite like it. It seemed as if it was deliberately written in a ambiguous way. If Mo Xiuyao really didn't die and wanted to cover up his identity, then he didn't need to write the letter himself, and he could even think of a way to cover up his handwriting. On the contrary, now that it was like this, Mo Jingli had to doubt whether Mo Xiuyao was really not dead. But if this was someone from the Mo family army deliberately making a mystery, he would lose face again in front of the whole world. By then everyone will know that Mo Jingli is afraid of Mo Xiuyao. Even if Mo Xiuyao dies, he will still be as scared as a frightened bird.
"Is it true?!" Mo Jingli asked coldly.
Lord Qiu said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty... although these two handwritings are somewhat similar, I'm afraid... they are not from the same hand. And... Prince Ding is already dead."
"Get out." Mo Jingli said unhappily.
"Yes, I'll take my leave." Lord Qiu retreated quickly as if he had been pardoned.
"Mo Xiuyao... Mo Xiuyao! It must be you!" Mo Jingli gnashed his teeth and shouted. He tried to get up but accidentally pulled the wound. His face turned pale and he almost fainted again. He didn't know what medicine Mo Xiuyao had used. He didn't feel any pain at first. But soon after he woke up, he began to feel it, and then it became more and more painful. Mo Jingli pinched the letter in his hand fiercely, "Mo Xiuyao! I must kill you! I must kill you!"
Mo Jingli wanted to send all his men to search for Mo Xiuyao's whereabouts, and then kill him again regardless of whether he was really dead or faking his death. But others, including Mo Jingli's confidants, did not think so. The whole world knew that Prince Ding was dead, and it was confirmed by the Emperor and Prince Zhennan themselves. How could he be resurrected? As for the time when he broke into the prefectural governor's mansion without being discovered by anyone in the middle of the night, since Qilin was able to burn the food of the Chu army quietly, it was naturally possible for him to sneak into the prefectural governor's mansion. Most people saw this as a provocation and warning from the Mo family army to the Chu army. As for Mo Jingli's belief that Mo Xiuyao was still alive... it must be that the emperor was too nervous! Although Mo Jingli wanted to prove that he was right, he also knew that Lei Zhenting saw Mo Xiuyao's body with his own eyes that day. Lei Zhenting had absolutely no need to lie to him about this matter. Moreover... he really didn't have the face to show the assassin's letter to everyone. Wouldn't that make his injury known to the whole world?
"If it was done by Prince Ding, there is no need to hide his identity, and why change the handwriting? If the handwriting was to be changed, why did it have to be 70% similar to Prince Ding? It is obvious that the people of the Mohist Army are deliberately creating confusion." If you really don't want people to recognize it, let alone find someone to write it for you, even if you write it with your left hand, others won't be able to recognize it. In the end, the subordinates' words finally convinced Mo Jingli, or it can be said that Mo Jingli convinced himself in his heart. He had no choice but to send people to strengthen the guards again. Mo Jingli hid in the prefectural mansion to recuperate with a dark heart.
Mo Xiuyao still mixed in the Mo family army with an ordinary appearance. Except for Leng Huai and others, no one in the Mo family army knew that the deceased Prince Ding was sitting in their camp drinking tea. Although Mo Xiuyao changed his appearance, everyone in the big tent could still feel that the prince was in a very good mood. Compared with Mo Xiuyao who just arrived at the camp yesterday, it was obvious that the prince went into the city last night to do something that made him very happy.
"Prince... is there any good news?" Lu Jinxian asked curiously. Although the others seemed to be busy with their own things, their ears were perked up.
Mo Xiuyao said leisurely: "The six great families of Yunzhou have all agreed to return to Shunding Palace. Is this considered a happy event?"
Everyone looked disapproving. What kind of happy event was this? None of them thought that any brain-dead head of aristocratic family would join Mo Jingli unless they had no other choice. Choosing between Mo Jingli and Dingwang Mansion, it was obvious that Dingwang Mansion had a much more obvious advantage. If it was Mo Jingqi, he could still have a legitimate and righteous status. If it was Mo Jingli, who usurped the throne and killed his brother and nephew, he would not even be able to keep this last status.
Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Anything else... Buddha said: It is unspeakable..." As long as he thought of Mo Jingli's current appearance, Mo Xiuyao felt that the depression of these days was swept away. He resisted the urge to kill Mo Jingli last night and spared his life. It was absolutely right. After thinking about it, Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said, "General Lu, is it possible to capture Liyang within three days?" Lu Jinxian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, there is absolutely no problem. The Chu army's team escorting grain and grass is about to arrive, and it will arrive tonight at the latest. Then we can take action."
Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you planning to take advantage of the time when the grain and grass transport team from Da Chu arrives to attack them?"
Lu Jinxian nodded. This was indeed his plan. Besides, the princess had already explained this before she left. Half of the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan who provided food and grass to the Chu army were from the Dingwang Mansion. Those food and grass were originally given to the Mo family army, so naturally Mo Jingli could not get them. Mo Xiuyao pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "No, let them in." Lu Jinxian looked at Mo Xiuyao in confusion, "What does the prince mean?" Mo Xiuyao said, "Send someone to help them transport the food and grass in. Then..." Taking out an exquisite small porcelain bottle and putting it on the table, Mo Xiuyao said lightly, "Do you know what to do?"
"Your Highness, are you talking about poisoning? I'm afraid that's not very safe." Leng Huai said with some worry. After all, there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, it's impossible for them all to be poisoned at the same time. As long as one of them is discovered first, it is very likely that the whole plan will fail.
Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Don't worry, I got this from Shen Yang. It will take an hour for the effect to take effect. Also, this thing is not fatal, it will just temporarily make them weak in fighting. I don't want to kill too many people. Xu Qingfeng."
"I'm here!" Xu Qingfeng stood up and responded.
Mo Xiuyao waved a piece of paper and said calmly, "Within three hours after the grain and grass enter the city, I want to see the heads of these people."
Xu Qingfeng took it in his hand, glanced at it and memorized it. He nodded and said, "As you command, I will arrange it immediately."
Mo Xiuyao nodded and instructed: "You have entered the city once before, which has already alarmed the Chu army. I believe the guards will be more strict, so be careful."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xu Qingfeng nodded, turned around and walked out. In the tent, He Su said, "Your Majesty, do you plan to kill the generals of the Chu army first?" As long as the generals leading the troops are dead, no matter how many soldiers there are, they are just a group of headless flies. In addition, if most of the soldiers lose their fighting ability, the Mohist army may be able to take Liyang City without bloodshed. Leng Huai raised his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, do you plan to incorporate these 800,000 Chu troops?"
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. However, Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "General Leng is right. Lei Zhenting would never have thought that... the allies he had originally arranged would suddenly turn around and attack him."
"Your Majesty, what a good plan!" Lu Jinxian also praised. If it succeeded, it would indeed be enough to deal a fatal blow to Lei Zhenting. However, such a plan could not be realized by anyone except Mo Xiuyao. Even if Lu Jinxian and others could take Liyang without bloodshed, the prestige of Lu Jinxian and Leng Huai was not enough to subdue more than 800,000 troops at once. Therefore, they never thought of this method, nor did they dare to think about it.
When night fell again, the troops escorting grain and grass behind the Chu army had indeed arrived at Liyang. This was naturally good news for the Chu army, which had just lost almost all of its grain and grass. After a thorough investigation, the army transporting grain and grass entered Liyang City smoothly. Mo Jingli, who was lying on the bed listlessly, was in no mood to care about these trivial matters. He waved his hand and handed it over to the people below to handle it. He didn't know that at this time, the wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan who were responsible for preparing these grain and grass, represented by Zhang Baiwan, were visiting the camp of the Mo family army.
"I have met General Lu and General Leng." Zhang Baiwan shrank his neck and bowed when he saw Lu Jinxian and Leng Huai sitting in the upper seats. Although he was very greedy for money, it was the first time for him to face soldiers like Lu Jinxian and others who were full of murderous spirit. As for the generals he met in Nanjing, they were obviously not worth mentioning compared to Lu Jinxian and others.
Lu Jinxian smiled and said, "Master Zhang, there is no need to be so polite. I am so sorry for what happened this time."
Zhang Baiwan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I dare not, I dare not, General, just call me Zhang Baiwan. Since it is the order of Princess Ding, how dare we disobey? General, rest assured, after today, I guarantee that Mo Jingli will never be able to transport a single grain of food from Jiangnan again."
Lu Jinxian nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Zhang Baiwan still looking a little nervous, he smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. The princess has already made arrangements. I guarantee that even if the news of your joining Prince Ding's mansion spreads to Jiangnan, your family will not be in any danger."
Zhang Baiwan's eyes lit up. What they were most worried about was being discovered by Mo Jingli. After all, their roots were still in Jiangnan, and in Jiangnan, Mo Jingli still had the final say.
"Master Zhang, there is something that requires you to go back to Jiangnan. Is that okay?" Mo Xiuyao, who had been sitting on the side without saying anything, suddenly spoke up. In order to hide his whereabouts, Mo Xiuyao had always disguised himself in the army. Without the obvious white hair and a normal face, even if he had an amazing aura, it was difficult for people to connect him with the deceased Prince Ding.
Zhang Baiwan hesitated for a moment, looked at Lu Jinxian above him and said, "Who is this..."
Lu Jinxian said: "This is Master Ye."
Although Zhang Baiwan didn't know who this Mr. Ye was, he at least remembered that Princess Ding's surname was Ye. Now that Prince Ding was gone, wasn't Princess Ding's mansion the one that had the final say? And looking at Lu Jinxian's attitude, he knew that this person couldn't be offended. He hurriedly said respectfully, "Sir, please give me your orders." Mo Xiuyao took out a letter and handed it to Zhang Baiwan, saying, "Please take this letter back and give it to the person on the envelope."
Zhang Baiwan was stunned, and asked doubtfully, "Is that it?" He originally thought it was something important, but it turned out to be just a simple letter delivery. Anyone could do such a thing, but Mr. Ye specifically asked him to deliver a letter, which made him a little suspicious.
Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, "Master Zhang, there is no need to hesitate. It is indeed just a letter. Originally, it doesn't matter who delivers the letter, but... it is easy for the Ding Palace's troops to attract other people's attention after entering Jiangnan, so I want to trouble you to make a trip."
This was not a big deal, so Zhang Baiwan would not refuse. He put away the letter and nodded, saying, "Please rest assured, I will definitely deliver the letter." Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, just deliver the letter. I can guarantee on behalf of the princess... that I will never let the Zhang family down in the future."
Zhang Baiwan was delighted. He looked at Lu Jinxian and the others, who all looked normal. It seemed that this Master Ye really had the ability to make decisions on behalf of Princess Ding. The smile on his face became even wider, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Master, don't worry."
After sending Zhang Baiwan away, Leng Huai frowned and said, "Prince, this Zhang Baiwan is too greedy for money. I'm afraid he's not that reliable."
Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, "The fact that Ah Li chose him to cooperate with her instead of others proves that he is indeed worthy. Besides... being greedy is not a bad thing. People die for money, and birds die for food. If he has real ability, I don't mind letting him take a little more." But if it's too much, he can't guarantee that he won't make him spit out everything he has.
"But... according to the news we received, this person also has some unclear relationship with Xiling." Leng Huai frowned. The letter left by Princess Ding before she left said that this person could not be trusted.
Mo Xiuyao was not surprised and said with a smile: "He is a businessman, so he will not put all his eggs in one basket."
"What did the prince write in the letter to him?" Yun Ting asked curiously.
Mo Xiuyao said, "It says... Prince Ding is not dead yet, but is seriously injured and dying. The secret guards of Prince Ding's mansion hidden in Jiangnan are asked to go to Nanzhao to borrow troops to rescue Princess Ding from being trapped in Feihong Pass."
Everyone was confused. Asking Nanzhao to borrow troops? Their situation wasn't that bad, was it? Moreover... Nanzhao had just been in turmoil for a few years, and had been entangled with Xiling for a while. Even if they tried their best, how many troops could they borrow?
After thinking for a moment, He Su said, "Does the prince suspect that Zhang Baiwan is Lei Zhenting's man?" If Zhang Baiwan is really Lei Zhenting's man, he will definitely not return to Jiangnan after receiving this letter. Instead, he will send it directly to Lei Zhenting. Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "He is definitely not Lei Zhenting's man now, but it may not be the case after he reads this letter."
Everyone looked at each other and realized that this was simply a test from the prince to the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, led by Zhang Baiwan. If they made the wrong choice...
Yun Ting frowned and said, "Isn't this too... After all, maybe Zhang Baiwan doesn't have this idea now." Deliberately arousing other people's dissent, although this is largely due to these people's weak minds. But originally, most people in this world are ordinary people with weak minds. As long as they are not given the opportunity, they may never betray.
Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Jiangnan will soon be a different place, and by then... these people will become very important. Rather than letting these wavering people ruin my business, I would rather get rid of them all and replace them with people who will not have ulterior motives." This approach may be a bit cruel, but Mo Xiuyao needs to consider too many things. He is responsible for the rise and fall of the entire Dingwang Mansion and the Mo family army, and he doesn't have the time to care about the life and death of individuals and whether they are innocent or not. Besides, didn't he leave them a chance?
After taking a look at Mo Xiuyao's cold eyes, Yun Ting sighed inwardly and said nothing more. He understood what Prince Ding meant. Compared with these old men of the Mo family army who had experienced many things, he was obviously too soft-hearted and naive.
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