Chapter 156 Bai Yueguang
Feng Feng, who was outside, was sobered up by the shout and quickly pushed the door open and went inside.
The pale moonlight slipped into the room again, and the person inside, still not satisfied, said, "Everyone outside, come in."
Kuang Ye and Bai Jianping looked at each other, not daring to disobey.
In just a short while, the scene inside the room changed dramatically. A line of tall and burly military generals stood before Qin Shaozong, forming what seemed like a solid, high wall.
Du Manxiang faced Qin Shaozong, with a group of drunken, masculine military officers to her side and behind. She was sandwiched among them, like a petal blown by the wind in the desolate yellow sand, quickly withered and dried by the sand and dust.
Du Manxiang froze, feeling extremely uncomfortable, but she couldn't help but quietly lift up her deliberately slipped outer garment.
Qin Shaozong finally spoke, "Speak, who arranged for you to come to Chang'an?"
Before his wedding, he gave each of his concubines in the inner quarters a sum of money and deeds to their houses and shops, and then sent them all out of the mansion. Whether they were taken back by their families or remarried after leaving was none of his concern.
Besides, it involves a conspiracy against the North.
The distance from Yuyang to Chang'an is more than a thousand miles. If Du Ji had no one to help her, how could she have safely reached the capital?
Dong Zhou was fond of women, so it was not unusual for him to take a liking to Du Ji. However, instead of taking her into his harem, he sent her to the Chang Le Garden as a dancer…
There must be something fishy going on!
*
In the neighboring courtyard.
"Cheer." Someone knocked on the door.
Xie Yuanyue, who was already lying down in the room, heard the voice and mumbled, "Who is it?"
"Thank you, Prefect Xie. I am a physician from Chang Le Garden, sent by Prime Minister Dong to treat you," the man replied.
Xie Yuanyue's muddled mind cleared up a bit, and he remembered that when he left the banquet, Dong Zhou casually mentioned that after he returned to his room, he would send a physician to examine him.
He was kicked by Qin Changgeng at the banquet. Although he immediately summoned a doctor, in order not to appear weak in front of others, the doctor only gave him a cursory examination and then dismissed him.
I'm not feeling well right now.
Xie Yuanyue took a breath, straightened up, and went to open the door. A man carrying a wooden box was standing at the door. Just as he was about to let the man in, he suddenly saw a familiar figure pass through the courtyard gate guarded by guards and come alone.
Who else could this be but Master Jiang?
"Brother Xie, I have something important to discuss with you." Master Jiang seemed to be drunk, his steps heavy.
Xie Yuanyue greeted him at the door, "What brings you here so late at night?"
Jiang Shi seemed to realize a third person was present only after he had been drinking. He hiccuped and slurred, "Brother Xie, you should heal your wounds first. After the physician has examined you, I will explain in detail how to deal with that arrogant Marquis Wu'an. This time, we will surely cut him into a thousand pieces!"
Xie Yuanyue originally intended to refuse Master Jiang and tell him to talk about it tomorrow, saying there was no rush. However, he was shocked by Master Jiang's words and immediately covered his mouth and pulled him into the room.
"Be careful what you say!" Xie Yuanyue said in a deep voice.
He lived in the same district as Beidi and others, separated only by a few walls.
Walls have ears; one should not speak recklessly.
Once the door was closed, the three of them were alone in the room.
Jiang Shi mumbled incoherently, making it impossible for Xie Yuanyue to understand what he was saying. The latter simply tossed the man aside and began to remove his clothes to examine Xinglin's bones and disperse the bruises, saying, "Jiang Yuzhou, you should sober up first."
After a long pause, Xinglin withdrew her hand and said, "Prefect Xie, I have instructed my maid to brew a dose of medicine to disperse blood stasis. The medicine will be delivered shortly, please drink it while it is hot. The medicine also has a sedative effect, so it is normal to feel drowsy after taking it."
Xie Yuanyue nodded. "I understand. You can go out now."
Indeed, it was "to be delivered shortly." Xinglin had just left when the maid carrying the medicine arrived right after.
"Put it down and leave." Xie Yuanyue waved his hand.
The door closed again.
"Brother, are you sober now?" Xie Yuanyue sat cross-legged beside the table.
Master Jiang pressed his temples and said, "I really drank too much tonight, please forgive me, my worthy brother."
"Now that you're sober, you should go back and get some rest. You have to return to the city tomorrow." Xie Yuanyue picked up the medicine bowl, which was at a comfortable temperature, and drank it all in one gulp.
Jiang Shi watched him finish the medicine in the bowl, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. "Brother, do you think I was just making things up when I said I had a solution? No, I really do have a brilliant plan that can make Qin Changgeng extremely anxious and become the target of everyone's criticism, leaving him with no choice but to bear the infamy and be slaughtered by others."
He spoke with such certainty that Xie Yuanyue's relaxed spine slowly straightened upon hearing this. "What brilliant plan do you have, my worthy brother?"
Master Jiang stood up and walked to him. “At the banquet, Prime Minister Dong said that our gathering at Chang Le Garden was not only to strengthen our relationship, but also to plan for eliminating treacherous officials later. In fact, we both know that this trip is only to get rid of them. But the treacherous officials are cunning and are hiding in their shells. If we let them go, when the sun rises tomorrow and the gates of Chang’an open, it will all be for nothing.”
Xie Yuanyue hesitated and guessed, "Brother, are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole?"
“Not so.” Master Jiang shook his head with a smile. “Qin Changgeng has made up his mind to be a coward, so how could he not endure one night? Luring the snake out of its hole won’t work. The only way to subdue him is to stomp on the snake’s hole and smash its shell to pieces.”
Xie Yuanyue didn't understand, "How do I smash it?"
“Naturally, we’ll use a powerful weapon to break the deadlock.” Master Jiang’s smile deepened.
The light and shadow before Xie Yuanyue's eyes suddenly separated and then overlapped, making him dizzy, as if all the wine he had just drunk was rushing to his head at once.
Oh, perhaps the blood-dispersing medicine prescribed by Xinglin earlier is working. It is indeed drowsy, but Jiang Yuzhou is still here; he can't fall asleep.
Xie Yuanyue shook his head, but his symptoms showed no signs of abating. Unwilling to falter at such a crucial juncture, he forced himself to ask, "Where's the weapon?"
“A sharp weapon…” Master Jiang stared intently at Xie Yuanyue, and taking advantage of the moment when the other seemed to be dozing off, he suddenly drew the short knife from his waist and thrust it forcefully into the other’s chest. “Naturally, I took it from right in front of me!”
A thin line of blood shot out with a "hiss".
Xie Yuanyue's pupils narrowed and then widened, and he stiffly raised his head: "You..."
The Prime Minister hosted a banquet, and it was inconvenient for everyone present to wear armor, including Xie Yuanyue.
Jiang Shi was thin and weak; in terms of sheer strength, even three of him couldn't defeat Xie Yuanyue. However, his advantage lay in the fact that Xie Yuanyue's medicine had weakened him, Xie Yuanyue was already injured, and Jiang Shi's advantage was his surprise attack and ruthlessness.
With a sharp twist of his wrist gripping the hilt, Jiang Shi pulled the knife out with force, watching coldly as his opponent fell.
The man was already dead, but he didn't leave immediately. Master Jiang picked up the bedding from the bed, wrapped a tea set in it, and then threw it heavily onto the ground.
The commotion was minimal, but the fine tea set was completely destroyed, as if a dispute had occurred on site.
After putting the quilt back on the bed, Master Jiang turned to leave. Halfway there, he seemed to remember something and paused slightly. He then took out a dark-colored purse that he had temporarily obtained from his bosom and casually tossed it on the ground.
*
The courtyard next door.
A hint of fear appeared in Du Manxiang's eyes. "After leaving the Marquis's mansion, I originally intended to seek refuge with my cousin in Jizhou. But not long after leaving Yuyang, I unexpectedly encountered a villain who harbored evil intentions, wanting to take both my money and my virtue..."
As she said this, Du Manxiang quietly observed Qin Shaozong in front of her.
He sat at the table, on which sat a lamp, its light falling on his profile, illuminating his full forehead and straight nose. The man's deep brown eyes remained as still as a frozen pool in winter, undisturbed by the slightest ripple.
She lowered her eyes in disappointment. "Perhaps it was Heaven's mercy that I was rescued by a group of merchants. They said they owed me a life-saving debt and I could not leave until I had repaid it. They took me south all the way to Chang'an."
She said that she was so frightened later that she inadvertently revealed that she came from the Northern Marquis's Mansion. This caused the merchant who originally intended to give her to a minor nobleman in Chang'an to change his mind and give her to Dong Zhou instead, explaining where she came from.
"...My lord, I only wish to live. Coming to Chang'an was not my wish, and dancing at the banquet was not my own idea. All of this was beyond my control. Could you please, for the sake of the past few years, rescue me from this den of dragons and tigers?" Du Manxiang said, her eyes brimming with tears.
She was undoubtedly beautiful; her tears moved many to sigh, "I feel pity for her."
But Qin Shaozong was clearly not included in this. The candlelight did not soften his face at all. He asked expressionlessly, "What are the names of the important figures in that caravan? What do they look like? Also, where did you stay when you first arrived in Chang'an? Who did you meet before Dong Zhou? Tell me everything."
Du Manxiang choked almost imperceptibly before slowly speaking.
Qin Shaozong rested his hands on his knees, listening to Du Manxiang's description, his long fingers tapping his kneecaps intermittently.
Qin Shaozong didn't completely believe what she said, but the information in the overall framework was quite accurate.
Her appearance at Chang Le Garden was deliberately orchestrated, and this person, or rather the leader of this merchant guild, knew long ago that the court was going to bestow an imperial title upon the lady. He had the audacity to extend his reach to Dong Zhou, and he even regarded the northern lands as his enemy...
There are very few people left to choose from.
Du Ji is a "brick". The opponent calculated that his wariness and curiosity would arise at the same time, and he would definitely seek out Du Ji to find out the truth. Therefore, there will definitely be a subsequent sparring match.
That competition was like "jade," a way to elicit something better.
But why is this the case? What can a mere competition determine?
Qin Shaozong drank quite a bit tonight. He wasn't drunk, but the alcohol had dulled his mind considerably, leaving the questions lingering in his head unanswered.
He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, saying with a distracted expression, "We have no connection anymore, so there's no use in you coming to me about this. If you want to leave Chang Le Yuan, go find Nangong Qingzhou."
Du Manxiang hurriedly crawled two more steps on her knees, "Qin Lang! I have never met Nangong Qingzhou before, he will definitely not agree to my request. Are you worried that if you take me back, the Lady of the Marquis will be displeased? I promise that when I see her, I will kowtow to her with the utmost respect, put her first in everything, and greet her and serve her tea every day. If the Lady does not wish for me to appear before her, I can..."
"You've got it wrong." Qin Shaozong lowered his hand from between his eyebrows, his brown eyes still cold. "It was I who didn't want you to stay, it has nothing to do with Madam."
The saying that women are prone to jealousy is nothing more than an excuse for men to be secretly jealous. Qin Shaozong was well aware of this. In the past, he didn't care, so he didn't point it out, didn't interfere, and didn't waste any energy on it. But now it's different.
The bright moon already hangs high in the sky; why should the stars compete with its brilliance?
Du Manxiang's lips moved, but she was too shocked to speak.
Qin Shaozong ignored her and directly ordered, "Feng Feng, see the guest out."
Feng Feng had no choice but to step forward. He didn't speak, but simply gestured with his palm.
Du Manxiang looked at the rough hands in front of her, her heart trembling. She felt that if she didn't cooperate, they would just drag her away. She turned to look at Qin Shaozong, but before she could utter the words "Qin Lang," Feng Feng forcibly dragged her away.
After the two left, Qin Shaozong looked at the group of military officers.
Kuang Ye and the others looked solemn. Just when they thought their superior wanted to discuss the follow-up with them, they heard a soft cough, followed by the other party saying:
"Do not tell Madam what happened today, nor mention it in front of the two boys. If, unfortunately, Madam finds out, you must tell her everything truthfully and without any falsehood."
Everyone: "..."
A deathly silence.
Qin Shaozong pretended not to notice their strange expressions, "Tell me, what is the other side's intention in provoking this sparring match?"
Everyone had drunk some wine tonight, and their conversation was getting a bit rambling, covering all sorts of things. Qin Shaozong listened for a while, completely baffled, and simply sent them back to sleep.
He went up to the bed, lay down, and closed his eyes to rest.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind, his thoughts slowly sinking into the deep sea. Just as Qin Shaozong was about to fall asleep, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky.
The waves were raging, and the earth shook with awe.
Qin Shaozong suddenly opened his eyes.
He had misunderstood before; the entry point should not have been sought from the Green Lotus Sect, nor from Dong Zhou, who hosted the banquet.
Xie Yuanyue should seek answers from Xie Sizhou, the man he fought! They will only stay at Chang Le Yuan for one night, and after tonight they will each return to their own residences. It will probably be difficult for them to meet again in the future.
It happened tonight...
Qin Shaozong quickly got up and dressed, fastened his belt, and just as he put on his ring-pommel sword, he heard a commotion outside.
The noise, like a surging tide, spread from afar and closer.
"My lord!"
"My lord!"
Kuang Ye and the others rushed out upon hearing the noise.
They were all disheveled, but the only thing they had in common was that they were all holding knives.
Qin Shaozong's narrow eyes swept over them, finally settling on Bai Jianping, who had a unique talent for understanding the sounds of birds and beasts. "Bai Jianping, something is about tonight. You and Mo Yanyun should secretly leave Chang Le Yuan and immediately go to inform Wei Qing at the foot of the mountain. Tell him to split his troops in two, one to come up the mountain and the other to quickly return to the barracks outside Chang'an."
Bai Jianping and Mo Yanyun were stunned.
Qin Shaozong quickly estimated the time, "The soldiers from the outskirts of the city should be able to reach Chang'an by tomorrow morning at the earliest. The city gates will be wide open at daybreak. Let them enter the city with my token. If they encounter any city guards who try to stop them, don't hesitate to force their way in and bring the lady back to the camp. Go quickly!"
The two men shuddered, clasped their hands in greeting, and quickly disappeared into the shadows.
Kuang Ye said worriedly, "My lord, the reinforcements will not arrive in Chang'an until tomorrow at the earliest. If Prime Minister Dong decides to start the uprising tonight, the mistress's side will probably encounter the enemy tonight."
Qin Shaozong looked towards Chang'an, as if answering Kuang Ye's question, but also as if speaking to himself, "Before leaving, I left two hundred elite soldiers for my wife, and told her that things might change tonight. She should understand, and she will definitely be able to wait for my return..."
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Author's Note: Here we go, get ready for something big! [droopy-eared rabbit head]
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