Chapter 352: Meeting Without Knowing Each Other
At the same time, on the southern Xinjiang front, inside Zhaotong Pass, at the Yan army camp.
The Dayan cavalry attacked fiercely for several days and fought bloody battles, and finally successfully broke through the Zhaotong Pass, the gateway to Nanzhao, and pursued the victory to capture three cities in a row.
Yan Shixu ordered the army to take a short rest here, to train their forces and prepare to capture another city tomorrow.
The central army tent was brightly lit with candles.
Yan Shixu was wearing a dark casual suit and was concentrating on examining the sand table.
When his personal guard presented the secret report that Wen Zhiyan had urgently sent from Zhennan Pass, he unfolded the letter and scanned the place names soaked in blood and the shocking descriptions between the lines.
Nong Zhigao's madness, the cunning of the poisonous blood, Luo Yunzhen's life hanging by a thread, Yun Zhi's 30% acupuncture...
A chill suddenly spread from his tall and straight body.
The letter trembled slightly between his fingers.
The people of more than 20 cities were ravaged by the poisonous plague and Luo Yunzhen's dying struggle, as if penetrating the thin piece of letter paper, turning into invisible sharp blades, piercing his eardrums and even piercing deep into his heart.
On the table, a warm white jade teacup was silently and soundlessly cracked by the sudden burst of force from his fingers.
We must speed up the attack on Nanzhao.
…
Nanzhao Palace, dining hall.
The sun was setting in the west, casting the long shadow of the carved window lattice of the dining hall onto the smooth gold brick floor.
In the huge dining hall, Su Muyang sat behind the rosewood dining table, his knuckles tapping on the table unconsciously.
The spies from Dayan should be looking for him, but where is Keren?
Just as I was thinking about it, I saw a tall figure holding a vermilion food tray, lowering his head and following the food delivery team into the dining hall.
When Su Muyang saw the appearance of the person who came, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
It turned out to be Zhang Sicheng!
Looking at this "old eunuch" in front of him, who was wearing the lowest grade of gray-blue robe for the eunuchs, but could not hide his tough aura...
Su Muyang was stunned, but his face maintained the deep indifference that belonged to Nong Zhixiang, except that his gaze stayed on Zhang Sicheng a little longer.
The meal tray was placed silently on the table, and the other eunuchs and palace maids stood by with their hands hanging down.
After putting down the plate, Zhang Sicheng also imitated the others, bowed and stepped to the side, lowering his head even lower, trying to use a humble attitude to cover up his overly tall figure and tanned, angular face.
But the pair of tiger eyes that habitually scanned the surroundings sharply, even though they were deliberately lowered at this moment, could not conceal the sharpness contained in them.
The two of them stared at each other across the steam from the food. The dining room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Several young palace maids seemed to have sensed the unusual aura of this "old eunuch" and exchanged glances uneasily.
After a while, Su Muyang slowly raised his hand and pointed at Zhang Sicheng, his voice carrying a hint of deliberate impatience and inquiry.
"You..." He paused, as if trying to identify him: "What's your name?"
Zhang Sicheng, realizing he had been discovered, replied in an impeccable, even slightly mockingly respectful tone:
"Your Majesty, this servant is Xiao Chengzi.
"The deliberately lowered voice formed an extremely strange contrast with his burly figure.
Su Muyang: “…”
He was already in a state of panic in his heart, but his expression remained calm, with only the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
If he could act recklessly at this moment, he would definitely slap his thighs and burst into laughter.
How does Zhang Sicheng look like a eunuch?
He was tall and sturdy, even more robust than the average Nanzhao man, and his face was dark and rough, clearly showing the deep marks left by the wind and sun at the border over the past few months.
Even though those eyes tried hard to suppress the murderous aura at this moment, they were still as sharp as an eagle, and they were out of tune with the eunuchs around them who had lowered their brows and had cloudy eyes.
He stood there like a tiger that had strayed into a flock of sheep. No matter how he hunched his neck or bent his waist, he could not conceal his masculine aura.
Su Muyang really couldn't understand how Zhang Sicheng managed to sneak into this group of eunuchs who were full of femininity and alluring.
He even dared to appear so "openly" before him, the "King of Nanzhao".
This is simply... audacity...
Su Muyang cleared his throat and assumed the majesty of an emperor.
"Everyone, go down. Stay..." His gaze fell on Zhang Sicheng again: "Xiao Chengzi, just stay and serve."
The eunuch in charge seemed a little hesitant, but seeing that "Nong Zhixiang" looked unhappy, he did not dare to say anything more and bowed quickly:
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After saying this, a group of eunuchs and palace maids filed out, and the heavy palace door closed gently behind them.
When the last trace of footsteps disappeared outside the door and only two people were left in the hall, the air seemed to freeze instantly. The deliberately created sense of lightness and absurdity just now disappeared.
Su Muyang and Zhang Sicheng moved almost at the same time, their bodies as fast as lightning, flashing silently to the vicinity of the doors and windows.
Su Muyang put his ear to the carved door, while Zhang Sicheng stuck to the window like a gecko, holding his breath and concentrating, his eyes scanning the shadow corners of the corridor outside.
After carefully investigating for a while and confirming that there was indeed no one sneaking around and eavesdropping outside the hall, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
The two of them quickly gathered in the center of the dining hall, very close to each other, and their voices were very low, almost like a whisper.
Su Muyang frowned, his eyes revealing undisguised worry and confusion: "What's going on? Why did you come here in person? You..."
He couldn't help but complain, "Even a blind man could tell something's wrong with you! If you're exposed, we'll all lose!"
Zhang Sicheng's face was calm and he spoke very quickly:
"It happened so fast that there was no time to arrange for a more reliable candidate."
"The original plan was for me to disguise myself as a palace guard and sneak in. But after careful investigation, I discovered that the screening of guards is extremely strict, especially those close to the inner court. The background checks are very thorough. Our people can't get in quickly. Forcing a disguise is too risky and will easily be exposed."
"As a result, we had no choice but to target the eunuchs who delivered meals to the Imperial Household Department. They were of low rank, numerous, and diverse, so the checks were relatively lax."
"Don't worry, I was just filling in for a sick person and joined the team. I kept my head down the whole time, so no one could see my face clearly. And..."
He paused, lowering his voice with a strange certainty, "With Zhou Chong secretly taking care of things, his identity is temporarily safe. He's in charge of arranging the meal delivery rotation today."
"Zhou Chong?" Su Muyang repeated the name subconsciously, then took a deep breath and his eyes widened instantly, as if he had heard something out of the ordinary.
"Wait! Who... who are you talking about? Zhou Chong???"
He almost lost his voice and forced the exclamation back into his throat, his face full of disbelief and shock.
Zhou Chong was the chief eunuch of the Jingshifang.
The eunuch who helped Nong Zhixiang arrange his sexual intercourse...
Since Su Muyang disguised himself as Nong Zhixiang, he has been able to see Zhang Chong almost every day.
Because after dinner every day, Zhou Chong would bring the names of the concubines in the harem for him to look through.
We met but didn't know each other...
This is simply... so far away and yet so close at hand!
Zhang Sicheng looked at Su Muyang's shocked and speechless expression, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
He nodded affirmatively, his voice as soft as a mosquito's whisper, but every word resounded like thunder in Su Muyang's ears:
"Indeed. He is the chief of our spies in Nanzhao."
"So, later on, you just need to help me disguise myself as Zhou Chong. With him secretly arranging cover, I can act as him. Within this palace, my actions will be unimpeded, and it will also be more convenient for our subsequent plans."
Su Muyang nodded slowly, his voice regaining its composure: "Okay... We shouldn't stay here for long. Follow me to the bedroom."
Their eyes met, and everything was said without words.
…
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