Chapter 103 Provocation These words angered An He
It wasn't until the wind on the tower changed from cool to a bit chilly that Zhao Liangxu turned around and said, "It's getting late, let's go back."
"yes."
When Zhao Liangxu returned to the entrance, she found a horse-drawn carriage used by the post station parked there.
It should be used by other officials.
Post stations were mostly set up for officials and for delivering documents. They also usually had horses and carriages available for officials to use. The carriages that Tong An had prepared for her were similar to those that were originally provided at the post station.
Zhao Liangxu didn't look at it much, only thinking about going back to her room to rest as soon as possible. Tomorrow she would take the path along the water, which was a longer route, and she didn't want to rush back. It might take another half a day to walk that path, so it was best to go to bed early and get up early.
*
The next morning, Anhe accompanied Li Ying to court as usual.
He was always absent-minded during court sessions, and he couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to Zhou Feng's open and veiled sarcasm. During this period, his people were keeping an eye on Zhou Feng's people and making things difficult for them. Those who had something to hide were exposed and severely punished by An He. Even if An He couldn't find anything, these people had been hindered in their daily actions and had suffered An He's cold ridicule and sarcasm every day.
As a result, those who were on good terms with Zhou Feng had been cursing An He behind his back these past few days, saying, "That castrated dog, I don't know what medicine he took wrong."
But even though the officials were just cursing, they were also quite uneasy inside.
Zhou Feng's achievements are still there, and most people in the court respect him to some extent. Even if An He targets Zhou Feng, it will only be a minor setback. The biggest effect is to make Zhou Feng feel uneasy.
But his subordinates were not.
The official cursed as he spoke, but at the same time he was terrified of Anhe's aggressive and ruthless style in recent days, worried that he might make a mistake and be caught by Anhe.
Today, however, they were fully prepared for battle, determined to withstand Anhe's new round of attacks.
But today he suddenly changed his mind again, not even bothering to glance at me.
The crowd was puzzled, but at least they breathed a sigh of relief.
After the court session ended peacefully, Zhou Feng, contrary to his usual style, unusually walked towards An He.
Zhou Feng was considered tall among the soldiers, while An He was slender and light. When Zhou Feng stood in front of An He, he was about the same height as An He, but he did not have any air of superiority.
An He frowned at the uninvited guest blocking his way: "General Zhou, what brings you here to speak with us?"
"Has the General grown thick-skinned from years of fighting? Today, General Zhou didn't receive any 'good words' from us, so he must be itching to do the same, and has come all the way here to be praised by us?"
Anhe got angry when she saw Zhou Feng's appearance.
Zhou Feng, with his beard and rough hair, is a warrior who has fought his way up on the battlefield. In other words, he is a very typical rough man. Scholars and literati are clearly not born with this appearance, but they will write extensively about Zhou Feng's heroic and bravery, his spirit and vigor, simply because Zhou Feng does fit the image of a man who is full of vigor and courage to conquer all directions.
As for An He, he became a eunuch at a young age. His facial features were not as rugged as Zhou Feng's, but they were not exactly soft either. His originally handsome face was thin and slender. Coupled with his usual sinister expression and strange behavior, he was only very suitable for the word "feminine".
The person in front of me could be considered a standout among people of the same gender, and Anhe was also a standout, an extreme and unconventional one.
He felt disgusted upon seeing Zhou Feng.
Zhou Feng, relying on his status, was the person in the court who was most opposed to An He. The things he did were not very proper. His vulgar manner was described by others as being unconventional, which made An He even more disgusted.
In addition, the two or three unkind things Zhou Feng did to Zhao Liangxu made An He constantly think about killing him.
He felt uneasy all day, constantly thinking about Zhao Liangxu, and couldn't be bothered to talk to Zhou Feng.
Now he's practically offering himself up to be scolded.
An He may be annoyed, but if Zhou Feng deliberately seeks trouble, he will naturally offer a sarcastic remark.
Zhou Feng's expression darkened upon hearing An He's tone.
But then he remembered why he had come to find Anhe, and his expression changed to a meaningful smile.
"Eunuch An seems distracted. Could he be thinking about that little girl you're raising?"
Zhou Feng is almost forty years old, so it's not wrong for him to call Zhao Liangxu a little girl.
"I never expected that Eunuch An would actually like the gift I gave him earlier so much."
As soon as Zhou Feng said this, he immediately felt An He's malice, which seemed to have solidified into a tangible form.
Anhe got angry.
Zhou Feng wasn't afraid and continued, "Eunuch An, I'm just trying to kindly remind you that you spoil others terribly, but you don't know how they're badmouthing you behind your back."
Zhou Feng lowered his voice and said, "I heard she went out of the city? You really dared to send her out? Aren't you afraid she'll run away?"
Anhe said coldly, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Zhou Feng chuckled: "Eunuch An, when I found her that day, she had already tasted the pleasures of a man. Could you, Eunuch An, satisfy her? I heard she even stayed outside the city for a day? She hasn't returned yet, has she? Maybe she's secretly seeing you..."
"You!" Anhe was furious when she heard this.
How dare he say that?
“General Zhou, be careful what you say,” An He interrupted him, speaking each word through gritted teeth.
Seeing An He's angry expression, Zhou Feng felt that he had won a great victory in this humiliation.
Zhou Feng almost burst out laughing. He pressed his advantage, saying, "Why doesn't Eunuch An go take a look? Maybe he can catch them in the act..."
A sharp "snap" interrupted Zhou Feng's words.
He was so engrossed in mocking Anhe that he didn't have time to stop him.
Zhou Feng stared at An He in disbelief and cursed, "You eunuch, how dare you hit me?"
An He suppressed the twitching at the corner of his eye and forced a sinister smile: "No matter how great General Zhou's achievements are, he cannot overshadow His Majesty and publicly insult him."
Zhou Feng stared wide-eyed: "When did I...?"
“Princess Zhao is favored by His Majesty. To insult her is to insult His Majesty’s inability to recognize talent, that he is a pair of bright pearls but is actually ignorant. General Zhou, I am just kindly reminding you. You only received a slap from me today, but if you continue to speak recklessly and cause His Majesty to dislike you, it will not be good. In the previous dynasty, many officials did not have a good ending.”
The angrier he gets, the more vicious he becomes.
"You should at least consider this carefully. His Majesty is still young. Sometimes, if he issues a harsh order and the general is wronged, even if His Majesty comes to his senses later, the dead cannot be brought back to life, can they?"
This is a blatant threat.
Anhe made full use of the power he had gained by relying on the emperor.
"So just take this slap; it's His Majesty's slap."
Anhe took a step back, unable to hide the disgust in her eyes.
"General Zhou, you should really wash your mouth when you get back; it stinks."
An He didn't want to say another word to this man, but Zhou Feng persisted from behind him, saying, "Does Eunuch An really think he has any ability to win over a woman? You'd better not regret it later."
These words were merely Zhou Feng venting his anger, but they sounded like a veiled meaning to An He.
Anhe became even more agitated.
I really want to tear that rotten mouth off.
Anhe returned to his office and was about to sit down and relax when he noticed a piece of paper on his desk that he had never seen before.
This paper isn't his.
Who secretly let it in while he was away?
Anhe's anger had not yet subsided when another wave of anger arose.
Who has the audacity to put things here so blatantly?
Anhe opened the paper.
The top only had a simple five-word sentence written on it.
[Outside the city, Zhao Chengxin].
These words were vague and ambiguous, as if they were deliberately meant to lure him there.
How could he possibly be fooled by such a petty trick?
Anhe sneered; the more suspicious it was, the more clumsy it was.
Anhe summoned his subordinates and questioned them about whether they had seen anyone enter his house. He then sent people to investigate in detail everyone who had been near his house that day.
As for the three characters Zhao Chengxin, An He didn't know what the appearance of the paper on his desk meant, but he could guess a little bit about it.
Zhao Chengxin is now trapped in the capital and cannot escape. Some of those connected to him, who have ties with officials, are also being closely monitored.
That leaves only one person whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Lu Ming.
Did she escape to the outskirts of the city?
The undercover agent is a complete waste.
Anhe is unhappy with everyone these days.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"who?"
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Zhang has sent me to bring tea."
In the usual scenario of anger, Anhe's anger should have subsided after a while, and Zhang Sheng would indeed take this opportunity to bring tea to calm her down.
Although he was still in a very bad mood, he happened to be thirsty from anger, so he asked the eunuch to bring in some tea.
The young eunuch gently placed the tea on the table, bowing his head and not daring to utter a word.
When he put down the teacup, old burn marks were visible on his hands.
Anhe glanced at it but didn't pay much attention.
In the palace, being beaten and scolded was commonplace.
The young eunuch carefully went out the door and gently closed it behind him.
Anhe was about to pick up the teacup to moisten her throat when she felt a slightly different sensation under her hand.
He sensed something was wrong, so he poured out the tea, turned the teacup upside down, and sure enough, he found a tiny piece of paper stuck to it.
Anhe immediately shouted to the men guarding outside, "Where's that little eunuch? Seize him, now!"
I thought that delivering the note to his room was blatant enough.
Unexpectedly, there were even bolder ones.
After giving the instructions, Anhe frowned, tore off the note, and opened it.
Upon seeing the contents, a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.
There were still only a few words written on the paper.
【At the post station, Zhao Liangxu, aren't you afraid?】
Another post station?
How did this get involved with Zhao Liangxu?
The last three words... "You're not afraid" has many meanings.
Perhaps this was a reminder that since Zhao Chengxin had people outside the city, Zhao Liangxu was likely in danger.
However, something else happened just now that involved Zhao Liangxu.
This is another possible meaning.
This question is asking: Aren't you afraid that what Zhou Feng said is true?
It's unclear what connection the person who wrote this note has with Zhou Feng.
If An He had just taken Zhou Feng's words as deliberately disgusting nonsense, this note now gave Zhou Feng's words a strange meaning.
Anhe did not believe.
He didn't see it with his own eyes, so he didn't believe it.
But because he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wanted to go and see it for himself.
He knew perfectly well that this was an utterly absurd thing.
But when it comes to Zhao Liangxu, it makes him lose his composure.
Moreover, what if Zhao Chengxin's men are really outside the city?
Spring has arrived and summer is here, but that doesn't necessarily mean Zhao Liangxu can escape unscathed.
Even if Zhao Liangxu herself has some skills, how could he be at ease?
He knew the note was a lure to get him there.
But he had no choice but to go.
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