Chapter 160 Identity
Xiao Qing chuckled, "What you said makes a lot of sense. No..."
Fu Mingyi glared at her and cleared his throat.
Xiao Qing realized what was happening.
Li Qinghe pretended not to hear and sat down, hugging his legs.
"Oh, no one even has any pity on this cripple like me. I'm exhausted."
Looking at this scene, Xiao Qing thought about how she had pushed him down the stairs and made him fall, and then they had made him steal things from the county government office. After returning from the journey, he hadn't had much rest, and then they came to the military camp and caused all this trouble. She felt a little guilty.
How's your leg?
Li Qinghe immediately said, "Ouch, it hurts terribly! Look at my leg..." As he spoke, he started to roll up his trouser leg.
Fu Mingyi stepped in front of Xiao Qing, looking at Li Qinghe with a gentle expression, "I think it's not good. If you don't like it, I'll help you..."
Li Qinghe quickly pulled down his trouser leg and forced a smile, saying, "No need, no need, it's nothing. Back on the battlefield, these things were no problem!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the thought of returning to the military camp today, the familiar atmosphere and the familiar scene, caused the suppressed melancholy in his heart to sprout like wild grass that had been exposed to water, growing wildly.
So many years have passed.
Seeing the change in his expression, Fu Mingyi naturally knew what he was thinking, so he said nothing more and turned away as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Qingjian suddenly fell silent, curiously peeked half her head over, and after taking a look, she also fell silent.
The silence didn't last long, because Zhao Ziyuan arrived.
Ever since Li Qinghe mentioned the name "Phoenix Perching Gorge," he has been restless.
The secret of Phoenix Perch Gorge is known to only a few people. It is hidden deep and has been hidden for a long time, so it is impossible for outsiders to know.
If it weren't for this misappropriation of state taxes, and his nephew sending a message by carrier pigeon saying that the imperial court was going to send an imperial censor to investigate, he certainly wouldn't be sitting in the Feng County camp right now.
After thinking it over, he realized that he had been very careful lately and hadn't given himself away.
Moreover, even Feng Zhengmin didn't know about this, so how could these people know?
Or perhaps they didn't actually know?
But if they didn't know, why would they mention that name?
What are their identities?
Friend or foe?
Could it be that imperial censor in disguise?
Which one is it?
The imperial court would not appoint a disabled person to an official position, and there was no record of that censor being a minor. So it must be Fu Jinyan.
It's not impossible.
Or were they all disciples of that censor?
That's unlikely. I've heard that censors prefer to work alone, as that's how they demonstrate their competence and integrity. They probably don't like having their protégés go first.
Besides, what need does an imperial censor have for followers?
A series of questions arose one after another, and he paced back and forth in the tent, feeling restless and fearful.
He didn't know that although he had kept his actions well hidden, he had always liked to personally inspect those who joined the army.
Ordinary soldiers, unaware of the situation, only felt that their commander loved his soldiers like his own children and was eager to recruit talent. They mostly followed orders and acted accordingly, and no one had carefully studied issues such as the army's organization and financial expenditures.
Zhao Ziyuan thought it was enough to keep it from Feng Zhengmin. In Feng County, with him around, nothing would go wrong. But a discerning person would realize that there was something fishy going on.
Not to mention that he couldn't hide it from Fu Mingyi and his ilk, even if he faced the censors' questioning head-on, he would still have to reveal his true colors.
Because of his relationship with Zhao Youchen, Fu Mingyi had a good understanding of his uncle's character, which is why he believed that if Zhao Youchen really wanted to recruit a private army, there must be a reason. Therefore, he wanted to find out the situation before the censor.
Otherwise, if we are caught unprepared and Wang Xiang and his group seize on this weakness and refuse to let it go, it will be difficult to protect our uncle Zhao Youchen.
At this point, they were deep inside the military camp, beyond Zhao Youchen's reach, so Fu Mingyi did not send a message to Zhao Youchen. Besides, if the news leaked, it would be even more troublesome.
However, as for the name "Phoenix Perching Gorge"—contrary to Zhao Ziyuan's expectations, it wasn't something they all knew at first; only Li Qinghe knew it.
That's Li Qinghe's skill.
This was also one of the reasons why Fu Mingyi sought out Li Qinghe before coming here.
Sometimes, using Li Qinghe can achieve twice the result with half the effort.
At this moment, Zhao Ziyuan became suspicious of their identities, so he dared not be presumptuous and came to investigate in person.
As soon as he entered, he focused his attention on Fu Mingyi.
He tentatively inquired about the three men's backgrounds and experiences, asking them what positions they wanted in the army and which branch of the military they preferred.
Fu Mingyi spoke flawlessly, insisting that he was born in Xi County. When Zhao Ziyuan asked about the local customs and culture of Xi County, he answered in detail.
When asked again, Xiao Qing said that although she was born in Xi County, she was in poor health when she was young and almost did not survive. Her family sent her to the mountains to cultivate herself and learn skills from an old Taoist priest. She had just returned home.
Therefore, it is normal not to know much about Xi County.
When asked which mountain and which Taoist priest she was, she remained enigmatic and refused to answer.
Zhao Ziyuan noticed that Li Qinghe did indeed have a rustic air about her, and thought that it would be more believable if she didn't say anything, rather than just making up a story. So she turned her attention to Li Qinghe.
He recalled that when Li Qinghe said the words "Phoenix Perch Gorge," only the two of them heard it.
He looked intently at Li Qinghe and asked him about his experiences.
Li Qinghe laughed heartily, "To be honest, I lost half a leg in the Battle of Jinshui back then. All those past events are like smoke in the wind, and I no longer mention my old name."
Zhao Ziyuan was startled; she roughly understood the situation.
Jinshui is a river much further north than Xiaoshui, which flows through plains and is very close to the northern barbarian tribes.
The Great Xiao and the Northern Barbarians fought a battle at Jinshui, which occurred during the Tianhe era.
Although he did not participate in the Battle of Jinshui, he had heard that the battle was fierce.
What's most infuriating is that, as the battle progressed, supplies became insufficient, but when they requested supplies from the imperial court, the court kept delaying. In the end, the message sent to them was to withdraw and negotiate peace.
There was no peace talks. That time, the northern barbarians harassed the Jinshui border. They barbarically looted grain, clothes, women, and so on. They didn't care about the land of Daxiao at all. They set fire to the land and burned most of the fertile fields.
The bodies of the fallen soldiers lay scattered across the rolling hills. Their general knelt in the graveyard for three days and three nights, repeatedly saying sorry to heaven and earth, sorry to the court, and sorry to his brothers. In the end, he abandoned his family and committed suicide to atone for his sins.
This matter was eventually suppressed, so not many people know about it to this day.
The imperial court broke the hearts of many military generals.
Zhao Ziyuan looked at Li Qinghe with a solemn expression, and after a long while asked, "Where is General Li?"
Li Qinghe calmly looked into the distance, his expression and demeanor changing dramatically in an instant, which made Xiao Qing unconsciously feel respect.
"Amidst the mountains, green waters, and scorched earth, I look north."
Zhao Ziyuan felt a surge of heat in her eyes and gave him a standard military salute.
After a moment of silence, Li Qinghe resumed his playful demeanor and said, "Oh dear, why say such things? Governor Zhao, if you trust me, I'll say something too. The people present today are the ones who can save your life."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
