Chapter 225: Message from the Palace
That night, the number of guests at the Beijing Music Bureau increased dramatically. The officials, who had been nervous and unable to sleep for several days due to the "assassination declaration", were overjoyed and held a revenge party.
After this incident, Zhao Duan's reputation has improved to some extent.
Amidst the noisy crowd, Wu Ling, a rising star at the Bafang Theater and a member of the Kuangfu Society in Beijing, quietly stood up and left.
After walking through the bustling streets under the night sky, he did not return to the theater, but instead arrived at another tavern and sat down.
I ordered a pot of wine and a plate of salt-boiled peanuts.
Eat and drink slowly.
Finally, a guest sat down at another table behind him. The two sat back to back, as if they didn't know each other at all.
But they used the method of sound transmission to talk in a low voice.
"Has the new helmsman really been caught?" Wu Ling asked in a low voice with a grim expression.
The middle-aged man from the Kuangfu Society behind him said "yes" and said in a deep voice:
"According to the intelligence, Zhao Duan and his men set up an ambush. The imperial court has dispatched all its henchmen. The new helmsman has been deposed and imprisoned."
It’s Zhao Duan again... Wu Ling clenched his fists.
He thought of the painful experience when he went to assassinate the Zhao thief, but was killed by the "Empress" in return.
After calming down, he asked, "What should I do next?"
The middle-aged rebel said:
"After the Thousand-Faced God entered the city, he didn't have much contact with us. This was the only good thing about him. His arrest had relatively little impact on us.
But we still have to be vigilant. Many of us have moved our residences, changed our identities, and are lying low, awaiting further instructions from the headquarters."
Wu Ling was bitter:
"Two new helmsmen in a row, less than two weeks in office, and then..."
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment and said:
"The more we get to this point, the more we cannot afford to lose our composure. I have activated the emergency communication channel and reported the situation back to the headquarters. The Grand Master will make arrangements."
After a pause, he hummed again:
"Besides, after the new policies are promulgated, we are not the ones who should be anxious. Our enemy is only the false emperor. If the new policies can benefit Dayu, it will be good for us to support the crown prince to ascend the throne."
Wu Ling's heart moved:
"You mean, the ones who are really anxious are those princes who are ready to make a move..."
The middle-aged man used the action of drinking to cover up:
"We have already lost two Tiangang-level masters in a row. It's time for those secret agents in the palace to contribute."
Wu Ling made up his mind, said a few more words, stood up, paid the bill and left.
As he walked out of the tavern, he looked up and saw dark clouds covering the moon. He shuddered and thought:
However, the secret agent of Prince Jing's Mansion was also caught by Zhao Duan.
…
…
Thousands of miles south of the capital.
Zhuang Xiaocheng looked up at the dark clouds covering the moon above his head, his brows furrowed.
He was dressed in a Confucian robe, was about sixty years old, had a head full of silver hair, and a deeply wrinkled face, but he had the demeanor of a patriot who would not change his expression even if a mountain collapsed before his eyes.
As the former "Emperor's Teacher", Taifu, one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, he is also a highly trusted counselor of the Second Prince, and the second most powerful rebel leader in the Kuangfu Society.
After leaving the capital several months ago, he returned to the current headquarters of the Kuangfu Society.
That is, this place under your feet, built on a quiet mountain, called "Forbidden City Villa".
It also remotely controls the operation of the various branches of the Kuangfu Society in the nine regions and eighteen prefectures of Dayu.
Among them, the most important one is naturally the capital.
However, what Zhuang Xiaocheng could not have expected was...
Since he left, the rebel network in the capital has suffered several heavy blows in a short period of time.
The "Frost Sword" who was sent to replace him died just a few days after entering the city.
After that, the intelligence that came from the capital again and again moved and amazed the sixty-year-old imperial teacher.
In the court, several ministers fell one after another, and the empress's control over the court continued to strengthen.
The Xiuwenguan, which was the prototype of a "cabinet", was established, further concentrating power in the hands of the empress.
Of course, if it were just these, it wouldn't really make him nervous.
The most fatal thing is the so-called "New Deal".
With Zhuang Xiaocheng's wisdom, after a cursory reading of the "Three Golden Strategies", he was greatly shocked and immediately made a judgment:
"If these three strategies are implemented, the Empress' throne will be as secure as a rock!"
What surprised him even more was that the name appeared in almost every piece of intelligence.
"Zhao Duan!"
Zhuang Xiaocheng murmured, and in his mind emerged the scene of the dandy lackey who destroyed the temple with a knife in the drizzle in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs that day.
His eyes were filled with confusion.
Zhuang Xiaocheng couldn't understand why the concubine who seemed so special before would rise so strongly and show such skills and talents after he left Beijing.
This made Zhuang Xiaocheng regret countless times.
Why didn't our warlock attack harder that day and kill him completely?
"It has become a serious problem..."
Zhuang Xiaocheng sighed, lowered his eyes, and looked at the letter in his hand that was delivered by Yingshuan.
The capital city is too far away from the Forbidden City Villa. Even in this world with sorcerers, it is difficult to send messages over long distances.
Therefore, the Kuangfu Society arranged a secret communication method similar to a beacon tower.
Special talismans can be used to convey some simple information using pre-agreed "codes".
Just now, the latest information came from the hawk at the foot of the mountain:
The Thousand-Faced God was arrested.
"In just a few months, I lost two of my generals..." Zhuang Xiaocheng clenched his hands tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
It showed that his inner heart was far from as calm as his appearance.
How did it get damaged?
Logically speaking, given Qianmian's cunning and caution, he also brought the "personal" treasure that he had prepared for him.
It shouldn't be like this.
Unfortunately, complex information cannot be conveyed on letter paper, so we can only wait for a few more days for detailed information to be sent back.
"Could it be this Zhao Duan again?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng had an inexplicable premonition and laughed at himself:
"I will never make the same mistake again..."
Behind me, I suddenly heard the sound of light footsteps on the stairs.
"Master, the wind is strong on the roof, but what happened down the mountain?" A woman's voice sounded worried.
Zhuang Xiaocheng tucked the paper into his sleeve, turned around with a smile, and looked at the woman who had come up to the White Crane Tower in the villa with the help of the lanterns hanging in the sky.
"Why is the princess here? Why isn't she looking after His Royal Highness?"
The second prince was named Xu Jianwen. When he was ten years old, he was named "King Wen" by the previous emperor in accordance with royal rules.
He has been living in the capital, and the woman in front of him is the second prince's wife, Princess Wen.
Princess Wen, who had a gentle temperament and a charming appearance, said softly:
"The prince has servants to take care of him. I came up to check on him."
The prince the two men were talking about was still just a young child, the flesh and blood of the second prince Xu Jianwen, and also the banner of the Kuangfu Society.
The slogan that the Kuangfu Society has used to the outside world has always been to overthrow the false emperor and support the young prince to ascend the throne.
Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled and shook his head:
"Don't worry, Princess. These are just minor matters, and I will handle them with the other generals in the society."
Princess Wen, who had a gentle temperament, said "Yes", as if she was relieved. After being comforted by Zhuang Xiaocheng, she went downstairs.
After watching the woman leave, Zhuang Xiaocheng, who looked like a great scholar, stood with his hands behind his back and suddenly said:
"Inform Prince Jing's Mansion and the other idle princes of this news. Humph, let them think for themselves whether the false emperor will target their uncles when he becomes powerful."
In the darkness, the light flickered gently, and a figure slowly emerged, clasping his fists and saying:
"yes!"
Then, it disappeared.
…
…
When Zhao Duan rode his horse back home, it was completely dark.
Mosquitoes are flying around the quaint gatehouse and the hanging lanterns.
Combined with the azure sky in the distance, Zhao Duan felt as if he had walked into a painting.
After entering the house, a new servant came forward to lead the horse and shouted, "Master is back!"
As the only male head of the family, Zhao Duan became "Master Zhao" at a young age.
canteen.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan came out to greet them anxiously, and her stepmother's eyes were filled with uneasiness:
"What happened? My aunt is home. The neighbors said you went to catch a thief. Are you hurt?"
Zhao Duan smiled, laughed, opened his arms, and embraced the two girls as they returned to the cafeteria.
He briefly said that the thief had been brought to justice and there was no need to be nervous.
As for the ambush in South City at noon, he did not mention it.
He just casually said that he had met You Zhande's family, and that the previous matter was over, and the two families would no longer contact each other.
Eugene Hua breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled happily, feeling relieved.
Zhao Pan had a vague feeling that something might be wrong, but he had no evidence.
…
After dinner.
After having a good meal and a good drink, Zhao Duan returned to his yard.
Because the weather was still a bit hot and humid, he did not go into the house. Instead, he squatted under the eaves and took out the "Jiuyi" mask and fiddled with it.
"This thing, can it change just by covering your face?"
Zhao Duan seemed to have gotten a new toy and couldn't wait to try it out.
He slowly placed the soft mask on his face, only to feel the mask absorb itself and slowly blend into his own skin.
"Who should I become?"
Familiar faces flashed through my mind one after another.
Finally, he fell silent and thought about himself in his previous life.
That hardworking ox or horse who never enjoyed power for a single day until his sudden death.
The face was like ripples spreading.
"Brother, the green grapes Mom bought were chilled in well water..."
In the corridor, a girl in a light skirt came over with a copper basin full of green grapes, her voice crisp.
Seeing him squatting on the ground, he asked curiously:
"Brother, what are you doing squatting here...Ah!!"
The next second, the girl saw a strange man and turned her head to look at him.
"Bang!"
The copper basin in his hand fell to the ground, and Zhao Pan's mind suddenly recalled the traitor killer who was widely rumored in the capital.
I thought, didn’t my brother say that the other party had been arrested?
Or is it that the person in front of me is not the traitor?
But who else would break into the house silently?
"What's wrong?"
In the Chuihua Gate, Eugene Hua, who was wearing a thin women's sweatshirt and long skirt, heard the noise and ran over.
She happened to bump into her daughter, and when she saw the strange man clearly, her face turned pale:
"Who... who are you? How dare you break into someone else's house? Dalang?"
Zhao Duan raised his hand, smoothed back his hair, showing his handsome face, and said lightly:
"Don't panic, auntie, it's me."
Huh... He found that his voice seemed to have changed, becoming similar to the one he remembered from his previous life.
"You...you are Dalang?"
Eugene Hua was stunned. She felt that the man in front of her had the same figure, clothes, and expression as her stepson.
But her appearance is really too mediocre.
"It's me. I've just learned a new skill in disguise."
Zhao Duan was calm and composed, and casually mentioned a few details of his life that only his family knew to prove his identity.
The mother and daughter finally believed him and stared at him cautiously and curiously.
Zhao Pan said disdainfully:
"Brother, why did you change into such an ordinary face? It's really hard to be noticed. I'm afraid you won't be able to see it if you throw it into a crowd."
Eugene spoke for her stepson:
"Da Lang's disguise must be more ordinary so that he can act better."
Zhao Pan nodded and accepted the explanation.
I think my brother is so smart that he can create such a memorable face.
“…” Zhao Duan was silent.
At this time, the maid Miantao came running over in a hurry. Before she arrived, her voice came first:
"Master, someone from the palace has sent a message saying that you must go to the palace tomorrow morning and accompany His Majesty to the Heavenly Master's Mansion!"
(End of this chapter)
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