Chapter 378: Clearing the Field (6,000 words long chapter, please vote)
Nothing happened that night, and the next day came in the blink of an eye.
As expected, the news of Zhao Duan's meeting with King Huai'an yesterday spread everywhere, attracting the attention of countless people.
Feng Ju, the doctor who nominally led the "opening of the market", came to the Humble Administrator's Garden early in the morning. When he learned that Zhao Du'an had not woken up, he led several officials who stomped their feet so hard that the Huai River trembled, and waited patiently outside the bedroom with their butts sticking out.
"Be patient."
After getting up, Zhao Duan looked at the group of eagerly waiting officials outside the door, curled his lips, and said, "I have nothing to say."
In the next few days, Zhao Duan, as the focus of the entire Huting, was extremely high-profile.
The schedule was very full, and he began to invite one by one, or personally meet those "neutralis" people in Huting City who were still "wavering".
He looks like he is fighting for something.
In everyone's eyes, the Inspector Zhao Duan had a clear purpose, which was to obtain as many "support votes" as possible before the "Meeting at Huting".
In contrast, the "Seven Kings" headed by Prince Jing were constantly exerting pressure in secret.
The city was in turmoil for a while, with the two forces fighting openly and secretly, which was too much to keep up with, and the outcome of the meeting in a few days was becoming increasingly unclear.
…
…
Five days later.
In the house where Prince Jing was staying, a secret meeting came to an end.
In the room with the door closed, Prince Jing Xu Wen, who looked noble, elegant and well-dressed with slightly graying temples, held a blue and white teacup in his hand and listened to a group of people around the table reporting on the situation one after another.
"Your Highness, this is the current situation. Although Zhao Duan is making a high-profile move, he's stubbornly clinging to his interests and hasn't offered any. How can those neutral clans be willing to surrender to the court? They often say they will cooperate, but when we actually remove them, they still resist."
A middle-aged man dressed like a steward said seriously.
Several other "agents" of similar age and attire also echoed the sentiment.
Each of them represents a prince, and is also the main force in forming a network and obstructing the opening of the market.
Prince Jing took a sip of hot tea, put down the teacup, raised his calm and majestic eyes and scanned everyone, and said: "Where is the Huai'an Palace?"
"this……"
Everyone looked at each other and fell silent.
"Hmph!" Prince Jing snorted coldly, his face showing displeasure, and said in a deep voice:
"You all serve your respective masters, and have been working hard these days. This prince shouldn't be interfering in your affairs, but the matter of Lake Pavilion concerns the honor and disgrace of our seven families. Since your master has nominated me to temporarily take charge of Lake Pavilion, there are some things that should be made clear.
Those neutral factions you are trying to win over are certainly important, but they are not the most important. I have said more than once that the most important thing is the attitude of the Huai'an Palace!"
One person hesitated and said:
"Your Highness, as subordinates, we shouldn't criticize the royal family. But after so many days, Prince Huai'an hasn't said a word. We've all gone to see him, but we haven't seen anyone except Zhao Duan."
Another person also sighed:
"Yes, it's not that we can't help, but the King of Huai'an seems to..."
"Forget it," Prince Jing said, his irritation barely concealed between his brows. He suddenly waved his hand and said, "You can leave first. I will consider this carefully."
"...Your Highness, there are only three days left until the market opens as scheduled by the court..."
"I told you to retreat, are you deaf?!"
The agents were horrified and dared not say a word. They stood up, saluted, and left one after another.
Only Prince Jing was left sitting at the head of the large table, his expression uncertain, as if he was weighing something and hesitating.
The door was open, and the sunlight came in from the threshold, its color as golden.
There were footsteps approaching outside. Xu Jinglong, dressed as a rich young man, walked in respectfully and bowed:
"Father, everyone has been sent away."
Prince Jing said nothing.
The young prince hesitated for a moment, took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it over and said:
"This is the news from the people at the Humble Administrator's Garden. Zhao Duan has already made plans to visit Yansuo Lake tomorrow. He said it's to relax before the meeting the day after tomorrow."
Prince Jing murmured softly: "Tomorrow?"
A trace of anxiety appeared in Xu Jinglong's eyes:
"Father, the meeting is about to begin, but Prince Huai'an still hasn't expressed his opinion. What do you think is going on?"
Prince Jing sneered, glanced at his son, and said coldly:
"Xu An is telling me that what we are doing now is not enough. This old fox wants to see rivers of blood."
Xu Jinglong was startled and pretended to be nervous: "Could he really turn to the imperial court?"
Prince Jing remained silent, as if he had made some kind of decision. He spoke in a calm voice without any emotion:
"Pass the order down, and start tomorrow."
Xu Jinglong's eyes flashed with a well-hidden surprise. He looked up suddenly, pretending to be worried:
"Father, have you made up your mind? Are you going to kill the Zhao man in Huting? This... isn't it too much... Once the news spreads, the capital will definitely not give up..."
Prince Jing sneered and said:
"If my niece wants to vent her anger, let her go to the Kuangfu Society, go to Donghai Qingshan, and find... trouble. It wasn't us who did it, so what does this have to do with me?"
Xu Jinglong suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes! Son, I'll do it right away!"
Watching the prince leave quickly, the sunlight spread onto the tables and chairs, as if setting Prince Jing's robes on fire.
This powerful private army, which was secretly raised, had far more real power than the one in public. He slowly stroked the "safe and sound card" in his hand and said softly:
"Give orders to have someone go to Yansuo Lake ahead of time, and remember to take care of the worries of your subordinates."
In the corner of the room, a shadow suddenly moved, and a person was hidden:
"Yes, sir."
After responding, the shadow squirmed again, slowly seeping into the wall and disappearing.
Prince Jing murmured:
"Jian Wen has spent many years raising so many assassins. How can I be worse than him?"
He slowly stood up, humming a local folk song from Jianchengdao, and walked into the backyard. He said to Princess Lu Yan'er, who was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun:
"It's your turn tomorrow."
The sorceress, who looked gentle, held a strange silver mask in her hands and remained silent.
…
…
Xu Jinglong left the mansion and quietly arrived at another small courtyard in the city in a carriage.
As I stepped in, I could hear a woman's miserable screams coming from the house from afar, accompanied by the creaking sound of a rocking bed.
Xu Jinglong did not dare to interrupt them. He dismissed his men and stayed quietly outside for a while until the screams in the house stopped abruptly.
In the room.
On a bed, Senior Brother Qingshan, who was short, solid as a rock, with a square face and a huge nose, was lying on a fair-skinned beauty who was a head taller than him, and was cheering himself up.
After a moment, Duan Shuiliu let out a deep breath and glanced at the unconscious woman.
The emotions in his gray eyes settled and he regained his composure.
He got out of bed, casually put on a robe, and pushed open the double wooden doors. He looked down at Prince Jing, who had been standing in the courtyard and listening for a long time, with a smile on his face:
"The hospitality at the palace is excellent. I am very satisfied. The promise I made to your father remains unchanged."
Xu Jinglong smiled and said, "Then I'll rely on you, Senior. Tomorrow, we'll shroud the lake in smoke and hold Hai Chunlin back."
"Drag them?"
Duan Shuiliu looked unhappy and stared at him dimly:
"You think I can't beat that old eunuch?"
Xu Jinglong's smile froze: "No... I dare not..."
Duan Shuiliu struck out with a palm, and Xu Jinglong was pushed backward by the palm wind and smashed out of the courtyard gate. Although he was not injured, he was in a mess and coughed continuously.
I heard the proud voice of Senior Brother Qingshan of this generation coming from the courtyard:
"If Zhao Duan hadn't bullied Junior Brother Chai in the past, do you think you could ask me to be your thug in the palace just because of your father? Ha, thug? Do you think you're worthy?"
There was anger in Xu Jinglong's eyes, but he didn't dare show it at all.
"Bang!"
The double-leaf courtyard door slammed shut, and through the crack came the last of Duan Shuiliu's voice:
"I'll do what I promised. Go away."
…
…
Humble Administrator's Garden.
In early winter, even the grass and trees in the south turn yellow.
As usual, Zhao Duan met with several neutral parties in the morning and then ordered them to stay behind closed doors and rest.
At this moment, deep in the Jiangnan-style garden, Zhao Duan was half leaning and half lying on a bamboo chair, sitting in the corridor, looking up and quietly gazing at a corner of the blue sky.
The pure blue sky is like a pure lake. When birds fly by, the sky seems to be caused by ripples.
"What do you have to do with us?"
At the other end of the corridor supported by red-painted wooden pillars, Eunuch Hai walked slowly towards them with his hands behind his back.
The sun shone unrestrainedly on his wrinkled face.
Without the bright red python robe, the old priest was no different from an ordinary old man who liked to squat by the wall in the afternoon to bask in the sun and reminisce about the past.
Zhao Duan still looked at the two birds circling and chasing each other in the distant sky, and said softly:
"Qi Yuchun, is this person powerful?"
Eunuch Hai was startled, looked at him deeply, and said:
"There are many people in the world with this name."
Zhao Duan said calmly, "But as the third-ranked Tiangang in the Kuangfu Society, second only to Zhuang Xiaocheng, there is only this one rebel."
Eunuch Hai looked like he was reminiscing and said slowly:
"That kid... he's okay. We taught him some martial arts back then, but he's not practicing the Martial God lineage of Emperor Taizu. The Qi family... is also a family of military honors. The family's inherited spearmanship is extremely domineering, known as the Overlord Spear, and few in the martial arts world can match it.
Qi Yuchun was also a disciple of military merit with a good family background. He had been gifted in spearmanship since childhood. Later, he had smooth sailing and entered the secular world. He was appointed by the late emperor to serve in the palace as the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards.
The Jinwu Guards, the Imperial Guards... all had to obey his orders and report directly to the late emperor. Even Xue Shence couldn't control him..."
“Haha, come to think of it, if the Qi family hadn’t supported the Second Prince Jianwen, how could the Xuanmen coup have been successful?
Without the commander-in-chief's order to mobilize the city defenses, how could Jian Wen break through the imperial city's defenses? Relying on the retainers he keeps? That's not enough..."
Zhao Du listened quietly.
Of course, he had looked through the information about the rebel party of Kuangfu Society. Although he didn't know the details, he still knew some of the leading figures in it.
The Tiangang ranking is the seating ranking of members within the Kuangfu Society.
Apart from the nominal "first" position, which was occupied by Xu Jianwen's young son, Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was ranked "second", was the real boss of the Kuangfu Society.
Qi Yuchun is the second-in-command of the Kuangfu Society.
Zhao Duan was surprised when Wu Ling secretly brought the news that Qi Yuchun was about to arrive at Huting to assassinate him.
But then he thought again, if Prince Jing really wanted to take action against him, then Kuangfu Society would undoubtedly be the most suitable person and the one who should bear the blame.
Not surprising.
"So, this Qi Yuchun is very powerful? Can you beat him?" Zhao Duan asked softly.
Eunuch Hai glanced at him unhappily:
"I'm just old, not dead yet. As for Qi Yuchun... his Overlord Spear is best used in the military. If he leads a team of elite cavalry, I'll have a headache, but if it's just him, we won't have to worry about it."
Is this true... Zhao Duan didn't dare to believe it completely. As everyone knows, old people's bragging should be taken with a grain of salt.
He turned back and asked tentatively, "What about Jiyue and Lang Shiba?"
Eunuch Hai said with a stern face, "I can't win, but I won't lose too badly either."
Seeing Zhao Duan nodded, the old priest's eyes became serious:
"Why, could it be that..."
Zhao Duan interrupted him and said with a smile:
"Tomorrow I have an appointment with the princess and a large group of talented people from the lake pavilion to go to Yansuo Lake to enjoy the scenery. Prince Jing has not bothered me for so many days, I am afraid he is holding it in for a long time."
Eunuch Hai frowned and asked worriedly, "Do you really have to go?"
Zhao Duan sighed and said helplessly:
"I don't want to either, but there's nothing I can do. The King of Huai'an won't release his eagle until he sees the rabbit. The market will open the day after tomorrow. If I hide, it will be the same as my loss."
Eunuch Hai was silent for a moment, then turned and walked away:
"We'll go inform them. You're on your own."
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, and as he laughed, his expression disappeared. He still looked up at the blue sky, but saw that the two entangled birds had flown away at some point.
…
…
Nothing happened that night, and in the blink of an eye it was the last day before the meeting at the lake pavilion.
The atmosphere in the whole city is like boiling oil on the scorching heat, and it will be set ablaze if a fire is set tomorrow.
However, at this critical moment, Feng Ju and others were so busy that they could not sleep or eat, but they received the news that Lord Zhao was traveling with his beautiful daughter.
…
The name Yansuo Lake is said to have a long history.
According to the legend from ancient times, there was a Taoist who came here in a small boat. When he arrived here, he saw the vast sea and the beautiful scenery. He happily cut some wood and built a house, and settled down by the desolate lake.
It was not just a place to live, but also a place to gather the beauty of mountains and rivers and to feel the charm of heaven and earth. He chose a flat and sharp cliff by the lake, and with the clanging of tools, he spent ten years carving out a huge statue of the earth god on the mountain.
According to legend, during the ten years that the Taoist was carving the statue, people from the nearby villages often came and watched as the statue grew taller and taller and the Taoist gradually aged.
A few days before the statue of the earth god was completed, the entire lake rained for seven consecutive days, the water almost overflowed, and the entire lake was shrouded in fog.
The villagers nearby vaguely heard the roars of dragons and tigers, and came to the shore in the drizzle to look. They saw that accompanied by a strange roar, the sky and the earth cleared up, the bright sun tore through the clouds, and also tore apart the mist and rain that locked the lakeside.
The statue of the earth god is lifelike, but the Taoist has disappeared.
“So, it was named this way to commemorate this legendary day of smoke locks.”
Xu Junling stood on the second deck of the ship, pointing to the lush mountains ahead, acting as a tour guide.
Zhao Duan, dressed in gorgeous clothes, stood next to her. Behind him were three masters: Eunuch Hai, Ji Yue and Lang Shiba.
As well as the maid Lu Shui, the rest of the guards were not brought along.
On the next deck were officers and soldiers such as Hou Renmeng and Chen Juan, all holding their sword hilts and looking around vigilantly.
Haitang didn't come today because Zhao Duan deliberately arranged for her to do something else.
In addition to this ship, there are several other ships floating on the smoke-shrouded lake.
There were many tourists on the shore. At this moment, the sounds of stringed instruments and women's laughter could be heard. In addition, scholars could be vaguely seen reciting poems and composing essays in several boats, competing with each other.
"That's an interesting story."
After listening to this, Zhao Duan smiled and looked out at the distant lake. A concave part of the cliff was indeed carved into a huge statue of the earth god.
The God of Earth is extremely tall and has a ferocious appearance. He holds up a stele with one hand and covers the ground with the other. He looks at the mouth of the Grand Canal in the distance, with an air of dominance.
"The last time I saw the statue of the Earth God was in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs of the capital." Zhao Duan said softly.
Xu Junling's eyes flickered: "Oh?"
Zhao Duan retracted his gaze and smiled at her:
"That time, I led a group to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng, but was instead attacked by a sorcerer thousands of miles away, nearly killing me. Later, I learned that Zhuang Xiaocheng had deliberately lured me there and set an ambush."
Xu Junling was wearing an elegant long skirt today, with a women's-style cloak with a deep red base and white fluffy edges wrapped around it.
The cloak was wrapped tightly around her delicate body to protect her from the cold wind from the lake in early winter.
A smile appeared on her beautiful oval face, and she said jokingly:
"Then this princess should pray that nothing goes wrong today, otherwise it will be considered that I led you here."
"Haha," Zhao Duan laughed out loud, "Not really, it was me who invited the princess here."
The wind was quite strong today, causing his hair to flutter in front of his forehead.
"I heard that the scholars along the Huai River loved to write poems about this mist-shrouded lake. Are those the ones mentioned above?"
Xu Junling smiled and said:
"It's not necessarily all poetry, but more of a game, like a chain of poems or couplets. It's early winter now, so fewer people come here to play. Summer is when it gets busy. This year is special because of the market. In the middle of winter, there are still so many people on the lake."
"I see."
Zhao Duan slowly restrained his smile, squinted his eyes and looked ahead at the gradually approaching building ship.
At this distance, the talented men and beautiful women on the boat could see each other clearly.
At a glance, many of them are playing games.
Many people were looking over here, talking and guessing who this person with such an extraordinary demeanor could be.
Zhao Duan frowned and said unhappily:
"I'm here for a boat trip today. Didn't I notify everyone? Why are there so many people disturbing me?"
On this ship, an official in charge of reception at the lakeside dock was stunned for a moment, sweat suddenly beads on his forehead, and he stammered to explain:
"Sir, I didn't know you didn't like being disturbed. This..."
Zhao Duan sneered:
"Such a beautiful view is completely ruined by all these people making so much noise. Old Hou? Hoist the flag and tell these people to get out! I don't want to see another boat on the lake for another quarter of an hour!"
The Hou people on the first deck responded suddenly:
"Yes, sir!"
Then, under the astonished gaze of the dock official, an official in brocade clothes took out a black flag of the imperial court and hung it up, and with all his might, he shouted to drive away the boats on the river.
The talented men and beautiful women who were originally sightseeing together, as well as the foreign businessmen, were stunned and some were unable to react.
Seeing that these people were disobedient, Hou Ren suddenly shouted:
"The Lord has ordered that all outsiders be driven out within a quarter of an hour!"
Then, this troublemaker from Lihuatang sank his knees and suddenly jumped onto the boat next door.
He brandished his scabbard, struck wildly, and even kicked a scholar who came forward to argue with him into the lake.
With him as an example, the other officers followed suit and jumped one after another. Those who were far away simply abandoned their boats and chased after them.
Order the boatman to leave immediately and not disturb Lord Zhao from viewing the scenery.
Those who resisted were beaten and kicked. Many talented and dashing men fell into the icy river like dumplings and floundered towards the shore.
There was chaos on several ships, with women screaming and crying.
"Ah...someone's being hit!"
"Sir, please spare us... We're leaving now... Ah... Plop!"
"How dare you act so arrogantly in broad daylight? And is there a king... Ouch!"
"My father is..."
The marquis swung his scabbard fiercely, knocking a powerful young man so hard that he ran away in panic. He laughed grimly and said, "Pooh!"
"No matter who your father is, we dare to beat the prince, get out of here!"
…
On board.
The little princess's expression changed after witnessing this scene. Her sweet and elegant smile froze on her face, and she frowned as she looked at Zhao Duan, who had an indifferent expression beside her.
"Envoy Zhao, if this behavior gets out, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the court."
She spoke rather tactfully, but the maid Lushui was already looking angry, thinking that Zhao Duan was too domineering.
They had some understanding of Zhao Duan's style of doing things, but they still felt uncomfortable.
Zhao Duan just smiled and said quietly:
"My princess, don't you find these people an eyesore? No matter how beautiful a scenery is, if too many people see it, it will become vulgar. The beautiful scenery in the world, like beauties and precious jade, is kept privately and can only be enjoyed by a few people."
Xu Junling frowned even deeper. She took a deep breath and did not argue with Zhao, who had suddenly become hateful. She just turned around and said:
"In that case, you may enjoy the scenery on the river alone. I am feeling a little unwell. Please lower a small boat and take me ashore."
Zhao Duan looked at her meaningfully and said:
"My lady, you've spoiled the fun! How can the host leave before the guests have had their fun?"
Xu Junling turned around, her eyebrows furrowed even deeper as she was wrapped in a bright red cape, her eyes looking dark:
"What do you want to do?"
The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth curled up, and a cold and chilling look surged in his eyes.
He raised his hand, and in Xu Junling's surprised eyes, he placed it on her shoulder, moved closer, sniffed the fragrance of the woman's purse, and whispered:
"Can't you guess, Princess? If outsiders do come to the lake, wouldn't it be better if there are fewer people left here to enjoy the scenery?"
Xu Junling's expression grew serious. "Do you think there will be danger today?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"I don't want that either. But to be prepared, I have no choice but to keep the princess with me. Only in this way can your father be freed from suspicion of assassinating me."
Xu Junling's expression changed.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Zhao Duan put a finger on his lips:
"Hush, listen, someone is coming."
…
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(End of this chapter)
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