Chapter 396 Zhang Yanyi's Assist (5k)
Crunch... Crunch...
The sound of the wheels rolling over the snow was particularly pleasant in the wind.
"Gee!" Hou Ren swung the whip in his hand and steered the carriage around and around. Under the cover of Shen Juan and Qian Kerou, he made several big circles and appeared on a relatively quiet street.
"My lord, the tail has been shaken off."
When the carriage passed through an alley, Chen Juan and Qian Kerou crawled out, rolled into the carriage, shook off the snow foam on their bodies, and spoke to Zhao Duan who was resting with his eyes closed in the carriage.
"Yes." Zhao Duan slowly opened his eyes, looked at the two disguised subordinates, and smiled.
"Thanks for your hard work."
The action in Huangting Lane eventually attracted some people's attention.
Zhao Duan wasn't sure who the busybodies were, but fortunately, because the incident happened suddenly, he hadn't been targeted by any powerful figures.
After the group left the chess stall, they easily got rid of the people who tried to follow them with their rich experience in "anti-tracking".
It was only then that the three subordinates finally found time to come over. Secretary Qian Kerou's eyes were filled with admiration:
"Sir, you have such skills, it's amazing!"
The true feelings from the female subordinate.
Chen Juan was also amazed:
"I thought the little monk was so confident that he dared to challenge the national champion, but I didn't expect that the adults were more skilled and easily resolved the problem.
Hehe, once the news spreads, those people in the Western Regions might think that Princess Wenzhu deliberately brought you there to defeat the little monk... Would this be considered creating a rift between the two sides? Hiss, sir, was this chess game also part of your plan?
The male subordinates are imitating others.
Zhao Duan rolled his eyes, shook his head and smiled:
"How can I be so amazing? It just happened to be the right time."
Although this coincidence is indeed too coincidental in the eyes of some people...
Moreover, as Chen Juan said, after the Red Sect Master learns the details, he might indeed suspect that Princess Wenzhu did it on purpose... Zhao Duan could only say sorry, he really didn't mean it.
Who made Danche run into his gun?
Although it must be admitted that if we compare the real chess skills, the young monk Danche is definitely stronger than him.
but……
We can't just stand by and watch Dan Che sweep the chess world while letting these bald thieves from the Western Regions who are suspected to be in cahoots with the "Great Master" succeed, right?
"Don't underestimate this princess. I believe she can resolve some minor misunderstandings. I never thought that a tentative contact would turn out like this."
Zhao Duan spread his hands, looking innocent.
whispering sound--
The three subordinates didn't say anything, but they were a little bit unconvinced. As for their master's unpredictable chess skills, it can only be said that they have become so accustomed to it that they are almost numb.
"Anyway, let's go back first and keep our mouths shut about this matter."
Zhao Duan gave serious orders.
The matter has become so serious that he suspects that his cover will be exposed sooner or later... He can only try his best to cover it up, and the later it is exposed, the better.
Otherwise, if people knew that "King Zhao Yan" was involved with Princess Wenzhu, it would not be a good thing.
Chen Juan and Qian Kerou responded, but Hou Renmeng, who was driving outside the curtain, did not say a word.
On the contrary, the carriage suddenly stopped!
From outside the carriage curtain came the neighing of horses and the alarmed voice of Hou Renmeng:
"My lord, it seems that the tail is not shaken cleanly."
Zhao Duan's heart trembled, and he raised his hand to quickly lift a corner of the car curtain. As the cold air rushed in, three pairs of eyes in the car clearly saw a "weirdo" standing in the middle of the street ahead.
He was wearing a large dark cloak that covered his body from head to toe, his feet were shoulder-width apart, his hands were crossed in front of him, and he was leaning on an exceptionally large scarlet sword!
One end of the giant sword was nailed to the snow-covered ground, the hilt was pressed down by the man's big hand, and words were engraved on the sword body in golden ancient seal characters.
"...you can leave on your own, don't worry about me."
Zhao Duan looked at the strange man blocking the road for a moment, and suddenly said with a strange look, "Don't worry about me."
Then he stepped out of the carriage.
Qian Kerou and the other two exchanged glances, feeling curious, but still obeyed the order in silence and left.
“Zazaza—”
The carriage left quickly, leaving only two people on the quiet street.
The cold wind from Zhao Duan's sword lifted a corner of the man's cloak, revealing the dark priest robe underneath. He clasped his hands together and said:
"But the Tianshi Mansion, the Little Tianshi? Senior Brother Zhong Pan?"
Zhong Pan laughed in surprise and said, "You are Zhao Duan."
…
…
The person who is better than Danche is related to my aunt?
At the door of the Imperial Study, Xu Zhenguan's snow-white face showed a hint of surprise, and he said:
"Please go to the side hall."
A moment later.
In a side hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Princess Wenzhu, wrapped in a long skirt soaked by mud and snow, stepped over the threshold and saw the empress's smiling face beside the brazier inside the room:
"Auntie, is it cold outside? Come sit down and have a cup of hot milk."
A gentle smile appeared on the face of the Western noble lady, who had experienced a little bit of time, and she took off her coat with the help of the palace maid.
There was also a warm hot water bottle in the frozen and stiff hands.
First there were some meaningless greetings, and then the topic turned to the chess game in Huangting Lane.
"Aunt, are you saying that the chess player who defeated the young monk Danche is a talented person from the capital whom we met unexpectedly in Dongcheng?" Xu Zhenguan sat on a chair beside the brazier.
He looked at the woman sitting opposite him in surprise.
Princess Wenzhu nodded, her face still filled with amazement and complexity:
"That hero, who calls himself Link, initially thought he was chivalrous and kind-hearted, but I never imagined he could be so cunning."
You seem to be teasing me... When did such a talented person named Lin appear in the capital? I know nothing about him. The empress was a little skeptical.
But no matter how he looked at it, he could not see any signs that the aunt in front of him was deceiving him, not to mention that this matter was already tinged with weirdness.
From a standpoint, although Wenzhu's mother's family is in the State of Yu, there is no reason for her to deliberately sabotage the Western Regions delegation - and use such crude means.
When things cannot be predicted logically, luck is the only option.
Princess Wenzhu then expanded on this topic, frequently praising Master Lin. The more Xu Zhenguan listened, the more she felt something was amiss. She frowned cautiously.
"What does Auntie want to say?"
Princess Wenzhu smiled like an auntie: "I don't mean anything else, I just feel that such a talented person should not be buried."
Xu Zhen nodded and said:
"I will look for this person myself. The court is in need of talents right now. If it is true as Auntie said, I will certainly make use of him."
Princess Wenzhu smiled ambiguously:
"Auntie means that since you can use Zhao Duan and Link..."
Xu Zhenguan's face was frosty, and she almost suddenly turned cold. She said lightly:
"Aunt, there's no need to say more."
With her intelligence, how could she not hear the hidden meaning?
She saw through her aunt's subtle intention to introduce her to a new lover and felt unhappy about it.
He even developed an inexplicable aversion to the so-called "Mr. Lin".
"Zhao Qing's talent is incomparable to any nobody." Realizing that her attitude was too cold, the empress made some amends.
Princess Wenzhu's smile froze, and she smiled awkwardly, but sighed in her heart, wondering what kind of magic potion the treacherous minister surnamed Zhao had given her niece?
My niece was too deeply poisoned and there was no cure.
Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips and took the initiative to change the subject:
"My aunt has arrived. How about staying at the palace tonight? I have already ordered someone to clean up her former residence in the palace, and to arrange the furnishings exactly as they were back then."
Speaking of this, her imperial aura softened considerably, and she even took the initiative to hold her aunt's hands, which were much rougher than her own, and smiled:
"Tonight, you and I will put aside everything else and just talk about ourselves as aunt and niece."
Princess Wenzhu was stunned for a moment, and when she met Xu Zhenguan's bright and earnest eyes, a warm feeling surged in her heart.
Yes, my niece was only the empress for less than three years after all.
And in this huge palace, looking around, apart from myself, where else can I find anyone from the Xu family?
Thinking about it this way, Zhenguan must be very lonely in this capital city, just like himself when he was in the Golden Tent in the Western Regions.
Flames danced in the red-hot charcoal basin beneath the two women's feet.
Outside the side hall door, dark clouds blocked the sunlight, and a few snowflakes were falling faintly.
The thin ice crystals fell on the palace wall with a deep red background, like a sigh.
The aunt and niece talked softly, talking about their childhood and the rare warm moments in the royal family buried in the past.
Although they are of different generations, perhaps the two women's experiences have too many similarities.
Both were neglected by their parents, both loved reading, and both had demonstrated women's skill and wisdom in critical situations and achieved extraordinary achievements.
Although the two women had not had much emotional interaction in the past, when they spoke at this moment, a special feeling of royal affection permeated the air.
"Zhenguan, there are some things I shouldn't say,"
Princess Wenzhu saw that the time was right and spoke tentatively:
"I've heard about your unpleasantness with your uncles in the Western Regions. I know you're having a hard time. Maintaining this situation is not easy, but for the royal bloodline to turn against each other is ultimately a shame to our ancestors..."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to smile, and the affection in his eyes slowly faded away:
"Auntie, are you here to persuade me?"
"I just don't want to make things too awkward." Princess Wenzhu said with a wry smile.
"If you agree, I thought, as the New Year is approaching, I will come forward and talk to your uncles. After all, we are all family. If we can make peace, why bother..."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and shook her head. She slowly withdrew her hand and said with a complicated look in her eyes:
"Aunt, I actually admired you very much at one point."
Princess Wenzhu was stunned.
Xu Zhenguan sat slightly sideways, looking towards the deep palace outside the door, and said softly:
"The things you did after marrying and moving to the Western Regions, how you managed to stand firm as a woman, surrounded by wolves, and how you have earned such a reputation today, really impressed me."
After a pause, she suddenly smiled in an ambiguous way and said:
"So, after the Xuanmen coup, when I was pushed by circumstances and unknowingly ascended to the throne, I went to ask people about how you were doing things in the Western Regions. I wanted to learn from you, but after seeing you, I realized that we were different, and in fact, very different."
Princess Wenzhu opened her mouth and said, "You..."
Xu Zhenguan interrupted her with a wave of his hand and said softly:
"Although outsiders often compare me with you, I know that you and I are different. Aunt, do you know how I see you?
A vassal. That's right, a vassal. In fact, you have always been a vassal of power.
Before you got married, you obeyed your father. That's why Grandfather the Emperor treated you coldly. But you still obeyed his will and went to the Western Regions. But I am different. When my father asked me to marry, I would not obey."
"After you went to the Western Regions, you became a vassal of your then-married husband. Although he was seriously injured, he was still there. As long as he was there, he was a banner that united the forces under his command.
You cleverly used this flag to forcibly extend his life for a few years. During this time, you became a border soldier of the Yu Kingdom in the Western Regions and a vassal of the Buddhist Dharma King.
"Aunt, from the beginning to the end, you have always placed yourself in a position that is useful and valuable to those who are stronger and hold power.
So you seem to be moving between various factions, but you are always trying to please people. This time is no different. You returned to Dayu and put yourself in the position of a relative, trying to please me."
Princess Wenju's throat was dry.
She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Xu Zhenguan again with a smile.
"It's okay, no need to explain. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this. If I hadn't been gifted in cultivation and hadn't been recognized by the Taia Sword, and if I hadn't possessed a fairly strong cultivation base, I wouldn't even be as good as you. Aunt, you've played the princess card very well..."
"Back when you were in the Western Regions, you used your identity as a princess to become the link between the Yu Kingdom, the Buddhist ancestral temple, and the major tribes in the Western Regions, thereby maintaining your status.
Now, you are doing the same thing as before, wanting to become the bond between me, the empress, and the eight princes...
This is called... well, according to that guy Zhao Duan, it's 'path dependence'. He always comes up with some weird but appropriate words."
Xu Zhenguan's smile deepened a little, and he said:
"But Yu State and the Western Regions are different after all. Aunt, you have been away for too long and may have forgotten the cruelty here. Why would I want to start a war with my uncles?
It's just that the current situation forces us to do so, just like when Chen Jiuyan sat down at the chess stall in Huangting Alley, it became almost impossible for him to get down.
Princess Wenzhu was silent.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered what Master Lin had said to her at the entrance of the alley in East City not long ago.
The State of Yu was different from the Western Regions.
Therefore, it was wrong for her to approach the people in the same way she did in the Western Regions.
Therefore, it was also wrong for her to try to be a "middleman" and ease the conflict between the empress and the eight kings according to the old method of forming alliances.
She made the same mistake twice in one day.
It was pointed out by Master Lin and his niece respectively. From this perspective, the two people are really a good match.
And I... seemed to have really thought too naively about the bloody storm in the royal family.
"Okay, aunt," Xu Zhenguan suddenly laughed again and pulled her up:
"I've already told you that we won't talk about that tonight. I'll take you to see the tidy bedroom."
Princess Wenzhu also smiled bitterly: "Actually..."
Xu Zhenguan pulled her out, and the empress in white flew into the snow like a fairy:
"By the way, the date for the Buddhist debate has been set. It's in two days, and the location is outside the Shenlong Temple. When the time comes, do you want to go with me to see the excitement?
Oh, if it weren't for the sake of giving face to the Western Region Dharma King, I wouldn't have allowed it. But don't even think about how many people will come to watch this debate."
Princess Wenzhu sighed and said with a smile:
"I want to change into a new dress first. I got covered in mud after going out."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and let go, then called a female official over:
"Take Princess Wenzhu to change her clothes. Let her wear my clothes first."
After the others left, Xu Zhenguan's smile faded and he turned to a familiar eunuch waiting at the door and asked:
"Mo Chou is not here?"
The eunuch said respectfully, "Mo Zhaorong has gone to look for the chess player."
Xu Zhenguan nodded and ordered:
"Send a message to the imperial court to investigate Link. Do it quietly, don't make a big fuss. And spread the news of our great victory over the Western Regions in chess. Humph, if those bald donkeys want fame, then give them fame."
"yes."
"Wait," Xu Zhenguan suddenly spoke again, hesitating slightly, and said:
"Has Zhao Duan done anything these days?"
"I have never heard of this. Master Zhao has been recuperating at home these days and has not shown up."
"How's his chess skills?"
"This...how would this servant know?"
"Hmm..." Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment and said:
"When you go to the Imperial Court, find out if Zhao Qing is home today. If not, where did he go? Is anyone from Lihua Hall out today?... There's no need to make a big fuss, just have Ma Yan investigate quietly."
The eunuch was surprised: "Your Majesty, are you doubting that the chess player who defeated the Western Regions player is..."
Xu Zhenguan said angrily, "I told you to do it, don't be so long-winded."
"I know I'm wrong. I'll do it right away." The eunuch shrank his neck and ran away.
The Empress in White stood in the corridor, her expression full of uncertainty, muttering softly:
"You can't be so amazing at playing chess, right?"
Reason told her that it was unlikely, but when she thought about the guy's past actions, she became a little uncertain.
…
…
The backyard of Zhao Mansion.
A figure jumped in from behind the wall, then looked around vigilantly with full senses.
Avoiding the gazes of the servants and several large wolfhounds that guarded the house, he quietly passed over the roof, pushed open the door, and rolled into the room.
"Huh, I'm finally home."
Zhao Duan closed the door, glanced at the extinguished brazier in the room and the low temperature in the room, and muttered:
"It seems no one has come in."
This morning he instructed the servants in the mansion that he would go into seclusion to practice and should not be disturbed during this period.
Now that he has climbed over the wall to come back, he also wants to conceal his whereabouts today as much as possible.
"Unfortunately, this has become a bit of a fuss. Zhenbao must have heard about it. From now on, many people in the city will be looking for the non-existent Link... At most, we can keep it secret for a day or two, or two or three days, and I'm afraid the truth will be revealed..."
Zhao Duan took off his coat, sat at the table, and muttered helplessly:
"It's not my fault. If I hadn't made such a fuss, no one would have investigated me so openly..."
Shaking his head and putting this episode aside, Zhao Duan took out the storage scroll from his arms and shook his wrist lightly.
“Crash—”
Immediately, dozens of thick scriptures fell on the round table and piled up into a small mountain.
He picked up a book at random. The book felt cold to the touch, and the cover was written with the words "Golden Sutra of the Galan" in large characters.
Zhao Duan twitched the corners of his mouth, almost gritting his teeth: "Old Zhang is really thoughtful."
Zhong Pan’s interception was not unexpected.
After encountering the young Taoist priest, the two went to a nearby shop to sit down. Zhao Duan was not surprised that Jin Jian's "senior brother" could see through his disguise at a glance.
As for the fact that he was able to recognize the other person, it was thanks to the portrait of Zhong Pan that he obtained from Jin Jian when he visited the Tianshi Mansion that day.
That day, he didn’t get to meet Old Wang…呸, Old Zhang…呸, Old Heavenly Master Zhang Yan.
I didn't get to see Zhong Pan either, but I didn't expect to meet him by chance today.
Considering the intelligence that this ferocious senior brother helped him in the battle of Yansuo Lake, Zhao Duan expressed his sincere gratitude.
He originally wanted to "treat" the other party with a meal and then go to Yanzhi Hutong to listen to some music, but Zhong Pan just smiled and said that he came here on the orders of Zhang Yanyi.
A batch of Buddhist scriptures were given to him, and the exact time of the Buddhist debate would be held two days later.
"Although I don't know why Master wants me to give you these scriptures, but Master said that you might need them." Zhong Pan's smiling words are still ringing in my ears.
…
In the room.
Zhao Duan looked at the pile of scriptures and sighed softly:
"You're the only one who can do that, right?"
Obviously, Zhang Yanyi, who was good at divination, had predicted that Zhao Duan might be restless in this debate.
Therefore, as the leader of the Tianshi Mansion who was very happy to see the Buddhists have fun, Zhang Yanyi actively offered assistance.
Zhao Duan opened another "scripture" called "Debate Intelligence" and his mouth twitched.
Well, this one is simply handwritten, and it even details the topic of the upcoming debate, as well as the possible extensions of ideas by both sides, and even includes reference materials such as a guide to the past works of the "holy monk" Red Sect Master.
"Old Zhang, you really think highly of me..."
Zhao Duan muttered softly, but the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
Should we stir up some trouble during this debate? The vindictive King Zhao Yan said he had long harbored this intention.
"Bodhisattva Nagarjuna wants to pick a fight with me, right? Master Dajing, you dare to assassinate me, right? Master Red Sect, your Western Regions ancestral temple accepted Dajing's surrender, right? And that old nun Prajna... wants to sleep with me, right?"
"A gentleman's revenge is from morning till night. Do you really think that just because your assassination attempt on me failed, this matter will be forgotten? I haven't figured out how to proceed yet, but since you have provoked me, don't blame me for being cruel."
(End of this chapter)
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