Chapter 420: The Strategist Enters the Game
Yunxi was suddenly called and turned around, seeing a woman dressed as a man walking along the corridor.
He was dressed as a scholar, with thick black hair sticking out from the corners of his head, round and charming eyes on his palm-sized face, and a cold temperament. A cloth bag hung around his waist, and a round object was faintly visible from the heavy cloth bag inside.
It turned out to be the Kuangfu member who had planned to assassinate Zhao Duan in Hu Ting.
"Sister Yuebai!" Yunxi smiled brightly.
She and Lin Yuebai were old acquaintances. Before she followed Zhuang Xiaocheng, Lin Yuebai had taught her a lot.
The two were as close as sisters, but unfortunately she later followed Zhuang Xiaocheng to the capital, while Lin Yuebai went to the local branch, and they separated.
This time, Yunxi was one of the prisoners exchanged by the imperial court and successfully returned to Kuangfu Society with Qingniao.
In line with Zhao Duan's prediction, Zhuang Xiaocheng found a reason to put her and her group of captives under house arrest in disguise.
But perhaps in order to appease people, at least on the surface, Yunxi is no different from other members, and even has the aura of a lone hero.
Today is New Year’s Eve, and many members gathered together to celebrate the new year.
The two were reunited.
"Master called me?"
Yunxi tilted her head, stood up, dusted off the dust on her butt, and looked puzzled:
"What's up?"
Lin Yuebai smiled and naturally took the girl's hand:
"I don't know either, but this time, Master, I've already met with many of the brothers and sisters who have been tortured, imprisoned, and returned."
Is the old dog interrogating the prisoners alone?
Yunxi's heart moved, and she became secretly alert, with a look of confusion on her face.
Lin Yuebai stroked the girl's scarred hand, a look of pity and love in his eyes, and sighed:
"You've suffered a lot over the past few days. You were captured by the court's lackeys, especially that traitor surnamed Zhao. You must have endured endless torture. Fortunately, you have finally escaped the wolf's den. The Grand Tutor must be concerned about you..."
Before Yunxi was exchanged for a prisoner, she took the initiative to accept a round of punishment to strengthen her disguise - if Baibai Pangpang was exchanged for a prisoner, even a fool would know that there was something wrong with her.
Seeing Lin Yuebai's self-blame and hatred for the court's lackeys, Yun Xi hesitated to speak.
She really wanted to tell the other person the truth.
But she also remembered the "spy training" Zhao Duan had given her before she was released from prison. She had no idea where that guy got the series of dense rules, including the "linking" techniques.
In short, it is extremely dangerous to rashly develop "companions" without sufficient investigation.
"It's all over," Yun Xi forced a smile.
But when Lin Yuebai saw this expression, she saw the strong girl using a smile to hide the pain she had suffered. She gritted her teeth and said seriously:
"Yunxi, although I failed in my last attempt to assassinate that thief Zhao, I promise you that as long as I'm alive and my brothers and sisters are still here, I will avenge you sooner or later and tear that thief Zhao into pieces!"
No... You have no idea how terrifying that guy is. I guarantee that you will be the ones who fail in the end... Yun Xi muttered in her heart, with a touching look on her face: "Sister Yuebai, let's go."
The two women walked along the corridor towards another courtyard.
This is a private estate where grapes are grown in the summer. Local people only think it is the property of a wealthy man, but they don’t know that it is one of the strongholds of the rebels.
Tonight, the village is decorated with lights and the brothers and sisters of the Kuangfu Society are drinking, singing and dancing. It is New Year's Day, and the government has relaxed its search for them, and the rebels have stopped their sabotage activities.
It was a tacit truce between the officials and the bandits during the festival.
A rare time to relax.
When Yunxi arrived at a house, she happened to see the door open and the maid Qingniao walked out.
The two looked at each other, and Qingniao's eyes lit up. He seemed to want to say something, but when he saw Lin Yuebai, he closed his mouth.
"Are you here to see the Grand Tutor too?" Yun Xi took the initiative to speak, which was consistent with her personality.
The bluebird said "hmm", stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
Lin Yuebai patted the girl's shoulder to show encouragement, and then the two left.
…
After the people left, Yunxi took a deep breath and pushed open the door with her scarred hands. Zhuang Xiaocheng was standing in front of the wall with his back to the door.
Hanging on the wall was a map of the territory of the Yu State, with markings of different colors on it.
Zhuang Xiaocheng turned around. This old man, who had the demeanor of a great scholar, looked much more tired than he had been half a year ago. Seeing the female disciple coming in, he revealed a look of guilt and heartache: "Yunxi..."
"Disciple greets the teacher." Yun Xi appropriately showed an expression of grievance and excitement.
It perfectly portrays the dilemma of an abandoned child seeing his relatives again - before being released from prison, Zhao Duan rehearsed this scene with her repeatedly.
"As Zhuang Xiaocheng's disciple, you will definitely be scrutinized. If your acting skills are not up to par and your flaws are discovered, it will be extremely dangerous!" Zhao Duan once said seriously:
"So, you must practice until you are flawless, otherwise you will stay in the imperial prison and forget about prisoner exchange."
At this moment, the results of countless drills were obvious, and even with Zhuang Xiaocheng's keen eyesight, he could not find any flaws.
He hurried around the table and, with the acting skills of a seasoned politician, perfectly portrayed the image of a regretful and worried elder:
"You... have suffered! I only regret that I am incompetent. That day in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs..."
"Teacher, I understand! The Earth God has limited magical powers, and taking you away was the right choice at that time..." Yun Xi said.
Sneer in my heart:
If I hadn't known the truth earlier, I would have been deceived by this old dog and continued to be devoted to him.
Zhuang Xiaocheng was so moved that tears filled his eyes, and he took his disciple aside to ask about his well-being.
The self-blame and guilt were beyond words, and even squeezed out a few lines of tears, after the two actors who were good enough to be admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Beijing Film Academy performed a scene of deep affection between master and apprentice.
Yunxi finally spoke: "Teacher, you have something else to talk to me about."
Zhuang Xiaocheng said sternly, "To be honest, I suspect there are spies from the imperial court among these prisoners."
Yun Xi was horrified. "Are you saying that some of my brothers and sisters have betrayed the righteous cause? And joined the false emperor?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng saw that her indignation did not seem fake, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, saying:
"I am not sure either, so I came to you. I have absolute trust in you, so I am speaking these words to you alone.
"I would like to ask you to secretly observe the remaining members for a period of time, especially those who have returned from the prisoner exchange. Alas, I do not want to do this, but the false emperor is powerful, and we are weak and cannot withstand the sabotage of the traitors."
Old Dog, you told everyone this, right? It's not just about identifying with your own eyes, but also about us keeping an eye on each other... Yun Xi sneered, nodding firmly.
"I will definitely do my best! For the dawn of the world, even if it means sacrifice, I will have no regrets!"
Zhuang Xiaocheng was very pleased, gave Yunxi some words of encouragement, and sent her away.
After the girl left, the smile on his face faded, and he flicked away the tears with his fingertips. He heard the walls in the room slowly moving.
Facial features suddenly appeared on the rammed earth wall, and then a man slowly walked out.
He was about thirty years old, with broad shoulders and khaki skin. He wore a robe of the same color, had a square face and a flat nose, and said calmly:
"Do you think there's something wrong with her?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and said, "Among these prisoners, she is the one I trust the most."
Ren Kun, the "Earth God" sorcerer who ranked fourth among the Tiangang of Kuangfu Society and was actually the third most powerful person in the society, and whose martial arts were comparable to Qi Yuchun, sneered:
"Because she's stupid enough?"
At the beginning of Zhao Du'an's time travel, Ren Kun "descended as a god" from the temple in the southern suburbs of the capital, traveled thousands of miles to rescue Zhuang Xiaocheng, and was also the murderer who killed "Zhao Du'an" with one blow.
He had witnessed the scene in the southern suburbs with his own eyes, so he asked this question.
Zhuang Xiaocheng snorted coldly and stared at him unkindly:
"If you hadn't underestimated the enemy and not used your full strength, allowing Zhao Duan to survive, why would we be in such a passive position today?"
Ren Kun's face was filled with displeasure. "Master, how many times are you going to bring this up? I told you, that single finger of mine was enough to kill him. Who could have imagined that this kid's protective magic weapon was so powerful?"
Zhuang Xiaocheng was too lazy to argue and asked, "Has the Taoist priest in purple robes arrived?"
"I came early, waiting for you."
"Go ahead."
Ren Kun stepped on the ground with his right foot, and the floor beneath his feet suddenly became like a quagmire, rippling with circles of ochre-colored ripples that enveloped the two people in the room.
Then the two of them fell into the ground and used the escape technique to get out of another room in the manor.
The doors and windows of the room were tightly closed, and it was isolated by talismans and formations. There was only a round table, a few chairs, and a candlestick in the room.
There were two people sitting at the table.
The first one was Qi Yuchun, the former commander-in-chief of the imperial guards.
The other person was actually a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a purple Taoist robe, with a long black beard and an immortal look.
Seeing Zhuang Xiaocheng and Ren Kun walk out, they both looked over.
"Taifu, I have been waiting for a long time. If you have anything to say, please speak directly." The Taoist in purple robes said calmly, "I have a female Taoist waiting for your visit in my palace."
Zhuang Xiaocheng ignored the guy's frivolous words and sat down, and the senior executives of Kuangfu Society gathered together.
He looked at Qi Yuchun: "How are the princess and the prince?"
Commander-in-Chief Qi Yuchun said:
"It has been arranged. We will leave the Forbidden City Villa tomorrow and take refuge in another stronghold."
Zhuang Xiaocheng nodded and said seriously:
"There's no need to elaborate on the current situation. The false emperor's power is growing. If we don't respond effectively, we'll be doomed. Now that the imperial court has used a prisoner exchange to foil our conspiracy, I'll take it. I'll intervene and lure Zhao Du'an to capture me."
This former great man's face showed a fierce and resolute expression:
"By now, the location of the Forbidden City Villa should have been handed over to the imperial court. Given the vengeful nature of that Zhao thief and the support of the Li Party in the imperial court, it is very likely that he will arrive in the next year.
If we can eliminate this person, the pseudo-emperor's regime will suffer a great loss, and our influence will be greatly boosted."
The other people looked solemn.
Qi Yuchun hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Taifu, you are different from us. You are a mortal. Why don't you evacuate with the Crown Prince and the Princess? Since this place is a trap, we are the hunters."
Zhuang Xiaocheng shook his head and laughed at himself:
"Don't underestimate Zhao Duan. If I weren't here, he wouldn't fall for it, and you wouldn't have to try to persuade me.
Since I have received His Highness Jianwen's will, I must live and die with the Kuangfu Society. Since the Zhao bandits have become a major threat because of me, it is my turn to eradicate them and prevent future troubles."
Everyone was moved.
The purple-robed Taoist even laughed loudly, clapping his hands:
"Taifu has such great ambitions, I can't be stingy. You must know that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. I want to see what kind of waves this thief Zhao can make in this world without the support of the false emperor."
…
…
Capital city.
The New Year’s Eve Lantern Festival finally faded away.
Zhao family.
When Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan, two daughters, each holding a small persimmon lantern in their hands, returned home in a car under the protection of servants and guards.
He was surprised to see Zhao Duan standing in the yard making a snowman.
"Brother? You're back?"
There was surprise in Zhao Pan's autumn-watery eyes, and she ran over with the exquisite little persimmon lantern in her hand.
Looking at the ugly snowman in front of him, the girl frowned and said with disdain:
“So ugly…”
Eugene Hua was not as happy as her daughter. She walked over with a persimmon lantern in her hand, twisting her waist, and said cautiously:
"Didn't you say you wouldn't stay at home tonight? Didn't you stay in the palace?"
Zhao Pan was unhappy when he heard this: "Mom, it's New Year's Day, isn't it normal for my brother to come home and stay?"
Zhao Duan clapped his hands, brushed off the snow powder on his hands, and a wry smile appeared on his face.
Originally, he thought that even if the empress was putting on a show, she should keep him in the palace tonight.
But the result was that Zhenbao said, "There will be a sacrifice to ancestors in the palace early tomorrow morning." It would be against etiquette for you to stay in the palace... The newly-appointed Prince's Guardian went home alone.
But it was normal when you thought about it. Letting those ministers know that the empress had an affair with the crown prince in the palace the night before the ancestor worship was almost like giving ammunition to the enemy.
"It's Chinese New Year, so we should be at home."
Zhao Duan said casually, drew his sword and wrote the three big words "Zhuang Xiaocheng" on the ugly snowman.
Then he chopped off the snowman's head with a single blow of his sword, exhaled softly, and almost whispered:
"It's time to avenge you."
"Ah, revenge for whom?" The mother and daughter didn't understand, they just thought Dalang was weird.
"nothing."
Zhao Duan smiled and tried to comfort the two of them. Then, as if remembering something, he casually threw the scroll of imperial edict in his arms to You Jinhua:
"Aunt, please help me store it."
"Imperial edict?!"
Eugene Hua was stunned and caught it in a hurry, and the small lamp in her hand fell to the ground.
When she unfolded the imperial edict in confusion and saw the words clearly in the light of the lantern, both mother and daughter were stunned and couldn't believe it.
After Zhao Duan casually explained that he had been promoted to Shao Bao, his future treatment would be equivalent to that of a third-rank official.
Eugene Hua and her daughter seemed to be under a spell of immobilization. It took them a while to recover, and then they were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy. Then, the entire Zhao family was in an uproar.
The servants and maids could not hide their joy, as the saying goes, when one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper.
Although Zhao Duan had considerable power before, he was only a fourth-rank military general after all. Now that he has taken another step forward, the entire Zhao family has officially become a wealthy family.
It is conceivable that the Zhao family is destined to have a sleepless night tonight.
At this time, it was past midnight. Zhao Duan stood in the middle of the courtyard with his sword in his hand, and heard the deep sound of the New Year's bell coming from the direction of the Tianshi Mansion bell tower.
"when--"
"when--"
Time finally came to the third year of Tianfeng.
…
…
That night, the sound of firecrackers continued until late at night.
The next day, the Spring Festival, Zhao Duan was woken up early by the officials and nobles who came to pay New Year's greetings one after another.
The news that he was promoted to Shao Bao last night spread throughout the officialdom at lightning speed.
It immediately caused a sensation.
For a moment, all the officials and nobles hurriedly prepared to send New Year's gifts to the Zhao Mansion.
This has made life difficult for the Zhao family.
Throughout the whole day, there was a constant stream of people coming to pay New Year's greetings, and they were all important people who had to be received in person.
In just one day, the gifts sent by others filled up the two rooms.
Zhao Duan's face was stiff with smile. He continued the next day. The official who came was of a lower level but at the same level as him, so he still needed to greet him with a smile.
When Ma Yan brought the gift to the door, the atmosphere between the two was particularly awkward.
On the one hand, Zhao Duan's official position is still the police chief, and on the other hand, the ranks of the boss and the subordinate are equal.
On the third day, Zhao Duan finally found some time. He left the reception work to his stepmother, and drove a large cart of gifts from others straight to the Tianshi Mansion.
The main point is that even if you travel through time, the custom of distributing New Year gifts cannot change.
The next few days were still busy, with one social engagement after another.
After the tenth day of the first lunar month, the influence of the additional official titles finally faded away.
However, it is already a long way from what Zhao Duan promised to do, to arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng within three months.
This caused a group of court officials, led by Li Yanfu, to inquire about the situation, wanting to see what means Zhao Duan had to dare to make such a guarantee.
Zhao Duan continued to entertain guests in Beijing until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
And it happened on the morning of the sixteenth day.
At dawn, the south gate of the capital opened ahead of time, and a special "caravan" quietly left the capital and headed south to Fengcheng.
——
ps: I feel anxious every time a new plot starts
Thanks to Jianxin Kyoto for the 100-coin reward
(End of this chapter)
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