Chapter 563 Hunting Operation (Seeking monthly tickets at the end of the month)
Did Lao Zhang know I was coming? Yes, this guy is quite good at predicting things... Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and looked at the priest deeply, pretending to be low-key to maintain his own prestige:
"Okay. Lead the way."
Soon, he followed the gate-guarding priest and headed towards the deepest part along the intricate roads within the Tianshi Mansion.
Perhaps it was because it was late at night, and even if the priests were still awake, most of them were inside the buildings, so they didn't meet anyone on the road.
"Please." The guiding priest stopped outside the small courtyard deep inside, turned around, made a "please" gesture, and left silently.
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and pushed open the half-closed double wooden doors with both hands.
As you step in, the first thing that catches your eye is the mysterious giant banyan tree.
Unlike the green of summer, the leaves on the thick branches of the banyan tree are fiery red, shining in the moonlight, and the reflected light spreads on the ground.
Zhang Yanyi was sitting leisurely in a bamboo chair under a tree. He looked at him with a smile and said jokingly:
"Why did Commander Zhao come to look for me so late at night instead of staying with Your Majesty?"
You seem to be hinting at me... Zhao Duan's eyes were strange, and he highly suspected that Lao Zhang was teasing him, and there was something else behind his words, but a smart person would never expose his own scars. He took off his mask and saluted:
"I'm here to deliver a message to the Heavenly Master on behalf of Priest Jin Jian."
Zhang Yan said "Oh?"
"What message does Jin Jian'er want you to convey?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"She misses you very much, Master, and is disappointed that she won't be able to reunite with you this Mid-Autumn Festival. So she asked me to convey her longing."
Well, of course that idiot Jin Jian didn’t say these words, but he probably meant what he meant.
Zhao Duan took it upon himself to come and pay his respects on behalf of Jin Jian, actually to find an excuse for his own visit.
Zhang Yan was startled for a moment, a hint of warmth flashed in his narrow eyes, and he nodded softly:
"Tell Jin Jian'er for me that she... is thoughtful."
No... She didn't ask me for help at all. With her emotional intelligence, she couldn't have thought of such a thoughtful thing... Zhao Duan smiled:
"I will definitely deliver the message."
Zhang Yan nodded slightly, pointed to the empty chair in front, and motioned him to sit down:
"I heard from my subordinates that you made a big splash in Dongshan today and even captured Zhao Shixiong?"
Zhao Duan didn't sit down, looking modest:
"It's just a little thing, not worth mentioning, just a little bit of empty reputation."
I was muttering in my heart: Was it really reported by the subordinates, or did you sneak out and spy on me?
Based on his understanding of Lao Zhang's private character, Zhao Duan highly suspected that it was the latter.
Zhang Yan looked at him in surprise:
"It's not like you to be so humble. Tell me, what brings you here tonight?"
Zhao Duan was extremely well-behaved, with a look of shame on his face:
"There is indeed something I would like to consult with the Heavenly Master. Now that Zhao Shixiong has surrendered, the imperial court will use military force against Prince Mu. I do not want to miss this golden opportunity and want to strike with all my might to cut off Prince Mu's retreat. Therefore, I would like to gather a group of elite soldiers to capture Xu Jingtang..."
However, Prince Mu's Mansion has been operating for many years, and I'm afraid there may be experts lurking, so... I'd like to borrow a few soldiers from the Heavenly Master."
Borrow troops!
Zhao Duan thought about it carefully and decided that if he didn't want to let the tiger go back to the mountain, this would be the best way.
That is to take advantage of Zhao Shixiong and Yuan Feng to contain the Yunfu army on the front battlefield.
He brought a group of experts with him to capture the thief and the leader.
Unfortunately, the experts in the imperial court are now scattered among the various armies to suppress the rebellion, and it is unrealistic to mobilize them in the short term.
So, he set his sights on Lao Zhang.
"No!" Zhang Yan lazily refused. "The Tianshi Mansion doesn't interfere in the internal conflicts of the royal family. This is the rule."
Zhao Duan was not surprised at all and explained the situation to him:
"Senior, Jade Sleeve Priest once fought against the evil cultivators of the White Robe Sect in Taicang. Later, while suppressing the rebellion, he encountered the warrior monk Fanlong from the Shenlong Temple... It is clear that Xu Jingtang has secretly colluded with the remnants of the White Robe Sect and the Shenlong Temple.
The former is an evil cultivator, and as a reputable and upright sect, it is only natural for the Tianshi Mansion to eradicate him.
As for the latter, if the Shenlong Temple breaks the rules, it is reasonable for the Tianshi Mansion to stop and persuade. Tianshi, please rest assured, I will never order the priests to interfere in any other fights..."
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"You're quite calculating, kid. But why should I help you? You should know that even this body of yours was lent to you by me, and you haven't repaid this debt yet."
Lao Deng, I knew your substitute wasn't given for nothing... Zhao Duan appealed to his emotions:
"Senior, I will personally participate in the hunt for Xu Jingtang. If I die in this mission, I will never be able to repay the debt I owe you."
Zhang Yan's eyes widened, and he sat up straighter:
"Are you going to default on your debt?"
Zhao Duan smiled playfully:
"As the saying goes, when one dies, all debts are wiped out. When I die, you can take this substitute back."
Both of them understood that the debt of a mere puppet substitute was nothing.
But Zhao Duan also knew that Lao Zhang always had other thoughts about him.
Or you may realize that there are many causes and effects entangled in yourself, and that you are "different".
Zhang Yanyi has always been interested in him. If it weren't for the empress, he would have forced himself to become his disciple long ago.
So, he simply used this to "extort" some more aid.
Even though Zhao Duan was worried that the more debts he owed, the more he would have to repay in the future, he should still focus on the things in front of him first.
At worst, I can wait until I am promoted to a celestial being and practice dual cultivation with Zhenbao... Bah, husband and wife are of one mind, so I will just default on my debt.
I guess old man Lao Zhang wouldn’t dare to come and collect the debt!
The night is as cool as water.
The old man and the young man looked at each other in silence for a long time.
Zhang Yan sighed, feeling defeated, and said unhappily, "How many people do you want to borrow?"
Zhao Duan was delighted and said:
"I dare not ask for anything more. If I can get the help of Jade Sleeve and Golden Slip, along with the assistance of Priest Zhongpan, and some help from the local Taoist sects in Huaishui, that would be enough."
He calculated clearly that Zhang Yan nominally had six disciples, among whom the "third" and "fourth" were probably traveling outside the State of Yu and could not be relied upon.
Although the two women, Jade Sleeves and Golden Tablets, are strong, they still lack someone with enough weight to keep the situation under control.
It would be best if we could ask the "Little Heavenly Master" Zhong Pan for help. It just so happens that the Little Heavenly Master should also be within the country, and as far as he knows.
The carriage under Zhong Pan's seat has the ability to travel a thousand miles a day and can be summoned in time.
Zhang Yan thought for a moment and said:
"Zhong Pan and the other two can be transferred to you, but the Taoist sect in the Huaishui area cannot."
Seeing his curiosity, Zhang Yanyi patiently explained:
"Unlike the Shenlong Temple, which has temples everywhere. Although there are Taoist temples in various places within the territory of Yu State, they are not under the jurisdiction of the Tianshi Mansion. If you lend troops to me privately, I shouldn't mobilize them, and they may not respond.
Besides, the local sorcerers have limited skills. If you need someone... the Tianshi Mansion in the capital can loan you some available priests."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"I will be moving soon, and there is no time to wait for the imperial priests to rush to the Huai River. In that case, there is no need."
He had no intention of delaying.
Before returning to Beijing this time, he had already ordered Yongjia to prepare for military action. The next day or the day after tomorrow, the imperial army will march south.
Zhang Yanyi was not surprised and said with a smile:
"In that case, forget it. But lending you only three disciples would make me seem stingy. So, how about this..."
He seemed to think for a moment, then raised his hand.
The golden banyan tree swayed, and a leaf fell from the branch, spinning and floating down.
The old Taoist priest twisted the leaf with his fingers, and the leaf was surrounded by light. When the light dissipated, it turned into a brocade bag.
"This is..." Zhao Duan was stunned. He subconsciously raised his hand to catch the brocade bag thrown to him and cast a puzzled look.
Zhang Yan smiled and explained:
"I'm giving you a life-saving trick. If you encounter serious danger on this trip, you can open the brocade pouch. However, remember not to open it in advance, otherwise it will be useless."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up!
nice one!
He subconsciously clenched it. He was originally thinking about whether he should go find Zhenbao and search the palace armory to see if there was any life-saving magic weapon.
But he hesitated again. Considering how Zhao Shixiong almost killed him, he was worried that the empress would not allow him to take the risk after finding out.
But unexpectedly, Zhang Yan gave it to him instead.
However, as he accepted the brocade bag, his heart sank slightly.
Every gift has a price. The more generous Mr. Zhang is, the heavier the debt he will probably owe.
"Thank you, Master." Zhao Duan held the brocade bag tightly and hesitated again.
"But I can't bring this back to the front."
His soul traveled between two places, but he couldn't carry anything with him!
The old man and the young man looked at each other awkwardly. Zhang Yanyi was silent for a moment, coughed lightly, raised his hand and grabbed it, and the sachet returned to his hand. He said lightly:
"I understand. This is just a test to see if you're getting carried away. Go back now. I'll cast a spell and have a crane deliver the treasure bag and the decree to mobilize Zhong Pan and others to the front lines to find you. They'll arrive in a day at most."
So amazing... Zhao Duan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again:
"Thank you, Master. I have one more thing to ask. Could you, using the laws of nature, deduce whether this junior's journey will be successful?"
Zhang Yanyi lay back on the bamboo chair and said, "It is impossible to deduce."
Is it because it involves Prince Mu and is difficult to predict, or is it because they don’t want to tell me? Zhao Duan glanced at the brocade bag, thoughtfully:
"I understand. There's one more thing..."
Are you annoying... Zhang Yan rolled his eyes: "Speak!"
"Junior wants to ask, Master, do you know if there are any troublesome people in Baiyi Sect and Shenlong Temple?" Zhao Duan shamelessly tried to fleece the sheep.
Seeing that he was just asking for information, Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said unhappily:
"The White Robe Sect is a bunch of unlucky people. The most powerful one is of course their leader, Corpse Youlian. As for the Divine Dragon Temple... there are two people who are familiar with that Brahma Dragon, their Dharma names are Guangyuan and Kongzhu. Okay, get lost."
Corpse Curtain? It sounds like a woman's name... Could the White-Robed Sect Leader be a woman?
Guangyuan, Kongzhu... There should be relevant information in the imperial court... Zhao Duan secretly took note and said goodbye and left.
Wait until the people leave.
The banyan tree rustled, and a vague human face emerged from its fiery red and golden crown:
"Didn't you sense, using the Heavenly Book, that a great danger was about to strike the Huai River? Or perhaps it was him? Why didn't you stop it?"
Zhang Yan raised his eyelids and sighed softly:
"The laws of nature are unpredictable, and destiny is hard to control. Simply seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune can only avoid immediate dangers, but may lead to greater losses."
The big banyan tree seemed to understand, but not quite, and said:
"You said the crane would deliver the message in a day. How come I didn't know it would be so fast?"
Zhang Yan blushed, stood up and went back to the house:
"I'm going out soon. If anyone comes, just tell them I'm in seclusion."
…
…
After leaving the Tianshi Mansion, Zhao Duan took advantage of the night and did not return to the palace immediately, but went straight to the imperial court.
There are also people on duty in the imperial court at night.
He went straight to the archives in the yamen, and with the authority of the "Implementing Department", he retrieved some information and hurriedly wrote it down.
Then, he thought about it and returned to Lihua Hall.
Zheng Laojiu is on duty tonight.
"Sir? Why are you back? Aren't you in the palace with His Majesty?" Zheng Laojiu, who was drinking tea and reading a newspaper in the duty room, asked in surprise.
No, why do all of you ask this... The remaining slippery touch in Zhao Duan's palm came back to his mind, making him feel uncomfortable. He said with a stern face:
"Don't talk too much. Let me ask you, what have you found out from the interrogation of those officials in the Imperial Prison who colluded with Prince Mu's Palace?"
Zheng Laojiu hurriedly took out a booklet:
"This is the latest development in the interrogation investigation."
Zhao Duan sat at the table, reviewing it by candlelight.
The booklet contains the compiled confessions. Most of these traitors are responsible for transmitting intelligence to Prince Mu's Palace. A small number of high-ranking traitors will try to influence some minor decisions in the court.
But these are not the main points that Zhao Duan is looking at.
What he looked carefully at was which of these officials came from the aristocratic families on the west side of the Huai River, or more precisely, from the "Jingchuan Town" area.
"Jingchuan Town" is the area built together by the Huaishui gentry over hundreds of years by expanding their gardens.
Radiating to the surrounding areas with a local county town as the center, it is an area that is as prosperous as the provincial capital.
The residence of Huai'an King Xuwen is there.
Xu Jingtang is also stationed there now, and the previous rescue operation of Zhao Ke'er took place in Jingchuan Town.
"Take me to see Peng Wenliang." Zhao Duan closed the booklet and stood up and said.
Peng Wenliang was the first shot in the purge of the Qingliu Party. He was the senior official he personally captured from the Censorate.
…
Not long.
Under the leadership of Zheng Laojiu, Zhao Duan entered the imperial prison.
In a prison cell, Peng Wenliang was seen lying on the ground in prison clothes, covered with bruises.
"Wake him up." Zhao Duan said lightly.
The jailer immediately opened the cell door, picked up a bucket of salt water, and poured it in!
The sleeping Peng Wenliang felt a sharp pain in his wound and screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
When he was dragged out by the jailer like a dead pig, his haggard face was forced to raise. Through his messy black hair, he saw a mask and couldn't help trembling:
"It's you!"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Long time no see, Master Peng. I heard that you are not having a good time here, and you are still very stubborn."
Peng Wenliang stared at him with a vicious look in his eyes: "Kill me or shave me, it's all up to you!"
Zhao Duan seemed to smile, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked Peng Wenliang with a "bang", sending him flying backwards and falling heavily into the cell!
"You are a traitor, why are you so arrogant in front of me?"
Zhao Duan walked into the cell, stepped on Peng Wenliang's chest with his boots, and said:
"I'll give you a chance. Write a letter to the family, asking them to help the court. I can help you suffer less."
The Peng family is a fairly large family in Jingchuan Town on the Huai River.
Zhao Duan wanted to destroy Xu Jingtang's lair in one fell swoop. Having only an elite team of practitioners was not enough. It would be best if he could get assistance from local forces.
If this person is willing to cooperate, he can ask the old Taoist priest to send this person's handwritten letter to the front line.
Peng Wenliang's face turned pale, but he raised his head and laughed bitterly, saying angrily:
"You think I'll believe your words... Don't even think about it!"
He knew very well that he would die if he committed treason, and he absolutely could not bring trouble to his family.
Now that the family has taken refuge with Prince Mu's Mansion, they have no choice but to stick to it.
Peng Wenliang sneered and said, "Prince Mu, you must attack the capital. Even if I die, my family will still be there..."
Zhao Duan sighed softly, knowing that his attempt to win over the Peng family had failed. He squatted down and gazed at Peng Wenliang with pity:
"You may not know it in prison, but Zhao Shixiong has already surrendered to the imperial court and will soon march south to capture and kill Xu Jingtang. By then, your Peng family will have sided with Xu Jingtang, and will only face genocide."
Peng Wenliang was furious: "Don't try to trick me! I won't believe it! Bah!"
Zhao Duan raised his hand, wiped the saliva off the surface of the mask, shook his head, stood up, walked out of the prison, and said lightly:
"From now on, serve Master Peng well every day, but don't kill him. Leave him alive. Wait until Xu Jingtang dies so that he can give up."
The jailers flattered respectfully: "As you command."
Zhao Duan walked out and heard Peng Wenliang cursing from deep in the dungeon corridor behind him, followed by wailing and screaming.
…
Walk out of the imperial prison.
Zhao Duan glanced and saw that it was already the late night and almost dawn.
"This puppet body also has its advantages. At least I don't feel tired..."
He sighed and headed straight for the palace.
After failing to win over the Peng family, he had to find another way, but the news of Zhao Shixiong's surrender had already been announced.
Next, he had to race against time to take the final step.
Soon, Zhao Duan returned to the Wugong Hall of the Imperial Palace. After greeting Eunuch Hai, he stepped into the old building.
…
Linfeng Road, Taicang Prefecture Yamen.
The darkest time is just before dawn.
Zhao Duan opened his eyes and saw the beams and window curtains.
He lay on the bed, covered with a quilt, feeling the real existence of his flesh and blood body, and the experience with the empress in the Tianzi Tower emerged in his mind.
After a long time.
Zhao Duan opened the bedroom door and walked out. He stopped outside a room in the backyard of the government office and knocked on the door.
"Get up and come with me to Yongjia for a meeting."
"Squeak."
The door opened, and a Taoist priest hurriedly put on his robe, with the graceful figure of a Taoist nun faintly visible inside, walked out with a frown.
"Meeting?"
Zhao Duan saw the figure of the female Taoist nun and his heart was as calm as water:
"Well, where did Jin Jian go? Find her and get ready to kill someone."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
