Chapter 566 Zhao Duan: Prince, we meet again (ask for guaranteed monthly ticket)
Palace guards?
In the dark palace garden, the moment Zhao Duan felt the strong wind blowing in his face, he almost instinctively supported the illusory golden bell on his body.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two waves of air rippled on the surface of the golden bell, making a dull sound. Zhao Duan took two steps back and released his strength.
In the field of vision, I saw a tall and thin old man in a plain robe floating down.
The two looked at each other.
Lu Qingfeng!
Zhao Duan immediately recognized that the man was the guard of Princess Xu Junling, the famous "Demon Lu" in the martial arts world many years ago.
When he was in the capital, he was beaten by Hai Gongfeng, and later appeared in the Taicang Silver Mine case.
"Zhao Duan!"
When Lu Qingfeng saw Zhao Duan's appearance, he was also shocked and his movements paused for a moment.
At this moment, he caught a glimpse of a flying sword against his throat. A chill ran down the soles of Lu Qingfeng's feet. He wanted to speak, but a ball of water blocked his throat!
Ji Yue, hiding in the dark, silently made hand gestures, and the gurgling water in the pond beside her was used by her.
"Don't make a sound unless you want to die."
Zhao Duan stepped forward and punched Lu Qingfeng in the Qi Hai, causing the Qi in his lower abdomen to become disordered.
He whispered in his mouth.
“Woo woo—”
Lu Qingfeng's eyes went dark and he wanted to speak, but suddenly a finger came quickly and pressed on his forehead. The martial arts master's limbs trembled and he fainted silently.
Jade Sleeve retracted her hand, and the Jade Flying Sword was also retracted into her pure white sleeve, and she whispered:
"It's just a divine chapter, nothing to worry about."
The brief sound of fighting just now attracted the maid who was approaching from a distance. Two red lanterns swayed in the darkness and suddenly fell to the ground.
Jin Jian retracted the staff he had pointed at, and with his other hand, he pushed down his glasses on the bridge of his nose, looked at Zhao Duan, and proudly raised his hand to A:
“Done!”
Lang Shiba's ears moved slightly, and he pointed in a distant direction and whispered:
"Sir, there's movement over there."
…
In the west wing of the palace.
The lights in the window lattice were bright, and under the light, the silhouette of a graceful beauty was imprinted on the window paper.
Inside the room, Xu Junling, who was elegant and sweet-looking, was sitting at the table, flipping through her favorite book of poetry.
Because it was just nightfall, she had not yet gone to bed and was still fully dressed in her gorgeous dress. In the candlelight, her smooth face was as delicate as warm jade.
"well!"
However, the poetry collection that he had read enough in the past seemed boring to him tonight. Xu Junling sighed, closed the book, and his eyebrows revealed his melancholy.
These past few months have been the most difficult months in the princess' life.
The empress performed the Fengshan ceremony, and six rebel kings entered the capital. The Huai River was divided up by two kings, and even Jingchuan Town, the headquarters of the Huai'an Palace, fell into the hands of King Mu.
Prince Huai closed his door and refused to see any guests, hoping to avoid disaster. He placed bets on many parties to avoid disaster, but he did not expect the situation to take a turn for the worse.
Now that Zhao Shixiong has defected to the imperial court, the atmosphere in Huai'an Palace seems to be normal, but in fact everyone is on pins and needles, and she, the princess, is worried and unable to sleep.
"What's that sound?"
Suddenly, Xu Junling heard some noise outside the house, and she became nervous.
She stood up, opened the door, stepped out of the threshold, peered into the dark garden from the corridor, and tentatively called out:
"Xing'er? Lan'er?"
The maid didn't respond.
Xu Junling frowned and turned back to his room driven by anxiety. However, as soon as he stepped in, the door behind him slammed shut.
The candlelight in the room flickered.
"who?!"
Xu Junling was horrified, and then he looked in amazement to see that in the blink of an eye, several figures of different appearances appeared in the room.
One of them was sitting in the same position as her just now, flipping through a collection of poems with great interest.
The other party raised his head and looked at her with a smile:
"Princess, long time no see."
"Zhao Duan!"
Xu Junling's pupils narrowed, his scalp tingled, and he subconsciously turned around and was about to run out the door - although the two were old acquaintances and had a friendship, things were different now.
But the next second, Lang Shiba's sharp scimitar was across the door, blocking her way.
Zhao Duan patted his butt and stood up. He walked over with a soft voice, pinched Xu Junling's jaw with his fingers, and forcefully turned her head towards him, saying with a smile:
"Why does the princess avoid me like the plague?"
"You... why are you here..." Xu Junling didn't dare to move, as if she had returned to the time when the lake was covered in smoke and she was kidnapped by Zhao Duan as a shield. She suddenly remembered something and said in a trembling voice:
"Where's Master Lu?"
"Don't worry, he's not dead." Zhao Duan came closer:
"We don't have time to reminisce. We're here to see the prince. It's intrusive of us to come here. We're not familiar with the place. Could you please lead the way, princess?"
He came to see his father... Xu Junling's breathing tightened, not daring to disobey, and he immediately nodded in obedience:
"I'll take... you there."
Zhao Duan was not worried that she would play tricks, so he took the princess out of the west wing and walked east along the corridor.
Whenever they encountered patrolling servants along the way, Lang Shiba and Ji Yue worked together to deal with them.
Perhaps because they attacked from the inner courtyard and the back house, they did not encounter any strong enemies except Lu Qingfeng.
On the way, Xu Junling's hands were restrained by a rubber band, so he walked and tried:
"Governor Zhao, you are so honored to be here. There is no need for this. I am just an ordinary woman and cannot make any waves. Now that the war has broken out on the front line, is the governor coming from the front?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Princess, there's no need to test me. You and I are acquaintances. As long as you cooperate tonight, I can ensure that not a single tile in the palace is damaged."
…
As they were talking, a group of people entered the inner house, which was unexpectedly deserted.
Black bamboos are planted in the courtyard, and in the grand main hall, the lights are bright, and the halo of light from the candles spreads out, illuminating a corner in front of the hall.
Zhao Duan led four masters of the worldly realm and escorted the princess to the main hall. He was shocked to see two figures in the hall, ready for battle.
Sitting in the main seat was an old man with a plump figure, fair face, and so well-maintained that his age was almost unrecognizable.
He was dressed like a rich man, sitting upright in a throne-like chair, with a large ink painting hanging on the white wall behind him.
It was actually the King of Huai'an, Xuwen!
Beside the old man, there was a young man who looked somewhat similar to the old man, holding a folding fan in his hand, with a frown on his face.
Prince of Huai'an, brother of the princess, Xu Qian!
"Sister!"
Xu Qian, who was in the hall, saw that no one was standing in the bright light outside the hall and said in a lost voice.
Prince Huai'an had no expression on his face and said in a deep voice, "Come out!"
“Clatter—”
In the darkness of night, there was a commotion in the quiet palace.
Zhao Duan glanced over and saw hundreds of swordsmen and axemen pouring out from every corner. They were all wearing night clothes and had a fierce aura. They were definitely not mediocre and almost all of them had some skills.
On the roof walls of the rear house, front and back, figures shrouded in darkness appeared, each with a different weapon.
His ears moved slightly, and he even heard the sound of bows and crossbows being strung. It seemed that in the darkness farther away, there were a large number of crossbowmen lying in ambush.
As long as King Huai'an gives the order, crossbow arrows will swallow up this open space like locusts!
As expected, the palace is full of dangers and is heavily guarded!
Subconsciously, Lang Shiba drew out his scimitar, Ji Yue made hand gestures, Jin Jian and Yu Xiu also frowned, and each of them knocked on the magic wand and flying sword.
The divine consciousness belonging to the worldly realm is released in all directions.
"ah!"
The captured princess suddenly screamed. Zhao Duan's right hand was like an iron clamp, grabbing her delicate neck, as if he could break her neck with just a thought.
"Lord Huai, it's been a long time since we last met. Is this how you treat guests?"
Zhao Duan smiled calmly, without any sign of nervousness, as if he was oblivious to the assassins lurking around him.
This is not due to the hostages in hand, but more due to the strong confidence.
The Huaiwang Mansion is a wealthy business family in Jiangnan. It is normal for it to keep some martial arts masters in the mansion.
But facing the several world-level realm masters who came together today, it was really not enough. They could deal with it without the help of Zhong Pan outside.
"It is an honor for our humble home to have such a distinguished guest, General Zhao. However... visiting my house at night is one form of disrespect, and kidnapping my daughter is another. How about letting my daughter go and then discussing it?" Huai'an King Xu An said in a deep voice.
Zhao Duan sneered and did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked around slowly, as if looking for something.
Glancing around the courtyard, the swordsman suddenly paused and saw a familiar face in the crowd.
Feng Xiaolian!
Back in Yongjia City, I was ordered to meet him in a brothel to convey the good intentions of the Huai'an Palace.
Then, at Zhao Duan's request, the chief manager sent a blank letter to Zhao Shixiong!
This guy... really escaped back...
After Zhao Shixiong surrendered, Zhao Duan asked about this person's whereabouts. He learned that Yongjia caught fire that night, and Feng Xiaolian disappeared without a trace after delivering the letter.
When Feng Xiaolian, who was also wearing a nightgown, met Zhao Duan's gaze, her eyes were complicated, full of fear and surprise.
"Manager Feng is here too," Zhao Duan was completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere. He smiled and greeted him, as if he were meeting an acquaintance on the street, and joked:
"Last time in Yongjia City, I still haven't thanked Manager Feng for his help."
Feng Xiaolian's expression changed. She didn't dare to respond rashly. She glanced at Prince Huai'an before pursing her lips and saying:
"Greetings, Commander Zhao. I didn't expect to meet you here today."
Zhao Duan smiled faintly, his eyes falling on a round stone stool next to the black bamboo in the yard.
He used his free left hand to grab it in the air!
The stone pillar was suddenly frightened, spinning in the air and falling to the ground with a "bang".
Zhao Duan lifted the hem of his robe and sat down surrounded by a group of martial arts masters.
Xu Junling was forced to kneel on the ground beside him with his knees softened, and she pinched his neck with her hands, supporting himself on the ground with his hands, in a kneeling dog-like posture.
"How dare you humiliate the princess? Let my sister go!"
Prince Xu Qian was angry and scolded loudly.
Zhao Duan glanced at the incompetent prince with a strange look in his eyes, but ignored him and continued to look at the Prince of Huai'an with a smile as bright as the spring breeze:
"Your Highness, you are joking. This official and the princess are old acquaintances. I have taken the liberty of visiting you today. It is just right that the princess would like to introduce me to you.
But the taste of the river fish that the prince personally cooked at Dafeng Tower when the lake pavilion opened for business is still fresh in my mind. I didn’t expect to meet him again today, but without wine and meat.”
Prince Huai'an sat upright in the armchair without getting up.
Looking at his daughter who was on all fours and being restrained by Zhao Duan, the wealthy and foodie prince did not show much emotion on his rich face.
He said calmly:
"Since we parted at Huting, I never thought that in just a few months, Commander Zhao has impressed me.
Not only had I heard that his martial arts skills had reached a new level, but he had recently conquered Qingzhou and recaptured Linfeng. Recently, there were rumors that Commander Zhao had recaptured Yongjia City without a single soldier, and had even persuaded Zhao Shixiong to serve as a vanguard in suppressing the rebellion...
Every single one of these things has greatly surprised this prince. Even my daughter, Jun Ling, has often expressed her admiration to this prince in the palace, saying that Your Majesty has unparalleled vision and has truly found a talent who is a pillar of the nation."
The atmosphere is very weird.
Zhao Duan tied up the princess in an almost humiliating manner, and the murderous aura around them was as dense as a spider web.
But King Huai'an actually praised Zhao Du'an in a polite tone.
But what was even more bizarre was that no one present noticed anything was wrong.
It was clear that a year ago, when Zhao Duan met the King of Huai'an, he had to rely on his status as an imperial envoy to be able to dine with him.
But today, this evil guest has become equal to the King of Huai'an in momentum, and even surpasses him.
Zhao Duan listened with a smile and said:
"Your Highness also impresses me. In this age of war, you're still able to get along with everyone. I heard that Your Highness is simultaneously funding the armies of Prince Jing and Prince Mu to fight against the imperial court? You're incredibly wealthy and powerful."
Prince Huai'an was silent for a moment, a hint of bitterness appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he shook his head and said:
"General Zhao, there's no need to say such things. You should know that I have no ambition to rule the world. All I want is to live a comfortable and wealthy life!
It was like this back in the day when I was at Huting, doing my part to help the court open the market, and it is also like this now when I am shut up and protecting myself.”
Zhao Duan asked with a smile:
"So, the reason why I sent Chief Treasurer Feng Xiaolian to Yongjia City to collude with me is the same?"
As soon as these words were spoken, even though everyone present was from the Huai'an Palace, the atmosphere still became subtle.
He pierced it directly!
Feng Xiaolian was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak.
Prince Huai'an was also startled, and suddenly he sighed softly, with some anger flashing in his eyes:
"If Commander Zhao still remembered this, he shouldn't have barged in like this today, and he shouldn't have treated my daughter like this!"
When this was mentioned, he became a little annoyed.
When the two kings started their rebellion and divided up the Huai River, King Huai'an believed that the empress could not hold on to the country, and that the two factions most likely to claim the throne were Jiancheng and Yunfu.
So I bet heavily on it.
He wanted to reverse the wrong investment he made when Huting opened.
To this end, he did not hesitate to issue an order to give up resistance and hand over the entire territory of the Huai River, leaving only the palace and various businesses.
Originally, facing the extortion of the two kings, the Huai'an Palace could have withstood the extortion with its wealth.
But the empress returned to the capital and stabilized the court, and Zhao Duan successively defeated the Qingzhou rebels and the Yunfu rebels led by Su Dan.
The King of Huai'an had no choice but to try to contact them again, but at that time he had no obvious inclination and still believed that the court had a greater loss to make.
The reason for contacting is just to be on the safe side, which is the businessman's instinctive habit of not putting all his eggs in one basket.
Who could have thought that Zhao Duan's actions and tactics of sowing discord would not only implicate Feng Xiaolian but also him.
After Prince Mu Xu Jingtang heard the news, he personally led his troops to the palace and took away a lot of money from Prince Huai'an.
It almost caused serious damage to the royal palace.
Fortunately, the eight kings are still in alliance.
Even for the stability of the alliance, Xu Jingtang did not dare to really destroy the Huai'an Palace at this time, or go too far.
In this way, he barely escaped the disaster.
And then, Zhao Shixiong's rebellion made King Huai'an even more uneasy.
——
A little stuck, this chapter is a little shorter.
(End of this chapter)
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