Chapter 568: Surrender! The monk from Shenlong Temple appears
"Lord Huai, are you waiting for me?"
In the palace, the leader of the embroidered robes, wearing a cloak, stood outside the light of the inner hall, crossed his arms, and looked at the father and son in the hall with a smile.
Embroidered clothes pointing directly!
It turned out that it was the "spy chief" under Xu Jingtang who led the team personally and broke into the Huai'an Palace at night. What was his intention?
Zhao Duan, who was in invisible state, had obtained a lot of information about this killer organization from Nie Yurong, so he quickly recognized this person's identity.
He turned his head and looked at the princess who was held in his hands. A solemn expression appeared on Xu Junling's elegant and sweet face.
"Embroidered Clothes Envoy." Huai'an King's voice was low, staring at him with shock and anger.
"What do you mean? What does Xu Jingtang mean?! He led his troops to storm my palace, intending to start a war with me?"
The tall and thin embroidered robes envoy smiled and said:
"Your Highness, please calm down. I came here tonight with no intention of making an enemy of you. It's just that we just wanted to enter, but the gatekeeper said it was late and the palace was closed to visitors, and asked us to come back tomorrow. Haha, but the military situation is urgent, so we had to force our way in."
He said he wanted to calm down, but his posture and tone were completely arrogant.
With the help of the elite infantrymen armed with weapons behind them, they clearly did not take Xu An seriously.
"Military intelligence? How your Yunfu army is mobilized has nothing to do with me?!" Xu An asked angrily.
The embroidered clothes envoy smiled and said:
"Oh, didn't you tell me in advance? Perhaps the people below forgot. It's like this. According to the military order of my prince, we will strategically evacuate Jingchuan Town and temporarily retreat to Yunfu.
In order to protect the families in the city from being invaded by the pseudo-emperor's army heading south, the prince specifically ordered us to protect Prince Huai's family and take them to Yunfu for refuge.
The situation is urgent, and since the battle has already begun on the front lines, we are in a hurry. Please, Prince Huai, pack up your personal belongings and gather your family, and we will evacuate."
Prince Huai'an was stunned, and the Crown Prince was also stunned.
Then, anger appeared on the faces of both father and son:
The other party actually described kidnapping and coercion in such a righteous manner!
What protection?
It is obvious that he wants to kidnap the powerful families of Huai River and prevent them from serving the imperial court!
"How can this be possible!"
Prince Huai'an stood up angrily, his eyes filled with anger:
"Tell Xu Jingtang to come see me in person. You, a mere retainer, have no right to speak to me!"
The embroidered robes envoy did not move. The torchlight reflected a sneer on his face.
"My prince is busy with military affairs, so there is no need to rush to meet the Prince of Huai. We can just wait until we reach the Huai River. It won't be too late to meet again."
Prince Huai'an stared at him, and suddenly his anger subsided: "Xu Jingtang is also going to force me to express my position?"
The embroidered clothes envoy ignored the word "also" and frowned:
"Prince Huai is a wise man, and the Eighth Prince is an ally. Last time, Prince Huai acted dishonestly in Yongjia, but my prince, considering our alliance, did not pursue the matter. Now, we have no choice but to ask Prince Huai to leave..."
If the Prince of Huai doesn't leave, will he wait until Zhao Du'an leads his troops into Jingchuan? By then, with Zhao Du'an's ruthlessness and viciousness, he'll probably massacre the Prince of Huai's mansion. Don't be so ungrateful."
No...who are you calling vicious?
Zhao Duan was unhappy and looked at this guy as if he was a dead person.
Another name was added to his little notebook of grudges.
The embroidered official was completely unaware that he was already on King Zhao's blacklist. He looked around and said calmly:
"The princess and the princess should be in the inner house, right? Will the prince bring them here personally, or should we do it ourselves? Oh, they are women after all. It would be bad if my soldiers offended the princess and the princess."
"How dare you, thief!"
Prince Xu Qian was furious. His fingers trembled with anger and he turned his head to stare at Xu An:
"Father! This is a great shame, a great shame! We can't give in any further!"
The muscles on Xu Anfu's face twitched as if he was struggling.
He closed his eyes, feeling bitter.
On the same night, two groups of people came to force him to take sides.
He has always adhered to the principle of not going to the gambling table, but today, he was finally forced into a corner.
"Dad! It's time to make a decision!"
The prince's teeth were grinding.
"Fight with them..."
Xu An was still wavering.
This is Jingchuan Town after all. The imperial army has not arrived yet. Can Zhao Duan and others really defeat King Mu...?
The embroidered official narrowed his eyes, raised his hand, put it behind his back, and made a gesture.
Suddenly, a group of armed rebels grasped the hilts of their swords in silence.
Feng Xiaolian and others who were hiding in the dark also held their weapons tightly, ready to attack, and their eyes were focused on Xu An's face.
Zhao Duan was also on high alert.
The situation is very delicate.
Even though he thought his side was very strong, if Xu An chose to side with King Mu, with one order, these rebels and the guards in the palace would attack them together.
It will also be troublesome.
Even if he could escape safely, or even kill these people, the noise would be enough to cause the operation to fail prematurely.
In a silent, oppressive and extremely tense atmosphere.
No one noticed that the princess, who had rarely spoken since being kidnapped, suddenly had a fierce look in her eyes.
Xu Junling looked at his father who was hesitating in the hall and sighed softly.
The next second, she suddenly shouted loudly:
"Palace guards! Move! Eliminate the Yunfu rebels!"
This sound was extremely abrupt and instantly broke the balance!
Zhao Duan looked at the princess beside him in astonishment.
The Embroidered Uniform Envoy and Xu An and his son were equally confused.
Feng Xiaolian, who was hiding in the dark, suddenly sighed, lowered her knees first, and rushed out from her hiding place like an arrow, sweeping the long sword in her hand.
"ah--"
Several rebels screamed, their necks were cut, blood spurted out, and they fell to the ground with their heads raised!
When the princess shouted the words "Palace Guards", it meant that they could no longer hide.
Like a signal being released, in an instant, the palace guards subconsciously rushed out from the darkness. Amidst the rustling sounds, figures flashed out from the darkness with swords flashing.
"Meet the enemy!" The embroidered man's face changed drastically and he gave the order almost instinctively.
The crisp sounds of swords being drawn were heard one after another, and the rebels were like frightened birds, fighting with the guards who pounced on them.
The battle broke out extremely suddenly.
Before Xu An in the hall could come to his senses, he felt his hand being grabbed!
The prince's eyes were red, and he shouted excitedly: "Kill them all! Kill them all!"
After being bullied by the rebels for several months, the prince just wanted to vent his anger.
Xu Junling turned his head, his bright eyes met Zhao Duan's, and he forced a smile:
"Now my father has no choice."
Good daughter... you are a filial daughter... Zhao Duan exclaimed in his heart, "You did a great job!" He released his grip on her and said, "
"Let's not just stand there and watch. None of these people can get away."
The starlight twisted, Jin Jian raised his staff and released everyone from invisibility.
Yuxiu didn't take any action, emphasizing, "Jin Jian and I will only deal with the Shenlong Temple and the Baiyi Sect."
She has always been very principled.
Zhao Duan curled his lips and walked out, with Lang Shiba and Ji Yue following him like shadows.
Amid the sounds of fighting, the Embroidered Clothes Envoy retreated into the protection of the army formation after the battle began. Now, following the princess's voice, he saw six people appearing out of thin air.
"Zhao Duan!"
Embroidered clothes make pupils tremble.
As if he understood something, at this moment, he did not hesitate, and suddenly lifted up his cloak, wrapping himself up like a big bird folding its wings.
Thick black smoke gushed out of his pores.
“Flutter…”
The leader who created the Embroidered Robe turned into a bizarre-looking black eagle. He flapped his wings, stirred up a strong wind, and soared into the sky like an arrow!
The speed is amazing!
In the blink of an eye, he flew out of the palace wall!
"Oh no, he's trying to run away!" the prince shouted.
Zhao Duan, however, remained calm and composed. With a flick of his wrist, the sword fell into his hand.
Looking up at the sky, I saw a sharp bird cry in the time it took to breathe. The black eagle that had already flown away returned like a meteorite and fell from the night sky!
It was as if... something had pushed it back to me!
“Wow…”
Ji Yue had sharp eyes and she reached out her hand stealthily. A ball of water was pulled out from the pond in the courtyard and slammed onto the black eagle, soaking its feathers. It fell to the ground and took on a human form.
The embroidered-clothed man was filled with shock and anger. He suddenly sensed danger and turned around to pull out a small shield. With a "clang" sound, he blocked the sharp scimitar that was coming towards him!
A smile appeared on Lang Shiba's weathered face, and he put away his knife and retreated.
Why did they withdraw... When the embroidered-clothed envoy was stunned, he felt a sudden pain in his heart. He lowered his head and was shocked to see a piece of knife tip piercing his chest.
Zhao Duan stood behind him, twisted the handle of the knife, and the energy contained in the knife easily crushed the internal organs.
He pulled out the knife and a trail of blood fell on the ground.
The embroidered envoy, who was good at hiding, assassinating, and sneak attacks, but not good at close combat, fell unwillingly in a pool of blood, his eye sockets gray and colorless.
One cut results.
"So you're only at the Divine Chapter Realm, so why are you pretending so much..."
Zhao Duan muttered something and sheathed his sword.
At the same time, Ji Yue and Lang Shiba also joined the rebels, cooperating with Feng Xiaolian and other martial arts masters in the palace.
Soon the whole group of soldiers were killed, and the inner courtyard was filled with corpses lying all over the place, and the smell of blood gradually became thicker.
"Jun Ling...you..."
At this time, Xu An had slumped down in the armchair, looking at his daughter who was walking towards him with complicated eyes.
Xu Junling cast aside her usual sweet and elegant image, pursed her lips, half-knelt in front of Prince Huai, stretched out her snow-white, tender hands, grasped her old father's cold hands, raised her head, and her pretty face was full of determination:
"Father, we have no choice."
Zhao Duan stepped into the inner hall with a smile and said jokingly:
"The prince gave birth to a beautiful daughter."
The prince stared at him coldly, thinking, am I not an excellent prince?
Are you targeting me...
Seeing this, Xu An suddenly sighed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were full of relief and joy. He said bitterly:
"It seems to me that you are indeed not suited to this era. Well, the palace should be handed over to you from now on. As for your brother... let's not talk about him!"
The prince stared blankly - No, why didn't you mention it...
Prince Huai'an looked at Zhao Du'an again with a complicated expression:
"You just said that if the king is willing to help the court suppress the rebellion, you can give him a lighter punishment."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "My promise is still valid."
"Okay!" Xu An stood up suddenly, his eyes showing a wolf-like ferocity!
It is the nature of businessmen to hesitate before making a decision, but once there is no way out and they have chosen to bet, there is no possibility of shrinking back. They should go all out and move forward.
"Next, how do you want me to cooperate with you?"
Wouldn't it be better if this was done earlier... Zhao Duan smiled:
"Before that, I'd like to ask clearly, did Your Majesty know that this group of people would come tonight?"
Xu An smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't know it would be today, but I guessed there would be some action in the next few days."
Through his explanation, Zhao Duan quickly understood the whole story:
After Zhao Shixiong surrendered to the imperial court, the entire Jingchuan County was on the verge of a storm, and every family was nervously watching how the situation would change.
The spies in the Huai Palace had already learned that Xu Jingtang was trying to withdraw to Yunfu, and at the same time, they had been actively transporting supplies during this period.
The local nobles were also on the transfer list.
"So, Your Highness, you knew that Xu Jingtang might attack you?" Zhao Duan was surprised.
Xu An nodded:
"I do have some speculation, but at this critical juncture, I cannot evacuate hastily. I can only send people to guard the place closely at home. I thought that even if Xu Jingtang had this intention, I would come to see me in person to discuss it. But I didn't expect..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the dead embroiderer at the foot of the stairs with a look of hatred.
Zhao Duan frowned and said:
"So, their arrival tonight likely means Xu Jingtang is also preparing to evacuate? Is that why he's attacking each family? What about the other noble families..."
Xu An said:
"I haven't heard of any nobles being forcibly abducted during the day. If nothing unexpected happens, since they have already attacked me, I'm afraid my family won't be the only ones knocking on my door tonight, asking for 'change of fortune'."
Zhao Duan's heart sank.
The situation was worse than he expected.
Unexpectedly, I arrived as quickly as possible, but Xu Jingtang ran away earlier than I thought.
Logically speaking, shouldn't we let people hold out a little longer, so we can buy more time for evacuation?
The imperial army has just arrived and the battle has just started on the front line, but the rear is already running away. How much lack of confidence do they have in the front line?
Or...
Xu Jingtang was not prepared at all and spent all his family fortune in Jingchuan Town?
"If you want to capture and kill Xu Jingtang, it seems you will have to do it soon. The masters of the palace can go with you."
Xu Junling suddenly spoke, with a tone like the head of the family.
Zhao Duan shook his head and declined the offer.
"No need for that. More people isn't necessarily a good thing."
The situation has changed, and their assassination must be accelerated. Not to mention how much help the guards in the palace can provide, the speed at which this group of people are traveling alone will slow down the progress.
"However, I do need the palace to do something," Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"First, I need you to send people to rescue the other nobles in Jingchuan. We can't let them be transferred to Yunfu or killed by the rebels."
You know, there are still a large number of officials in the court who are from the Huai River.
"Secondly, I need people from the palace to block the Yunfu rebels' large-scale transfer plan from the rear. Or, if possible, help open up some passes as quickly as possible to allow the Beijing camp in the front to break through the defense line as soon as possible."
He believed that the hidden power of the Huai Palace was definitely more than what he saw today.
He even suspected that among these guards in the courtyard, there were also martial artists of the secular realm, or some with similar combat power.
However, since the King of Huai had just surrendered, he did not dare to use the other party's people.
"Okay, I will immediately order people to do it." Xu An agreed.
Zhao Duan smiled and stretched out his hand:
"It's a pleasure to work with you. Welcome to join the imperial family, Your Highness."
ah?
Everyone was confused by his strange behavior and words.
Zhao Duan laughed, took the initiative to shake hands with Xu An, and explained:
"Some country slang, some lightness, and after tonight, everything will be fine."
Immediately, he signaled to Yuxiu and others and prepared to leave immediately.
Through the conversation just now, he had learned some necessary information from Prince Huai.
It was confirmed that the second young master would be the one going to the front line, and Xu Jingtang had been in control of the situation in Baishi Garden for the past few days and had never left.
"Wait," Xu Junling suddenly called him when he saw him about to leave. Then, under Zhao Duan's puzzled gaze, he bit his lip and said:
"careful."
…
…
A group of people jumped out from the palace wall and quickly walked towards the alley they came from.
"That princess won't fall in love with you, will she?"
As she walked, she looked at Zhao Duan and said teasingly.
The latter's face darkened, and he said righteously:
"The priest is also a monk, please don't gossip. I only have Your Majesty in my heart, and I have no other thoughts. What's more, the princess is Your Majesty's cousin... This... This..."
Hiss, come to think of it, it's really a red chicken...
Nie Yuxiu tutted and curled her lips: "Man."
Zhao Duan was unhappy, and while walking, he muttered to himself:
"I'm telling you, don't let her fool you. This little princess is very scheming. She did it on purpose. I'm afraid her only purpose is to please me and gain benefits for the palace. But if His Majesty knew about this, haha, her little trick would probably backfire..."
Nie Yuxiu rolled her eyes:
"Have you ever heard that when people feel guilty, they pretend to be busy and talk a lot?"
Zhao Duan: "..."
Speechless, he couldn't explain it clearly! This is a novel with a single female protagonist, okay!
Let’s talk about the noisy room.
Everyone returned to the alley and saw Zhong Pan standing next to the dark carriage.
The ferocious and ugly little Taoist priest looked over calmly and explained:
"That person was trying to run away, but I couldn't do anything, so I just beat him back."
The three people from the Tianshi Mansion strictly followed the old Tianshi's instructions and were unwilling to confront the people from the Wang Mansion head-on.
"I am very grateful for your help in stopping it, senior brother. Let's continue going." Zhao Duan expressed his gratitude sincerely.
Immediately, the group got into the carriage again. Ripples spread across the carriage's surface, and it sped towards the outskirts of the city. Its destination was:
Baishi Manor.
However.
This time, the carriage had not gone very far and was about to reach the city gate when it suddenly stopped again.
Zhong Pan looked forward with a stern gaze and whispered, "Someone is there."
Zhao Duan leaned out of the carriage and saw two monks standing in front of him with their hands clasped together.
"Amitabha, I have been waiting for a long time."
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
(End of this chapter)
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