"My Lord, I will not see you off."

Finally, he added something in a sarcastic tone, then he turned around and left Chu Lingxiao.

Only Chu Lingxiao, who was riding on a white horse, was left standing alone at the entrance of the camp, his face changing colors from blue to white to purple. He had never been treated with such contempt in his life!

Yuan Bao walked forward with his head held high, while casually instructing a young general beside him: "The prince is busy with military affairs, so don't bother him with such trivial matters in the future."

"..." Chu Lingxiao's face became even uglier with anger after hearing this.

He subconsciously drove his horse forward a step, and the next moment, he saw two Northwestern Army soldiers guarding the gate of the camp crossing their spears and blocking his way.

One of the soldiers said coldly: "This is a restricted area of ​​the military camp. Anyone who trespasses will be killed!"

His voice was so cold that it almost seemed to drop ice chips. Chu Lingxiao had no doubt that if he continued to move forward, the spear in the other party's hand would stab him fiercely.

Chu Lingxiao rode his horse back a step with a stiff expression, his eyes uncertain.

He has been in the Northwest for nearly half a month.

He came here on the emperor's orders and was an imperial envoy. He originally thought that Prince Qin Yao of Nanyang would not dare to neglect him and would try to coax and flatter him, hoping that he would say a few good words to the emperor in the future so that he could smoothly inherit the title of King of Nanyang.

As a result, as soon as he arrived in Nanyang, he was slapped in the face by Qin Yao.

This Qin Yao was too arrogant. He simply refused to accept the order and ignored him. He just left him in the post station. This time, Qin Yao actually stopped him outside the military camp again! It seems that Qin Yao is really guilty!

In the past half month, he investigated Qin Yao's reputation in the Northwest and tried to contact some Northwest Army soldiers. These soldiers all hesitated and it was obvious that they had something to say.

Chu Lingxiao was already 80% to 90% sure that it was Yao who killed his father and brother, so Qin Yao didn't dare to see him, fearing that he would investigate further, find out the truth and expose his true face.

Not only that, he also didn't allow himself to see the Princess of Nanyang.

It is said that after Qin Xuan's death, Princess Nanyang never left the Nanyang Palace again. I'm afraid she was placed under house arrest by Qin Yao.

The accompanying servant looked at Chu Lingxiao's ugly face and said cautiously: "My Lord..."

Chu Lingxiao's reaction was to pull the reins, unwillingly turn the direction, and say one word: "Go!"

At this time, a uniform sound of footsteps came from the rear. Four northwestern soldiers who were taking over the shift arrived, and both sides exchanged slogans for the handover.

The four words "thunderous" floated into the ears of Chu Lingxiao in front of him with the wind.

Chu Lingxiao's mind moved and he had an idea, his eyes shining.

Chu Lingxiao kicked his horse's belly and rode along a road in front of the military camp gate, but he did not leave. Instead, he got a set of Northwest Army armor, went around to the back door of the camp, and swaggered into the military camp with the command of handover.

For fear that others would notice that there was something wrong with his legs, he did not dare to dismount his horse until he was in a deserted place and then hid the horse.

It was just dawn and the camp was empty. The thunderous shouts and drills of the soldiers could be faintly heard from the direction of the parade ground.

Chu Lingxiao knew that now was the time for the Northwest Army to train, and most of the soldiers should be training in the parade ground. This was the time when the camp was least guarded, so it was convenient for him to take the risk and explore.

Chu Lingxiao looked around at the deserted camp and his eyes fell on the central camp in front.

He didn't know where Qin Yao was now, but the most likely possibility was that he was in the central camp or the parade ground.

He gritted his teeth, decided to take a gamble, and walked towards the central camp. However, just as he went around a tent, he saw a patrol team of seven or eight people walking towards him, and from the sound they were only two or three feet away.

Chu Lingxiao was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly hid in a nearby tent, which was empty.

He held his breath, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the patrol team outside went away.

Chu Lingxiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and told himself calmly that he was an imperial envoy sent by the emperor. Even if he was discovered by the Northwest Army, it was actually no big deal. Unless Qin Yao had the courage to rebel, they would not dare to do anything to him.

But if he could find out something in the northwest, it would be enough for him to make a great contribution.

Humph, he wanted to see what kind of military affairs Qin Yao was busy with! Chu Lingxiao straightened his robes, walked out of the tent again, and walked towards the central camp. His left leg was lame and weak. Even if he used all his strength, his steps were still not like those of ordinary people, and he was a little staggering. Fortunately, he did not encounter patrols along the way.

After walking for a while, Chu Lingxiao was sweating all over and tiptoed to the central camp.

At this time, Yuanbao came out of the tent and casually sent a soldier guarding the door of the tent away: "Ask the kitchen to cook a bowl of shredded chicken and mushroom noodles for the distinguished guest."

The guards hurried away.

Chu Lingxiao secretly sighed at his good luck, but at the same time, a question arose in his heart: Who is this distinguished guest? Chu Lingxiao put his ear to the tent, trying to eavesdrop, but he couldn't hear anything at all. He could only move closer to the door curtain, and closer...

When he moved to within three feet of the door curtain, he finally heard some sounds faintly floating from behind the curtain.

"...In my opinion, we don't have to take over Fengya Kingdom. How about starting with Bingzhou Guard?"

The young male voice was nonchalant, as if he was not talking about war, but just about going for a trip somewhere.

Bang!

Chu Lingxiao's heartbeat quickened immediately, and he thought to himself: Who is this voice? What does he mean by starting from Bingzhou? Is Qin Yao really going to rebel? ! This is a major event concerning the safety of the entire Da Qi! Chu Lingxiao's eyes widened, and his palms were sweaty.

Another cold male voice followed, "The Bingzhou Guard General will be returning to the capital soon to report on his duties. He has been in Bingzhou for six years, so it is time for him to vacate a position."

Chu Lingxiao clenched his fists.

The Nanyang Palace has been guarding the northwest for generations, which is a special case in the Great Qi Dynasty. Other generals guarding various states usually serve for three years, or at most six years. The emperor is also afraid that military generals will become powerful and will usually transfer the generals to other places after three or six years.

Could it be that Qin Yao wanted to send troops to raid Bingzhou before the new Bingzhou general had firmly established his position?

etc!

Chu Lingxiao frowned, feeling that the second male voice sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

The first frivolous male voice added: "Bingzhou is a good place. As long as we control Bingzhou, we can connect the northwest and the north from this direction. At that time, we can attack or defend. Even becoming a king will not be a problem."

"Brother Jiu, I think you should listen to me and choose Bingzhou."

Ninth Brother?! These two words hit Chu Lingxiao's heart like a hammer.

Suddenly, he understood why he felt the second voice was familiar.

He had heard a second voice in the capital, and that was Prince Gu Jue.

How could Gu Jue be here?! Shouldn't Gu Jue be in the capital? The ancestral rule of the Great Qi Dynasty is that royal family members cannot leave the capital without imperial decree. This is a capital crime! Bang, bang, bang! Chu Lingxiao's heart beat faster, like a drum.

When the news of Qin Yao's patricide reached the capital, Gu Jue had defended Qin Yao several times, saying that the case had not yet been fully investigated. At that time, Chu Lingxiao also guessed that the two had a special relationship. Now, hearing Qin Yao calling him "Ninth Brother" over and over again, it can be seen that they have indeed been connected for a long time and have intended to conspire for a rebellion!

This is adding crime to crime!

Chu Lingxiao was terrified just by thinking about it, and felt as if he was trapped in a dangerous place.

Before he came to the northwest, he only thought that Qin Yao had at most killed his father and brother, but he didn't expect that he would dare to collude with Gu Jue to rebel.

Chu Lingxiao held his breath and silently took a step back, then another step.

"Smack."

He stepped on a piece of dead wood, making a slight sound.

The person in the tent immediately shouted, "Who?!"

Chu Lingxiao was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly retreated several steps and hid behind the tent. His heart instantly rose to his throat and he thought to himself that something was wrong.

The door curtain was quickly lifted up, and a purple figure walked out quickly from inside.

Chu Lingxiao became even more nervous. When he thought he was about to be discovered, he saw a yellow cat swiftly jumping past from the other side.

The purple-robed young man was relieved, and said with a smile to the moon-white figure that walked out of the tent: "Brother Jiu, it's just a cat raised in the kitchen. Do you want to go to the training ground to take a look?"

Chu Lingxiao stared at the moon-white figure and clenched his teeth.

It was indeed Gu Jue! Then, there was no need to explain the identity of the other person.

Gu Jue responded with "Okay", and the two of them walked towards the training ground.

Chu Lingxiao looked at the two people's backs as they walked away, and finally felt relieved, but his temples were already wet, as if they had been pulled out of the water.

He must leave here as soon as possible.

After a cup of tea, Chu Lingxiao rode his horse out of the back door of the camp again, his heart still pounding.

"Let's go back to the post station first."

After Chu Lingxiao met up with the servant guarding outside the camp, the two of them rode their horses and left the Northwest Camp as quickly as possible.

He planned to go back to the post station first, take his entourage with him, and then rush back to the capital immediately.

Chu Lingxiao rode his horse at a rapid speed and raised his hand to touch his chest. His heart was still beating abnormally fast. He felt a little excited and a little uneasy.

He must return to Beijing as soon as possible.

Once he reports his discovery in the northwest to the emperor, he will surely make great contributions.

Not only will promotion be no problem, he can also use it to sever his ties with Prince Chen's Palace.

Although he was nominally the father-in-law of Prince Chen, his heart was wholeheartedly devoted to the emperor and the court.

"drive!"

Chu Lingxiao swung the whip in his hand heavily on the horse's buttocks, again and again, impatiently.

Even though he rode as fast as he could, he still felt a chill in his heart when he arrived outside the post station.

The post station was surrounded by soldiers from the Northwest Army. They were piled up in layers, and all of them had long swords on their waists. One of the bearded soldiers was still shouting to the people below him in a rough voice: "Search!"

"Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I must find him!"

"Also, have someone seal off the four city gates."

The Northwest Army soldiers hurriedly agreed in loud voices.

On the street, many onlookers gathered, but they didn't dare to approach the post station. They just watched from afar, pointing in the direction of the post station and discussing who they were looking for.

Chu Lingxiao's heart sank and he felt as if he was falling into an ice cellar.

Who else could they be looking for? Only him!

He knew he would be discovered, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. He guessed that these people took a shortcut to catch up with him.

If they find him, he will not be able to leave Nanyang alive.

Chu Lingxiao was certainly not stupid enough to go back to the post station. He ordered the servant, "Let's go through the south gate."

The fastest way to return to Beijing is through the East City Gate. As you can imagine, the area around the East City Gate is definitely the most strictly checked now.

The servant agreed, and the master and servant rode through the alleys of the city, and stole clothes that were hung out to dry in the alleys. Chu Lingxiao endured the discomfort and put on those patched coarse cloth clothes.

However, when he arrived near the South Gate, he felt a chill in his heart.

A dozen Northwest Army soldiers had arrived at the South Gate before him. At this moment, they were carefully checking all the people leaving the city. Everyone in every carriage had to get off, especially the men over 30 years old. They would be questioned repeatedly and even asked to jump to check if there were any problems with their legs and feet.

Finished!

Chu Lingxiao's heart sank to the bottom. Even if he dressed himself up as a beggar or an old man, he could not hide the injury on his left leg.

The servant was very uneasy, his face turned pale, and he was trembling all over. He asked anxiously, "My Lord, what should we do?"

Although the servant didn't know what Chu Lingxiao had heard in the military camp, since Prince Qin Yao of Nanyang had mobilized such a large force to search for their whereabouts in the city, it must be a big deal.

They wouldn't give up their lives in the northwest, would they?! Chu Lingxiao was upset. Just a stick of incense ago, he felt that he had made a great contribution this time and his future was limitless. Now, he felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. If he took one more step forward, he would die without a burial place.

If he is caught by Qin Yao's men, he will never be spared.

Not to mention Qin Yao, Gu Jue would never let him go.

Chu Lingxiao felt cold all over.

As the sun rose higher, more and more people entered and left the city, but the officers and soldiers who were checking showed no signs of relaxing.

The northwest in August is like a scorching furnace, baking everything.

This hot weather is extremely unbearable, as if time has slowed down.

The temperature in the central tent of the Northwest Camp was just right, as comfortable as spring.

Qin Yao drank the iced wine happily. Yuan Bao reported, "My Lord, the Marquis of Yongding did not choose a hearse. He finally left the city in a dung cart. After leaving the city, he vomited a lot, almost vomiting jaundice."

"What a pity." Qin Yao smiled and played with the luminous cup in his hand. There was still half of dark red wine in the cup. "Such a good wine."

His word "what a pity" seems to be a double entendre.

The candlelight shone through the dark red wine and cast a strange shadow on Qin Yao's face.

Yuanbao silently shed tears of sympathy for Chu Lingxiao. Who made him offend these two ancestors?

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"Sister-in-law Jiu said that you can't drink now, Brother Jiu. You have to listen to her." Qin Yao said jokingly.

Gu Jue casually played with a small luminous cup, thinking that this transparent little cup was exquisite and that the little girl would probably like it.

"There's a long way to go." Gu Jue smiled slightly.

Qin Yao was stunned for a moment, and suddenly remembered what Gu Jue said to him when he left the northwest last time: "I don't have much time left."

At that time, Gu Jue looked fearless about life and death, but in just over a month, earth-shaking changes took place in him. He became more lively and no longer like a stagnant pool of water as before.

His ninth sister-in-law is indeed extraordinary! Qin Yao couldn't help but smile, with a happy smile, raised his head and drank the wine in the luminous cup, and said meaningfully: "Yes, there is a long way to go."

It's just the beginning.

Their game of chess with the emperor has just begun!

Qin Yao raised the corners of his lips even higher and asked, "Brother Jiu, when are you going to leave?"

"Let's leave in the afternoon." Gu Jue said.

Qin Yao: “…”

Qin Yao felt like his heart was starting to bubble with sourness.

It turned out that Brother Nine came here for Sister-in-law Nine.

Tsk, he thought half of them came to see him!

Gu Jue added: "You should seize the time and take down Fengmi Kingdom."

"Don't worry!" Qin Yao patted his chest confidently, "I'll do the work, you can rest assured, Brother Jiu."

Qin Yao certainly knew the importance of this matter.

The current emperor, Gu Lang, is suspicious and incompetent. The Nanyang Palace has been in charge of the military power in the northwest for several generations, and the current emperor has long wanted to reduce the power of the vassal states.

This time, the emperor was reluctant to let him succeed to the title of King of Nanyang, and he had this idea in mind, wanting to find his faults and make use of them.

He needs to have more bargaining chips to prevent the current emperor from touching the northwest or the Nanyang Palace.

At this moment, there was a burst of rapid footsteps outside, accompanied by the sound of armor colliding when walking.

Then the guard at the door saluted: "Greetings, Vice General Wang."

Gu Jue stood up and hid behind the screen temporarily. The guard came in to report first, and then a middle-aged soldier with a beard strode into the tent in a hurry.

Yuanbao dutifully added wine to Qin Yao's glass.

"Your Highness," Deputy General Wang said with a fist clasped, "The imperial envoy sent by the court, the Marquis of Yongding, left without saying goodbye."

Qin Yao shook the wine glass, and the wine rippled in the glass, exuding the aroma of wine.

Qin Yao raised his sword-like eyebrows, "Why would he leave without saying goodbye? Didn't he come on behalf of the emperor to investigate the cause of my father's death?"

Deputy General Wang frowned, his face dignified, "I don't know either."

"I received news that spies from Fengya Kingdom appeared in the post station area. I led troops to investigate, but not only did I not find the spies, I also discovered that Yongding Hou was missing."

Qin Yao played with his wine glass thoughtfully. "Marquis Yongding left without saying goodbye before completing his mission... Could it be that he didn't come to the northwest for this purpose?"

Deputy General Wang's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: Yes. The cause of the prince's death had long been thoroughly investigated, and the soldiers of the Northwest Army jointly wrote to the emperor to guarantee the crown prince Qin Yao, but even so, the emperor still sent a so-called imperial envoy.

So what is the emperor's real purpose? !

A guess naturally came to Deputy General Wang's mind.

Qin Yao spoke for him: "Is the emperor planning to reduce the number of vassal states?"

"..." Deputy General Wang's expression became even more serious. He thought so too.

The emperor's fear of the Nanyang Palace has been going on for a long time. The prince has already reached adulthood. Originally, the emperor should have let the prince return to the northwest and agreed to let the second son Qin Xuan be the new hostage.

If the emperor had followed the old precedent earlier, the King of Nanyang would not have died at the hands of the second young master!

Just a little bit, and their Northwest Army would be charged with the heinous crime of colluding with the enemy country! Thinking about these things, Deputy General Wang still felt a chill in his heart, and a cold sweat oozed out of the back of his neck.

Yuan Bao lowered his eyes, secretly applauding his own prince's acting skills. A "Feng Mi country spy" who had never shown his face had led Chu Lingxiao and Deputy General Wang astray. This "killing two birds with one stone" move was really brilliant.

Qin Yao added: "Call General Mu and General Li to see this prince, and tell them that there is something important to discuss."

Deputy General Wang immediately obeyed the order and retreated first.

Qin Yao said to Gu Jue behind the screen: "Brother Jiu, I'll be back soon, don't sneak away by yourself."

Qin Yao and Yuan Bao also went out to the next tent to discuss matters, leaving only Gu Jue in the tent.

He walked out from behind the screen and came to the big desk. He poured some wine into the luminous cup in his hand and played with it casually by the candlelight. It was unclear whether he was tasting the wine or admiring the cup.

He curled his lips and smiled. It was a rare trip so he must bring some gifts back for the little girl.

Qin Yao was right, this was indeed a good wine, not a strong liquor, and was just right for girls to drink.

It was late August, the cicadas outside had stopped chirping, and the tent was unusually quiet.

Occasionally, the sound of a cat's meow could be heard from outside the tent, sometimes near and sometimes far.

It is the end of August, and we are entering autumn from summer, but the weather is still hot, and the autumn heat is very severe.

The cat adjusted its daily routine. During the day, a small black cat with white paws could often be seen wandering around in Prince Chen's mansion, making lively calls.

“Meow!”

"Meow!"

“Meow!”

No matter how the little black cat pestered him, Chu Qianchen remained as still as a mountain.

The little black cat was also a persistent person. It had been pestering Chu Qianchen for seven or eight days and still came to make trouble every day.

Early in the morning, it came again and meowed several times.

Chu Qianchen lowered his eyes and looked at the pieces of catgut placed on the white gauze.

In the past seven or eight days, she has tried it many times with sheep intestines, and the pieces of sheep intestines in front of her are not made of the original five pieces of sheep intestines.

For now, the most suitable type of string is sheep gut, which is made by tanning and drying thin casings.

Chu Qianchen picked up one of the catgut strings and pulled it gently.

The surface of goat gut string is smooth, the thread body is soft, the tensile force is significantly stronger than mulberry thread and silk thread, and the thickness is uniform.

Chu Qianchen felt that it possessed some of the advantages that a suture required.

However, she had never seen catgut in medical books, and no one had used it before, so she didn't know whether it could be used.

Got to find a chance to try it.

As Chu Qianchen thought about it, he put the tanned catgut into a box and then left the pharmacy.

The little black cat was still following her skirt, calling softly, so cute and clingy.

Chu Qianchen had no choice but to bend down, pick it up, and walk to the east room.

Amber walked in briskly and said, "Princess, the herbal tea and ice have been distributed."

Chu Qianchen responded and sat down on the Arhat bed holding the little black cat.

Although she was busy studying catgut these days, she would also spend a few hours every day learning housekeeping.

When she didn't know what to do, she would think back to what Shen would do in Xia Qiu when she was in the Chu family.

The Prince Chen's Mansion had been empty for years, and there wasn't enough ice stored in the ice cellar. Chu Qianchen simply instructed Steward Sui to allocate more money to have people buy some ice, and also bought some medicinal herbs to make herbal tea, which he distributed together.

The autumn clothes that I customized at Zhu Xiufang last time are basically ready.

Today, Amber and the maidservants following behind her all wore brand new autumn clothes and tied sashes with round beads around their waists. Every maidservant had this sash, but the sashes for maidservants of different ranks were slightly different.

Amber was the head maid, and the ribbon she wore was strung with coral beads.

Of course the little girls loved the new clothes and new jewelry. They were all very happy. They all walked with grace and looked radiant.

Chu Qianchen could naturally feel the atmosphere in the yard. He reflected on himself silently and felt that he had indeed been careless before. Fortunately, his mother reminded him.

Chu Qianchen was quite satisfied with the craftsmanship of Zhu Xiufang, and said, "Amber, next time when you order winter clothes, let Zhu Xiufang draw the designs for all four seasons and unify the styles and colors."

Amber responded quickly.

Zhuxiufang was also trying to get information, wanting to know whether the princess was satisfied. The boss lady should be relieved now. She could ask Zhuxiufang to start drawing up the patterns earlier, so as to avoid being in a rush next month. If all the people in the mansion were counted, there would be a lot of clothes for all four seasons.

Amber thought for a moment and asked again: "Then Your Majesty..."

There are regulations for Gu Jue's clothes in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but Gu Jue doesn't like those complicated clothes. He usually likes to wear loose and simple Taoist robes. Whenever Amber thinks that even the prince's clothes are ready-made clothes bought from outside, she feels speechless.

Chu Qianchen looked at the lazy black cat on his knees. The prince definitely didn't like strangers to measure him. She should measure him and give the measurements to Zhuxiufang...

When the words came to her lips, she changed her mind: "I'll do it."

amber:"……"

Amber looked at Chu Qianchen, unsure of what she meant by "Let me do it"? Was the princess going to measure the prince's body, or make clothes for him herself? Thinking about the dozen or so "nine" characters the princess had written these days, Amber suddenly had the answer in her mind: the princess was going to make clothes for the prince herself.

Chu Qianchen curled the corners of her lips, and the sunlight fell on her long eyelashes, as if there were spots of light dancing.

Well, the prince is not here now, so she might as well practice first.

Chu Qianchen was thinking about it in her heart when Jiang Yuan came in silently and said, "Princess, Master Chu is here."

Traditional Chinese medicine surgery, incision and suturing were actually at the forefront of the world at that time.

In the Sui Dynasty, a doctor performed a bowel resection and it was very successful. This can be found in the records. Ancient Chinese medicine also had scalpels, and the shape of the scalpels was very complete, not as simple as modern Western medicine. Even cleft lip could be repaired through Chinese medicine surgery in ancient times. If you are interested, you can check it out.

In addition, this is a novel. I tried my best to look up some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and tried to make it consistent with history, but I did not intend to write it as a textbook. It will definitely be exaggerated and processed according to the plot, so please don't be too pedantic.

Love you.

(End of this chapter)