Chapter 95 [VIP]
Gong Hai slowly and stiffly turned his head, meeting Gu Yican's ambiguous smile.
His arm was gripped so tightly that he couldn't move, and the huge difference in strength surprised Gong Hai.
"Young Master Gu, let go of me!"
Once Xie Jing came to her senses, she rushed forward anxiously, trying to pull Gu Yican away, and casually placed the silk paper on the octagonal table.
Gu Yique raised his arm to block him, and in the shoving, the silk paper was swept to the ground, revealing half of the sketch on it.
The sketch depicts a crossbow, with the words "Divine Arm Crossbow" written in small regular script, followed by a note that it can fire ten arrows in succession.
Repeating crossbows are not uncommon. Since ancient times, there has been the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, which can be used as a powerful weapon for defending cities. However, this crossbow is large and heavy, making it inconvenient to carry and therefore cannot be carried by hand. Judging from the name alone, the repeating crossbow in this sketch may be a repeating crossbow that can be used by hand like a bow and arrow.
Gu Zhizhuo was about to look again when Xie Jing stumbled and stepped on him, causing him to fall onto a round stool, making the bowls and plates on the octagonal table rattle loudly.
"It seems we'll have to go and discuss this with the Emperor," Gu Yican scoffed repeatedly. "Let's ask if the allocation of provisions and pay is solely up to you, Commander Gong."
After he finished speaking, he pulled him outside. Gong Hai struggled and shouted, but he couldn't overcome his strength.
Of course!
Gu Yican was not yet twenty years old, but he was already able to draw a three-stone bow. The strength of his arms was beyond that of ordinary people.
"Young Master Gu, please don't act impulsively. (Xie Ge)"
Xie Jing couldn't pull him away, nor could he persuade him otherwise. He hurriedly tried to chase after him, but then remembered something and quickly stopped, saying, "Miss Gu, I can think of a way to deal with the grain supplies. Tell the young master Gu not to be so willful. Father Emperor is in a bad mood lately, and it might offend him..."
"You get out too."
"you!"
"How ungrateful!" Xie Jing slammed the door shut.
It just closed, then opened again.
Xie Jing walked over with a stern face. After scanning the ground, he found the silk paper under the octagonal table.
He quickly picked it up, carefully brushed off the footprints, stuffed it into his arms, and left. This time he didn't come back; only the sound of hurried footsteps coming downstairs could be heard outside.
Lady Gui nervously clutched her pipa, her eyelids lowered, obscuring her beautiful peach blossom eyes.
Gu Zhizhuo said gently, "Gui Niangzi, I'm sorry you were frightened."
Lady Gui gently raised her eyes, her gaze as shimmering as water: "I'm fine, would you like to continue listening to the music, Miss?"
Seeing her nod, Gui Niangzi gently plucked the pipa, the music like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
"Big sister." Gu Zhiwei hesitated before speaking.
She wanted to say that they didn't need to buy the pearl hairpins anymore, because she had money to give to the Thousand Machine Camp.
But since Lady Gui was still alive, there were some things she couldn't say, which made her so anxious she wanted to stomp her feet.
Gu Zhizhuo asked Qiongfang to fetch another glass cup: "With your elder brother here, you'll all be well taken care of with your flowers."
Gong Hai intended to use the "grain-grabbing" incident as a pretext to bring the Qianji Battalion back into the Imperial Guard. The Qianji Battalion was the only army in the capital region that did not belong to the Imperial Guard, and it had long been a major concern for many people.
The issue of unpaid wages and pay was just a pretext from beginning to end.
Gong Hai wanted to provoke them.
They then granted his wish.
After this matter is resolved, Gu Zhizhuo plans to have a good talk with his sisters about the key issues involved. The situation is becoming increasingly complex, and the children of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion cannot be ignorant of everything.
"Big sister."
"Come and see this quickly!"
Gu Yique looked out the window and saw that Gu Yican had already dragged the person out. He turned around and excitedly called them to come and see the excitement.
The melodious pipa suddenly became fierce, accompanied by furious shouts of "Gu Yican, how dare you!", "You dare!", "I'll kill you!" The music was like a sudden downpour.
For the first time, Gong Hai realized how much age affected him; he couldn't struggle against it at all.
He was covered in sweat, both shocked and furious.
His attendants were completely useless; Gu Yican kicked them one by one, sending them rolling on the ground.
The surrounding crowd of onlookers pointed and nodded, creating a chaotic scene.
"Oh dear! I'm so scared. Please spare me, my lord." Gu Yican looked at him like he was a fool and sneered, "You think I, the young master, would say that?"
"I have never been afraid of anyone since I was born."
His high ponytail swayed with his movements.
Gu Yican rubbed his ears, and somehow produced a bundle of rope. He quickly tied Gong Hai's hands together and bound them to the back of the horse.
Xie Jing, who had chased after them, was completely stunned.
Everyone says Gu Yican is a big shot, often leading a group of spoiled brats in Beijing, causing trouble everywhere, and no one can beat him. Xie Jing didn't have much contact with him before, but now…
This isn't just messing around; it's downright lawless.
How dare Gu Yican!
But Gu Yican dared to do it.
After securing the ropes, he tugged on them to make sure they were secure, then mounted his horse.
Let's go!
After saying that, Gu Yican spurred his horse, and Gong Hai, who was lagging behind, was pulled so hard that he almost fell over.
"Gu Yican!"
"What are you yelling for? My ears are perfectly fine."
"Lord Gong, you must keep up, lest you fall."
Xie Jing snapped out of her shock and rushed over, crying out, "Gu Yican, don't do anything rash, stop right now..."
The smoke and clouds had already gone far away, and he hadn't even touched a horse's hair.
It paced leisurely, running at a moderate pace, not so fast as to drag a person along the ground, but if it slowed down even slightly and couldn't keep up, it would stumble and fall. Gong Hai was dragged out of Zhuque Street in a staggering manner, and the Imperial Guards quickly caught up and blocked the street entrance.
Gu Yican pretended to raise his riding whip, laughing unrestrainedly. He didn't say a word, but his actions spoke volumes: if they didn't move aside, he would lash out.
Once the horse starts galloping, it's hard to say whether Gong Hai will be able to keep up!
No one would believe such a threat if it were anyone else, but it's Gu Yican, so he's very likely to do it.
Gong Hai's face was ashen, and he said while panting heavily, "Step back."
The Imperial Guards hesitated before making way for them.
"Lord Gong is indeed pragmatic."
"drive!"
Gu Yican flicked his whip, and Gong Hai was instantly terrified, his face turning deathly pale: "Don't..."
Gu Yican flicked the whip but missed, then burst into laughter.
He arrogantly paraded Gong Hai through the city, and then casually led him to the emperor's presence.
Facing the emperor's astonished gaze, Gu Yican preemptively complained, "Your Majesty, Admiral Gong has repeatedly delayed my military pay, which I have tolerated. Last time, he even gave me moldy rice, causing the entire Thousand Machine Battalion to vomit and suffer from diarrhea, almost resulting in deaths. Your Majesty is extremely busy, and I originally intended not to trouble you. However, Admiral Gong has gone too far, threatening me that he will not provide the pay. I have no choice but to come and beg you for your help."
Gong Hai was panting heavily, his clothes disheveled as if he had just crawled out of a pit. Along the way, he had been laughed at like a monkey show, and the resentment in his heart far outweighed his physical embarrassment.
He allowed the eunuch to untie the ropes binding his hands, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I am utterly ashamed."
His lack of argument only fueled the emperor's anger.
The existence of the Thousand Machine Battalion always made the emperor feel uneasy, especially last time when Gu Zhizhuo openly threatened him with the Thousand Machine Battalion in the Golden Palace.
He couldn't understand why the late emperor would allow the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to lay troops in the capital region.
The Thousand Machine Battalion cannot be allowed to remain. This was his intention. Gong Hai was merely acting under orders. Gu Yican was now openly accusing Gong Hai, but in reality, he was blatantly slapping the emperor in the face.
"Gu Yican!" The emperor slammed his fist on the table in a rage. "I ordered you to be confined to your quarters, and you ignored me completely, didn't you?!"
"Last time it was Prince Jin, and now it's Commander Gong. You can fight and kill as you please, with all the civil and military officials at your beck and call. Do you even respect me anymore?"
"Or do you want to take your place and sit on this throne?!"
The emperor was furious, and flames were rising from his chest.
A large group of people in the Imperial Study knelt down with a clatter.
He held back for a moment, then pointed at Gu Yican's nose and cursed, "You go stand outside now. I'll let you see with your own eyes how many impeachment memorials there will be, and see who can protect you this time!"
Gu Yican stiffened his neck and did not respond.
The emperor picked up a memorial and threw it at him, furious: "Get out! You dare to defy the imperial decree?!"
Gu Yican gave a curt reply, turned around and walked out, finding a shady spot to stand.
A full hour passed before Gong Hai emerged from inside. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes meeting in mid-air, filled with hostility.
"What are you looking at?" Gu Yican clenched his fist at him. "Tomorrow is the fifth day of the new year. If you dare to withhold my provisions, I'll beat you into provisions!"
Gong Hai smiled gloomily.
He walked over, each step extremely slow, leaving a long shadow on the ground.
When he reached him, Gong Hai lowered his voice and said with a fierce expression, "Young Master Gu, I will not give you the provisions for the fifth day, nor will I give you any more in the future. Oh, by the way..."
He clapped his hands lightly and said sarcastically, "If some rice accidentally gets moldy, perhaps Prince Gu can still get some rice."
"This is the capital, not the northern frontier. Let's see who can control whom between us."
“In that case,” Gu Yican’s lips curled into a smug smile, “Lord Gong, we’ll see.”
Gong Hai flicked his sleeve and strode away.
In the imperial study, Li Deshun came out and said to Gu Yican, "His Majesty says that you may return home, Your Highness. You are to reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors and are not allowed to leave the residence without an imperial summons."
Gong Hai dusted off his sleeves and walked even faster.
Once out of Gu Yican's sight, Gong Hai's expression darkened. He told himself not to rush things, and that getting into a fight with Gu Yican and provoking her was part of the plan. However, the thought of Gu Yican making him lose face still made his resentment surge up.
"Admiral Gong."
As he approached the palace gate, he encountered Xie Jing.
Xie Jing rushed over: "Are you alright?"
Looking at his disheveled appearance, Xie Jing actually said those four words with great difficulty.
Xie Jing peeked inside but didn't see Gu Yican. Sigh, he was punished after all. He knew it; Father Emperor had been in a bad mood lately. The Gu siblings were both ungrateful.
Gong Hai remained silent, frowning as he stared at him for a moment before suddenly asking, "Your Highness, would you like to come with me out of the city?"
Where to?
"The Fifth Army Camp".
Of course! However, Xie Jing must first inform the Emperor. Gong Hai replied, "It is the Emperor's permission."
Xie Jing's eyes lit up immediately.
The Emperor sent him to the Five Armies Camp. Does this mean he intends to get him involved in military affairs?
Gong Hai stared into his overly "clear" eyes, thinking about the emperor's instructions.
The emperor's health was deteriorating. He rubbed his forehead more than ten times. The crown prince was still undecided, and he needed to make plans as soon as possible.
"please."
Xie Jing brought his carriage with him and parked it in front of the palace gate.
Gong Hai lifted the carriage curtain; it was empty. He asked, "Where's Sese?"
Xie Jing was completely taken aback, never expecting to bring along the actors.
"Still at Tianxi Tower." It shouldn't be lost, right?
Gong Hai didn't ask any more questions. After getting into the carriage, he went straight out of the city to the Fifth Army Camp.
This was Xie Jing's first time at the military camp, and he couldn't help but look around curiously.
As soon as he stepped off the carriage, the lieutenant came to greet him, and Gong Hai asked impatiently, "How did it go?"
After exchanging greetings, the deputy general reported, "We recently received a message by carrier pigeon. Gu Yican has decided to have Li Qing lead 500 men to ambush and seize the grain carts in the valley south of Xishan."
Seize the grain carts? Xie Jing was stunned. Did he mean Gu Yican was going to ambush the grain carts?!
Gong Hai glanced at Xie Jing. The emperor had told him to bring Xie Jing along to broaden his horizons, which was practically an open instruction that Xie Jing was the emperor's chosen heir apparent.
In that case, Gong Hai not only wanted him to broaden his horizons, but also planned to give him a reward.
"Your Highness."
Gong Hai said unhurriedly, "As you have heard, Gu Yican will seize this batch of 10,000 shi of grain that will be delivered to the Fifth Army Camp at dawn. To protect this batch of grain, I will send troops to meet him, or rather, to ambush him. Your Highness, why don't you go and take a look?"
"ambush?"
Xie Jing repeated it off the cuff.
His heart was pounding, so Gong Hai already knew about Gu Yican's plan.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
The act of seizing grain and provisions can be treated as a plot by treacherous officials.
Is Gong Hai seeking revenge for today's humiliation? No, no, this plan certainly wasn't decided on the spur of the moment. Gong Hai has actually been deliberately provoking Gu Zhizhuo and his sister all along.
Gong Hai wasn't afraid of him coming; he was afraid of him not coming!
Recalling everything that had just happened, Xie Jing shuddered.
No wonder! Gu Yican was too impulsive.
"Your Highness?"
"Okay." Xie Jing calmed himself down and nodded in agreement. "I'll go."
"Please, Your Highness, accompany me to muster the troops."
Gong Hai led him into the military camp, continuing to ask the deputy general, "What else did Li Qing say?"
“Li Qing said we need to keep an eye on Miss Gu,” the deputy general replied. “Miss Gu has only been to the military camp once, yet she has already gained the approval of everyone in the Thousand Machine Battalion. She is no less impressive than the young master Gu.”
"A woman, just by virtue of her looks, can make these thirsty soldiers flock to her." Gong Hai completely ignored him. No matter how capable a woman is, she doesn't deserve to stay in the inner quarters.
Xie Jing hesitated, the chirping of birds around him making his mind even more unsettled.
"But in the event of an unavoidable emergency, there will be no further contact before the operation begins..."
"Don't worry, Li Qing has never made a mistake in all the time he's been in the Thousand Machine Battalion."
Xie Jing looked up at the sky. Both the Five Armies Camp and the Thousand Machine Camp were located deep in the mountains. The forests were full of birds, so even if a message was sent by carrier pigeon, as long as one was careful, it would not attract attention.
In other words, this plan was foolproof. He knew that Gong Hai wanted to give him a meritorious service award, and he should be excited, but he still had a strange feeling in his heart.
indeed.
The mountains and forests are full of birds, and a homing pigeon is not conspicuous among them.
However, if there are no birds in the blue sky and white clouds, then a gray carrier pigeon appearing above the military camp would be much more eye-catching.
An arrow flew out with a sharp whistling sound, and the carrier pigeon, struck in the wing, trembled and fell to the ground.
Qi Fu drew his bow, picked up the carrier pigeon, and took out a piece of silk paper as thin as a cicada's wing from the letter tube.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the silk paper, and his calloused fingers gripped the letter tube tightly. After a while, he took the letter tube and the pigeon into the tent.
"Young lady."
Sitting in the main seat was none other than Gu Zhizhuo.
She rested her chin on her hand and glanced sideways at Li Qing below: "No family, no background, he entered the Thousand Machine Battalion after passing the military examination, and it's been eight years now, hasn't it? Gong Hai has played this move quite cleverly."
Two soldiers held down Li Qing's shoulders and made him kneel down.
As Qi Fu walked over, she couldn't help but glance at Li Qing, her heart filled with a mixture of anger and disappointment.
He had been comrades with Li Qing for many years, and he would never suspect anyone but Li Qing, who was a spy planted in the Thousand Machine Camp.
He didn't believe the secret order to keep an eye on Li Qing, thinking it was just a misunderstanding, until he saw him secretly release a carrier pigeon.
Gu Zhizhuo took the silk paper, which was sealed with sealing wax. After opening it, there were only two words inside: Something has changed.
"Oh dear, thank you for your hard work. Even in such an emergency, you still remember to remind your master. It's truly touching."
Li Qing raised his head slightly, looking anxious. He wanted to explain himself, but it was too late to say anything now.
He had already been ordered to muster his troops and was waiting to leave the camp at nightfall; everything was going very smoothly.
To his surprise, the crown prince didn't come; instead, Gu Zhizhuo showed up. He immediately sensed something was wrong, and sure enough, soon after, his hands and feet were restrained, his mouth was gagged, and he was dragged into the tent. Extreme unease threw him into a state of utter confusion.
Could it be that robbing the grain was a ruse, and the real purpose was to lure him out?
Is it really worth going to such lengths just to make him slip up?
He couldn't understand it.
Gu Zhizhuo stood up and said to Jiang Zizhou, who was standing to the side, "You stay here and watch the house."
"yes!"
"Qi Fu, come with me."
ah?
Qi Fu was stunned.
Li Qing has already used their plan to rob the grain to curry favor, so there are definitely many ambushes waiting for them now.
Where else should we go?
Gu Zhizhuo was dressed in red riding attire, her long, glossy black hair tied up high. She held a longbow in her hand, her steps steady and confident.
"Point troops."
She smiled brightly: "Let's do something big!"
A note from the author:
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