The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The winter in Beijing was dry and cold. The sky seemed to be pressed down by a huge bluestone slab, without a single cloud. In the early morning, the sun shone directly down, but it did not bring much warmth.

In the wilderness, the north wind whistled and rushed wildly, and the dead grass on both sides of the official road was blown down and trembled.

On the southwest official road from Baoding to the capital, a horse-drawn carriage was moving slowly forward. The wheels rolled over the bumpy road, making a dull creaking sound. The horse's mane was messed up by the wind, and every step seemed a little laborious, and the white breath exhaled from its mouth instantly dissipated in the cold wind.

Dozens of guards tightly protected the carriage in the middle. The guards were wearing old cotton armor, looked tired, with red bloodshot on their faces from the cold wind, and the spears in their hands also looked a bit worn. At the front of the team, a flag fluttered in the wind, with the word "Zhang" written on it, making a loud noise in the wind.

In the carriage, Zhang Cheng, the eunuch of the Imperial Stables and the admiral of the Treasury Banknote Administration, was resting with his eyes closed.

Zhang Cheng was in his fifties, with a slightly plump figure and a round face that revealed an air of luxury. He was wearing a silk cotton coat embroidered with delicate patterns and a precious jade pendant tied around his waist, which swayed slightly as the carriage shook.

Leaning on the soft couch in the carriage, Zhang Cheng was thinking about many things after returning to Beijing. The operation of the Baochao Department and the management of the Imperial Horse Administration were all things that worried him. He sighed slightly and was about to close his eyes to rest when he suddenly heard a noisy shouting from outside.

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried horse hooves ahead. A guard hurriedly rode forward to check. After a moment, he ran back in panic and reported: "Sir, there is something going on ahead!"

Zhang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear and crisp shout pierced the sky: "Eunuch thieves, prepare to die. You all should surrender quickly and I will spare your life!"

Everyone looked up and saw a dark figure flying in from the woods beside the road. When the figure landed, it turned out to be a masked woman.

The woman was tall, and her black outfit outlined her slender figure. The cuffs and trouser legs of her tight-fitting outfit were embroidered with silver silk threads, which shimmered faintly in the sun. Her long black hair was tied up high, and a few strands of hair fluttered in the wind. Her face was covered with a black scarf, revealing only a pair of bright eyes, which flashed sharp light like cold stars, revealing a murderous aura that made people shudder.

Before everyone could react, the woman rushed into the group of guards like a ghost, and attacked ruthlessly. Every time she swung her sword, there was a whistling sound in the wind, and blood splattered as the sword flashed.

"Ahhh!"

"Ahh~~"

In the first encounter, more than ten guards screamed and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the guards drew their weapons and surrounded the woman.

"drink!"

The woman's eyes showed no fear at all. She shouted and danced with the long sword in her hand, moving through the crowd like a whirlwind. Her steps were light and agile, sometimes leaping up, sometimes leaning down, making it difficult to predict the direction of her attack.

"Catch her for me! There will be a huge reward!"

Zhang Cheng was terrified in the carriage. In panic, he shouted, "Everyone, come on, we must stop her!"

The guards gritted their teeth and wielded their weapons to attack the woman, but the woman's swordsmanship was too fast and they could not get close to her.

One of the guards seized the opportunity and stabbed the woman from behind. The woman seemed to have noticed it and dodged it easily. Then she stabbed the guard with a knife. The guard was unable to dodge and his arm was cut. He fell to the ground with a scream and the spear in his hand fell to the ground.

“Kill!…Ah~!!”

The battle became more and more intense, and the shouts of killing shook the sky. The woman was like an empty space, and the casualties of the guards were increasing.

Zhang Cheng hid in the carriage, extremely anxious. If this continued, he might lose his life.

"Protect your lord!"

The guards drew their swords and surrounded the carriage. The woman shouted softly and rushed into the guards without hesitation. The swords flashed and blood splattered.

The guards were terrified; they had never seen such a ruthless opponent.

Seeing this, Qiu Chengyun, the chief of the Imperial Stables who had been guarding the carriage, immediately drew his sword and appeared in front of the woman in a flash.

"How dare you, you bastard, to assassinate my master? Just surrender!"

There was a fierceness in Qiu Chengyun's eyes, and his sword skills were vicious and cruel. He went straight for the woman's vital points, trying to kill her with every move.

"it is good!!"

The woman uttered a sigh and swung her sword to fight with Qiu Chengyun. The two figures moved quickly in the cold wind, with swords flashing and shadows interlaced.

Qiu Chengyun's swordsmanship was strange, sometimes like a poisonous snake coming out of a cave, sometimes like an eagle swooping down on its prey. The woman, on the other hand, was skilled in knife skills and had tight defense. She danced her long knife in front of her, forming a knife net and blocking Qiu Chengyun's sword moves one by one.

The sound of weapons colliding was endless, and the two fought back and forth, neither giving in. After dozens of moves, the woman gradually felt exhausted and her momentum gradually faded.

"Look at the hidden weapon."

The woman suddenly gave a delicate cry and raised her bare hands. Qiu Chengyun was startled and subconsciously raised his sword to block. However, the woman did not have a real hidden weapon in her hand, it was just a feint. While Qiu Chengyun was distracted to block, the woman jumped and landed on a horse. She clamped her legs together and slapped the horse's buttocks with the back of the knife. The horse neighed and ran forward.

"Chase! Chengyun, don't let her run away!"

Zhang Cheng shouted in the carriage. Qiu Chengyun didn't dare to delay and immediately jumped on his horse and chased in the direction of the woman's escape. Several other guards also got on their horses and followed closely behind Qiu Chengyun.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, echoing on the empty official road, and in a moment they had chased for more than ten miles.

The cold wind cut through my face like a knife, and the wild grass on both sides of the official road danced wildly in the wind. The sound of horse hooves was rapid, and Qiu Chengyun and his group followed Lan Fenghuang closely.

Ahead, a dilapidated temple stood out in the wilderness, its broken walls casting mottled shadows in the setting sun. Lan Fenghuang pulled the reins, raised the front hooves of the horse high, neighed, sat firmly on the horse, turned around and waited quietly for Qiu Chengyun and others to approach.

"Witch, why don't you surrender!"

Seeing this, several guards were delighted, thinking that the woman had finally stopped running. They suddenly pulled the reins on the horses, and the horses' forward momentum was suddenly stopped, raising a cloud of dust. The guards quickly spread out, forming a fan shape to surround Lan Fenghuang in the middle, to clear the way for Qiu Chengyun. With their hands on the hilts and their eyes alert, they would rush forward as long as Qiu Chengyun gave the order.

However, something unexpected happened.

A fierce look flashed in Qiu Chengyun's eyes, and he drew his sword suddenly, his speed even faster than when he was fighting with Lan Fenghuang just now. As the cold light flashed, several guards didn't even have time to show their surprise before their throats were cut by the sword, and blood spurted out. Their bodies softened, and they fell off their horses, landing heavily on the cold ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Uncle Lan, long time no see!"

Qiu Chengyun put away his sword, dismounted, walked quickly to the masked woman, bowed respectfully, and his voice was filled with joy of reunion after a long separation.

The masked woman looked at Qiu Chengyun in front of her, reached out and slowly pulled down the veil, revealing a beautiful face.

The masked woman was Lan Fenghuang, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect.

"Xiao Yunzi, you have practiced the Exorcist Sword Technique very well. It is true that a good teacher produces a good student. Now even I am no match for you."

Looking at Qiu Chengyun, Lan Fenghuang raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said with a smile.

"No, it was Senior Sister who asked me to do that."

Qiu Chengyun hurriedly smiled, with a hint of humility on his face, but his eyes could not hide the pride.

At this moment, there was a slight sound of footsteps in the dilapidated temple. A man in a green shirt walked out slowly, and the sunlight shone on him, outlining his tall figure.

"Miss Lan, you've worked hard."

Yi Huawei smiled slightly, glanced at Qiu Chengyun, and nodded gently: "Not bad, it seems that you have not fallen behind in these years."

"Master!"

Qiu Chengyun's eyes flashed with surprise, and his eyes were slightly red. He bent his knees and was about to kneel down, but he felt a gentle and powerful force holding him up, preventing him from kneeling down. He looked up at Yi Huawei, his eyes full of admiration.

Yi Huawei walked forward and patted Qiu Chengyun on the shoulder: "Get up, no need to be polite." Then he turned to look at Lan Fenghuang: "Miss Lan, this time, thanks to your help in luring Chengyun out and putting on such a good show with him, you have worked hard."

Lan Fenghuang snorted: "Humph, if it weren't for Saint Auntie, I wouldn't have wasted my energy. But don't forget what you promised me."

Yi Huawei smiled slightly: "Of course... When will my words not count?"

"Haha~"

Lan Fenghuang raised her eyelids, with a hint of teasing in her eyes. She took a step forward and looked directly at Yi Huawei: "Didn't you say you would only marry our Saint Aunt? Why are you still getting involved with your Junior Sister?"

As soon as the words came out, the atmosphere became a little subtle.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yi Huawei's face, and he subconsciously touched his nose. He turned his head and nodded to Qiu Chengyun, pointing at the ruined temple, and deliberately raised his voice a few notes:

"Chengyun, come with me."

After saying this, without waiting for Qiu Chengyun's response, he took the lead and walked towards the dilapidated temple.

"Yes!"

Qiu Chengyun responded, and when he heard Yi Huawei's instructions, he hurriedly lowered his head, holding back the smile that was about to overflow from the corner of his mouth, and followed Yi Huawei in small steps.

"Humph!"

Lan Fenghuang snorted softly and followed him into the ruined temple.

The dilapidated temple was filled with an old atmosphere. Glancing at Lan Fenghuang, Yi Huawei said, "Miss Lan, this is a long story. Let's talk about business first."

Lan Fenghuang curled her lips: "Okay, but you have to remember that Saint Auntie is sincere to you. If you let her down..."

She didn't finish her words, but the threat was obvious.

"Ok!"

Yi Huawei nodded, walked to the altar, and with a flick of his robe sleeve, the accumulated dust on the altar was swept away, and a sheepskin scroll slipped out from his sleeve.

Qiu Chengyun stood aside, staring at Yi Huawei's movements intently, a hint of nervousness in his eyes, his hands unconsciously clenched slightly into fists, and then slowly released them.

Lan Fenghuang leaned against a pillar with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes moving back and forth between Yi Huawei and Qiu Chengyun, a faint smile on her lips.

"Tell me about the current situation."

Yi Huawei slowly unfolded the sheepskin scroll on the altar, and a finely drawn map of the Forbidden City appeared before the eyes of several people. Qiu Chengyun stared at the map, and he recognized it. It was the map of the inner palace secret passage that he had drawn three years ago at the risk of his life.

"Master, there are seven of us in the Imperial Ceremony now."

Qiu Chengyun took a step forward and pointed his finger steadily to the west side of the map: "Wang Chengen, the little fire master most trusted by the seal holder Tian Yi, just passed the inner book hall assessment last month."

Yi Huawei narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the mark of the Silijian Duty Office on the map, and asked: "Wang Chengen? Is he the son of the horse farmer in Xuanfu Town?"

"Exactly."

Qiu Chengyun quickly took out a secret book from his arms and handed it to Yi Huawei with both hands.

Yi Huawei took the secret book, opened it and saw densely written tiny characters on it, all of which were detailed information about the thirty-six eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department, including their backgrounds, likes and dislikes, and weaknesses.

Qiu Chengyun added: "His father Wang Gao was imprisoned last year due to corruption in the horse administration. His disciples have arranged for an informant from the Ministry of Justice to replace the death row prisoner."

Lan Fenghuang suddenly chuckled: "Your Huashan Sect is well versed in the way of governing eunuchs with filial piety."

"Tell me about the rest."

Yi Huawei ignored Lan Fenghuang's teasing and tapped the stone table with his fingers, shaking off the dust.

Qiu Chengyun said respectfully: "According to the layout of the master back then, the forty-nine disciples who have learned the Exorcist Sword Technique are now distributed as follows."

After a pause, he continued, "Three people from the Imperial Household Department, including the adopted son of the eunuch Chen Ju, the pen holder; nine people from the Imperial Horse Department, who control the three guards of the Imperial Guard; five people from the East Factory, two of whom are in charge of the Thousand Households of Criminals; seven people from the Nanjing Garrison; and twenty-five people from the Nine Frontier Military Supervisors."

Lan Fenghuang suddenly drew out her Miao Dao, and with a flash of cold light, it swept across the abacus, and the tip of the knife pointed at Qiu Chengyun's crotch intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of joking in her voice:

"I heard that this Kung Fu will end your family lineage?"

"Uncle Lan is joking."

Qiu Chengyun remained calm and said, "I castrated myself before entering the palace. It has nothing to do with swordsmanship."

His tone was calm, as if he was talking about something very ordinary, but there was a barely perceptible hint of sadness in his eyes.

Yi Huawei frowned slightly and glanced at Lan Fenghuang. Lan Fenghuang shrugged and put away his Miao Dao.

Yi Huawei took out the yellow silk secret decree from his sleeve, slowly unfolded it, and said, "Last month, the Ministry of War reported that Zhang Cheng secretly communicated with the Jianzhou Jurchens and sold the Liaodong defense map to Nurhaci."

The yellow silk was clearly stamped with the forged seal of the Imperial Household Department. In the dim light, the red color of the seal was particularly eye-catching.

"Master wants to touch Zhang Cheng?"

Qiu Chengyun frowned slightly, with a trace of worry in his eyes: "He has been running the Imperial Horse Administration for twenty years, and half of the generals in the nine borders have received his ice tribute. His power is huge, and it may not be easy to deal with him."

Lan Fenghuang suddenly said, "How difficult is that? Plant the Five Poison Heart-Eating Gu on him and he will reveal all his secrets."

"No."

Yi Huawei shook his head slightly and tapped the location of Wuying Hall on the map. "Three days from now, during the Winter Solstice Festival, Zhang Cheng will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrificial meat on behalf of the emperor. At that time... on the night of the Winter Solstice, you need to transfer Lu Kun from the Shenshu Camp."

Qiu Chengyun pulled out a military token from his boot and handed it to Yi Huawei with both hands: "This is a privately cast military token by Zhang Cheng. It can mobilize the 800 defenders of Deshengmen."

Seeing the confusion in Yi Huawei's eyes, Qiu Chengyun explained: "The hidden pattern on the talisman is exactly the same as the one in the archives of the Ministry of War, except for an extra scratch on the pupil of the tiger. This is the key to distinguishing the authenticity."

Yi Huawei took the military token, looked at it carefully, and nodded slightly.

Lan Fenghuang suddenly threw a porcelain bottle over, and Qiu Chengyun reached out and caught it steadily.

"Put this in Zhang Cheng's ginseng soup, and it will give him diarrhea for three days." Lan Fenghuang said, "The bottle is painted with a Miao totem, but it is a tribute mark from the Mu Palace in Yunnan. Even if they are traced, it can confuse people."

Yi Huawei pondered for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Qiu Chengyun: "Chengyun, the person you placed in the Shangshanjian..."

"We have taken control of Zhang Cheng's daily diet."

Qiu Chengyun quickly unfolded a menu, pointed at the dishes and said, "He drinks tiger bone wine every new moon and full moon. The wine has long been replaced by aconite juice from Liaodong by his disciples. We just need to wait for the right time and then we can make our move."

After hearing this, Yi Huawei showed a look of satisfaction on his face: "Okay, everything will go according to plan. This matter is of great importance, only success is allowed, failure is not allowed."

(End of this chapter)