Blood sedge

Chapter 1179: Secret Fight in the Palace
"Where is Liu Xunyi?"

When Zhang Xiong returned from Danfeng Garden in defeat, the first thing he did was not to arrange for Sui Zuo's body, nor to report the truth to Guo Xian. Instead, he wandered around the general's mansion as if he was in an empty place, asking everyone he met about Liu Xunyi's whereabouts.

"Commander Zhang, the General's Mansion is a solemn and serious place. How can you be so loud and noisy?" Hu Jin stopped Zhang Xiong who was about to break into the inner house with an unhappy look on his face, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Guo has caught a cold and needs to rest urgently. No one is allowed to disturb him."

"Where is Liu Xunyi?"

Zhang Xiong turned a deaf ear to Hu Jin's rebuke and obstruction, and just kept asking about Liu Xunyi's whereabouts.

"Didn't Admiral Zhang hear what Hu just said?" Hu Jin's face became increasingly gloomy, and his tone became increasingly hostile. "My Lord is not feeling well, so please stop making trouble here!"

"Lord Guo was in high spirits yesterday, how come he suddenly fell ill?" Although Zhang Xiong was nervous and suspected that there was something fishy going on, he subconsciously lowered his voice.

After all, Guo Xian is his superior. Even though Zhang Xiong looks down on Guo Xian, who relied on family connections and flattery to get to the top, he still has to do his best to show respect for his superior.

Of course, what Zhang Xiong respected was not Guo Xian, but the Mongolian official system.

"Illness comes as a sudden blow, so what's so strange about that?" Seeing Zhang Xiong's attitude calmed down, Hu Jin's anxious heart gradually calmed down, but he still pretended to be dignified on his face, "Commander Zhang, where did you go so early in the morning? I heard that you even pulled troops from the government."

From the beginning to the end, Hu Jin always addressed Zhang Xiong as "Commander Zhang" instead of "General Zhang". His intention was to use this title to remind Zhang Xiong not to forget his identity and not to do anything that would offend his superiors.

Of course, Hu Jin's harsh words and even his attitude of calling for justice were just bluffs. He intended to take the initiative, suppress Zhang Xiong's arrogance, and avoid falling into a passive position.

"Such a big thing happened in Luoyang City, but Manager Hu didn't know about it?" Zhang Xiong did not answer but asked, "I wonder if Lord Guo knew about it or not?"

"How dare you!" Hu Jin glared, trying to put pressure on Zhang Xiong again, "Even if something terrible happened in Luoyang City, you should report it to the adults instead of arbitrarily dispatching troops..."

"Hu Jin!" Zhang Xiong, who could no longer bear it, shouted, and the unprepared Hu Jin trembled with fear. "It is not your turn to teach me how to do things! You are just a servant who takes care of the internal affairs of the mansion. What qualifications do you have to ask about the official business of the general's mansion?"

"Commander Zhang, do you still have the respect for adults in your eyes? You..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Is Liu Xunyi here? Where is he now?" Zhang Xiong did not give Hu Jin any chance to argue, and asked in a barrage of words, "You said Lord Guo is sick? What is the illness? Real illness or fake illness? Real illness or imaginary illness? Could it be that he was frightened by Liu Xunyi and pretended to be sick?"

"What Liu Xunyi? Where did Liu Xunyi come from? This is complete nonsense!" Hu Jin turned around angrily, no longer looking at Zhang Xiong, "If she is sick, she is sick. How can it be fake?"

"Get out of the way! I want to see Master Guo!"

"you……"

"Zhang Xiong, you are becoming more and more unruly!"

Before Zhang Xiong could force his way into the inner house, Guo Xian's angry voice rang out. Then, with the help of two maids, Guo Xian, with dishevelled hair and plain clothes, trembled as he walked out of the room, his slightly pale face filled with disgust and anger.

"Greetings, my lord!"

Upon seeing Guo Xian, Hu Jin, feeling relieved, knelt down without hesitation. On the other hand, Zhang Xiong and several Mongolian soldiers standing nearby hesitated for a moment before reluctantly kneeling on one knee.

"I am here to see you, sir!"

"General Zhang, you really have such great authority!" Guo Xian, with a gloomy face, teased coldly, "I am standing in front of you now, do you still have doubts? Do you want to take people to search my room? See if there is the Liu Xunyi you mentioned?"

"I dare not...."

"Humph! You can even mobilize troops without authorization, what else are you afraid of?" Facing Zhang Xiong who said one thing and did another, Guo Xian sneered, "Go and search! Take people in now, search every brick, tile, grass and tree! It's best to turn the roof over and search carefully. If you can't find Liu Xunyi, you have to give me an explanation. Otherwise, I will write to the court and accuse you of treason and falsely accusing your superiors!"

"Your Excellency is too kind." Zhang Xiong suppressed his dissatisfaction and tried hard to control his emotions that were about to explode. "It's just that General Sui Zuo's body suddenly appeared in Luoyang City, and the clues pointed directly to Liu Xunyi. I was anxious at the moment... I hope you will forgive me for my abruptness."

"What? You don't want to search anymore?"

"Your Excellency is joking, how dare I ..."

"I don't think you dare! Zhang Xiong, you are a general brought up by General Wang. You must think twice before doing anything. Don't lose face for General Wang!" Even though Zhang Xiong gave in, Guo Xian still did not forget to warn him a few times, and then changed the subject, "I already know what happened this morning. You should first decorate and bury General Sui Zuo's body. As for the rest... you need to plan carefully and make detailed arrangements."

"But the Khan means ..."

"I know the Khan's intention better than you do. Just fulfill your duties as a lieutenant general and don't worry about other things."

"But……"

"Ahem! My cold has worsened and I am feeling more dizzy. Let's discuss this tomorrow!"

Zhang Xiong wanted to argue a few more words, but Guo Xian didn't give him the chance. He waved his hands weakly, and then turned and left with the help of a maid.

"Sir, Liu Xunyi really has never been here?"

Zhang Xiong asked loudly with reluctance, but to his surprise, his question fell on deaf ears and he got no response at all.

"Commander Zhang, Hu has just said that the lord has never seen Liu Xunyi." "Could it be that the people from Danfeng Garden are colluding to deceive me? They are all well-known figures, and the monk can escape but the temple cannot. They shouldn't do such a stupid thing."

In response to Zhang Xiong's test, Hu Jin just curled his lips slightly and did not make any statement.

"Okay! Since Liu Xunyi has not come to the General's Mansion to surrender, I will go to Danfeng Garden to arrest him."

"Commander Zhang!" Hu Jin ignored Zhang Xiong's indignation and simply reminded him, "The Lord has just instructed that the body of General Sui Zuo should be prepared for burial today. As for other matters... we will discuss them tomorrow."

"My Lord has also told me to fulfill my duties as a lieutenant general. Manager Hu is adept at handling funeral matters, but arresting the suspect is my primary task."

"you……"

"Humph!"

A contemptuous snort and a disdainful look. Apart from that, Zhang Xiong no longer had any attachment to Hu Jin, and led his men to walk out of the mansion at a brisk pace.

"Where to go now, General?"

"Gather the brothers, follow me back to Danfeng Garden!"

"In my humble opinion, Xie Xuan and the others didn't need to lie to us. Liu Xunyi... should have been to the general's mansion."

"They are not lying, but..." Having said this, Zhang Xiong slowly stopped walking. In the doubtful eyes of several guards, he cast a sharp gaze towards the inner house and said gloomily, "General Wang is right. The Han people who surrendered to Mongolia have greed and cunning blood flowing in their bones. They always think about leaving a way out for themselves. The general's mansion has been fed by people like Xie Xuan. As for Guo Xian... he is a complete thief who is obsessed with promotion and wealth. Letting such a person serve as the general of Luoyang and control the Central Plains Fortress, sooner or later something big will happen."

"The general means..."

"Strike while the iron is hot! I don't care who is telling the truth or who is lying. Today I only want someone from Danfeng Garden!"

"As ordered..."

"General Zhang, sorry to bother you!"

Just as Zhang Xiong, who was determined in his thinking, was counting his troops in the parade ground outside the palace, an old man in his sixties, with a thin body, slowly walked through the Mongolian soldiers who were wearing armor and holding swords and ready for battle, and walked up to Zhang Xiong with a smile.

"Who are you?" Zhang Xiong frowned and looked the old man up and down. After thinking for a while, he still couldn't recognize his identity. "How do you recognize me?"

"General, you are a mighty man. Who in Luoyang doesn't know about you?" The old man bowed to Zhang Xiong respectfully, then looked around and smiled mysteriously, "General, where are you going with such a large army? Could it be...Danfeng Garden?"

"Who are you?" Zhang Xiong looked at the old man cautiously, and his right hand subconsciously reached for the hilt of the knife at his waist. "What are your intentions?"

"General, please don't misunderstand me. I have no intention of offending you." The old man seemed to sense the murderous intent in Zhang Xiong's tone, and waved his hands to explain, "I am following the orders of the head of the family to invite you to the East Sea Teahouse for a chat."

"What a joke! Who is your master? Why should I have a conversation with him?" Zhang Xiong sneered, "Could it be that... you are also from the Xianwang Mansion?"

"General, you are praising me too much! How can a weak man like me enter the palace of the wise king where there are many talented people?" The old man laughed at himself and took a half step towards Zhang Xiong, "My master has something to say..."

The voice stopped abruptly, and the old man looked at the Mongolian soldiers on his left and right with fear.

Zhang Xiong understood, waved his hand gently to dismiss his attendants, and said in a deep voice: "If you dare to play tricks on me, I will make you live a life worse than death!"

"I dare not!" After saying that, the serious old man slowly leaned close to Zhang Xiong's ear and whispered, "My master said that although General Zhang intends to use the death of General Sui Zuo to deal with Liu Xunyi, the result may not be satisfactory. If the general is willing to talk to my master, he is willing to help the general to seek benefits and avoid harm and plan for a better opportunity."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiong's eyes flashed with surprise and curiosity, and he asked suspiciously: "Who is your master? What is the greater opportunity?"

"General, what is your purpose in dealing with Liu Xunyi? What does the general really want? Is it just to arrest Liu Xunyi to comfort the spirit of General Sui Zuo in heaven?" The old man did not answer but asked instead, his tone becoming more and more firm, "If the general acts in this way, it is tantamount to abandoning the fundamentals and pursuing the trivial, and highlighting the weaknesses and avoiding the strengths."

"you……"

"My master didn't tell me anything else, so I don't dare to say anything nonsense." Before Zhang Xiong could ask, the old man bowed his hands and apologized sincerely, "General, if you want to find out the truth, please go to the East Sea Teahouse and talk to my master."

Zhang Xiong stared at the old man with his head down, pondered for a moment, and suddenly his narrow eyes burst into a sinister and cold light, and he said in a fierce voice: "You are talking nonsense and deliberately making things mysterious! Old man, do you think I am a fool who can be fooled by others? You are courting death..."

"Sir, please wait!"

Seeing that Zhang Xiong was furious and wanted to order his men to capture him, the old man quickly took out a wolf tooth pendant from his arms, carefully handed it to Zhang Xiong, and asked, "General, do you recognize this thing?"

"This is……"

Zhang Xiong was stunned and took the wolf tooth pendant doubtfully. He wanted to take a quick glance, but when he saw that the thumb-sized wolf tooth was inlaid with a circle of gold hoop on the top, and three flame patterns were engraved on the gold hoop, his face suddenly changed, and his eyes looking at the old man trembled slightly because of his inner excitement.

"You...you are actually the honored guest of Prince Hu Lie?"

……