I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 42: Better to be early than late
Murong Yan originally thought that she would be given some exciting task and was full of anticipation.

But when I heard that I was just going to reason with a divorced woman, which was completely harmless and thankless, I couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

Fortunately, Zhao Zi said that after two months of getting along, he already knew her very well and knew how to mobilize the enthusiasm of this smart and capable chivalrous woman. So he exaggerated a little and described the task as more difficult:
"My dear sister, please don't underestimate this matter. Coach Lin's father-in-law has been suspicious ever since his son-in-law was framed. If a stranger comes looking for his daughter, he might be mistaken for Gao Yanei's lackey, which would lead to a major incident. So you have to go."

The Lin family has definitely been targeted by the Palace Marshal's Mansion. If I go there rashly, I'll be seen and easily exposed. But you are different. You have always presented yourself as a man these days, and no outsiders in Bianjing know you are a woman.

Just wear women's clothes this time when you go to the Lin family. Even if there are spies from the Palace Marshal's Mansion nearby, they won't be able to tell where you are. That way, even if the Lin family runs away in the future, they won't suspect us."

Those who are good at fighting do not have glorious achievements. Zhao Zicheng was so steady in committing crimes that many of the things he did lacked the exciting confrontation scenes.

Murong Yan became slightly interested after listening to his bragging, and finally felt that this was also a form of chivalry.

I have so much free time that I am lucky enough to have something to do. I still want more excitement.

After realizing this, Murong Yan immediately turned around and pulled out her suitcase from under the bed, and was about to take out the only set of women's clothing that she had kept in the bottom of the suitcase for emergencies.

But Zhao Zicheng only took a look and couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead: "Forget it, I'll go buy you a set."

Murong Yan was puzzled: "You already have clothes, but you still want to buy them? Wouldn't that just create a flaw?"

Zhao Zicheng pointed speechlessly at Murong Yan's Su embroidery skirt, which looked absolutely gorgeous when she wore it, and even had a light gauze lining with a texture like smoke and haze.

Given the current difficulties Lin Chong's family is facing, would a friend dressed so luxuriously come to visit?

Murong Yan thought it was right, so she followed the advice and ripped off the lining with a rip. Her skirt was not double-sided embroidered, so it would not be so conspicuous if she turned it over.

……

It was already late that day and the city gates were closed. Zhao Zi said that the group had to rest and make some preparations first.

The next morning, he and Murong Yan split up into two groups.

Zhao Zicheng found Yang Zhi and went to the vegetable garden outside the Suanzao Gate of Daxiangguo Temple to observe the situation.

Murong Yan dressed in women's clothes early in the morning, climbed over the wall and sneaked out of the inn. She also wore a poor man's hat and went to the Lin family's old house near Zhou Bridge.

When Zhao Zicheng went out early in the morning, he took a casual glance and was quite shocked.

Murong Yan must have had a hard time binding her chest to pretend to be a man. Although he had seen Murong Yan wearing women's clothing a few times before at Murong's house, it was probably only her outer clothing that was changed, and she had never undressed underneath, so her figure was completely invisible.

Murong Yan must have considered that she was a woman, so she completely let go of her restraints. Although her development couldn't compare to that of her twin sister, it was still quite impressive.

"It's really not easy. To avoid being bullied by people who think they have no descendants and only have a crazy old father at home, I have suffered so much. When I become an official, I will be able to protect them. Zhu Zhen won't be around for many more days. After Zhu Zhen's death, no one in Suzhou will be able to blackmail them."

At this moment, Zhu Jie was already on the verge of death.

In the future, the people of Jiangnan will not have to thank Zhao Zicheng too deliberately, as he just did it for the sake of convenience.

Murong Yan didn't have to leave the city, so the journey was shorter, but she arrived at the Lin family at 3 p.m.

Perhaps because Zhao Zicheng had informed her in advance, Murong Yan, who still lacked experience in the martial arts world, felt a little nervous and also some indescribable excitement.

It was like the young people of later generations playing the spy game. Anyone who looked at her on the street would be considered suspicious.

"Why are these people looking at me? Their eyes are sneaky. Could they be spies from the Palace Marshal's Mansion?" Murong Yan tightened the scabbard of the dagger hidden in her sleeve several times, but fortunately she never acted impulsively.

After she walked past and disappeared around the corner, those who had been peeking at her just now revealed indescribable smiles.

"It's a pity we can't see her face, that figure is really good!"

Murong Yan was still fighting wits and courage with the air, doubting everything. In the end, she could only go around to a back alley where no one passed, and then she continued to run high and low. With a slight run-up, she kicked the wall for leverage, turned over and landed lightly in the yard.

There is no such thing as the skill of flying all the way, but it is certainly not surprising that the ability to climb over walls is much stronger than that of parkour masters in later generations.

Even those Wudang bloggers in the 21st century who claim to be masters of the Tiyunzong technique can parkour up a four or five-meter-high vertical wall. The Lin family’s courtyard wall is nothing to them.

"Who is it?" Mrs. Lin was alert by nature. When she heard a crisp sound outside, which sounded like dead leaves being crushed, she stuck her head out of the window and saw a figure standing in the yard. She couldn't help but scream.

Her father, Master Zhang, was old and hard of hearing. Startled by his daughter's cries, he quickly grabbed a whistle and rushed out. The maid, Jin'er, also held a copper basin to protect herself, crouching by the door. "Don't be afraid, Madam Lin. I'm here to tell you. The Palace Marshal's Office sent people to Daxiangguo Temple yesterday to make trouble for Master Lin's monk brother. If they succeed, they will deal with you next.

My brother also has friends in the Palace Marshal's Mansion. He happened to see this injustice happen, and he couldn't bear it, so he asked me to remind you."

When Mrs. Lin heard her gentle voice, knowing she was just a young girl with the soft Wu dialect of the Jiangnan region, she immediately lost about 70% of her guard. Then she came into the yard, looked her up and down, and then politely asked her father, Coach Zhang, to go back to the house to rest.

"Dad, it's okay. It's just a little girl. She came here specially to tell me the news. It's not proper for you to be here."

Coach Zhang didn't say much and turned back to the house.

Jin Er helped Instructor Zhang back to the inner room, and then Madam Lin led Murong Yan to the main hall and sat down. Seeing that there was no one around, Murong Yan took off her bamboo hat and revealed her true face.

Madam Lin had always prided herself on her beauty, otherwise Gao Yanei wouldn't have taken such a conscious interest in her. At this moment, she subconsciously tucked her hands back into her sleeves and pulled her feet back, looking a bit bewildered.
"This... young lady is truly chivalrous and kind-hearted, but what you said is truly unbelievable. I wonder what you want us to do?"

Murong Yan: "If you ask me, you should pack up your belongings as soon as possible and leave this Bianjing City. The sooner the better. It would be best if you pack up today and leave early tomorrow morning without anyone noticing."

Madam Lin bit her lip, feeling torn between her conscience and her desires.

This girl looks so beautiful, kind and righteous, but everything is too bizarre. What if she was sent by Gao Qiu to trick them into leaving Bianliang?
Madam Lin was in a dilemma for a long time, and she bowed to express her attitude. "My lady, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, but within the Forbidden City, under the feet of the Emperor, the thieves may not dare to act presumptuously. It has been almost half a year since my husband divorced me. During this time, no one in the Palace Marshal's Office dared to use force. I just stayed inside the main gate and outside the secondary gate."

If the Protector General in the Forbidden City cannot protect his beloved, where can he go even if he escapes? Will the influence of the Palace Marshal's Office be weakened if he goes somewhere else?"

Murong Yan hadn't expected Madam Lin to be so difficult to persuade, and she couldn't help but anxiously said, "But I heard yesterday that Gao Yanei didn't dare to take action because he was afraid of retaliation from Instructor Lin's friends, so he wanted to eliminate them first. After he's done what he did, it will be Madam's turn! Just because nothing happened in the past few months doesn't mean there won't be trouble later!"

Madam Lin was somewhat tempted by what she said, but the matter was still too bizarre. "When you show courtesy to others, you must have something to ask for. We are just poor people. The young lady and your brother are so righteous simply because they are speaking out against injustice. I really don't want to bring any trouble to you."

Murong Yan had no choice but to explain patiently. It was simply that Zhao Zicheng also thought Lin Chong was a talent and wanted to win him over.

After saying this, Madam Lin finally felt more at ease and no longer seemed so unworthy.

But she couldn't believe one side of the story, so she just compromised and gave a definite answer:
"If we can escape this great disaster and find my husband in the future, my wife and I will never forget his kindness. However, this matter is indeed too bizarre. I will persuade my father to pack our belongings today. But before we can leave Bianjing, we must wait for my husband's brother, Master Lu, to come and tell us personally.

Now, in Bianjing, he's the only one my family trusts. After all, when we encountered that thief at the Taiyue Temple, my husband's other friends were useless, and only he came to the rescue with his men, completely unafraid of the power of the Palace Marshal's Mansion. "Young lady, don't blame me for being cautious; I've truly become a frightened bird."

In order to express her apology for her indecision and ignorance, Madam Lin suddenly knelt down and kowtowed deeply to Murong Yan, but was immediately lifted up by Murong Yan with a flick of her sleeves.

"That's not necessary. Sister, you can pack up first. My brother should be able to convince the monk. It's better for you to disguise yourself and pack some worn-out men's clothes so that you can travel more conveniently and avoid attracting attention." Murong Yan said lightly.

Mrs. Lin was completely confused and couldn't understand for a moment. How could this little girl, who looked slimmer than her, lift herself up just by swinging her sleeves?

But she did not dare to hesitate and obeyed completely, asking Jin'er to pack up the valuables in the house first.

……

A quarter of an hour later, outside the Suanzao Gate, in the vegetable garden of Daxiangguo Temple.

Zhao Zicheng and Yang Zhi rode their horses and slowly came here, thinking about how to gain Lu Da's trust along the way.

Sometimes, being too polite to others is not a good thing, as it can easily arouse suspicion and make people think that you have ulterior motives.

Zhao Zicheng was, after all, a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty, and was about to become an official, and his career prospects were absolutely limitless.

Normally speaking, how could he be so keen on winning over warriors?

No matter how brave a general was, in the eyes of the civil officials and literati of the Song Dynasty, he was not considered a hero and was not worth spending too much money on.

The men who were paraded outside Donghuamen and had their names called out were the good men in their eyes.

Zhao Zicheng and Yang Zhi chatted for a while, but they didn't come up with any definite tricks before they arrived at the destination.

However, as soon as they arrived near the vegetable garden, Zhao Zicheng and Yang Zhi heard unusual noises.

There were unexpected sounds of weapons clashing in the vegetable garden.

(End of this chapter)