Lanting prelude
Chapter 45 The Night Banquet
Chapter 45 The Night Banquet
With his hands behind his back, Li You laughed a few times triumphantly, and said, "Pei Tinglong, you have been in Qizhou for so many days, and you haven't come to say hello to the king, you are too ignorant of the rules, aren't you?"
Pei Tinglong and Xue An looked at each other, helplessly realizing that he had really fallen into Xiao Junmo's game, but he couldn't figure out how Xiao Junmo got together with Qi Wang Li You anyway.
"Your Highness, I was ordered by the Holy One to secretly investigate the dispute between Chang Shiquan Wanji and you. For this reason, it is inconvenient to meet you publicly. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Pei Tinglong bowed his head and bowed.
At this time, King Qi has not openly rebelled, so he can only meet each other with courtesy.
"Oh? Then what did you find out?" Li You asked with squinting eyes.
"Returning to Your Highness, after a careful investigation, I found that Quan Wanji's accusations against you were mostly groundless, so I have secretly sent someone to escort him back to Beijing, and the Holy Majesty and the court will issue him."
"Really?" Li You chuckled, "So, I have to thank you for clearing my grievances?"
"This is the duty of a humble position, Your Highness does not need to thank you."
"Since you have found out that Quan Wanji is falsely accusing me, then you should come and tell the truth to the king, but you secretly sent him back to Chang'an, isn't this against the rules? You still have me as Qi King?"
"Returning to Your Highness, the Xuanjia Guard has always had his own way of doing things, and his humble position is only in accordance with the guard's usual practice, and it is not intentional to deceive His Highness."
"Hehe, Pei Tinglong, your eloquence is really good. No wonder you became a general of the third rank at a young age. It seems that it's not all because of your uncle's nepotism!"
Hearing King Qi's cynicism, Pei Tinglong was naturally extremely resentful, but now he was under the control of others, and he didn't dare to get angry, so he had to bite the bullet and say: "Your Highness is absurd, the humble job is just telling the truth, not talking about eloquence."
"Okay, let's stop gossip. Since you have met this king now, then go back to the mansion with this king, and let this king do his best as a landlord."
Pei Tinglong showed embarrassment: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness, but now I have just captured a court criminal who has been on the run for a long time, and he must be escorted back to Beijing immediately, so..."
"Criminal? Are you referring to Xiao Junmo?"
"Exactly."
"Then you may be disappointed. Xiao Lang is now my king's guest, how can he go back to Beijing with you? As for his identity as a criminal, this king will report to his father and ask his father to forgive him."
Pei Tinglong was taken aback, and couldn't figure out why King Qi wanted to protect Xiao Junmo: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, whether to pardon or not is a matter of the future. At least for now, Xiao Junmo is still a criminal, and the humble official must bring him to justice."
"So, you don't want to give me face anymore?" Li You's expression darkened, "If that's the case, then don't blame me for being rude!"
As soon as this statement came out, the two sides who were in the tense confrontation suddenly became agitated. Three Xuanjia guards standing on the outermost edge even fought with the soldiers of Prince Qi's mansion, and cut down six or seven of them in the blink of an eye.At this moment, dozens of sharp arrows were shot from the heights around the courtyard at the same time, and instantly shot the three soldiers into hedgehogs.
Pei Tinglong and the others turned pale with shock, and took a closer look, no matter whether it was the Dacheng Hall, the Halberd Gate, or the roofs of the east and west verandas, there were archers in ambush.
"Pei Tinglong, I advise you to give up resistance and cooperate with His Royal Highness King Qi." Xiao Junmo said, "Now, not only hundreds of soldiers and nearly a hundred archers in this temple are surrounding you, outside the Confucius Temple, There are at least [-] soldiers blocking all the streets in all directions. If you resist, you can only cause your brothers to lose their lives in vain, so why bother?"
Before Pei Tinglong could answer, Huan Dieyi suddenly rushed to say with righteous indignation: "Xiao Junmo, you despicable and shameless villain! It turns out that all of this is your treacherous scheme, and it's all because I'm blind!" Sheath, rushed forward to attack Xiao Junmo.Pei Tinglong originally thought that she had colluded with Xiao Junmo, but he couldn't help being a little confused when he saw this.But at this moment, the situation is critical, and it is no longer possible to think about it.He quickly gave Xue An a wink, and then made moves at the same time, and the three of them besieged Xiao Junmo together.
Now that Xiao Junmo has teamed up with King Qi, only by holding him hostage can he stand out from the encirclement.
At the same time, Luo Biao, Hongyu and others also fought with the government soldiers one after another, and a scuffle broke out between the two sides.
Xiao Junmo used one against three, but he seemed calm and easy.While accepting the move, he said: "Pei Tinglong, those who know the current affairs are heroes, so you don't need to struggle anymore. If you surrender now, maybe the king of Qi can reward you with an official position."
Pei Tinglong became furious and stabbed sharply with his knife. He didn't know whether Huan Dieyi was on purpose or not, but even shook his eyes.Pei Tinglong was afraid of accidentally hurting her, so he quickly withdrew the knife.At this gap, Xiao Junmo suddenly made a move, knocked the knife in his hand away, and immediately put the knife across his neck.
Xue An and Huan Dieyi were taken aback and froze on the spot at the same time.
Li You looked at this scene with a sinister smile on the corner of his mouth.
"Pei Tinglong, why don't you tell the brothers to stop?" Xiao Junmo smiled.
Pei Tinglong's eyes widened angrily, and he stiffened his neck and didn't speak.
"Xue An and Die Yi, throw away the knives." Xiao Junmo looked at them, "Tell the brothers to do the same."
Xue An and Huan Dieyi looked at each other helplessly, and threw the knife on the ground almost at the same time.Then Xue An shouted a few times according to his words, Luo Biao and others looked back, they were all shocked, and immediately put down their weapons one after another.The government soldiers rushed forward and forced them with their knives.
Li You laughed loudly, and walked down the steps while clapping his palms: "Xiao Lang, you are truly worthy of being my king's Mr. Zhuge. With a little trick, you have eradicated this king's confidant's serious troubles. This king must reward you heavily!"
Cao Jie, who was following beside him, couldn't help curling his lips when he heard the words.
"Li You, as a prince, you actually took the lead in rebellion regardless of your lord!" Pei Tinglong shouted loudly, "You must die a terrible death!"
When Li You heard this, the muscles on his face twitched, he suddenly drew his knife, and stabbed directly at Pei Tinglong.Xiao Junmo immediately pulled Pei Tinglong aside, and stood up in front of him: "Your Highness, no!"
Li Yousheng paused, and said angrily, "Why not?"
"Your Highness calm down." Xiao Junmo hurriedly said, "It's still useful to keep them."
Li You stared at him suspiciously: "Xiao Junmo, don't you still care about your colleagues?"
"How can it be?" Xiao Junmo smiled, "I mean, once we start a riot, the imperial court will definitely send troops. At that time, these people will be the most important bargaining chips in our hands."
Li You frowned slightly, and slowly put down the knife.
"Your Highness, please think about it calmly. What are the identities of these people?" Xiao Junmo continued, "Pei Tinglong is the nephew of Changsun Wuji, Huan Dieyi is Li Shiji's niece, Xue An is the nephew of Dali Temple Shaoqing Xue Zhengyi, And those other people, almost all of them have something to do with the ministers of the DPRK and China. Think about it, once the two armies confront each other, are they our shield? As long as their lives are in our hands, how can the court not use the mouse? ?”
After hearing this, Li You was silent for a while, then put the knife back into its sheath, and patted Xiao Junmo on the shoulder: "Xiao Lang, from now on, you are the long history of this king. Besides, you can order everyone!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Xiao Junmo handed Pei Tinglong over to several government soldiers, and immediately announced loudly his first order after taking office as chief historian: "Brothers have worked hard, arrest these people, let's go home, His Highness will reward everyone tonight !"
All the government soldiers cheered.
Li You laughed loudly, and strode out.Cao Jie stared at Xiao Junmo enviously and jealously, and quickly followed with a lantern.
Xiao Junmo and Huan Dieyi secretly exchanged glances.
In this big chess game in Qizhou, Xiao Junmo has successfully landed the second son.Next, as long as he makes another move steadily, he will win the game of chess.
"Sir, Xiao Junmo has also come to Qizhou!"
In Yu Shiqi's mansion, Wei Laoliu tortured Yuan Gongwang and his subordinates, finally took out valuable information from one of them, and hurriedly reported it to Wang Hongyi.
Wang Hongyi and Yu Shiqi were sitting in the hall talking, and they were startled at the same time.
"Xiao Junmo?" Yu Shiqi looked puzzled, "Who is he?"
"How is it possible?" Wang Hongyi ignored Yu Shiqi and stared at Wei Laoliu, "Why did he come to Qizhou?"
"I heard from that guy that Xiao Junmo came with Yuan Gongwang, and he also said..." Wei Laoliu hesitated to speak.
"What?!" Wang Hongyi became impatient.
"He said that Xiao Junmo is now... the leader of the alliance."
Wang Hongyi was startled, and stared at Wei Laoliu in disbelief, then exchanged glances with Yu Shiqi, and then burst out laughing: "Xiao Junmo has become our leader?!"
"This...what the hell is going on here?" Yu Shiqi was at a loss.He doesn't even know who Xiao Junmo is, let alone the leader.
Wang Hongyi briefly introduced Xiao Junmo's situation, and Yu Shiqi suddenly said: "Since he saved Zuo Shi, he can be regarded as a person who has contributed to the alliance."
"Xuzhou!" Wang Hongyi was displeased, "Why are you so confused? Biancai and Zhiyong are the same old fool, what good is saving him to the alliance? They want to disband the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, and Xiao Junmo is their accomplice. What credit?!"
Yu Shiqi knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, and nodded his head again and again.
"Where is Xiao Junmo now?" Wang Hongyi hurriedly asked Wei Laoliu.
"The guy said that Xiao Junmo broke up with them as soon as they entered the city, and only Yuan Gongwang knew where they went."
"Then let Yuan Gongwang speak up!"
"Sir, Yuan Gongwang is smelly and hard, he has already been beaten to death by his brothers..."
"Wake him up and call me!"
"Sir..." Yu Shiqi was already full of guilt towards Yuan Gongwang in his heart, and couldn't bear it even more at this time, and hurriedly said, "Forgive me, Lao Yuan is already old, and he really can't stand such a toss. Besides, this Xiao Junmo and The big things we have to do are not directly related, so why waste time on this person?"
Wang Hongyi thought for a while, finally calmed down, and asked Wei Laoliu: "What else did that guy say?"
"He said that some people came out of Yangzhou with them."
"Who?"
"Xi Yan from the Donggu branch, and the daughter of the eloquent talent, oh no, there is also... and the young lady."
When Wang Hongyi heard this, he jumped up from the couch, and said in surprise and joy: "Why didn't you say it earlier? Where is she now? Is she also in Qizhou?"
"No, I heard that I lived with Xi Yan at the Yinfeng Inn at the foot of Mount Tai, but I didn't come to Qizhou."
Wang Hongyi frowned deeply, walking up and down the hall excitedly.Yu Shiqi looked at him, confused again: The woman they mentioned was "the daughter of eloquence" at one time, and "the eldest lady" at another time. Who is it?And as far as he knew, Wang Hongyi had no children, only an adopted daughter, Su Jinse, so where did the "Miss" they are talking about come from?
"Sixth!" Wang Hongyi stood still, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "Take your brothers and rush over there overnight, and make sure to bring Sang'er back to me unscathed!"
"Yes." Wei Laoliu immediately turned around and walked out of the main hall.
"Sir, this Miss Sonny is..." Yu Shiqi couldn't help being curious.
"It's a long story..." Wang Hongyi replied absent-mindedly, as if he was thinking about something anxiously, and then suddenly shouted, "Lao Liu, wait!"
Wei Laoliu had already walked out of the entrance of the main hall, and turned back after hearing the words.
Wang Hongyi pondered for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly said to Yu Shi, "Xu Zhou, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have to go first."
Yu Shiqi was astonished and stood up: "This...why is this?"
"Sang'er mentioned just now is my biological daughter who has been lost for many years. Now I finally found her. I will never let her leave me again. Therefore, I must go there in person."
"Yes, but at this juncture..." Yu Shiqi still couldn't react.
"Nothing in the world is more important than finding my daughter!" Wang Hongyi said resolutely, "You can handle the matter of Qizhou yourself, and I won't get involved." go out.
Yu Shiqi was stunned, and followed closely: "Sir, sir, please stop and listen to me..."
When he walked quickly into the courtyard, Wang Hongyi stopped abruptly, turned around and said, "Xuzhou, to tell you the truth, that Xiao Junmo is a powerful character, and now that he has come to Qizhou, what you and King Qi want to do I'm afraid there will be twists and turns, and everyone will have to finish the game! So, you just go with me to Chang'an, and we will do it big if we want to! As for the mess in Qizhou, let King Qi clean it up! "
Yu Shiqi was startled at first, then smiled wryly, but finally calmed down, and gave a deep bow: "Since Mr. has other important matters, then Mr. Yu will not delay Mr. Please go ahead, Mister, and forgive Mr. Yu for not being able to send him away."
Wang Hongyi looked at him, sighed softly, then cupped his hands, turned and walked into the night.
Yu Shiqi stood firmly under the moonlight, feeling a little dazed for a while.
He knew that it was absolutely impossible for him to come and go as freely as Wang Hongyi did, because he was already in too deep a position.Whether it is colluding with King Qi to rebel or sending his son to assassinate Quan Wanji, it is a serious crime for the clan to punish. Even if he stops now, he will be responsible for the crime after all.Therefore, even though he knew that the possibility of success in this rebellion is very small, he can only go to the dark one way - there is always a glimmer of life if he tries his best, and he can only sit and wait for death if he retreats before the battle!
After pondering for a long time, Yu Shiqi smiled sadly and walked towards the backyard with heavy steps.
He was going to visit Yuan Gongwang, quickly find a doctor to treat his injuries, and then went to Qi Wang's mansion overnight, and finally agreed with Qi Wang on the time and specific steps of the incident.
The main hall of Prince Qi's Mansion was brightly lit.
Right now, Li You accepted Xiao Junmo's proposal, and issued a summoning order to the civil and military officials of the Wangfu and Qizhoufu, planning to use the name of a banquet to mobilize them for the last time before the incident.
At this time, the officials were coming one after another, but not all of them arrived, the servants on the side came in and out, busy serving food and wine.Li You and Xiao Junmo sat at the head, having a drink, talking and laughing.Xiao Junmo has changed into a majestic chief historian uniform, looking radiant and energetic, he is completely different from the previous "fugitive" who lived in panic and had no time to warm up.
"Your Highness," Xiao Junmo glanced at the situation in the hall, "Before the guests arrive, this subordinate wants to interrogate Pei Tinglong first, and dig out the secret agent of Xuanjiawei lurking in the mansion as soon as possible."
Li You nodded appreciatively: "Xiao Lang is really quick and resolute in his work. With your right-hand man, I don't have to worry about major things being done!"
Xiao Junmo said a few words politely, and then said: "In addition, this subordinate is new here and is not familiar with the situation of this mansion, so he wants to walk around, and check the important joints of the mansion's access control, arsenal, etc., and strengthen precautions, so as to be safe, I don't know Your Highness Can it be allowed?"
Li You waved his hand: "This king said that in Qizhou City today, except for this king, everyone listens to your orders. You can do whatever you want, and you don't have to report everything to this king."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness, then I will go."
"Well, hurry up and come back."
Xiao Junmo bowed, and walked quickly towards the door.At this time, seven or eight officials had already taken their seats, whispering to each other in twos and threes. Seeing Xiao Junmo approaching, they stood up one after another to salute, unavoidable flattery.Xiao Junmo was perfunctory, and caught a glimpse of a young military officer sitting by a food table near the door, his eyes were slightly closed, as if no one was there, he walked forward and coughed slightly.The military officer opened his eyes and hurriedly got up to salute: "I have seen Xiao Changshi before."
Xiao Junmo looked at his attire: "Are you joining the army?"
"Yes, the humble job is to join the army, Du Xingmin."
"Just right!" Xiao Junmo smiled slightly, "I'm planning to walk around the mansion. Since Du Canjun is in charge of military defense and access control, why don't you be my guide?"
"I obey you." Du Xingmin said respectfully.
There is a dungeon in the backyard of the palace, where more than twenty Xuanjia guards are imprisoned.
Pei Tinglong was held in solitary confinement in the last cell at the end of the corridor.His hair was disheveled, his body and limbs were tightly bound by hemp rope, and he was lying crookedly in a corner and taking a nap.When the prison door chains jingled, Pei Tinglong opened his eyes slightly. Seeing Xiao Junmo and another person walking in, he spat on the ground and closed his eyes again.
"General Pei is still angry with me?" Xiao Junmo came over, squatted in front of him, and looked at him with interest.
Pei Tinglong said nothing.
"Come on, man, don't be discouraged when you encounter something, you should have hope!" Xiao Junmo simply sat down on the wet ground, "I have been hunted down by you for so long, and my life hangs by a thread several times, isn't it? Gritting your teeth and getting through it? You have to be resilient, how can you admit defeat after losing once?"
Hearing the words, Pei Tinglong suddenly remembered the teachings of Changsun Wuji, and slowly opened his eyes: "Xiao Junmo, you villain who works for tigers! What's so crazy about being successful for a while? When the imperial army comes under pressure, you and the king of Qi will be overwhelmed in an instant. Grinded to powder!"
Xiao Junmo smiled and said without turning his head: "Du Canjun, this guy is uttering wild words and cursing our highness. Tell me, do you want to cut off his tongue and serve it to your highness?"
Du Xingmin was taken aback, he hesitated and didn't know how to answer.
When Pei Tinglong heard this, panic immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Why, I'm scared just because you have a tongue?" Xiao Junmo chuckled, "I thought you would be righteous and consider death as home!"
Pei Tinglong was startled and angry. He wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to speak again.
"Okay, time is running out, so I won't chat with you anymore." Xiao Junmo suddenly said seriously, "Pei Tinglong, the Holy Majesty ordered you to come to Qizhou to monitor the King of Qi, did you tell you about the hidden stake that Xuanjiawei buried in the Prince's Mansion? "
Pei Tinglong heard that his tone was a bit wrong, and he was suspicious, but he still kept his face sullen and did not speak.
At this time, Du Xingmin, who was standing behind Xiao Junmo, changed his face suddenly when he heard it, and secretly took out a cowhide rope from his sleeve, pulled at both ends, stretched the rope straight, and slowly lifted it to Xiao Junmo's head.
Du Xingmin was skillful, and the whole process was silent. Obviously, he often used this rope to strangle people.
Pei Tinglong didn't know which route this surnamed Du came from, but the enemy's enemy was a friend, so he couldn't help feeling very grateful, so he stared at Xiao Junmo calmly, trying not to move his gaze up, so as not to be noticed by him.
"Lone wolf, you'd better not act rashly." Xiao Junmo smiled lightly, as if eyes had grown in the back of his head, "First, you are not my opponent; second, even if you kill me by chance, you will not be able to escape from Prince Qi's mansion; Once you really kill me, no one can stop King Qi's rebellion."
Du Xingmin and Pei Tinglong were startled at the same time, confused by Xiao Junmo's words.
The most horrifying thing was Du Xingmin, because "Lone Wolf" was his codename—this was a codename that only Xuanjiawei General Li Shiji knew. How did Xiao Junmo know? !
"The wolf's tail is its tail, and it's its tail." Xiao Junmo chanted slowly.
This is the connection code, and the words come out of the "Book of Songs".
Du Xingmin was startled again, and blurted out: "Seal the wolf to live in Xu, Zen in Guyan."
The corresponding code comes from the allusion of Huo Qubing, a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty: in the spring of the fourth year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing led his troops to go deep into Mobei for more than [-] miles, defeated the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's army, and wiped out more than [-] enemies. The ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky was held on Mount Guyan, and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the land was held in Guyan Mountain. Later generations then used the term "Fenglang Juxu" to refer to the illustrious military exploits.
Xiao Junmo actually knew his code name, and was able to say such a top-secret connection code, which shocked Du Xingmin and made him greatly confused about Xiao Junmo's true identity and intentions.
Pei Tinglong was also confused, he couldn't understand Xiao Junmo's way at all.
Xiao Junmo got up, patted the dirt on his body, and said to the two: "You two, the situation is critical now, so I'll make a long story short. I passed by Mount Tai yesterday, and happened to meet Shi Quan Wanji, the governor of Qi Prefecture, who was assassinated. Through some clues, I deduced that The king of Qi had the intention of treason, so he decided to go deep into the tiger's den to find out. After entering the mansion of the king of Qi early this morning, the facts also proved my guess. So, I thought of a plan, while gaining the trust of the king of Qi, at the same time let Pei Brother, you and your brothers took the opportunity to sneak into the palace..."
"Wait!" Pei Tinglong couldn't react, "You mean, Quan Wanji is dead?"
"Yes, the body is lying in front of me, and Duan Duizheng's brothers."
"Did King Qi do it?" Pei Tinglong was shocked and angry.
"Of course. Who else but him?" Xiao Junmo didn't want to mention Yu Shiqi for the time being, because that would make things too complicated, and it's not the top priority right now.
"You said you wanted to gain King Qi's trust, and then you planned to arrest me and my brothers?"
"I haven't finished talking yet." Xiao Junmo smiled, "You have been in Qizhou for so many days, and you have been in a passive state. You have been avoiding the search and arrest of the King of Qi, and you still have nothing to do. How to stop the King of Qi? So I had to make a bad move. The purpose is to arrest you, but in fact it is to allow you and your brothers to enter Qi Palace in a legitimate way so that we can start our operations..."
"I'll go to your Xiao Junmo!" Pei Tinglong was furious, "You are trying to use King Qi's sword to kill me with such a bad method?"
Xiao Junmo stared at him sharply: "Pei Tinglong, if you say one more nonsense now, we will be in more danger. If King Qi finds out, I will leave at worst, but can you leave?!"
Pei Tinglong was at a loss for words, so he closed his mouth resentfully.
"Xiao...Xiao General." Du Xingmin originally wanted to call him "Xiao Changshi", but after thinking about it, he felt that it was inappropriate, so he had to use his original title of "General Lang" to call him, "I don't quite understand, you... how do you know?" My identity?"
"You don't need to ask, I will explain to you when I have a chance in the future." Xiao Junmo said, "Actually, I can talk to you during the day, but as a fugitive, I worry that I won't be able to gain your trust. Both are very dangerous, so I decided to join you at the last moment before the action."
"You are one of us, why don't I know?" Pei Tinglong stared at Du Xingmin.
Du Xingmin smiled wryly: "My identity is the top secret in this guard, usually only the general knows."
Pei Tinglong was stunned, and then sneered: "I understand, Li Shiji doesn't trust me at all, so even though he sent me to Qizhou to perform a mission, he didn't even tell me that there is a hidden stake buried here."
"Pei Tinglong, the general also has his own difficulties." Xiao Junmo said, "If the lone wolf is exposed in advance and wants to pacify King Qi in the future, the court will have no leverage in its hands."
When Du Xingmin heard the words, he suddenly felt that it made sense, so he nodded repeatedly.
Pei Tinglong still sneered: "Xiao Junmo, since the identity of Lone Wolf is a top secret, why did Li Shiji reveal it to you again?"
Xiao Junmo suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his collar: "Pei Tinglong, now the three of us, Dieyi, Luo Biao and dozens of others are all standing on the edge of the cliff! If you look like a It's useless to talk about it like a girl, believe it or not, I let the lone wolf clean you up first, so as not to delay the big things for you?!"
Pei Tinglong muttered for a while, but finally didn't speak again.
"General Xiao, hurry up and order, what should we do?" Du Xingmin said anxiously.
Xiao Junmo threw Pei Tinglong back to the corner, and asked, "Is there anyone under your command whom you can trust?"
"Don't worry, general, there are at least a hundred of my brothers who are of the same mind as me, and have always been dissatisfied with King Qi, and never want to rebel with him. These people are available."
"It's easy to handle." Xiao Junmo said, "You go back and bring them. The first task is to occupy the arsenal in the palace. Remember to outsmart, don't make too much noise, and try to avoid casualties on both sides. After controlling the arsenal, in case of If the king's people counterattack, you will set it on fire and give King Qi a hard time! In addition, divide the troops to control the gates of various places, seal off the inside and outside, and strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving."
"Yes. What about King Qi?"
"Leave King Qi to me." Xiao Junmo said, and glanced at Pei Tinglong on the ground, "Untie him."
Du Xingmin immediately untied the rope from Pei Tinglong's body.Pei Tinglong moved his muscles and bones, and his gaze towards Xiao Junmo was still somewhat hostile.
"Pei Tinglong, whether all of us can get out of Qizhou City alive depends on tonight's fight." Xiao Junmo looked at him, "If you don't want to die, just do as I say, and we will join forces to take down King Qi. As for the grievances between you and me, there will be plenty of time in the future to calculate slowly. What do you think?"
Pei Tinglong was silent for a while, then nodded: "Deal."
Two horses are galloping on the post road in the night.
The riders are Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu.
There are more than a dozen riders chasing closely behind, they are Xi Yan and his men.
Ever since Xiao Junmo left without saying goodbye yesterday evening, Chu Lisang couldn't sit still in the inn.She approached Xi Yan many times, trying to persuade him to join Xiao Junmo in Qizhou, but Xi Yan refused without exception.Chu Lisang knew that Xiao Junmo would never abandon her if something serious hadn't happened.She also knew that the reason why Xiao Junmo gave Xi Yan a death order to prevent her from leaving the inn was to protect her and prevent her from getting involved in danger.
But Chu Lisang never wants to be a little girl who is protected everywhere, she hopes to face danger together with Xiao Junmo, even if it is to face death together!
Last night, she stayed up all night, remembering the scenes of sharing weal and woe with Xiao Junmo and being dependent on life and death along the way, and worrying about his safety.Early this morning, Chu Lisang, who couldn't bear it any longer, turned against Xi Yan, trying to get rid of his control by force.Unexpectedly, Xi Yan was on guard, and secretly drugged her and Lu Xiu's breakfast, fascinating them, and then locked them in the room and sent people to guard them strictly.
The two were stunned and fell asleep until the evening.After Chu Lisang woke up, he pretended to have unbearable abdominal pain, and deliberately let the green sleeve yell to attract the guards to come in, then knocked him down, grabbed two horses, escaped from the inn, and galloped in the direction of Qizhou.When Xi Yan noticed it, he hurriedly brought his subordinates and chased after him desperately.
At this moment, the two of them estimated that they had only run more than 20 miles, and they were gradually overtaken by Xi Yan and others, and the distance between them was no more than six or seven zhang.Chu Lisang was thinking about how to get out, when he suddenly saw a group of people galloping towards him in the night, so he had an idea and shouted for help.Lu Xiu understood, and yelled at the top of her voice.
Chu Lisang thought, no matter whether the people coming in front were officials or civilians, when they heard two women running in the wilderness shouting for help, they would usually lend a helping hand.As long as they stop Xi Yan, they will have a chance to escape.
In a blink of an eye, the other party's troops were already in front of them.What Chu Lisang never expected was that dozens of riders from the other party lined up on the post road, blocking their way.
Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu reined in and looked at each other.
Although it was difficult to distinguish the other party's identity due to the dark lights, such a posture was enough to prove that the comer was not good, and Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling deeply regretful for his carelessness.
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from the darkness ahead: "Sonny, is that you?"
Chu Lisang's mind buzzed and froze all of a sudden.
The person who came was clearly Wang Hongyi!But why did he appear here? !
At this time, Xi Yan had already led people to catch up with her, rode his horse in front of her, and said in a deep voice: "Miss Chu, hurry back to the inn, let me deal with it here."
As soon as the words fell, dozens of horsemen from the other party rushed over, only to hear Wang Hongyi shout: "Sang'er, don't be afraid, dad is here to save you!"
Xi Yan and Lu Xiu looked at Chu Lisang in astonishment at the same time, wondering when she had another father.Chu Lisang smiled wryly, and said to Xi Yan: "Mr. Xi laughed. He is Mingzang, and he always mistook me for his long-lost daughter."
"Mingzang?" Xi Yan was startled, "Why is he here?"
Chu Lisang still smiled wryly: "Maybe, this is called Yuanjia Road Narrow!"
During the conversation, the other party had already been killed.Xi Yan and Chu Lisang drew their knives at the same time, and went to meet them...
When Xiao Junmo returned to the main hall, all the officials, big and small, had arrived.Qi Wang Li You solemnly introduced the new governor of Qi to everyone, and the officials stepped forward to toast and congratulate him, which was inevitably another round of flattery.
After a while of excitement, Li You asked Xiao Junmo in a low voice: "Did that kid Pei Tinglong recruit him?"
Xiao Junmo shook his head: "Not yet. I'm planning to be polite first and then fight. If he still refuses to recruit tomorrow, we will kill one of his subordinates every hour to see how long he can survive."
Li You was slightly taken aback, then grinned and said, "Those people are all your colleagues in the past, so you can do it?"
Xiao Junmo smiled coldly: "It's true that I was a colleague in the past, but when they chased and killed me a while ago, they were not relentless at all."
Li You nodded, seeming to understand his mood very well.Suddenly, Li You noticed that Du Xingmin hadn't come back with Xiao Junmo, so he asked him about it.Xiao Junmo said: "The subordinates were worried that the arsenal was not well protected, so they asked Du Canjun to go over and check it again, just in case." Li You seemed quite satisfied: "That's right, you're still thoughtful."
The arsenal is the domain of the Dianjun.Cao Jie listened to him, and was immediately displeased. He smiled and said, "Xiao Changshi is indeed thoughtful. He has already thought of everything he should and should not think about in less than a day. I really admire it."
Xiao Jun smiled silently.
He knew that Cao Jie said such unlevel words, there was no need to refute him, the King of Qi would punish him.Sure enough, as soon as Cao Jie finished speaking, Li You squinted and said: "Cao Jie, what you said is wrong! Xiao Lang is now the long history of this king, and this king's business is his business. Outside? What do you mean should you think or not? Why are you talking too much? Come on, toast Xiao Changshi and make amends!"
Cao Jie made a long face, and reluctantly raised the wine cup.
Xiao Junmo smiled faintly, and raised his hand to stop him: "Cao Dianjun, I asked Du Canjun to inspect the arsenal, just for safety reasons, not against anyone, please don't misunderstand. Besides, we are all doing things for His Highness, and we should be of the same mind De, how can we forcefully divide each other? This glass of wine, let me toast you. Come, let me do it first!" After speaking, he drank the wine in his hand and showed the bottom of the glass to Cao Jie.
"Happy!" Li You patted the table and laughed loudly, "It's still Xiao Lang's measure, this king likes people like you!"
Cao Jie had no choice but to force a smile and drank the wine.
All the officials present saw that King Qi was in a good mood, so they let go of their stomachs to eat and drink. There was a chatter of wine and laughter in the lobby.Xiao Junmo exchanged cups with Li You and other officials, talking and laughing happily, while secretly paying attention to the movement outside the hall.
In the dungeon before, he made an action plan with Pei Tinglong and Du Xingmin:
[-]. Du Xingmin led people to seize the arsenal, and at the same time controlled the access control of various places and isolated the inside and outside;
[-]. Pei Tinglong led Huan Dieyi, Luo Biao and other Xuanjia guards to the outside of the main hall, quietly eliminated the surrounding sentries and guards, and surrounded the main hall;
[-]. Xiao Junmo will hold King Qi and all the officials in the hall, and once he receives the signal from Pei Tinglong to succeed, he will immediately take King Qi hostage;
Fourth, Xiao Junmo, Pei Tinglong and others cooperated internally and externally, forcing all officials to defect, abandon King Qi, and return to the court.
After deciding on the action plan, the three of them worked together to bring down several prison guards, and then rescued more than 20 people including Huan Dieyi and Luo Biao, and then started their operations separately according to the plan...
At this moment, Xiao Junmo estimated the time in his heart, and felt that Pei Tinglong and the others should have succeeded, but he never heard the pre-agreed signal—the crowing of the turtledove.
In the hall, after drinking for three rounds, everyone was slightly tipsy.Seeing that the atmosphere was almost brewing, Li You signaled Xiao Junmo to speak, and mobilized everyone for the last time before the incident.
Xiao Junmo cleared his throat, and was about to say some clichés to perfunctory, but at this moment, a mansion soldier covered in blood suddenly appeared at the entrance of the main hall. He stumbled and wanted to run in, but was stopped by the guards at the door.Seeing this scene, everyone in the hall was shocked.Xiao Junmo's expression also froze, realizing that something might have gone wrong in his actions, but whether it was Du Xingmin or Pei Tinglong who had the problem, it is still impossible to judge.
Li Youyuan opened his eyes and said sharply, "Let him in!"
Two guards immediately carried the wounded soldier up the hall.The man was seriously injured, and seemed to have exhausted his last bit of energy running here, with his head drooping and his feet almost dragging along the ground, leaving two long trails of blood behind him.Cao Jie recognized him as Qiu San, the team leader stationed at the arsenal, hurried up and grabbed his collar: "Tell me, what happened?"
Qiu Sanlu moved his lips, said something feebly, and then lowered his head, obviously dying.
Cao Jie turned around suddenly, drew out his saber and pointed it at Xiao Junmo, shouting, "Take him down!"
At this time, there were four guards with knives standing on both sides of Li You. They were taken aback when they heard the sound, but they didn't dare to move, so they all looked at Li You.All the officials present were stunned by this sudden scene.Li You frowned, looked at the calm Xiao Junmo, and then at Cao Jie, who was furious, and said in a deep voice, "Cao Jie, what did you hear?"
Cao Jie took a few steps forward and said loudly: "Your Highness, this person is Qiu San, the captain who is stationed in the arsenal. He just said that Du Xingmin led people to occupy the arsenal, and all his people were killed by Du Xingmin."
Li You was shocked, and immediately gave the guard a wink.The four guards immediately drew their knives and put them on Xiao Junmo's neck at the same time.Li You stared at him: "Xiao Junmo, how do you explain this?"
Xiao Junmo smiled indifferently: "Your Highness, why Du Xingmin killed Qiu San should I explain?"
Now that the situation is unclear, and Pei Tinglong and the others have not been in place for a long time, Xiao Junmo can only try to protect himself first and try his best to delay the time.And in such a critical situation, the only way he could think of was to muddy the water.
"Xiao Junmo! Do you still dare to quibble?" Cao Jie took the lead, "Qiu San is the person I arranged to be in charge of defending the arsenal; Du Xingmin was sent by you, but ended up killing my men, you and Du Xingmin Don't you want to rebel against His Highness?"
"Why does Du Xingmin kill Qiu San, which means I want to rebel against His Highness?" Xiao Junmo still smiled and said, "What if Qiu San should be killed? If Du Xingmin found some serious problems when he inspected the arsenal, Qiu San thought in a hurry. Murder to silence, but was killed by Du Xingmin instead? Or just when Du Xingmin was about to inspect the arsenal, Qiu San jumped over the wall because he was worried that the matter would be revealed? If it is a similar situation, can I also suspect that you and Qiu San want to rebel against His Highness?"
Hearing this, Li You frowned even deeper, and couldn't help turning to look at Cao Jie.
Cao Jie was taken aback immediately: "You, you spout blood! What's wrong with a good arsenal?"
"There may be many problems. For example, military supplies and equipment are used as good ones, such as guards and self-stealing causing deficits, and it is not even ruled out that the gold, silver, copper coins, and silk in them are misappropriated and embezzled! To tell you the truth, Cao Jie, you used to be a The brigade commander in charge of the arsenal has too many things to do, and I can't trust you at all, so I asked Du Canjun to inspect the arsenal."
Xiao Junmo took a casual walk in the city in the afternoon and chatted with a few elders, and then he heard that Cao Jie had at least five properties in the city and thousands of acres of fertile land outside the city.Xiao Junmo thought, it is impossible for the king of Qi to be ignorant of these things. Since he left them alone, it means that what the king of Qi wants is only an obedient slave, not a subordinate with both ability and political integrity. As for whether this slave is greedy or not, he may not care at all.
"Xiao Junmo, don't deceive people too much!" Cao Jie was furious, "You have only been here for less than a day, why should you suspect me? What evidence do you have?"
"Cao Dianjun, your highness knows who you are, so I won't expose your old background here." Xiao Junmo sneered and turned to Li You, "But what I want to remind your highness is that it is not terrible for a person to be greedy for ink. It was he who deliberately used greedy ink to hide his true identity, and then at the critical moment, launched a fatal blow to His Highness!"
As soon as this statement came out, not only Li You, but everyone present changed their expressions.
Li You was full of suspicion: "What do you mean by that?"
"Your Highness, don't forget that the Xuanjiawei Xizuo lurking beside you has not been exposed yet. In the current Prince Qi Palace, except for me who just came here, everyone else is suspicious, including Cao Dianjun naturally."
"Since everyone is suspected, why do you just hold onto him?"
"I have three reasons to doubt him. First, when I went to the dungeon to interrogate Pei Tinglong just now, I found a small blade under his body. I then asked the guards and learned that when Pei Tinglong was escorted back tonight, The last one to leave the dungeon was Cao Jie; second, as everyone saw just now, I sent Du Xingmin to check the arsenal, but Qiu San fought with him. In my opinion, it is clear that the arsenal exists Question, Qiu Sangou jumped over the wall in a hurry; thirdly, everyone can take a good look, in this hall, except for the guards around His Highness, who carries weapons with them? Whether it is me or everyone, they all leave weapons in the hall according to the rules. Besides, Cao Jie was the only one who didn't take off his saber, so I can't help but ask Cao Dianjun, why did you do this?"
Of these three reasons, the first one was of course made up by Xiao Junmo casually, but no one can expose it now; the second point is actually a little far-fetched, because Du Xingmin and Qiu Sansaobing met at least half of the doubts; Three reasons are enough to attract everyone's attention - at that time, officials were usually not allowed to carry weapons when they gathered for banquets, and Xiao Junmo and other officials did take off their weapons when they entered the door. However, at this moment, Cao Jie's hand But he clearly held a gleaming horizontal knife on his face.
Hearing this, Li You noticed that Cao Jie was the only one carrying a weapon among the people present. His face darkened and he gave the guard a wink.The four guards immediately left Xiao Junmo behind and rushed up to unload Cao Jie's saber. Two of the guards held him down, one on the left and the other on the right.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, listen to my explanation!" Cao Jie blushed so anxiously, "The humble officer suspected that Xiao Junmo's arrival was not kind, so he didn't dare to take off his weapon, in order to protect you in case he has any evil intentions! "
"Cao Jie," Xiao Junmo said with a chuckle, "There are four guards with swords around His Highness, so it's not your turn to protect him, right? Is your reason too lame?"
So far, Xiao Junmo has successfully muddied the water and temporarily relieved himself of danger, but he has not heard Pei Tinglong's secret signal for a long time, and he does not know where they are now and what happened to them; also, since Du Xingmin and Qiu Sanming With a bright sword and a sharp spear, even if he occupied the arsenal, he would definitely be counterattacked by other government soldiers; and in this hall, although he had planted the blame on Cao Jie, the danger had not been completely relieved. With so many enemies, it is even more impossible to hold King Qi hostage as planned.
It seems that tonight's operation is more or less ominous, and I am afraid that it may fail at any time.Xiao Junmo secretly made up his mind, if Pei Tinglong and the others didn't show up after a while, he might have to take the last step - try his best to kill King Qi, even if he died with him!Because once King Qi is killed, these officials in Qizhou will have no leader, and this rebellion will naturally die, so even if you lose your life, it is worth it.
At this moment, the only thing Xiao Junmo regrets is not being able to meet Chu Lisang for the last time...
(End of this chapter)
With his hands behind his back, Li You laughed a few times triumphantly, and said, "Pei Tinglong, you have been in Qizhou for so many days, and you haven't come to say hello to the king, you are too ignorant of the rules, aren't you?"
Pei Tinglong and Xue An looked at each other, helplessly realizing that he had really fallen into Xiao Junmo's game, but he couldn't figure out how Xiao Junmo got together with Qi Wang Li You anyway.
"Your Highness, I was ordered by the Holy One to secretly investigate the dispute between Chang Shiquan Wanji and you. For this reason, it is inconvenient to meet you publicly. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Pei Tinglong bowed his head and bowed.
At this time, King Qi has not openly rebelled, so he can only meet each other with courtesy.
"Oh? Then what did you find out?" Li You asked with squinting eyes.
"Returning to Your Highness, after a careful investigation, I found that Quan Wanji's accusations against you were mostly groundless, so I have secretly sent someone to escort him back to Beijing, and the Holy Majesty and the court will issue him."
"Really?" Li You chuckled, "So, I have to thank you for clearing my grievances?"
"This is the duty of a humble position, Your Highness does not need to thank you."
"Since you have found out that Quan Wanji is falsely accusing me, then you should come and tell the truth to the king, but you secretly sent him back to Chang'an, isn't this against the rules? You still have me as Qi King?"
"Returning to Your Highness, the Xuanjia Guard has always had his own way of doing things, and his humble position is only in accordance with the guard's usual practice, and it is not intentional to deceive His Highness."
"Hehe, Pei Tinglong, your eloquence is really good. No wonder you became a general of the third rank at a young age. It seems that it's not all because of your uncle's nepotism!"
Hearing King Qi's cynicism, Pei Tinglong was naturally extremely resentful, but now he was under the control of others, and he didn't dare to get angry, so he had to bite the bullet and say: "Your Highness is absurd, the humble job is just telling the truth, not talking about eloquence."
"Okay, let's stop gossip. Since you have met this king now, then go back to the mansion with this king, and let this king do his best as a landlord."
Pei Tinglong showed embarrassment: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness, but now I have just captured a court criminal who has been on the run for a long time, and he must be escorted back to Beijing immediately, so..."
"Criminal? Are you referring to Xiao Junmo?"
"Exactly."
"Then you may be disappointed. Xiao Lang is now my king's guest, how can he go back to Beijing with you? As for his identity as a criminal, this king will report to his father and ask his father to forgive him."
Pei Tinglong was taken aback, and couldn't figure out why King Qi wanted to protect Xiao Junmo: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, whether to pardon or not is a matter of the future. At least for now, Xiao Junmo is still a criminal, and the humble official must bring him to justice."
"So, you don't want to give me face anymore?" Li You's expression darkened, "If that's the case, then don't blame me for being rude!"
As soon as this statement came out, the two sides who were in the tense confrontation suddenly became agitated. Three Xuanjia guards standing on the outermost edge even fought with the soldiers of Prince Qi's mansion, and cut down six or seven of them in the blink of an eye.At this moment, dozens of sharp arrows were shot from the heights around the courtyard at the same time, and instantly shot the three soldiers into hedgehogs.
Pei Tinglong and the others turned pale with shock, and took a closer look, no matter whether it was the Dacheng Hall, the Halberd Gate, or the roofs of the east and west verandas, there were archers in ambush.
"Pei Tinglong, I advise you to give up resistance and cooperate with His Royal Highness King Qi." Xiao Junmo said, "Now, not only hundreds of soldiers and nearly a hundred archers in this temple are surrounding you, outside the Confucius Temple, There are at least [-] soldiers blocking all the streets in all directions. If you resist, you can only cause your brothers to lose their lives in vain, so why bother?"
Before Pei Tinglong could answer, Huan Dieyi suddenly rushed to say with righteous indignation: "Xiao Junmo, you despicable and shameless villain! It turns out that all of this is your treacherous scheme, and it's all because I'm blind!" Sheath, rushed forward to attack Xiao Junmo.Pei Tinglong originally thought that she had colluded with Xiao Junmo, but he couldn't help being a little confused when he saw this.But at this moment, the situation is critical, and it is no longer possible to think about it.He quickly gave Xue An a wink, and then made moves at the same time, and the three of them besieged Xiao Junmo together.
Now that Xiao Junmo has teamed up with King Qi, only by holding him hostage can he stand out from the encirclement.
At the same time, Luo Biao, Hongyu and others also fought with the government soldiers one after another, and a scuffle broke out between the two sides.
Xiao Junmo used one against three, but he seemed calm and easy.While accepting the move, he said: "Pei Tinglong, those who know the current affairs are heroes, so you don't need to struggle anymore. If you surrender now, maybe the king of Qi can reward you with an official position."
Pei Tinglong became furious and stabbed sharply with his knife. He didn't know whether Huan Dieyi was on purpose or not, but even shook his eyes.Pei Tinglong was afraid of accidentally hurting her, so he quickly withdrew the knife.At this gap, Xiao Junmo suddenly made a move, knocked the knife in his hand away, and immediately put the knife across his neck.
Xue An and Huan Dieyi were taken aback and froze on the spot at the same time.
Li You looked at this scene with a sinister smile on the corner of his mouth.
"Pei Tinglong, why don't you tell the brothers to stop?" Xiao Junmo smiled.
Pei Tinglong's eyes widened angrily, and he stiffened his neck and didn't speak.
"Xue An and Die Yi, throw away the knives." Xiao Junmo looked at them, "Tell the brothers to do the same."
Xue An and Huan Dieyi looked at each other helplessly, and threw the knife on the ground almost at the same time.Then Xue An shouted a few times according to his words, Luo Biao and others looked back, they were all shocked, and immediately put down their weapons one after another.The government soldiers rushed forward and forced them with their knives.
Li You laughed loudly, and walked down the steps while clapping his palms: "Xiao Lang, you are truly worthy of being my king's Mr. Zhuge. With a little trick, you have eradicated this king's confidant's serious troubles. This king must reward you heavily!"
Cao Jie, who was following beside him, couldn't help curling his lips when he heard the words.
"Li You, as a prince, you actually took the lead in rebellion regardless of your lord!" Pei Tinglong shouted loudly, "You must die a terrible death!"
When Li You heard this, the muscles on his face twitched, he suddenly drew his knife, and stabbed directly at Pei Tinglong.Xiao Junmo immediately pulled Pei Tinglong aside, and stood up in front of him: "Your Highness, no!"
Li Yousheng paused, and said angrily, "Why not?"
"Your Highness calm down." Xiao Junmo hurriedly said, "It's still useful to keep them."
Li You stared at him suspiciously: "Xiao Junmo, don't you still care about your colleagues?"
"How can it be?" Xiao Junmo smiled, "I mean, once we start a riot, the imperial court will definitely send troops. At that time, these people will be the most important bargaining chips in our hands."
Li You frowned slightly, and slowly put down the knife.
"Your Highness, please think about it calmly. What are the identities of these people?" Xiao Junmo continued, "Pei Tinglong is the nephew of Changsun Wuji, Huan Dieyi is Li Shiji's niece, Xue An is the nephew of Dali Temple Shaoqing Xue Zhengyi, And those other people, almost all of them have something to do with the ministers of the DPRK and China. Think about it, once the two armies confront each other, are they our shield? As long as their lives are in our hands, how can the court not use the mouse? ?”
After hearing this, Li You was silent for a while, then put the knife back into its sheath, and patted Xiao Junmo on the shoulder: "Xiao Lang, from now on, you are the long history of this king. Besides, you can order everyone!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Xiao Junmo handed Pei Tinglong over to several government soldiers, and immediately announced loudly his first order after taking office as chief historian: "Brothers have worked hard, arrest these people, let's go home, His Highness will reward everyone tonight !"
All the government soldiers cheered.
Li You laughed loudly, and strode out.Cao Jie stared at Xiao Junmo enviously and jealously, and quickly followed with a lantern.
Xiao Junmo and Huan Dieyi secretly exchanged glances.
In this big chess game in Qizhou, Xiao Junmo has successfully landed the second son.Next, as long as he makes another move steadily, he will win the game of chess.
"Sir, Xiao Junmo has also come to Qizhou!"
In Yu Shiqi's mansion, Wei Laoliu tortured Yuan Gongwang and his subordinates, finally took out valuable information from one of them, and hurriedly reported it to Wang Hongyi.
Wang Hongyi and Yu Shiqi were sitting in the hall talking, and they were startled at the same time.
"Xiao Junmo?" Yu Shiqi looked puzzled, "Who is he?"
"How is it possible?" Wang Hongyi ignored Yu Shiqi and stared at Wei Laoliu, "Why did he come to Qizhou?"
"I heard from that guy that Xiao Junmo came with Yuan Gongwang, and he also said..." Wei Laoliu hesitated to speak.
"What?!" Wang Hongyi became impatient.
"He said that Xiao Junmo is now... the leader of the alliance."
Wang Hongyi was startled, and stared at Wei Laoliu in disbelief, then exchanged glances with Yu Shiqi, and then burst out laughing: "Xiao Junmo has become our leader?!"
"This...what the hell is going on here?" Yu Shiqi was at a loss.He doesn't even know who Xiao Junmo is, let alone the leader.
Wang Hongyi briefly introduced Xiao Junmo's situation, and Yu Shiqi suddenly said: "Since he saved Zuo Shi, he can be regarded as a person who has contributed to the alliance."
"Xuzhou!" Wang Hongyi was displeased, "Why are you so confused? Biancai and Zhiyong are the same old fool, what good is saving him to the alliance? They want to disband the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, and Xiao Junmo is their accomplice. What credit?!"
Yu Shiqi knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, and nodded his head again and again.
"Where is Xiao Junmo now?" Wang Hongyi hurriedly asked Wei Laoliu.
"The guy said that Xiao Junmo broke up with them as soon as they entered the city, and only Yuan Gongwang knew where they went."
"Then let Yuan Gongwang speak up!"
"Sir, Yuan Gongwang is smelly and hard, he has already been beaten to death by his brothers..."
"Wake him up and call me!"
"Sir..." Yu Shiqi was already full of guilt towards Yuan Gongwang in his heart, and couldn't bear it even more at this time, and hurriedly said, "Forgive me, Lao Yuan is already old, and he really can't stand such a toss. Besides, this Xiao Junmo and The big things we have to do are not directly related, so why waste time on this person?"
Wang Hongyi thought for a while, finally calmed down, and asked Wei Laoliu: "What else did that guy say?"
"He said that some people came out of Yangzhou with them."
"Who?"
"Xi Yan from the Donggu branch, and the daughter of the eloquent talent, oh no, there is also... and the young lady."
When Wang Hongyi heard this, he jumped up from the couch, and said in surprise and joy: "Why didn't you say it earlier? Where is she now? Is she also in Qizhou?"
"No, I heard that I lived with Xi Yan at the Yinfeng Inn at the foot of Mount Tai, but I didn't come to Qizhou."
Wang Hongyi frowned deeply, walking up and down the hall excitedly.Yu Shiqi looked at him, confused again: The woman they mentioned was "the daughter of eloquence" at one time, and "the eldest lady" at another time. Who is it?And as far as he knew, Wang Hongyi had no children, only an adopted daughter, Su Jinse, so where did the "Miss" they are talking about come from?
"Sixth!" Wang Hongyi stood still, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "Take your brothers and rush over there overnight, and make sure to bring Sang'er back to me unscathed!"
"Yes." Wei Laoliu immediately turned around and walked out of the main hall.
"Sir, this Miss Sonny is..." Yu Shiqi couldn't help being curious.
"It's a long story..." Wang Hongyi replied absent-mindedly, as if he was thinking about something anxiously, and then suddenly shouted, "Lao Liu, wait!"
Wei Laoliu had already walked out of the entrance of the main hall, and turned back after hearing the words.
Wang Hongyi pondered for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly said to Yu Shi, "Xu Zhou, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have to go first."
Yu Shiqi was astonished and stood up: "This...why is this?"
"Sang'er mentioned just now is my biological daughter who has been lost for many years. Now I finally found her. I will never let her leave me again. Therefore, I must go there in person."
"Yes, but at this juncture..." Yu Shiqi still couldn't react.
"Nothing in the world is more important than finding my daughter!" Wang Hongyi said resolutely, "You can handle the matter of Qizhou yourself, and I won't get involved." go out.
Yu Shiqi was stunned, and followed closely: "Sir, sir, please stop and listen to me..."
When he walked quickly into the courtyard, Wang Hongyi stopped abruptly, turned around and said, "Xuzhou, to tell you the truth, that Xiao Junmo is a powerful character, and now that he has come to Qizhou, what you and King Qi want to do I'm afraid there will be twists and turns, and everyone will have to finish the game! So, you just go with me to Chang'an, and we will do it big if we want to! As for the mess in Qizhou, let King Qi clean it up! "
Yu Shiqi was startled at first, then smiled wryly, but finally calmed down, and gave a deep bow: "Since Mr. has other important matters, then Mr. Yu will not delay Mr. Please go ahead, Mister, and forgive Mr. Yu for not being able to send him away."
Wang Hongyi looked at him, sighed softly, then cupped his hands, turned and walked into the night.
Yu Shiqi stood firmly under the moonlight, feeling a little dazed for a while.
He knew that it was absolutely impossible for him to come and go as freely as Wang Hongyi did, because he was already in too deep a position.Whether it is colluding with King Qi to rebel or sending his son to assassinate Quan Wanji, it is a serious crime for the clan to punish. Even if he stops now, he will be responsible for the crime after all.Therefore, even though he knew that the possibility of success in this rebellion is very small, he can only go to the dark one way - there is always a glimmer of life if he tries his best, and he can only sit and wait for death if he retreats before the battle!
After pondering for a long time, Yu Shiqi smiled sadly and walked towards the backyard with heavy steps.
He was going to visit Yuan Gongwang, quickly find a doctor to treat his injuries, and then went to Qi Wang's mansion overnight, and finally agreed with Qi Wang on the time and specific steps of the incident.
The main hall of Prince Qi's Mansion was brightly lit.
Right now, Li You accepted Xiao Junmo's proposal, and issued a summoning order to the civil and military officials of the Wangfu and Qizhoufu, planning to use the name of a banquet to mobilize them for the last time before the incident.
At this time, the officials were coming one after another, but not all of them arrived, the servants on the side came in and out, busy serving food and wine.Li You and Xiao Junmo sat at the head, having a drink, talking and laughing.Xiao Junmo has changed into a majestic chief historian uniform, looking radiant and energetic, he is completely different from the previous "fugitive" who lived in panic and had no time to warm up.
"Your Highness," Xiao Junmo glanced at the situation in the hall, "Before the guests arrive, this subordinate wants to interrogate Pei Tinglong first, and dig out the secret agent of Xuanjiawei lurking in the mansion as soon as possible."
Li You nodded appreciatively: "Xiao Lang is really quick and resolute in his work. With your right-hand man, I don't have to worry about major things being done!"
Xiao Junmo said a few words politely, and then said: "In addition, this subordinate is new here and is not familiar with the situation of this mansion, so he wants to walk around, and check the important joints of the mansion's access control, arsenal, etc., and strengthen precautions, so as to be safe, I don't know Your Highness Can it be allowed?"
Li You waved his hand: "This king said that in Qizhou City today, except for this king, everyone listens to your orders. You can do whatever you want, and you don't have to report everything to this king."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness, then I will go."
"Well, hurry up and come back."
Xiao Junmo bowed, and walked quickly towards the door.At this time, seven or eight officials had already taken their seats, whispering to each other in twos and threes. Seeing Xiao Junmo approaching, they stood up one after another to salute, unavoidable flattery.Xiao Junmo was perfunctory, and caught a glimpse of a young military officer sitting by a food table near the door, his eyes were slightly closed, as if no one was there, he walked forward and coughed slightly.The military officer opened his eyes and hurriedly got up to salute: "I have seen Xiao Changshi before."
Xiao Junmo looked at his attire: "Are you joining the army?"
"Yes, the humble job is to join the army, Du Xingmin."
"Just right!" Xiao Junmo smiled slightly, "I'm planning to walk around the mansion. Since Du Canjun is in charge of military defense and access control, why don't you be my guide?"
"I obey you." Du Xingmin said respectfully.
There is a dungeon in the backyard of the palace, where more than twenty Xuanjia guards are imprisoned.
Pei Tinglong was held in solitary confinement in the last cell at the end of the corridor.His hair was disheveled, his body and limbs were tightly bound by hemp rope, and he was lying crookedly in a corner and taking a nap.When the prison door chains jingled, Pei Tinglong opened his eyes slightly. Seeing Xiao Junmo and another person walking in, he spat on the ground and closed his eyes again.
"General Pei is still angry with me?" Xiao Junmo came over, squatted in front of him, and looked at him with interest.
Pei Tinglong said nothing.
"Come on, man, don't be discouraged when you encounter something, you should have hope!" Xiao Junmo simply sat down on the wet ground, "I have been hunted down by you for so long, and my life hangs by a thread several times, isn't it? Gritting your teeth and getting through it? You have to be resilient, how can you admit defeat after losing once?"
Hearing the words, Pei Tinglong suddenly remembered the teachings of Changsun Wuji, and slowly opened his eyes: "Xiao Junmo, you villain who works for tigers! What's so crazy about being successful for a while? When the imperial army comes under pressure, you and the king of Qi will be overwhelmed in an instant. Grinded to powder!"
Xiao Junmo smiled and said without turning his head: "Du Canjun, this guy is uttering wild words and cursing our highness. Tell me, do you want to cut off his tongue and serve it to your highness?"
Du Xingmin was taken aback, he hesitated and didn't know how to answer.
When Pei Tinglong heard this, panic immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Why, I'm scared just because you have a tongue?" Xiao Junmo chuckled, "I thought you would be righteous and consider death as home!"
Pei Tinglong was startled and angry. He wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to speak again.
"Okay, time is running out, so I won't chat with you anymore." Xiao Junmo suddenly said seriously, "Pei Tinglong, the Holy Majesty ordered you to come to Qizhou to monitor the King of Qi, did you tell you about the hidden stake that Xuanjiawei buried in the Prince's Mansion? "
Pei Tinglong heard that his tone was a bit wrong, and he was suspicious, but he still kept his face sullen and did not speak.
At this time, Du Xingmin, who was standing behind Xiao Junmo, changed his face suddenly when he heard it, and secretly took out a cowhide rope from his sleeve, pulled at both ends, stretched the rope straight, and slowly lifted it to Xiao Junmo's head.
Du Xingmin was skillful, and the whole process was silent. Obviously, he often used this rope to strangle people.
Pei Tinglong didn't know which route this surnamed Du came from, but the enemy's enemy was a friend, so he couldn't help feeling very grateful, so he stared at Xiao Junmo calmly, trying not to move his gaze up, so as not to be noticed by him.
"Lone wolf, you'd better not act rashly." Xiao Junmo smiled lightly, as if eyes had grown in the back of his head, "First, you are not my opponent; second, even if you kill me by chance, you will not be able to escape from Prince Qi's mansion; Once you really kill me, no one can stop King Qi's rebellion."
Du Xingmin and Pei Tinglong were startled at the same time, confused by Xiao Junmo's words.
The most horrifying thing was Du Xingmin, because "Lone Wolf" was his codename—this was a codename that only Xuanjiawei General Li Shiji knew. How did Xiao Junmo know? !
"The wolf's tail is its tail, and it's its tail." Xiao Junmo chanted slowly.
This is the connection code, and the words come out of the "Book of Songs".
Du Xingmin was startled again, and blurted out: "Seal the wolf to live in Xu, Zen in Guyan."
The corresponding code comes from the allusion of Huo Qubing, a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty: in the spring of the fourth year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing led his troops to go deep into Mobei for more than [-] miles, defeated the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's army, and wiped out more than [-] enemies. The ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky was held on Mount Guyan, and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the land was held in Guyan Mountain. Later generations then used the term "Fenglang Juxu" to refer to the illustrious military exploits.
Xiao Junmo actually knew his code name, and was able to say such a top-secret connection code, which shocked Du Xingmin and made him greatly confused about Xiao Junmo's true identity and intentions.
Pei Tinglong was also confused, he couldn't understand Xiao Junmo's way at all.
Xiao Junmo got up, patted the dirt on his body, and said to the two: "You two, the situation is critical now, so I'll make a long story short. I passed by Mount Tai yesterday, and happened to meet Shi Quan Wanji, the governor of Qi Prefecture, who was assassinated. Through some clues, I deduced that The king of Qi had the intention of treason, so he decided to go deep into the tiger's den to find out. After entering the mansion of the king of Qi early this morning, the facts also proved my guess. So, I thought of a plan, while gaining the trust of the king of Qi, at the same time let Pei Brother, you and your brothers took the opportunity to sneak into the palace..."
"Wait!" Pei Tinglong couldn't react, "You mean, Quan Wanji is dead?"
"Yes, the body is lying in front of me, and Duan Duizheng's brothers."
"Did King Qi do it?" Pei Tinglong was shocked and angry.
"Of course. Who else but him?" Xiao Junmo didn't want to mention Yu Shiqi for the time being, because that would make things too complicated, and it's not the top priority right now.
"You said you wanted to gain King Qi's trust, and then you planned to arrest me and my brothers?"
"I haven't finished talking yet." Xiao Junmo smiled, "You have been in Qizhou for so many days, and you have been in a passive state. You have been avoiding the search and arrest of the King of Qi, and you still have nothing to do. How to stop the King of Qi? So I had to make a bad move. The purpose is to arrest you, but in fact it is to allow you and your brothers to enter Qi Palace in a legitimate way so that we can start our operations..."
"I'll go to your Xiao Junmo!" Pei Tinglong was furious, "You are trying to use King Qi's sword to kill me with such a bad method?"
Xiao Junmo stared at him sharply: "Pei Tinglong, if you say one more nonsense now, we will be in more danger. If King Qi finds out, I will leave at worst, but can you leave?!"
Pei Tinglong was at a loss for words, so he closed his mouth resentfully.
"Xiao...Xiao General." Du Xingmin originally wanted to call him "Xiao Changshi", but after thinking about it, he felt that it was inappropriate, so he had to use his original title of "General Lang" to call him, "I don't quite understand, you... how do you know?" My identity?"
"You don't need to ask, I will explain to you when I have a chance in the future." Xiao Junmo said, "Actually, I can talk to you during the day, but as a fugitive, I worry that I won't be able to gain your trust. Both are very dangerous, so I decided to join you at the last moment before the action."
"You are one of us, why don't I know?" Pei Tinglong stared at Du Xingmin.
Du Xingmin smiled wryly: "My identity is the top secret in this guard, usually only the general knows."
Pei Tinglong was stunned, and then sneered: "I understand, Li Shiji doesn't trust me at all, so even though he sent me to Qizhou to perform a mission, he didn't even tell me that there is a hidden stake buried here."
"Pei Tinglong, the general also has his own difficulties." Xiao Junmo said, "If the lone wolf is exposed in advance and wants to pacify King Qi in the future, the court will have no leverage in its hands."
When Du Xingmin heard the words, he suddenly felt that it made sense, so he nodded repeatedly.
Pei Tinglong still sneered: "Xiao Junmo, since the identity of Lone Wolf is a top secret, why did Li Shiji reveal it to you again?"
Xiao Junmo suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his collar: "Pei Tinglong, now the three of us, Dieyi, Luo Biao and dozens of others are all standing on the edge of the cliff! If you look like a It's useless to talk about it like a girl, believe it or not, I let the lone wolf clean you up first, so as not to delay the big things for you?!"
Pei Tinglong muttered for a while, but finally didn't speak again.
"General Xiao, hurry up and order, what should we do?" Du Xingmin said anxiously.
Xiao Junmo threw Pei Tinglong back to the corner, and asked, "Is there anyone under your command whom you can trust?"
"Don't worry, general, there are at least a hundred of my brothers who are of the same mind as me, and have always been dissatisfied with King Qi, and never want to rebel with him. These people are available."
"It's easy to handle." Xiao Junmo said, "You go back and bring them. The first task is to occupy the arsenal in the palace. Remember to outsmart, don't make too much noise, and try to avoid casualties on both sides. After controlling the arsenal, in case of If the king's people counterattack, you will set it on fire and give King Qi a hard time! In addition, divide the troops to control the gates of various places, seal off the inside and outside, and strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving."
"Yes. What about King Qi?"
"Leave King Qi to me." Xiao Junmo said, and glanced at Pei Tinglong on the ground, "Untie him."
Du Xingmin immediately untied the rope from Pei Tinglong's body.Pei Tinglong moved his muscles and bones, and his gaze towards Xiao Junmo was still somewhat hostile.
"Pei Tinglong, whether all of us can get out of Qizhou City alive depends on tonight's fight." Xiao Junmo looked at him, "If you don't want to die, just do as I say, and we will join forces to take down King Qi. As for the grievances between you and me, there will be plenty of time in the future to calculate slowly. What do you think?"
Pei Tinglong was silent for a while, then nodded: "Deal."
Two horses are galloping on the post road in the night.
The riders are Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu.
There are more than a dozen riders chasing closely behind, they are Xi Yan and his men.
Ever since Xiao Junmo left without saying goodbye yesterday evening, Chu Lisang couldn't sit still in the inn.She approached Xi Yan many times, trying to persuade him to join Xiao Junmo in Qizhou, but Xi Yan refused without exception.Chu Lisang knew that Xiao Junmo would never abandon her if something serious hadn't happened.She also knew that the reason why Xiao Junmo gave Xi Yan a death order to prevent her from leaving the inn was to protect her and prevent her from getting involved in danger.
But Chu Lisang never wants to be a little girl who is protected everywhere, she hopes to face danger together with Xiao Junmo, even if it is to face death together!
Last night, she stayed up all night, remembering the scenes of sharing weal and woe with Xiao Junmo and being dependent on life and death along the way, and worrying about his safety.Early this morning, Chu Lisang, who couldn't bear it any longer, turned against Xi Yan, trying to get rid of his control by force.Unexpectedly, Xi Yan was on guard, and secretly drugged her and Lu Xiu's breakfast, fascinating them, and then locked them in the room and sent people to guard them strictly.
The two were stunned and fell asleep until the evening.After Chu Lisang woke up, he pretended to have unbearable abdominal pain, and deliberately let the green sleeve yell to attract the guards to come in, then knocked him down, grabbed two horses, escaped from the inn, and galloped in the direction of Qizhou.When Xi Yan noticed it, he hurriedly brought his subordinates and chased after him desperately.
At this moment, the two of them estimated that they had only run more than 20 miles, and they were gradually overtaken by Xi Yan and others, and the distance between them was no more than six or seven zhang.Chu Lisang was thinking about how to get out, when he suddenly saw a group of people galloping towards him in the night, so he had an idea and shouted for help.Lu Xiu understood, and yelled at the top of her voice.
Chu Lisang thought, no matter whether the people coming in front were officials or civilians, when they heard two women running in the wilderness shouting for help, they would usually lend a helping hand.As long as they stop Xi Yan, they will have a chance to escape.
In a blink of an eye, the other party's troops were already in front of them.What Chu Lisang never expected was that dozens of riders from the other party lined up on the post road, blocking their way.
Chu Lisang and Lu Xiu reined in and looked at each other.
Although it was difficult to distinguish the other party's identity due to the dark lights, such a posture was enough to prove that the comer was not good, and Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling deeply regretful for his carelessness.
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from the darkness ahead: "Sonny, is that you?"
Chu Lisang's mind buzzed and froze all of a sudden.
The person who came was clearly Wang Hongyi!But why did he appear here? !
At this time, Xi Yan had already led people to catch up with her, rode his horse in front of her, and said in a deep voice: "Miss Chu, hurry back to the inn, let me deal with it here."
As soon as the words fell, dozens of horsemen from the other party rushed over, only to hear Wang Hongyi shout: "Sang'er, don't be afraid, dad is here to save you!"
Xi Yan and Lu Xiu looked at Chu Lisang in astonishment at the same time, wondering when she had another father.Chu Lisang smiled wryly, and said to Xi Yan: "Mr. Xi laughed. He is Mingzang, and he always mistook me for his long-lost daughter."
"Mingzang?" Xi Yan was startled, "Why is he here?"
Chu Lisang still smiled wryly: "Maybe, this is called Yuanjia Road Narrow!"
During the conversation, the other party had already been killed.Xi Yan and Chu Lisang drew their knives at the same time, and went to meet them...
When Xiao Junmo returned to the main hall, all the officials, big and small, had arrived.Qi Wang Li You solemnly introduced the new governor of Qi to everyone, and the officials stepped forward to toast and congratulate him, which was inevitably another round of flattery.
After a while of excitement, Li You asked Xiao Junmo in a low voice: "Did that kid Pei Tinglong recruit him?"
Xiao Junmo shook his head: "Not yet. I'm planning to be polite first and then fight. If he still refuses to recruit tomorrow, we will kill one of his subordinates every hour to see how long he can survive."
Li You was slightly taken aback, then grinned and said, "Those people are all your colleagues in the past, so you can do it?"
Xiao Junmo smiled coldly: "It's true that I was a colleague in the past, but when they chased and killed me a while ago, they were not relentless at all."
Li You nodded, seeming to understand his mood very well.Suddenly, Li You noticed that Du Xingmin hadn't come back with Xiao Junmo, so he asked him about it.Xiao Junmo said: "The subordinates were worried that the arsenal was not well protected, so they asked Du Canjun to go over and check it again, just in case." Li You seemed quite satisfied: "That's right, you're still thoughtful."
The arsenal is the domain of the Dianjun.Cao Jie listened to him, and was immediately displeased. He smiled and said, "Xiao Changshi is indeed thoughtful. He has already thought of everything he should and should not think about in less than a day. I really admire it."
Xiao Jun smiled silently.
He knew that Cao Jie said such unlevel words, there was no need to refute him, the King of Qi would punish him.Sure enough, as soon as Cao Jie finished speaking, Li You squinted and said: "Cao Jie, what you said is wrong! Xiao Lang is now the long history of this king, and this king's business is his business. Outside? What do you mean should you think or not? Why are you talking too much? Come on, toast Xiao Changshi and make amends!"
Cao Jie made a long face, and reluctantly raised the wine cup.
Xiao Junmo smiled faintly, and raised his hand to stop him: "Cao Dianjun, I asked Du Canjun to inspect the arsenal, just for safety reasons, not against anyone, please don't misunderstand. Besides, we are all doing things for His Highness, and we should be of the same mind De, how can we forcefully divide each other? This glass of wine, let me toast you. Come, let me do it first!" After speaking, he drank the wine in his hand and showed the bottom of the glass to Cao Jie.
"Happy!" Li You patted the table and laughed loudly, "It's still Xiao Lang's measure, this king likes people like you!"
Cao Jie had no choice but to force a smile and drank the wine.
All the officials present saw that King Qi was in a good mood, so they let go of their stomachs to eat and drink. There was a chatter of wine and laughter in the lobby.Xiao Junmo exchanged cups with Li You and other officials, talking and laughing happily, while secretly paying attention to the movement outside the hall.
In the dungeon before, he made an action plan with Pei Tinglong and Du Xingmin:
[-]. Du Xingmin led people to seize the arsenal, and at the same time controlled the access control of various places and isolated the inside and outside;
[-]. Pei Tinglong led Huan Dieyi, Luo Biao and other Xuanjia guards to the outside of the main hall, quietly eliminated the surrounding sentries and guards, and surrounded the main hall;
[-]. Xiao Junmo will hold King Qi and all the officials in the hall, and once he receives the signal from Pei Tinglong to succeed, he will immediately take King Qi hostage;
Fourth, Xiao Junmo, Pei Tinglong and others cooperated internally and externally, forcing all officials to defect, abandon King Qi, and return to the court.
After deciding on the action plan, the three of them worked together to bring down several prison guards, and then rescued more than 20 people including Huan Dieyi and Luo Biao, and then started their operations separately according to the plan...
At this moment, Xiao Junmo estimated the time in his heart, and felt that Pei Tinglong and the others should have succeeded, but he never heard the pre-agreed signal—the crowing of the turtledove.
In the hall, after drinking for three rounds, everyone was slightly tipsy.Seeing that the atmosphere was almost brewing, Li You signaled Xiao Junmo to speak, and mobilized everyone for the last time before the incident.
Xiao Junmo cleared his throat, and was about to say some clichés to perfunctory, but at this moment, a mansion soldier covered in blood suddenly appeared at the entrance of the main hall. He stumbled and wanted to run in, but was stopped by the guards at the door.Seeing this scene, everyone in the hall was shocked.Xiao Junmo's expression also froze, realizing that something might have gone wrong in his actions, but whether it was Du Xingmin or Pei Tinglong who had the problem, it is still impossible to judge.
Li Youyuan opened his eyes and said sharply, "Let him in!"
Two guards immediately carried the wounded soldier up the hall.The man was seriously injured, and seemed to have exhausted his last bit of energy running here, with his head drooping and his feet almost dragging along the ground, leaving two long trails of blood behind him.Cao Jie recognized him as Qiu San, the team leader stationed at the arsenal, hurried up and grabbed his collar: "Tell me, what happened?"
Qiu Sanlu moved his lips, said something feebly, and then lowered his head, obviously dying.
Cao Jie turned around suddenly, drew out his saber and pointed it at Xiao Junmo, shouting, "Take him down!"
At this time, there were four guards with knives standing on both sides of Li You. They were taken aback when they heard the sound, but they didn't dare to move, so they all looked at Li You.All the officials present were stunned by this sudden scene.Li You frowned, looked at the calm Xiao Junmo, and then at Cao Jie, who was furious, and said in a deep voice, "Cao Jie, what did you hear?"
Cao Jie took a few steps forward and said loudly: "Your Highness, this person is Qiu San, the captain who is stationed in the arsenal. He just said that Du Xingmin led people to occupy the arsenal, and all his people were killed by Du Xingmin."
Li You was shocked, and immediately gave the guard a wink.The four guards immediately drew their knives and put them on Xiao Junmo's neck at the same time.Li You stared at him: "Xiao Junmo, how do you explain this?"
Xiao Junmo smiled indifferently: "Your Highness, why Du Xingmin killed Qiu San should I explain?"
Now that the situation is unclear, and Pei Tinglong and the others have not been in place for a long time, Xiao Junmo can only try to protect himself first and try his best to delay the time.And in such a critical situation, the only way he could think of was to muddy the water.
"Xiao Junmo! Do you still dare to quibble?" Cao Jie took the lead, "Qiu San is the person I arranged to be in charge of defending the arsenal; Du Xingmin was sent by you, but ended up killing my men, you and Du Xingmin Don't you want to rebel against His Highness?"
"Why does Du Xingmin kill Qiu San, which means I want to rebel against His Highness?" Xiao Junmo still smiled and said, "What if Qiu San should be killed? If Du Xingmin found some serious problems when he inspected the arsenal, Qiu San thought in a hurry. Murder to silence, but was killed by Du Xingmin instead? Or just when Du Xingmin was about to inspect the arsenal, Qiu San jumped over the wall because he was worried that the matter would be revealed? If it is a similar situation, can I also suspect that you and Qiu San want to rebel against His Highness?"
Hearing this, Li You frowned even deeper, and couldn't help turning to look at Cao Jie.
Cao Jie was taken aback immediately: "You, you spout blood! What's wrong with a good arsenal?"
"There may be many problems. For example, military supplies and equipment are used as good ones, such as guards and self-stealing causing deficits, and it is not even ruled out that the gold, silver, copper coins, and silk in them are misappropriated and embezzled! To tell you the truth, Cao Jie, you used to be a The brigade commander in charge of the arsenal has too many things to do, and I can't trust you at all, so I asked Du Canjun to inspect the arsenal."
Xiao Junmo took a casual walk in the city in the afternoon and chatted with a few elders, and then he heard that Cao Jie had at least five properties in the city and thousands of acres of fertile land outside the city.Xiao Junmo thought, it is impossible for the king of Qi to be ignorant of these things. Since he left them alone, it means that what the king of Qi wants is only an obedient slave, not a subordinate with both ability and political integrity. As for whether this slave is greedy or not, he may not care at all.
"Xiao Junmo, don't deceive people too much!" Cao Jie was furious, "You have only been here for less than a day, why should you suspect me? What evidence do you have?"
"Cao Dianjun, your highness knows who you are, so I won't expose your old background here." Xiao Junmo sneered and turned to Li You, "But what I want to remind your highness is that it is not terrible for a person to be greedy for ink. It was he who deliberately used greedy ink to hide his true identity, and then at the critical moment, launched a fatal blow to His Highness!"
As soon as this statement came out, not only Li You, but everyone present changed their expressions.
Li You was full of suspicion: "What do you mean by that?"
"Your Highness, don't forget that the Xuanjiawei Xizuo lurking beside you has not been exposed yet. In the current Prince Qi Palace, except for me who just came here, everyone else is suspicious, including Cao Dianjun naturally."
"Since everyone is suspected, why do you just hold onto him?"
"I have three reasons to doubt him. First, when I went to the dungeon to interrogate Pei Tinglong just now, I found a small blade under his body. I then asked the guards and learned that when Pei Tinglong was escorted back tonight, The last one to leave the dungeon was Cao Jie; second, as everyone saw just now, I sent Du Xingmin to check the arsenal, but Qiu San fought with him. In my opinion, it is clear that the arsenal exists Question, Qiu Sangou jumped over the wall in a hurry; thirdly, everyone can take a good look, in this hall, except for the guards around His Highness, who carries weapons with them? Whether it is me or everyone, they all leave weapons in the hall according to the rules. Besides, Cao Jie was the only one who didn't take off his saber, so I can't help but ask Cao Dianjun, why did you do this?"
Of these three reasons, the first one was of course made up by Xiao Junmo casually, but no one can expose it now; the second point is actually a little far-fetched, because Du Xingmin and Qiu Sansaobing met at least half of the doubts; Three reasons are enough to attract everyone's attention - at that time, officials were usually not allowed to carry weapons when they gathered for banquets, and Xiao Junmo and other officials did take off their weapons when they entered the door. However, at this moment, Cao Jie's hand But he clearly held a gleaming horizontal knife on his face.
Hearing this, Li You noticed that Cao Jie was the only one carrying a weapon among the people present. His face darkened and he gave the guard a wink.The four guards immediately left Xiao Junmo behind and rushed up to unload Cao Jie's saber. Two of the guards held him down, one on the left and the other on the right.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, listen to my explanation!" Cao Jie blushed so anxiously, "The humble officer suspected that Xiao Junmo's arrival was not kind, so he didn't dare to take off his weapon, in order to protect you in case he has any evil intentions! "
"Cao Jie," Xiao Junmo said with a chuckle, "There are four guards with swords around His Highness, so it's not your turn to protect him, right? Is your reason too lame?"
So far, Xiao Junmo has successfully muddied the water and temporarily relieved himself of danger, but he has not heard Pei Tinglong's secret signal for a long time, and he does not know where they are now and what happened to them; also, since Du Xingmin and Qiu Sanming With a bright sword and a sharp spear, even if he occupied the arsenal, he would definitely be counterattacked by other government soldiers; and in this hall, although he had planted the blame on Cao Jie, the danger had not been completely relieved. With so many enemies, it is even more impossible to hold King Qi hostage as planned.
It seems that tonight's operation is more or less ominous, and I am afraid that it may fail at any time.Xiao Junmo secretly made up his mind, if Pei Tinglong and the others didn't show up after a while, he might have to take the last step - try his best to kill King Qi, even if he died with him!Because once King Qi is killed, these officials in Qizhou will have no leader, and this rebellion will naturally die, so even if you lose your life, it is worth it.
At this moment, the only thing Xiao Junmo regrets is not being able to meet Chu Lisang for the last time...
(End of this chapter)
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