At dusk, Yanjing's streets and alleys were illuminated by the lights of foreigners, and a few crows were heard from high in the sky, casting a haze over the imperial city located just north of the city.
On the turret of the imperial city, Zhongsun Jin, who was over seventy years old, stood facing the wind in a dark brown robe, looking at the stars and moon in the sky.
Beiliang Qianjimen is a pure Jianghu sect that was not even on the stage a hundred years ago and relied on studying hidden weapons and other crooked ways to make a living.
However, Zhongsun Jin, one of the Four Saints, received enlightenment from a master of the Mohist family when he was young. After inheriting Qianjimen, he began to implement his own ideas and had close contact with the court. Beiliang vigorously developed metallurgy, manufacturing and other technologies.
As well as national policies such as truce, economy, trade, etc., Zhongsun Jin's shadow is behind them.
For these reasons, although Zhongsun Jin was not a Northern Liang Imperial Master, his status was quite transcendent. Emperor Liang also called him Mr. Zhongsun when he saw him, while people in Jianghu directly called him "Sage Zhongsun".
Although the people in the martial arts are allowed to use their strange and obscene skills, and even the normal martial arts are given the same social status, which has caused Beiliang to become unpopular and the rivers and lakes are filled with young men who do not respect martial ethics. The overall level of martial arts is in a backward trend, but the benefits are obvious.
.
Although it was only a few decades ago, the Northern and Southern Dynasties were already far ahead in medicine, metallurgy, etc., and then benefited from the shipbuilding, weapons and other industries. If the Southern Dynasty had not done too much and had been infiltrating imitation, both sides would have made great achievements in armaments.
Modern times are bad.
Although Zhongsun Sheng did not advocate aggression and killing, he wanted to unify the world and stop war forever. For this reason, what he had done in the past few years was to do his best to enhance the national power of the Northern Liang and completely unbalance the national power of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, so as to achieve a unified state.
Defeat the southern border with peace, or even defeat the enemy without fighting, so as to minimize the harm caused by the war between the two countries.
But it was a pity that things went against expectations. Northern Liang had the help of state officials, and the Southern Dynasties were not all unprogressive wastes. Especially in the past two years, the orphans of the northwest royal court suddenly appeared, which directly put Northern Liang at a disadvantage.
Ye Jingtang's martial arts skills are secondary. After all, the manpower will eventually be exhausted, but his identity as the orphan of the royal court is too difficult.
The tribes in Xihai are unfamiliar tigers and wolves. They only recognize the bloodline passed down from their ancestors and regard both the Northern and Southern Dynasties as barbarians. The Qinchi tribe, as its own family, has spent countless years of effort trying to be on an equal footing with the four major tribes.
Only with the help of the Dongming tribe, the 'Alliance of the Five Clans' was signed, and outsiders could not integrate at all.
After Beiliang annexed Western Xinjiang, it tried many methods to break up this group of ancient relics, such as dividing them, creating factions to fight against each other, and so on.
However, the tribes in Xihai are too powerful, and the clan power is greater than the father's power. They support the clan leader who is close to Beiliang to rise to power. If his son can stab him to death and replace him, it is considered a shame for the clan to hang his head outside the ancestral hall. Even Sima Yue does not dare to show his face.
Only by getting close to Beiliang and talking about revenge all day can you secure your position.
After the incident, Sima Yue committed suicide in Langxuan City. The disciples of Gouchen tribe still regarded it as a shame. People from other tribes could no longer raise their heads when they saw him. They could only stand outside the door when gathering, and were too embarrassed to enter the house.
With such a strong ethnic concept, the concept that the honor and disgrace of the tribe is greater than that of the parents is almost engraved in the bones of a six-year-old child. Being ruled by the Northern and Southern Dynasties, for the tribes in the West Sea, it is like being the master of the former servants and prisoners.
It is an impossible shame to accept, because no one else can be the Tianlang King.
As the orphan of King Tianlang, Ye Jingtang inherited the various tribes in Xihai reasonably and legally. If he wanted to integrate the various tribes, he would hardly encounter any internal resistance.
Moreover, Ye Jingtang has a close relationship with the empress of the Southern Dynasties. Although it has not been made public, in the minds of those in power in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, she is the template for the 'Queen'.
The heirs born to Ye Jingtang and the empress can legally inherit the royal line of the Northwest Royal Court and the Southern Dynasty. The tribes in the West Sea will never go against it. There may be some criticism in the Southern Dynasty, but it is much simpler than unifying the two countries.
As long as the two countries merge into one and the tribes in the West Sea have the Southern Dynasty as their rear area to provide food, grass, ordnance, etc., the Northern Liang will not be able to fight at all.
For this reason, as soon as they learned about the emergence of the Night Terror Hall, Yanjing's top management put the elimination of the Night Terror Hall as the top priority, and almost mobilized all the people who could be used. This time the Snow Lake flowers bloom, if
If King Zuo Xian can trade with Ye Jingtang for one, Beiliang will make a lot of money.
After all, the death of King Zuo Xian of Northern Liang was only the death of a Martial Saint, and there were plenty of successors to the throne, so it was not a serious injury.
Without the Ye Jingtang, the Southern Dynasty lost its only chance to control the western frontier without a bloody blow, and the Northern Liang no longer had any worries.
After Zhongsun Jin received the news of the blooming flowers in Snow Lake, he actually felt that Ye Jingtang should not come to take risks. Ye Jingtang stayed in Yun'an and was the biggest threat to Beiliang.
But the Night Terror Hall finally came, accomplished a feat of revenge, and got the chance to win over the hearts and minds of all the people in the West Sea.
If Ye Jingtang takes the opportunity to reorganize the royal court at this time, and all the tribes in Xihai hear that King Zuoxian has been killed, 70% of the people will flock to Yejingtang to take the position, and the remaining 30% will just wait and see, instead of reporting to Beiliang, and continue to give
Beiliang is a lackey.
Coupled with the Southern Dynasty's empress Chen Bing's Yazhou border, this situation was like a coming storm for Beiliang. Not to mention Zhongsun Jin and Emperor Liang and other high-ranking officials, even the people of Yanjing seemed to feel the impact of the situation.
The pressure I feel is much less intense than before.
Tap tap tap...
Zhongsun Jin looked at the jackdaws circling in the sky, thinking about the current situation secretly, when the sound of footsteps suddenly sounded from behind the turret.
Not long after, a eunuch wearing a green robe and a gauze hat walked out from behind the turret, came behind Zhongsun Jin, and said respectfully:
"King Zuo Xian died for his country in Tianlang Lake, and his body has been returned to the West Sea Protectorate; two thousand soldiers escorted Xue Huhua to the east of the lake. On the way, they encountered several waves of gangsters and plundered, and more than half of them were lost; Ye Jingtang should have suffered in the fight.
He was injured and his current whereabouts are unknown.
"The Holy One couldn't sleep well after hearing the news. He ordered our family to come over and ask Mr. Zhongsun what countermeasures he had."
Zhongsun Jin did not look back, but said calmly:
"According to previous information, the empress deduced the six Minglong pictures on her own. Even if she found all five, she would still be short of the last Mingshen picture. This is bait. The Holy Lord must store it properly. It would be best if the Night Terror Hall can come and pick it up. Even if it cannot
, it can be used in future negotiations."
The eunuch behind him, named Ziliang, was the head of the ‘Twelve Attendants of Yandu’ and the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial eunuch. Facing Zhongsun Jin’s statement, he shook his head and said:
"Ye Jingtang dares to go to Tianlang Lake, which is already considered a risk. Coming to Yanjing to obtain the dragon map is the same as throwing himself into a trap. Even if he has such courage, the Empress of the Southern Dynasties will not agree to come.
"The Night Terror Hall must be eliminated. King Zuo Xian has already died for his country. The only ones who can enter the pass to assassinate are the Imperial Master and Mr. Zhongsun. Mr. Zhongsun, what do you think the chance of success is with this move?"
Regarding this proposal, Zhongsun Jin shook his head and said:
"The odds of winning are between 50 and 50, but no matter who the Imperial Master or I go, whether we succeed or fail, we are destined to go without return.
"If Your Majesty really wants to take a dangerous move, you should ask Zhongsun to go with the imperial master. This can ensure a complete kill and return one person later."
The eunuch Ziliang sighed after hearing this: "Mr. Zhongsun and the imperial master have all left the border. In this area of the capital, Lu Taiqing, Beiyunbian and others can come and leave whenever they want. Maybe even the leader of Pingtian dares to come.
act wildly.
"Assassination seems to be unfeasible. Let's go and reply to His Majesty and let His Majesty make long-term plans."
Zhongsun Jin nodded slightly and said nothing more...
——
The other side.
Dongming Mountain is located in the center of the West Sea. The mountain range extends to the southeast and connects to the sunset peaks in the northernmost part of Tianlang Lake.
Because the terrain gets lower as you go west, and there are high mountains blocking the cold current from the north, the interior of the mountains and rivers is warmer. Not long after the first lunar month, you can see some greenery among the mountains.
The Dongming tribe is located between the mountains. It is not a fixed large tribe, but is composed of countless villages, stretching along the mountains for more than a thousand miles. There are also small towns and villages in some places. In order to facilitate the sale of medicinal materials, a small town was built, which is full of
He is a wealthy merchant and drug farmer who travels from north to south.
Although Fan Qinghe's title of 'King of Dongming' was given by an outsider, she is indeed the queen of the entire Dongming Mountain. All villages and towns are under the rule of Fan Qinghe, and her subordinates have more territory and soldiers than anyone else.
There were many idle princes in both dynasties.
At dusk, the convoy loaded with snow lake flowers slowly drove into the mountains.
Dongfang Liren, who was riding on the horse, saw that the entire mountain range belonged to Fan Qinghe, and everyone he saw were people. For the first time, he realized that Aunt Fan was more powerful than her and that she was a real prince.
However, there was the emperor's sister standing behind him, so Dongfang Liren did not suffer from stage fright. He walked beside Fan Qinghe and asked doubtfully:
"Miss Fan, you are the leader of this place. You are always running around outside and not dealing with government affairs. Will there be any trouble?"
Fan Qinghe returned to his hometown. As the leader of the clan, he had to maintain good manners and couldn't laugh or laugh. For this reason, he looked very solemn and his makeup was very particular. He responded with a serious smile after hearing what was said:
"Within the clan, the elders usually make the decision. I usually listen to Grandma Gui. I only need to show up on big occasions such as the Wanbu Gathering. At other times, there is nothing else."
Dongfang Liren heard that Ye Jingtang said that Granny Gui was the princess of the Qinchi tribe who married the Dongming tribe, and she was also the wife of the old Zhu Zong. He nodded and followed up the mountain for a while, then curiously asked:
"How do you calculate the relationship between Miss Fan and Ye Jingtang? Is his mother your sister?"
?
Fan Qinghe's serious expression froze, he looked back at the carriage where Ye Jingtang was, and then whispered:
"Sisters from the clan, both have the surname Fan, but they are further away than my cousins, basically out of reach..."
Dongfang Liren thought for a while: "If Princess Tianlang can marry into the royal court, she must be a direct descendant; if Miss Fan can inherit the position of the Great Zhu Sect at a young age, she obviously cannot be a collateral descendant..."
Fan Qinghe didn't dare to think about this at all. Seeing Dongfang Liren asking for the root cause, he quickly explained:
"Well, the tribes in the West Sea are different from those in the Central Plains. Although the clan leaders are passed down from generation to generation, if there are powerful young people in the clan, they can also rise to the top. I was selected as the clan leader because of my talent...
"The Dongming tribe has many descendants with the surname Fan, Jiang, Zhou, etc., and they are not all from the same family..."
Dongfang Liren listened for a long time and thought that Fan Qinghe was Ye Jingtang's aunt. But when Fan Qinghe's face turned red and he was afraid that Ye Jingtang might hear it, he didn't ask further and slowed down his horse to reach the carriage.
Come forward and lift up the car curtain to check the situation in the Night Terror Hall.
The carriage was found temporarily and was relatively simple, but the road was already covered with thick bedding.
Ye Jingtang was lying in it with his upper body bandaged, his face a little pale, and he was petting the big bird out of boredom.
Niaoniao was also a little bored. She squatted on Ye Jingtang's belly with squinted eyes. It was sometimes round and flat when being spanked. When she found the curtain was opened, she tilted her head and said, "Ji?" and looked like she was asking if she was going to the place to eat.
.
"Miss Fan just sent someone to the mountain to inform you that a roast lamb has been prepared for you. You can eat it later."
"grumble!"
After Dongfang Liren comforted Niaoniao, he looked at Ye Jingtang:
"How is your health?"
Ye Jingtang leaned on the carriage, looked at the snowy tops of the mountains outside, and said with a smile:
"It's okay. You'll be fine after a few days of rest. Your Highness, why don't you come in and sit and chat for a while? It's quite boring on the road."
Dongfang Liren set out with him the night before yesterday, and after being rewarded with a night terror, he originally wanted to lie with him in the carriage and chat along the way.
But Ye Jingtang usually gets hard when touched, and now the internal balance of the body is out of balance, even more so. After a few seconds, he wants to touch Fat Dragon.
Now that we are on the carriage, if we start the fire again, we can't make chaos in broad daylight. Therefore, Dongfang Liren said seriously:
"You are still recovering and need to rest alone. When we get to Dongming Mountain, I will have plenty of time to chat with you."
Seeing Benben not getting in the car, Ye Jingtang knew that Benben had misunderstood, and said helplessly:
"I didn't want to do anything. It was just too stuffy in the carriage and I just wanted to chat to relieve my boredom."
Dongfang Liren didn't think that a man and a woman would lie together and just chat and do nothing. Seeing that the night terror hall was really boring, he almost made the birds fall asleep. After thinking for a while, he asked:
"Are you bored?"
"There's nothing wrong with sitting here. It's really a bit boring."
Dongfang Liren nodded lightly, lowered the curtain and came to the front of the motorcade, saying to Fan Qinghe who was still patrolling his people:
"The Night Terror Hall feels very stuffy. There must be something wrong with the Qi pulse. Miss Fan, go and have a look."
"Um?"
When Fan Qinghe heard this, he naturally did not dare to delay. He slowed down his horse and came to the carriage, flew up and landed outside the carriage, then bent over and walked in.
When Fan Qinghe arrived at Dongming Mountain, he had already changed into formal clothes, that is, the dark purple high priest's uniform.
The sacrificial clothes were relatively loose and slim, and originally did not show off the figure, but at this moment Fan Qinghe stooped in and pressed his hands on the skirt around his waist. Two soft arcs suddenly appeared on the loose skirt, and the curve of his waist was also clearly revealed.
Because his skin is naturally fair and his facial features are three-dimensional, coupled with the dark eye shadow that has a somewhat mysterious feel, the whole person looks solemn but also somewhat enchanting.
When Ye Jingtang saw Benben leaving, he was still a little confused. When he saw Miss Fan suddenly running in, he put the bird that greeted "Jiji~" outside the window and moved to the side to make room:
"Miss Fan is really special in what she wears. She feels like a different person..."
Fan Qinghe was worried about Ye Jingtang's health, but did not exchange too many polite greetings. He sat down beside him, pulled Ye Jingtang's hand over to check his pulse, and asked with a frown:
"Where do you feel bored?"
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes, and then he understood what Benben was thinking, shook his head and said with a smile:
"There's no one to chat with in the carriage. It's just a bit boring. It's not a chest tightness."
"..."
Fan Qinghe was speechless. Knowing that he had been fooled, he let go of his hand and wanted to run away.
But Ye Jingtang finally caught someone chatting, how could he let him run away, so he quickly said:
"You're already here. You just happened to tell me about the situation in Dongming Mountain. This is my first time here, and I don't even know where it is."
Fan Qinghe thought about it. It was broad daylight and there were passers-by outside. It was impossible for Ye Jingtang to cause chaos in broad daylight. She hesitated for a moment, but sat down next to her and continued to help Ye Jingtang check her body:
"This mountain is the headquarter of the Dongming Tribe. It is called 'Dazhai' locally. Since the Liang Dynasty, the Dongming Tribe has taken root here. I heard from the old man that King Tianlang came from here when he married.
Mountain……"
Ye Jingtang followed the words and looked out the car window. He could see that on the top of the mountain he was climbing, it was not a cottage, but a group of brick and stone buildings. The scale was quite small, just like a castle on the mountain. But there were old and new distinctions.
It looks like it was gradually formed by adding bricks and mortar over generations.
Although she was already very familiar with Fan Qinghe, Ye Jingtang had never asked her about the situation at home. When he arrived at the door of the house, he suddenly asked:
"Uncle, aunt and others live up there too?"
"..."
Fan Qinghe blinked his eyes, with a little helplessness in his eyes:
"Like you, I was born before the Wangting Kingdom was destroyed. During the war with Beiliang, most of the young men from all tribes went to the battlefield and died on the battlefield in the Liaoyuan. It was not just the Qinchi tribe.
"After I was born, like other children in the clan, I was brought up by Granny Gui. Both my parents worked in the royal court. I never asked where I went after that..."
When Ye Jingtang heard this, he understood the result. He sighed secretly in his heart. After a moment of silence, he advised again:
"I destroyed King Zuo Xian, and Beiliang will definitely have to deal with it in the future. You don't have to think about these things, I will just remember them."
Ye Jingtang is indeed cleaning up Beiliang. As a descendant of Wang Ting, Fan Qinghe was quite moved when he heard this.
But if she revealed her thoughts, she might have to lean on her to help push the stick to repay the favor. For this reason, Fan Qinghe just pursed his lips and smiled, and pointed to a small village on the other side of the mountain:
"I grew up there when I was a child. When you can move around easily, I can take you there to have a look. In the past, when witches came to steal things, they would escape down the cliff in front. Old Zhu Zong would chase after me, and I would be right there.
While watching...
"I don't know where the demon girl is. If she comes over, I will definitely parade her through the streets so that the tribe can see who caused trouble in the mountain..."
When Ye Jingtang heard Shuishui, he honestly missed him a little and said with a smile:
"Shui'er escorted the Queen Mother and should have arrived at Jingjie City. We can meet him if we go back. If we have time, we can come here again... Yuhu also wants to come and have a look. I don't know if there is a chance.
.”
Fan Qinghe didn't mind the Empress of the Southern Dynasty coming over as a guest, but if she came now, there would definitely be a hundred thousand troops behind her. Many tribesmen would die in the war, so she didn't know whether she should expect the army to come over, so she just said:
"Let's see if there is a chance then."
Ye Jingtang leaned forward and saw Fan Qinghe looking out at the mountain in a daze. Because she held her face and ejaculated once the day before yesterday, Miss Fan didn't object. She thought about it a little and moved it a little closer to her face, hoping to enhance the relationship between them.
Unfortunately, as soon as he made a move, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from the mountain in front of him, and there were a lot of footsteps coming towards him.
Dong Dong Qiang...
Fan Qinghe heard the movement, looked outside, and then quickly stood up:
"Grandma Gui came to pick you up with the clan elders. I'll help you put your clothes and hair away. King Tianlang must look like King Tianlang. When your father came here, he charmed several mountains and countless girls.
Families are vying to be a dowry maid..."
Ye Jingtang found a group of old men and women coming out of the building complex on the mountain. He quickly stopped his thoughts of taking advantage, stood up, sat upright and said unexpectedly:
"Why do I look like I'm picking up a new wife? I should keep a low profile, otherwise the news that I went to Dongming Mountain to take refuge will spread, and you won't be able to explain it to the outside world..."
"Don't worry, everyone on the mountain is from my family, either your uncle or uncle, or your aunt and uncle. Where will the news about you be leaked..."
"Yeah?"
"The middle-aged man in yellow clothes at the front is called Fan Lu. He is the cousin of Princess Tianlang. My name is Fourth Brother, and you can call me Fourth Uncle..."
"Uh...then what should I call you? Qinghe or Aunt Fan?"
"Oh, it's okay if you don't call me..."
…
While Fan Qinghe introduced the tribesmen to Ye Jingtang, he usually helped tie their hair. Seeing that Ye Jingtang's lips turned white, he even wanted to give them some rouge.
But Ye Jingtang is a big man, and he really didn't dare to be flashy. After rubbing his face a few times to make his complexion look normal, he and Fan Qinghe got off the carriage...