In the tenth year of Yuansui, on the fifth day of October, the first snowfall in Wanzhou came quietly after winter began.
At this time, it had been more than a month since Qi Ziyin escaped from Mulu City, but even though he had entered the border of Fu State and boarded the big ship sent by the Mo family, the young master of Ye State did not feel at ease. Because he He knew that not far behind him, the pursuers sent by his own Wang Shu, Qi Shouyu, the new king of Ye State, were desperately searching for his whereabouts on the shore.
The young man in white reached forward and opened a corner of the curtain hanging at the cabin door. The cold wind that hit him immediately made him sober up. Unexpectedly, when he woke up, the wilderness was covered with a thin layer of white. He looked at the snowy scene on the shore, and the beautiful past of walking in the snow and enjoying the fireworks with Jiang Yan and Ning Yue suddenly came to mind. However, at this moment, several shadows on the shore suddenly rushed into the young man's sight. inside.
Qi Ziyin trembled and immediately dropped the curtain in his hand - because he was very sure that those shadows were not wild beasts foraging in the forest, but a group of soldiers riding tall horses! Ye Guozhou The master's black armor was particularly eye-catching against the white snow reflecting the moonlight. The young man even saw the falcon totem inlaid with pure silver on the breastplate of the leader, glowing with cold light!
The unexpected encounter made the boy in white immediately become nervous. The border between Ye and Fu was undefended all year round, and both businessmen and troops could pass freely. Now, although Mo's ship has reached the upper reaches of the river, it can go ashore to Yunzhi. The city still needs two days of land journey. If the opponent sets up an ambush in front, he can still easily stop him.
The cavalry on the shore had already discovered the large ship that was going south along the Li River. They quickly rode up to it and shouted something vaguely, as if they wanted to order the ship to stop. Qi Ziyin suddenly A loud roaring sound was heard outside the cabin, and the main sail above the head was actually lowered. The wind was blowing, and the ship rushed forward suddenly, making people a little unsteady. Then, they heard the voice at the helm. Mo Chen raised his voice and shouted back at the cavalry on the shore:
"Commander on the shore, this is Yunzhi Mo's ship transporting salt!"
"Stop talking nonsense, the Ye Kingdom army is about to board the ship and search for people. Is there anyone who dares to disobey the order?"
The cavalry on the shore had no intention of stopping. The horses' hooves rang out, and the pursuit became more fierce, and their tone became more aggressive. But Mo Chen was not moved by it, and just let the wind carry the big ship to chop the waves:
"Then I dare to ask all the military lords, how can you infer that the person you want to search is on my Mo family's ship? I, Mo family, have an agreement with the seven countries of Wan, Si and Miangzhou. Unless it is a war, they are not allowed to stop it for any reason. Disturbing the passage of salt merchants. If you feel that it is inappropriate, you can ask the new king of Ye State to talk to my master. I am just a boatman who rows an oar. If I delay the business, I will definitely be punished when I go back. Let me stop the boat here. It’s definitely not going to work.”
Even as he said this, a thin layer of sweat still appeared on the forehead of the man standing in the howling cold wind.
After hearing this, the Ye State cavalry on the shore finally stopped asking to stop the ship. However, they did not leave just yet. They still followed the ship on horseback and traveled southward tirelessly.
The horse under the cavalry ran for a long time and gradually became exhausted. White water vapor spurted out from the horse's nose, and a lot of white droplets oozed from the corner of the mouth, showing its fatigue. But the knights had already released the ink crow, Once someone falls behind, new soldiers will immediately ride out from the dense forest not far away to fill the vacant position.
Seeing this situation, everyone on the boat knew very well: the other party has already determined that the target is on this boat, and has never thought of giving up from the beginning to the end, so the Ye State army behind it must have followed quickly.
, perhaps preparations for closing the net have been made by the ferry upstream from Lishuang.
"Mo Chen, what other options does your little family master have left in store for you next?"
Leng Jiayun, who had been huddled in a corner of the cabin, wrapped the thick blanket tightly around her body and finally asked aloud.
Mo Chen outside the cabin did not answer, but held the rudder in his hand steadily. The north wind became stronger, blowing up the mainsail with the silver skylark on the ship. However, everyone on the ship at this moment,
I hope in my heart that the boat under my feet will never sail to the end of the river.
We walked all night again. At dawn the next day, the air seemed to have become slightly warmer and humid, and the light snow in the sky turned into cold rain one after another, hitting the wooden boards with a crackling sound. The rising sun was filled with misty water vapor.
, seemed dim and powerless. However, with this light, everyone still saw the scene they were most worried about and least willing to see on the shore of the ferry ahead.
What was waiting on the shore now was a huge military formation of no less than a thousand people, covered in darkness. Seeing this, the last glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts was almost shattered. But they were able to see clearly after the ship slowly docked.
, it turned out that there were actually two teams arrayed beside the ferry. The two sides were at war with each other, and it seemed that they had been facing each other here for a long time.
One of the soldiers was not wearing the black armor of the Ye Kingdom, nor was it the black and white falcon flag held high in its hands. On the contrary, wherever the eyes could see, they were uniformly decorated with the uniform armor of the Fu Kingdom.
He was like a leading actor in a play, and he was actually an elite teacher named Jinlin in his country.
In the military formation, a huge banner fluttered in the wind. The pair of carp embroidered with gold threads on the flag leaped high, still shining brightly even under the hazy sky. They represented the lord of the Fu Kingdom.
Double carp flag!
When people think of the Fu Kingdom, the first thing that comes to mind is the soaring Skylark and the wealthy Mo family. However, the fertile land stretching for thousands of miles in the south of Wanzhou is still a hereditary fiefdom for the descendants of the Hai family. However, the current owner of the country, Hai Qiuyang,
, he is a person like a wandering cloud and wild crane. He hangs around singing, dancing and playing around all day long. He once set a record of not going to court for five years. Only because of his generous family background and Mo's management, he was unable to cause turmoil in the country.
.
But no one expected that such a fatuous king would personally lead his troops to the ferry to greet Qi Ziyin and his party. He even went so far as to start a conflict with the powerful Ye State for a young master who had long since lost power.
Before everyone on the boat could recover from the shock, they saw a tall and straight figure standing on the chariot under the flag. It was none other than Hai Qiuyang. Beyond Qi Ziyin's imagination, the lord of Fu Kingdom
Not only is he handsome and majestic, but he also speaks with righteousness:
"Although our country of Fu does not have as many soldiers as the country of Ye, we are by no means weak and cowardly people who can be bullied! You have been patrolling my territory for more than half a month without any scruples, and now you are still deep at the foot of my royal city.
, do you still care about the alliance between our two countries?!"
Facing the question from the Duke of Fu, General Ye did not dare to be careless. He immediately rode forward and respectfully raised his hands in response:
"Mr. Fu, please calm down. We have been ordered by the new king of Ye to search for the traitors. If there is any offense, your Majesty will personally come to apologize to you afterwards. As for this ship -
—”
"Can you recognize what is painted on this sail?" Hai Qiuyang did not pay attention to the other party, but directly interrupted him.
General Ye Guo did not dare to neglect at all, and nodded hurriedly: "Who among the four states and seven countries south of Suoyang Pass does not know about the Mo family's Jiahui?"
"No, you don't know! The Mo family is an important minister of the Fu Kingdom. For more than a hundred years, he has made immortal contributions to both our Hai family and the entire Wanzhou. Not to mention who you want to capture,
But now there is suspicion on Mr. Mo, who gave you the courage?!"
"It's a matter of great importance, so I apologize for the inconvenience of reporting it to the Duke of Fu here. But since the traitor escaped, the whole city has been under martial law, and not even a bird can fly out. According to the spies' report, the entire Wanzhou territory is now
The only person who has passed by is this ship, which has not been ruled out of suspicion. I hope the Duke of Fu can be accommodating and allow the last general to send two sergeants to board the ship and search it. If there is a misunderstanding, I will let them go."
"What a joke! What qualifications do you have to allow me, the majestic Lord of the Kingdom of Fu, to be accommodating?!" Hai Qiuyang, who had always been pleasant, suddenly shouted loudly, with a rather powerful tone in his words.
"Do you intend to continue the conversation, Duke Fu?"
The face of the general opposite became rather ugly, but his hand with iron fingers slowly placed on the handle of the knife at his waist.
"What's going on? Do you still want to use force directly? Although our country of Fu does not have a world-famous tiger and wolf division, the Jinlin Army is full of brave men who leap forward and drink blood! Today, even if we fight to the last person here,
I will never allow you to insult our country’s constitution and offend our country’s prestige!”
As the Duke of Fu said, he waved his hand vigorously, and the five hundred Jinlin troops on the left and right who had already lined up neatly displayed their weapons. Short and powerful shouts immediately sounded over the ferry, and their momentum was unexpected.
Not inferior to the elite of Ye Guo's naval division at all.
The general in front of the formation couldn't help but tighten the reins in his hands, pulling hard until the horse neighed softly. But he seemed to know that continuing the stalemate would only make things more difficult, so he turned the horse's head angrily and ordered the troops to retreat.
Until then, everyone on the boat breathed a sigh of relief and finally came ashore one after another. Hai Qiuyang, who had been so righteous before, also stepped off the chariot and walked happily to Qi Zi's invisible face, greeting him with a smile:
"The young master of the Mo family has told me about Young Master Ziyin a long time ago, and now that I have met him, he is really a heroic young man, one of the best among men! It's cold after the snow, so please go back to the city with me on foot.
Well, we have already prepared the banquet, singing and dancing for you all to wash away the dust!"
Faced with the sudden enthusiasm, Qi Ziyin felt a little overwhelmed. After several ups and downs, he couldn't believe that he could arrive at Yunzhi so smoothly. Until a fragile young man with silver hair appeared in front of him.
In An Fang's gaze, another smile appeared on his face.
He and the person of the same age in front of him had only met once three years ago. However, seeing each other now felt particularly cordial. Mo Zeming slowly walked out from behind Hai Qiuyang and paid his respects to the Duke of Fu.
After giving him a bow and signaling him to go ahead, he walked up to the young man in white and said with a smile:
"Young Master Ziyin, we finally meet again."
Qi Ziyin's eyes widened and he looked at the rather feminine young man in front of him with some disbelief: "Did you plan all this in advance?"
"I can only say that I have calculated part of the results. However, this is also the most ironic thing. It seems that even I could not foresee that the Lord of the Sea Kingdom would actually make such a risky move... Actually, I did not
I agree with him to anger those Ye State cavalry. In this way, the fate of the State of Fu has been completely involved. I always feel a little uneasy in my heart..."
The silver-haired boy moved his hands in the wide armholes, as if he was fiddling with something. But he stopped quickly, and then smiled awkwardly:
"I'm sorry, I've been like this lately. Perhaps from the moment I decided to go to Mulu City to meet you and General Yan three years ago, Fuguo has been inevitably involved in this situation... Having said that, you are on your way
You must be tired. Let's go back to the city first, and we can talk in detail after we get to my house."
Looking at the smile on Mo Zeming's face, Qi Ziyin suddenly felt that the other party had completely gained his trust in just one move. Without his exquisite arrangements, many people including his fellow Jiang Yan, Sister Jia, and Ning Yue would have lost their trust at this moment.
People may have died in the execution ground. Thinking of this, the burly figure in green clothes and green robes suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. His nose suddenly felt sour, and he was about to cry when he saw it.
The boy in white didn't want to show his soft side in front of so many people, so he quickly suppressed his sadness again and quickly followed the footsteps of Duke Fu in front of him.
It was night, the lights in Yunzhi City were brightly lit, and it was as lively as if the New Year was celebrated in advance. Hai Qiuyang had already prepared for the arrival of Qi Ziyin and Leng Jiayun, and prepared a sumptuous reception in the palace. The banquet was held in
In the splendid Bibo Palace, there is only one side hall, and its level of luxury is several times that of the main hall of King Ye's Palace.
At present, the palace is full of guests, including almost all the nobles, officials, merchants and squires of Fu Kingdom. Everyone is drinking and drinking, and it is as noisy as a huge market. Even the young master of Ye Kingdom, who has been well-dressed and well-fed since he was a child.
, and have never seen such a grand event.
"Hey, you two, don't be polite. As the saying goes, there is no money to waste, these are just some small touches of Haimou, specially made to welcome the distinguished guests who have come from afar!"
After a few glasses of wine, Hai Qiuyang returned to his usual appearance. He was seen leaning on the main seat with his eyes half-closed, his royal robe open, and he frequently gestured to the young man in white who looked a little reserved in front of him. Qi Ziyin picked up the wine glass.
, before she could say anything in return, she saw that Leng Jiayun beside her had raised her head and poured a full glass of wine into her belly. In front of her, several wine bottles and wine bottles were already lying in a mess.
Countless wine glasses.
"Sister Jia, if you drink like this, you might lose your composure in front of the king..."
Qi Ziyin turned his head and whispered to persuade, but Hai Qiuyang listened. He shook the wine glass in his hand and wet his collar:
"It's okay. It's finally safe. Of course it's worth celebrating. Don't worry, you two, as long as I, Hai Qiuyang, give the order, no one in Yunzhi City will dare to embarrass you. Just open your mouth and drink!"
"Celebrating? So many people died trying to save us. Is this something worth celebrating?!"
Unexpectedly, Leng Jiayun, who was already drunk, suddenly dropped the empty cup in his hand to the ground. The crisp clanking sound passed through the crowd, covering up the noisy words. The guests in the palace suddenly became quiet and started talking.
Looking at the main seat on the high platform, he was stunned and didn't know what was going on.
"Baili...Baili...I miss you!"
Big tears suddenly welled up in Leng Jiayun's eyes. She just sat there motionless, murmuring, like a statue carved from purple jade, so sad and heartbreaking.
Hai Qiuyang couldn't help but have a look of curiosity on his face. He looked up and down at this Dongli woman who had rarely spoken since they met, and then waved his hand towards the audience.
The crowd soon resumed the previous noise, and even got louder. Amidst the laughter, Leng Jiayun stood up and staggered towards the Bibo Hall under the gazes of Hai Qiuyang and Qi Ziyin.
Walk outside the gate.
The intermittent cold wind blew on the face of the woman in purple, drying her tears and making the blush caused by the strong alcohol gradually fade away. When she finally woke up, she fell alone in the turret on the north side of the city wall.
.Because she was the distinguished guest of the king, there were no sentries to drive her away along the way. Some people even brought a few sheepskin mattresses to cover her body.
"Baili, where are you...don't leave...please, stay with me a little longer, okay..."
Leng Jiayun leaned against the wall and looked around. However, the shadow of Xiang Baili that appeared in front of her before, which could not be more real, could no longer be found.
"Baili...did you come back specifically to look for me?"
The woman in purple lowered her eyes, and the tears in her eyes fell again. But at this moment, she heard the green tiles on the top of the turret suddenly make a crisp sound, and then two people stepped forward.
After a while, he jumped down to the ground and stood outside the turret separated by only one wall, chatting in a loud voice:
"Commander Lou, do you think we will be discovered if we sneak into the palace in such a grand manner?"
"Just because of these idiots from Fu Kingdom? Don't think too highly of them. Stop talking nonsense and concentrate. We need to find out the whereabouts of the young master and that Dongli woman as soon as possible, and then report it to Lord Ming.
Let’s make next plans!”
"Brother Lou, don't worry! When I was training at Quicksand Camp, I was a top-notch person hunter..."
As the two of them talked, they walked further along the city wall, and it was difficult to hear clearly. However, just a few simple sentences were like a basin of ice water, driving away the remaining alcoholism from Leng Jiayun's body.
.
Xiang Baili had mentioned to her more than once during his lifetime that quicksand was pervasive and could kill people invisible. Therefore, Qi Shouyu secretly trained a group of confidants who were specialized in spying on intelligence and were proficient in assassination. They were also named after quicksand.
The assassins of Ye State actually sneaked into Yunzhi City?!
The woman was suddenly startled and broke into a cold sweat. She was glad that she had not been discovered by the other party, and immediately ducked out of the turret, trying to see where the two people who were talking had gone. But the night was getting thick, so how could they find them again?
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