The wind from the southeast was strong, and the right side of the carriage was hit particularly hard by the rain. The windows had long been closed, and there were still small droplets of rain flying into the carriage amidst the dense crackling sounds. Zhang Yuan was sitting on this side.
s position.
"Sir, please sit over here." The attentive and humble dancer Gu Xishan bowed and wanted to exchange places with Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan said: "A little raindrops won't hurt, just sit still."
Gu Xishan asked again: "Sir, do you want to drink Magu wine?" He was holding a gourd wine bottle in his hand and smiled.
Zhang Yuan felt a little strange about the psychological quality of this dancer. She might be captured and tortured by Liu Dongming at any time, and her life was in danger, but she was still so optimistic. He glanced at the girl Xiaozhen from time to time, and she seemed to be very happy with Xiaozhen -
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "A pot of wine among the flowers, drinking alone without a blind date - Miss Gu, will you drink with me?"
Dark clouds seemed to be pressing on the roof of the carriage, and the carriage was as dark as night. It was difficult to see Ju Shan's expression clearly, and he could only hear the dancer's hesitant tone: "How dare you drink in front of your Lord?"
Zhang Yuan smiled and took the gourd wine bottle. It was a heavy porcelain gourd. Zhang Yuan was not good at wine and had no intention of drinking it. He put the porcelain gourd in the corner of the carriage and asked the dancer: "Miss Gu was originally in Jingyang Palace.
Serve Concubine Renmu?"
Gu Xishan corrected in a low voice: "My lord, this is Queen Inmu."
Zhang Yuan said "hmm" and said, "Queen Renmu."
Ju Xishan said: "This slave has been serving Lord Yongchang since he entered the palace -" After saying this, he turned to look at the girl Xiaozhen sitting on the left side of the carriage. Xiaozhen opened the window a little and leaned into the gap.
Looking at the violent storm outside, her long and lush hair was pulled into a big bun, like a black peony, and her neck was reflected like ice and snow——
Gu Xishan turned around and whispered to Zhang Yuan: "Sir, please don't talk about those sad things for now. My heart aches when I think of the things in the palace. You should also know those things. Gwanghae-kun is so great."
It’s cruel.”
Zhang Yuan looked at the delicate back of the girl Xiao Zhen. This speechless girl seemed to have many secrets, and asked: "Has Miss Gu met Miss Xiao Zhen before?"
Gu Xishan hesitated. The girl Xiaozhen, who was watching the rain by the window, turned back and smiled at her, nodded, and Gu Xishan said: "I met her a few years ago. Xiaozhen was still young at that time."
Ju Xishan's words were vague, and his answers were obviously incomplete and untrue. Zhang Yuan stopped asking any more questions and closed his eyes to think about the gains and losses of this trip. His plan to overthrow Lord Guanghai could not be discussed with Ruan Dacheng or Zhen Zidan. He could only discuss it with Ruan Dacheng or Zhen Zidan.
Only after catching Nurhachi’s envoy Nalanbaksh can he express his position and attitude. The conspirators are always so lonely, and it is not yet known where Nalanbaksh has gone. Whether he can catch him is also a problem...
Just as I was thinking this, I heard Jin Zhongqing, the petitioner outside the carriage, shouting loudly amid the sound of wind and rain: "Mr. Zhang, there is a Buddhist temple in front of you. General Liu said that you should take shelter from the rain before leaving. This heavy rain is so heavy that the mounts are fascinated by the rain.
Eye-catching."
There is a small road on the left side of the post road diagonally to the east. About half a mile away, there is a large Buddhist temple called Luohan Temple. It is the most famous Buddhist temple in Hwanghae Road. Liu Dongming sent officials and servants to inform the temple monks in advance.
When the abbot of the temple learned that the Angel of Heaven had come here to take shelter from the rain, he rang the bell and gathered all the monks in the temple to pay their respects. The abbot monk accompanied Zhang Yuan, Ruan Dacheng, Liu Dongming and others to drink tea in the abbot's quiet room. Zhang Yuan did not know that the assassin arranged by Chief Jin
When and where he would take action, he was always worried. He only secretly told Mu Jingyan, Wang Zongyue, Hong Ji, Hong Xin, Ma Kuoqi and Sheba to be careful. The rest did not know what would happen today.
The assassins were alarmed, but there were heavy rains along the way, and the Buddhist temples were all safe, and Luohan Temple was only more than ten miles away from Huanghai Prefecture City. It seemed that nothing would happen on the road, but we should be careful tonight——
After resting at Luohan Temple for half an hour, the rain gradually subsided, but it seemed that it was still early for the clouds to stop in the unclear sky. Liu Dongming rushed to Huanghaizhou City and urged Zhang Yuan and others to go on their way.
It's already three o'clock in the morning, and it will get dark if we delay any longer.
A group of more than 300 people left Luohan Temple and started on the road again. It was drizzling, the road was muddy, and the carriages and horses were moving very slowly. When they saw Huanghaizhou City in the distance, dusk was already falling. The rain stopped at this time.
There was a faint sound of drum music from the direction of Huanghaizhou City, and a horse came to report that it was Mr. Cui, the observation envoy of Huanghai Province, who led Huangzhou Mu, Haizhou Mu and other officials to greet the angel——
Zhang Yuan arranged his clothes in the car, then got off the horse and rode, preparing to meet the officials of Huanghai Road.
The fragrant pavilion, dragon pavilion, colorful booths, yellow ceremonial guards, drum music, and miscellaneous operas came all the way happily and lively. When they were still about twenty feet away from Zhang Yuan and his party, there was a sudden "bang" sound, and a man next to Liu Dongming
The North Korean sergeant holding the flag screamed and fell off his horse. The high-flying King's flag broke into two pieces and fell on Ruan Dacheng's carriage.
The flag was broken by a musket!
Someone in the distance shouted sternly: "Guanghai Lord has no principles, Li Jin cannot be the heir apparent, and the Ming Dynasty cannot help Zhou to do evil."
Liu Dongming's hair stood on end and he shouted: "Dismount, dismount, there is a traitor! There is an assassin!"
Zhang Yuan had already dismounted and thought to himself: "Priest Jin actually used a musket to stab and disturb me. The musket is not very accurate. Please don't kill me with an errant shot. That would be the greatest injustice of all time." Turning around, Ruan Dacheng was stunned.
He sat on the horse in a daze and quickly pulled him down.
Mu Jingyan, Wang Zongyue and others were already guarding Zhang Yuan and Ruan Dacheng, their sabers unsheathed, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Zhen Zidan ordered a group of royal guards to protect the two envoys. The rest of the etiquette officials, who were in charge of the axes, flags, drums, gongs, ceremonial knives and leopard tail guns, dismounted and hid themselves.
The sound of "bang bang" is endless, but this time it is not the sound of muskets, but the exploding fireworks and firecrackers, which are all lit from the ceremonial guard and the acrobatics pile. Those who carry incense pavilions and dragon pavilions are not good at performing acrobatics in North Korea.
Officials and civil servants were panicking and running around in confusion, making the scene extremely chaotic.
People on the mission side were also frightened and horses were neighing. Zhang Yuan said loudly: "Don't panic, watch your horses, don't frighten the horses, don't move around." Seeing the girl Xiaozhen's head exposed in the car window, he shouted: "
Hide." The girl quickly retracted her head.
Most of the people who accompanied the Ming Dynasty envoys to Wangjing were North Korean civil servants, sergeants, and sergeants. They were no more than a hundred people, and they were not equipped with firearms. They were not as effective as the 60 Jinyi guards led by Zhen Zidan. At this time, under the order of Liu Dongming, they rushed forward to kill those with swords.
The officials who came to greet him were not allowed to come near him. Liu Dongming ordered that anyone who dared to approach would be killed without mercy——
Liu Dongming was trembling all over. He had never expected to encounter an assassin at the gate of Huanghaizhou City. He was frightened and angry at the same time. Looking at Zhang Yuan's side, a group of guards in brocade uniforms were protecting him very strictly, so he felt a little relieved.
The sky was getting dark, the fireworks and firecrackers were gone, and the frightened crowd gradually calmed down. Someone approached the mission and shouted loudly as they walked: "General Liu, General Liu, and the subordinate Huang Haidao are all observing the envoy Cui Li."
"
Another person reported his name and said he was a certain person from Fengzhou County, a certain Mu from Huangzhou, and a certain Mu from Haizhou——
Liu Dongming shouted angrily: "Cui Li, do you know your guilt?"
Several lanterns were high, and Huang Haidao was watching. Cui Li, who was ten feet away, knelt down and said loudly: "It is a despicable neglect of duty, which caused a traitor to sneak in. It shocked the angels. It is a death penalty for despising one's duty." After saying this, he kowtowed repeatedly, and those who followed him shouted.
Fengzhou County Affairs Bureau, Haizhou Mu and other officials all knelt down to apologize.
Liu Dongming asked loudly: "Have you caught the traitor and assassin?"
The crowd that had just come to greet the angel from the Kingdom of Heaven was in panic under the fire of muskets and firecrackers, and fled in all directions. Officials like Cui Li never expected that there would be traitors and assassins among the crowd, and they did not bring many sergeants and retinues. As night fell, the crowd was in chaos.
, had no idea where the traitors and assassins were, so they could only kowtow to apologize.
Liu Dongming was furious, and Yu Yan, the counselor of the Ministry of Rites on the side, reminded: "General Liu, please calm down for the time being. It is already dark now and it is not safe in the suburbs. It is better to protect the angel into the city and stationed in the post house before arresting the assassin."
Liu Dongming nodded and said to Cui Li: "Hurry up and clear the curfew. None of your people are allowed to come near."
Cui Li and other officials left anxiously. Liu Dongming and Liu Xiya, as well as Yu Yan, Xu Yun, Jin Zhongqing and several others came to Zhang Yuan to greet Zhang Yuan and plead guilty. Liu Dongming bowed repeatedly and said: "The small country's poor defense has frightened the angels, and it's unbearable."
Terrified, extremely terrified."
Zhang Yuan stood beside the carriage with a cold face and said nothing. Ruan Dacheng shook his head and said: "Master Liu, your country is not very peaceful. Fortunately, there was no danger. I am very lucky."
Liu Dongming and others are very ashamed. A dancer stabbed herself at a night banquet in Pyongyang. Today, they encountered a direct assassination with a musket outside the city of Hwanghaeju. Although no one was injured, their Korean subjects from the king on down were completely embarrassed.
Well, the two envoys of the Ming Dynasty must have had serious doubts about Lord Guanghai's ability to govern the country. Liu Dongming was indeed very frightened. He apologized to Zhang Yuan and Ruan Dacheng again and again, and bowed to the ground——
Zhang Yuandao said: "I and Ruan Xingren were sent as envoys to your country by the emperor's order. We didn't care about the mountains and mountains and the hardships on the journey. How could we have expected that there would be so many twists and turns on the way? If we had known this, we might as well have asked the emperor to let the royal guards
It would be better if we send two hundred more captains to accompany us."
Liu Dongming's cheeks were burning, and he kept saying: "It's a despicable negligence, it's a despicable negligence. If more sergeants from Yizhou were arranged to escort us all the way, what happened today wouldn't have happened."
Zhang Yuandao: "What happened today will still happen, but it's not like I can't even see the assassin's appearance. I'm waiting in the light and the assassin is in the dark. How can I guarantee that the assassin's muskets won't hit me tomorrow?"
Liu Dongming did not dare to guarantee that the assassin was not caught. He just said: "Please temporarily station the angels in Huanghai City, and I will immediately recruit elite soldiers and generals to come and protect them."
After waiting for two moments, Cui Li, the observation envoy of Huanghaidao, came to report that there were sergeants guarding the road, and a curfew had been imposed from the west gate to the post house. Angels and other gentlemen were invited to enter the city. Cui Li dared to guarantee that the trip would be safe with his head.
.
Cui Li, who was guarding one side, was an important minister of the Great Northern Faction who was loyal to Lord Guanghai. Liu Dongming did not reprimand him any more. However, Cui Li could not escape the blame for such a major incident. It was Lord Guanghai who made the final decision on how to convict him.