The genius had just dawned, and Xu Jingye, the governor of Lingyang City, had already gotten up early. After washing himself under the service of the maid, he hurriedly had breakfast and went to the study to deal with the mountains of official documents.
These files were all matters accumulated over the years, involving military affairs and all aspects of people's livelihood. Many matters were widely involved and complicated. Without the help of enough staff and retainers, he wanted to sort out the clues on his own, and it took him no more than a year and a half.
Impossible.
But Xu Jingye had no choice, because after taking over Lingyang for more than half a month, under the support of the Seven Families, he was just an empty city guard. He had no real power at all, and the only thing he could mobilize was the city guard.
More than a dozen servants and maids could not leave the mansion even under orders.
These files can help him fully understand the local situation and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the seven families. Xu Jingye is by no means the kind of mindless and reckless rotten scholar. He knows very well that he can only tolerate it at present.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh secretly, feeling that he had underestimated the complexity of Lingyang's situation.
The file in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand kilograms.
Snap! Snap!
When Xu Jingye lowered his head and meditated, there was a sudden gentle knock on the closed window on the right side of the study room.
He was startled, thought for a moment, stood up and walked over, reaching out to open the window.
A vigorous figure swept into the room silently and landed steadily in front of him: "Master Xu!"
Xu Jingye took a closer look and was suddenly surprised and pleasantly surprised: "Little friend Qin Yun!"
The person who quietly sneaked into the city guard's mansion was none other than Qin Yun!
"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" he asked, feeling somewhat strange.
The two met in the ancient temple. Qin Yun teamed up with Taoist Tianbao to kill the bloody-handed man Tu Tu Wanxiong, and was kind to Xu Jingye to save his life. Although the two were very different in age, they still became close friends.
It stands to reason that Qin Yun can visit him openly and openly, and there is no need to infiltrate in such a secretive manner. You must know that there are also master warriors in the city guard's mansion, so misunderstandings will definitely be troublesome.
Xu Jingye was not an ordinary person, and he immediately guessed that Qin Yun must have his reasons for doing this.
Qin Yun didn't say much nonsense. He told Xu Jingye the news about his encounter with the Tsing Yi Guards in the Shiwan Mountains and the news that Chu was about to invade southern Xinjiang.
Snap!
The thick file slipped from Xu Jingye's hand and fell to the ground. Anger appeared on his clear face and he said in a deep voice: "Da Chu is really ambitious. He has always wanted to peek into the southern territory of Da Yan. I will immediately report to the imperial court to send an army.
guard!"
"I'm afraid it's too late!" Qin Yun shook his head: "There is one more thing..."
He told Xu Jingye how he had just been blocked from entering the city and was attacked and killed by the city guards, and finally said: "This matter is extremely strange. I wonder if there is someone in the city colluding with Dachu Liyingwaihe!"
This guess is extremely bold, and Qin Yun does not have any real evidence. It is purely an instinctive judgment.
If his words spread, it will definitely cause an uproar in this fortress city.
But Xu Jingye was not surprised or questioned, and his expression became more and more worried: "Little friend Qin Yun, thank you for coming to report the news despite the danger, otherwise I would not get any news from the outside here. I am afraid that I won't be able to wait until the Dachu army besieges the city.
Know what happened!"
"Yesterday, the city guard commander Shangguan Wuya issued martial law despite my objections, closing the city gates and preventing anyone from entering or exiting. I had doubts in my heart at that time. Now it seems that the Shangguan family has most likely defected to Da Chu and is preparing to sacrifice
The city seeks glory!”
Qin Yun thought for a while and asked: "But why is this? I heard that the Shangguan family is very powerful in Lingyang. Is it better to join the Chu army than it is now?"
The Shangguan family is a local family, and they will definitely suffer a lot of infamy by seeking refuge with the enemy, and the benefits they can obtain may not be greater than they are now. Once the Chu army takes over Lingyang, they may not be able to maintain their current glory.
At this time, Xu Jingye completely calmed down and explained: "My little friend, I don't know. This time I came to Lingyang to serve as the city guard. On the surface, I was reprimanded by the court, but secretly I had a mission to investigate the local family.
Waiting for an opportunity to weaken the strength of the Seven Families."
Pointing to the files piled on the desk, the great scholar of the time continued: "I found that twenty or thirty years ago, the Shangguan family was still very weak, but in recent years it has risen strongly. There is undoubtedly someone behind it."
"Now it seems that they have been bribed by Da Chu, and they are waiting for the right time to attack. Using the excuse of bandits in the city to cause trouble, closing the city gate is just the first step, just to block the news!"
Qin Yun suddenly felt a chill in his heart. If Da Chu had started setting up the plan decades ago, it would have been unstoppable once it was launched. The entire Lingyang could be said to be in danger!
He said decisively: "Mr. Xu, before they start, we will escort you away at night!"
When he sneaked into the city just now, Qin Yun found a weakly defended place. If he just took Xu Jingye alone to escape at night, he would still be quite confident.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jingye shook his head and said firmly: "It is a matter of loyalty to the emperor to eat the emperor's salary. I was ordered to guard Lingyang. How could I abandon the innocent people in the city and escape alone in order to survive? Although you have good intentions, but you are
Trap me into injustice!"
Qin Yun smiled bitterly and said: "But what's the use of staying here? Now the city guards are in the hands of the Shangguan family. We are no match for them just relying on our strength!"
Xu Jingye said in a deep voice: "Although the seven families are headed by the Shangguan family, not all of them follow Shangguan Wuji's lead. There are also conflicts and disputes among the seven families. It is impossible for all the families to be willing to lead the wolf into the house!"
"Although the commander of the city guard is also from the Shangguan family, two of the three deputy commanders are from other families, and the other is a general sent by the imperial court. I am sure to win the support of one or two of them.
"
"Furthermore, most of the guardsmen are local sons. The Shangguan family can deceive them, but it is impossible for them to completely betray and surrender to the enemy. You must know that many of their ancestors died under the swords of Da Chu.
, and has an irresolvable grudge with Da Chu!”
"It is foreseeable that once Lingyang falls, Da Chu will not allow people with disloyal intentions to exist in this city. I really don't know how many people will die tragically. Qin Yun, little friend, what do you think I should do?
Maybe you can’t bear to see them die innocently?”
Xu Jingye's words were sincere and sincere. Not only was his analysis very methodical, but it also showed his fortitude and integrity, which made Qin Yun unable to help but be moved by it!
His blood surged up, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Now that you have made up your mind, I will accompany you to fight with the Shangguan family. I don't believe they can cover up the sky in Lingyang City with one hand!"
"No! No!" Xu Jingye shook his head repeatedly and said: "Little friend Qin Yun, it's better for me to stay here and deal with them. You quickly leave the city and go to Tokugawa to report to King Lu. King Lu is a relative of your majesty. He is brave and powerful.
We will never sit back and watch Lingyang fall to our enemies!"
Qin Yun refused without hesitation: "That won't work. You will naturally have to send someone to report the news, but I have to stay in Lingyang to help you. Otherwise, you will be alone and weak. Who can protect you once the Shangguan family takes action in advance?
?”
In addition to being worried about Xu Jingye, Qin Yun is also worried about the Shui family. If something happens to the Shui family, how will he face his master Shui Wan Ning after he returns?
Xu Jingye tried to persuade him a few words, but when he saw Qin Yun's firm attitude, he said no more.
He thought for a while and said: "In that case, I still have two loyal retainers guarding me. I will immediately send them to Tokugawa with letters and seals to report to King Lu and the court!"
Qin Yun frowned: "It's completely light now. If the city gate is still closed today, we won't be able to get out. I was almost discovered when I sneaked in from the city wall just now. It's too dangerous to go out now!"
The city guards of Lingyang City are not vegetarians. Xu Jingye's retainers and guards are only in the Qi Refining realm. How can they have the strength to sneak out of the city in broad daylight without being discovered.
"I have a way..." Xu Jingye pointed to the pile of case files on his desk and said confidently: "A few months ago, an official reported a request to clear the blocked underground channels in the city. Shangguan Wuji did not deal with it at the time. Now,
Leave it to me to deal with, I called up the channel map and found that there are two secret passages that can lead directly to the water channel outside the city."
"Just in case, I secretly sent someone to check. It's not a problem for one or two people to sneak out of the city through a secret passage!"
He called in the guard standing outside the door.
When the two retainers and guards came in and saw that there were other people in the study, they were all shocked. However, they felt relieved after seeing Qin Yun's appearance clearly, because they both knew Qin Yun and knew his identity.
Xu Jingye sat back at his desk and wrote furiously. He quickly wrote a letter, stamped it and sealed it with fire paint, and handed it to the guard along with the extracted channel map.
"Take this letter and leave the city through the underground channel immediately, and go to Tokugawa Prince Lu's Mansion as quickly as possible to ask for an audience with Prince Lu Yanyi. This matter is related to Lingyang's safety and survival. You must not be negligent!"
The two guards looked at each other and immediately knelt down on one knee and said solemnly: "I am willing to die for you!"
Xu Jingye nodded and helped the two of them up with his own hands: "Be careful on the road!"
Qin Yun's heart moved. He reached into his arms and took out a stack of talismans from the universe space and handed them over: "These are the talismans refined by my master. There are fire gathering talisman and divine movement talisman. You can use them in case of any danger."
superior."
The two guards are both at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining, so there is no problem in using the talisman. The divine walking talisman can greatly increase the speed of running, which is suitable for rushing on the road, so they happily accepted it.
After carefully collecting the letters and talismans, the two guards quietly left the city guard's mansion without disturbing anyone... I wish everyone a happy Lantern Festival!
