It was inconvenient for Li Ran to catch up. No matter how careful he was, he couldn't figure it out at all:
"Why is she so determined? She would rather die than marry me? But...it was clear that night..."
Li Ran was still confused here, but Gong Eryue hid in the corner, squatted down, and kept crying.
Guan Cong happened to be passing by and couldn't help but feel strange when he saw this scene.
Guan Cong observed Gong Eryue in the dark, and watched quietly for a while before walking away.
Then, he bumped into Li Ran again. Seeing Li Ran's expression, he probably made a good guess and couldn't help but say:
"My lord...are you still worried about Gong Eryue?"
Li Ran came back to his senses and smiled to cover up his embarrassment.
"Oh, it's Ziyu, what brings you here?"
Guan Cong did not answer Li Ran's question:
"My lord, I feel that there may be something hidden about Miss Yue. However, in my opinion, there is no need to worry too much. She will agree to my lord sooner or later!"
Li Ran sighed and said:
"Hey... there is no need to mention this matter again. Let's discuss it later."
Guan Cong stopped talking and was stunned for a while, then said:
"Oh, lord, Guan Cong actually has something urgent to say! According to my subordinate's inference, perhaps Zhao Zhongjun will come to Chengzhou in the near future!"
Li Ran raised his head and looked at Guan Cong:
"Oh? Did Detective Ziyu hear something?"
Guan Cong shook his head and said:
"There is no news, everything is as usual in Jin State. It is just that Zhao Yang is ill and lying on the bed, and Dong An is also said to have returned to Jinyang alone, and there is no trace of anyone in Jiangcheng. Now in Jiangcheng, there is only Yang Hu
I’m busy over there for Zhao!”
When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but stood up:
"Oh? Is there such a thing?"
Later, Guan Cong further said categorically:
"Exactly! Moreover... Zhao Yang also announced to the outside world that what he was suffering from was a water splash, which could not be exposed to the wind and was easy to spread from person to person. Therefore, he had not been able to avoid visitors during this period. Therefore... from bold observation, he was probably suffering from the disease.
This is an excuse, but it’s been coming for weeks!”
Splash is different from smallpox. Although the symptoms are similar, splash is not fatal at least, but it is easy to scar after exposure to wind.
Li Ran couldn't help but smile when he heard this.
"Zhao Yang is quite clever. He actually used this method. Moreover, he kept Yang Hu, the second minister, busy. This is obviously just for me to see!"
Guan Cong also sneered, and took a step forward to continue asking:
"Then...if Zhao Zhongjun really comes, will the Lord see him? Or not?"
Li Ran thought for a while:
"It's better to disappear for now! Haha, if he comes, it will be up to you, Ziyu, to entertain him!"
Guan Congzi understood it from his heart and didn't say much. He just smiled and replied:
"promise!"
…
Therefore, during these days, Li Ran was always in the backyard and did not show up. He let Guan Cong take care of the matters in the front yard.
Within two days, Zhao Yang and Dong Anyu came to Li's house secretly, disguised as retainers.
However, Guan Congzi knew them, so he recognized them at a glance.
Guan Cong welcomed the two of them into the house. After Zhao Yang and Dong An sat down, they each took a sip of water. Zhao Yang finally couldn't hold it anymore and asked:
"I wonder where Mr. Ziming is now? Could you please let me know?"
Guan Cong smiled and said:
"Oh! What a coincidence... My lord has not been back to Chengzhou for a long time, so he went to travel around not long ago and is not in Luoyi at the moment."
When Zhao Yang heard this, he and Dong An looked at each other and frowned:
"Ah? It's such an unlucky thing?"
Dong Anyu asked:
"But I don't know when sir will be able to come back?"
Guan Cong shook his head again:
"This... we don't know. The gentleman is wandering around to no fixed place, and there is no fixed number. Maybe three or two days, maybe one or two months, no one knows when he will come back."
Zhao Yang said "ah" again and said:
"This... what should we do?"
Guan Cong smiled slightly again, bowed his hands and asked:
"But I don't know why Zhao Zhongjun came here in such a disguise? If there is something urgent, you can tell me that I will wait until my lord comes back to convey it to you!"
Zhao Yang heard this and was about to speak again, but he stopped and sighed:
"Actually...it's okay. I came here incognito because I wanted to ask Mr. Ziming for advice. Since Mr. Ziming is not here, I'll just turn around later..."
Guan Cong smiled again and said:
"Okay, when sir comes back, I will convey it to you word for word!"
Dong An winked at Zhao Yang at this time. Zhao Yang suddenly remembered something, took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Guan Cong, and said:
"Please also ask your Excellency to give this letter to sir."
Guan Cong didn't hesitate and collected it directly:
"Please rest assured that Zhao Zhongjun will never dare or forget."
Therefore, Zhao Yang and Dong An left Li Mansion.
As soon as he came out of Li Mansion, Zhao Yang showed an unhappy look on his face and couldn't help but say:
"What on earth did he mean?"
Dong Anyu comforted him from the side:
"My coming this time is not known to outsiders. Perhaps Mr. Ziming has really gone on a wandering trip! Now that his subordinates have learned that the Chinese army is coming, they will definitely send a message to Mr. Ziming. It is better to wait until tomorrow
It doesn’t hurt to come and see again.”
When Zhao Yang heard this, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Hey...that's all we can do now..."
But it was said that after Guan Cong sent Zhao Yang away, he immediately came to the backyard, saw Li Ran, and presented the letter:
"My lord, this Zhao Yang is quite sincere. He is now a minister of a great country, but he is also able to treat virtuous people. He is willing to take extraordinary risks to come to Chengzhou to meet you. It is really not easy!"
Li Ran did not answer, but opened the letter. He saw that the words in the letter were sincere and full of compliments.
After Li Ran read it, he put the letter aside and stretched again.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Seeing Li Ran's appearance, Guan Cong couldn't help but curiously asked:
"My lord intends to help him, but why is he so cold to him? Since it is a test, shouldn't it be done?!"
Li Ran said:
"The words in this letter are so sincere and the writing is so elegant. At a glance, you can tell that it was probably written by someone else in the name of Zhao Yang. How can it be sincere?"
"Dong An drafted proclamations and decrees for the Zhao family in his early years and was very talented. Now he is Zhao Yang's humerus. Although it is common for him to ghostwrite for him. But what is said in the letter is not what Zhao Yang himself thinks. Therefore, this letter
Although there is sincerity, it is not worth mentioning at all!"
Guan Cong smiled slightly and shook his head:
"Haha, what my lord said does make sense."
Immediately afterwards, Li Ran said again:
"Moreover, Zhao Yang joined the army in his early years. He had a strong character and little intelligence, and he was not literate. When he was young, he was fooled by Fan Yang."
"Although times have changed, how can his character change?"
Guan Cong thought about it briefly and asked:
"What my lord is talking about...could it be the casting of the torture cauldron in the Jin Dynasty?"
Li Ran nodded and said:
"Exactly! Zhao Yang and Fan Yang built nine punishment cauldrons in the past! This move abandoned rituals and music in favor of punishment, which can be said to be unethical. Although he was encouraged by Fan Yang at the time, it can also be regarded as Zhao Yang's fault.
What a stain on Martingale!”
"But... now that I think about it more carefully, there may be a hidden secret behind this matter. In the future, I will have to ask him in detail in person!"
Guan Cong couldn't help but laugh:
"My lord, as for Zhao Yang, he will probably come tomorrow. Will my lord see you or not?"
Li Ran thought for a moment, then raised his head and said:
"If I suddenly show up tomorrow, it will be a bit deliberate. I still avoid seeing him, but Ziyu can continue to send him messages for me! If he is serious, he will leave a handwritten letter. At that time, I will come and take a look!"
Guan Cong bowed and responded:
"promise!"
After Guan Cong stepped back, Li Ran picked up the letter, looked at it briefly, and then put it aside without reading it again.
Indeed, there is no need to read it. After all, this letter was written by Dong Anyu.
A person's character, ambition, talents, etc. are all secondary.
Just like King Ling of Chu, Wang Zichao, whose gold and jade were ruined on the outside, Li Ran never wanted to encounter similar people and things again.
Li Ran glanced at the bronze mirror on the desk and found that his temples were faintly white. He was filled with emotions for a moment.