The candlelight flickered, and the scene became clear from blur. What came into view was a young and unfamiliar face with a smile on it.
Zhu Qingyi instinctively wanted to struggle and call out, but soon she found that she could do nothing. Because her mouth was tightly blocked by a ball of cloth, and her hands and feet were tied to the back of the chair with cloth straps, making her unable to move at all.
Zhu Qingyi was so shocked that she almost fainted again. She immediately lowered her head to look at her clothes. Fortunately, she found that her clothes were intact, there was nothing unusual about her body, and she seemed not to have been violated.
"Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you. Although you are very beautiful, I am a serious person." The man sitting on the chair opposite smiled and said in a low voice.
Zhu Qingyi thought angrily: You broke into my house, knocked me out, and tied me here. What do you mean you didn't hurt me?
Zhang Yanling raised the tea cup in his hand and put it in his mouth. Zhu Qingyi saw that he was holding the sapphire cup that he usually used for drinking tea. Zhu Qingyi was so angry that she wanted to tell him to put down her cup.
Unfortunately, I couldn't speak, so I could only watch with shame and annoyance as the man brought the teacup to his mouth and took a sip of tea.
Zhang Yanling took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "My name is Zhu Qingyi? Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zhang Yanling. Let's get to know each other."
Zhu Qingyi frowned and glared at Zhang Yanling fiercely, with fire in her eyes.
"Maybe you don't know me. Let me introduce myself in detail. I am the uncle of the current emperor, the younger brother of the current queen mother, the Marquis of Jianchang in the Ming Dynasty, and the admiral of Tuanying Zhenweiying. Now I have a temporary errand, that is
The chief military officer who ordered to quell the rebellion of Anhua King Zhu Zhixiu." Zhang Yanling said in a low voice.
Zhu Qingyi's eyes widened in shock and she looked at Zhang Yanling in disbelief.
"You must be in a fog right now, full of questions, surprised and unwilling to believe, and feel strange, right? You really want to find out what all this is about, don't you?" Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
Zhu Qingyi nodded involuntarily.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I can remove the ball in your mouth and let you talk. But the prerequisite is that you can't yell randomly. If you shout randomly and attract others, then I will die here. Will you?
Can you scream?"
Zhu Qingyi shook her head quickly.
Zhang Yanling stood up with a shining dagger in his hand. When he came to Zhu Qingyi, he said: "In view of your performance just now, you almost... destroyed me. So I still can't trust you. I have to follow you.
Make it clear. If you scream, I will... draw an X on your face and ruin your beautiful face. Do you understand?"
Zhu Qingyi showed a horrified expression. He was not afraid of killing himself, but if he was disfigured, it would be worse than death.
"Woooooo!" Zhu Qingyi shook her head violently.
Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "What? You don't understand?"
"Woooooo!" Zhu Qingyi nodded quickly and violently.
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Okay, I'll trust you once. But I still want to remind you. I sent the maid named Xiao Cui back to sleep. I pretended to be your voice and gave her the order. She is a bit stupid.
I didn't hear it. Also, look at the doors and windows here, I've blocked them with curtains. The sound insulation effect should be good. So even if you shout, people outside may not be able to hear you."
Zhu Qingyi looked around and saw that all the doors and windows were hung with curtains. Even the brocade quilt on his bed was hung on the door. This man was really well prepared.
Zhang Yanling reached out and pulled out the ball of cloth from Zhu Qingyi's mouth. As Zhu Qingyi gasped for air, she suddenly felt her body loosen, and the cloth strips binding herself were cut off.
Zhang Yanling sat back on the chair opposite and put the dagger in his hand back to his waist.
Zhu Qingyi moved her body, checked her clothes again, and finally felt relieved. She had indeed not been violated in any worrying way. She also felt relieved.
"You...what you just said is true? Didn't you make up the titles you mentioned? Marquis of Jianchang? How come I haven't heard of it?" Zhu Qingyi asked in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "That's because you were in Ningxia Town. My name is known to everyone in the capital."
Zhu Qingyi looked at the man in front of her with some disbelief in her heart. This man was only in his early twenties at best, and he dared to say that everyone in the capital knew him. He was probably bragging. How did she know that Zhang Yanling was not bragging, either in the past or now?
, Zhang Yanling is indeed a famous figure in the capital. It just depends on what kind of reputation he has.
"You said you were the leading military officer appointed by the imperial court to counter the rebellion? Aren't the imperial army in Lingzhou? Why did you appear here? Where are your soldiers and horses? Could it be that Ningxia City has been captured by you? No. Soon.
My former uncle has just been here. It is impossible that the city has been destroyed. The imperial army is still on the south bank of the Yellow River." Zhu Qingyi asked with a frown.
Zhang Yanling laughed twice and was about to answer. Zhu Qingyi suddenly looked at Zhang Yanling in shock and said: "Could it be that my uncle said that an assassin has come to the city and he is hunting for assassins everywhere. Is it you?"
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly and said: "Now it seems that this is probably the case. The news of my entry into Ningxia City seems to have been leaked. This was originally a confidential operation. Unfortunately, someone may have tipped off the information."
Zhu Qingyi frowned and said, "How did you get into my house? You came here to deal with my uncle, how did you get into my house? He doesn't live here. How do you know my name?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I feel that the princess should no longer call Zhu Zhixiu uncle. How about calling him an old thief? Or how about calling him an old thief who is worse than a pig or a dog?"
Zhu Qingyi covered her mouth in shock and almost screamed. This was what she and her maid Caiyun said in the carriage. How could this person know?
"You...you..." Zhu Qingyi stammered and pointed at Zhang Yanling.
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Speaking of which, it was the princess who brought me back to your house. Today during the day, when I was on the street, there was a sudden round of security checks on the street. I had nowhere to hide, so I got into a carriage and hid.
Under the seat of the carriage, I didn’t expect it to be the princess’s carriage.”
Zhu Qingyi stood up in shock. She pointed at Zhang Yanling and said, "You...were you in the carriage? Under the seat?"
Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "Exactly. I heard what the princess and that girl Caiyun said."
Zhu Qingyi's face turned red. This person was actually hiding under the seat. Wasn't it under her skirt? This was so... so shameful. He was actually hiding under her butt. It was... simply...
…
Zhang Yanling also realized this, and said with cupped hands: "Please forgive me, Princess. I acted in a hurry at that time, and I did not do so intentionally. The soldiers and horses who were searching were outside the carriage, and there was only one hiding place in the carriage, so...
"
"Stop talking, stop talking, I understand. No need to say anymore." Zhu Qingyi interrupted quickly with a red face and white hands. She didn't want to know the details.
Zhang Yanling coughed and said: "Okay. Actually, I have to thank the princess for unintentionally resolving my difficulties."
Zhu Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief, calmed down, and said in a deep voice: "But, is this how you thank the person who helped you out of trouble? Are you just going to knock him out and then tie him up here to threaten me?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "The princess seems to be worried about this. You can't blame me. I didn't intend to do this, but the princess resisted too fiercely. I planned to meet with the princess to discuss the matter. "
Zhu Qingyi sneered: "It's my fault that you broke in? Is this the case in this world?"
Zhang Yanling smiled slightly and said: "Then occupying Prince Qing's Mansion and forcing your brother, the young prince Zhu Taiyi, to rebel with him. Force you to marry Sun Jingwen. Force you to hand over the belongings in the secret room of Prince Qing's Mansion. Does that count? What’s the point?”
Zhu Qingyi looked at Zhang Yanling in surprise and said softly: "Do you know everything?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I have been in this small building. When Zhu Zhixiu came, I stood by the water bamboo in the north corridor and listened. Naturally, I knew everything. In fact, I originally planned to sneak out after dark. I just heard that Zhu Zhixiu was coming here, so I sneaked in and wanted to capture him. However, it backfired. He brought so many guards and I couldn't do anything. I could only watch him leave. What he told you , I heard everything clearly."
Zhu Qingyi took a long breath and said softly: "I see. Now I somewhat believe that you are indeed the person sent by the imperial court to counter the rebellion. But, since you are the commander-in-chief of the counter-rebellion, why don't you lead the attack in Lingzhou and go alone? Coming here to commit an assassination? This is puzzling. Can you please explain it?"
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Because...how to say..."
Zhu Qingyi suddenly waved her hand and said: "No need to explain, I understand."
Zhang Yanling said in surprise: "Do you understand?"
Zhu Qingyi said: "To capture the thief, capture the king first, right? The Yellow River is naturally dangerous, and the imperial soldiers and horses cannot attack it, so they sneaked in and assassinated the leader. Am I right?"
Zhang Yanling raised her thumb in admiration and praised: "I didn't expect the princess to really understand."
Zhu Qingyi gathered her scattered hair and said softly: "This is not difficult to understand. After all, not long ago, the imperial court suffered a defeat in Lingzhou crossing the river. Ningxia city celebrated the victory with gongs and drums. It was said that 20,000 people tried to cross the river. All the imperial soldiers and horses were wiped out. How dare the imperial soldiers and horses dare to risk crossing the river again?"
Zhang Yanling chuckled and said: "Annihilate all 20,000 soldiers and horses of the imperial court? Haha, this is a bit exaggerated. However, the imperial soldiers and horses were indeed defeated. A fool named Cao Xiong insisted on crossing the river to attack, resulting in the loss of thousands of soldiers and horses. , and his own life was lost.”
Zhu Qingyi nodded and said: "That's it. They said they would annihilate all 20,000 imperial elites and that they would be able to reach the capital soon. It seems to be a lie."
Zhang Yanling said: "How can we boost morale otherwise? It is rebellion after all. If we don't brag, how can we deceive the people into rebelling? Ordinary people are always willing to stand on the side of the winner."
Zhu Qingyi glanced at Zhang Yanling and nodded slightly.
"So, Lord Zhang, why did you come to me? Prince Qing's Palace is not interested in these matters. The person who rebelled is the one who rebelled, and has nothing to do with Prince Qing's Palace."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Princess, no one can stay out of this matter. If you say it has nothing to do with it, I'm afraid it's against your will. In three days, are you willing to marry that Sun Jingwen?"
Zhu Qingyi looked angry and said in a deep voice: "That's my business and has nothing to do with you."
Zhang Yanling said: "Of course it has nothing to do with me. That Sun Jingwen is now a rebel military advisor. If you marry him, you will become a member of the rebel family. After the rebellion is suppressed, you will be beheaded by the court."
Zhu Qingyi frowned and said nothing.
"Also, in three days, are you willing to hand over the money of your Qing Palace to Zhu Zhixiu to recruit troops? That is also the same as rebellion, and you will be beheaded. Or, the young prince Zhu Taihao is going to issue a notice to rebel against the enemy. Well? That’s not to mention the matter of moving your head from Prince Qing’s Mansion to another. Do you think it has anything to do with you?” Zhang Yanling continued.
Zhu Qingyi looked at Zhang Yanling with some annoyance, feeling that this man's smile was disgusting. He couldn't help but pick up the pot. If he had a way to solve these problems, what else could he say?
"Hmph. Even if I, Prince Qing, have to agree to these things, there is nothing we can do about it. The court is incompetent and cannot send a large army to quell the rebellion. We people are powerless to resist the persecution of others, but in the end it is still our fault? So is Zuo. Death, right is also death, do we have a choice? If you have the ability, you will put down the rebellion. Let others not be in a dilemma, instead of coming to accuse and settle things." Zhu Qingyi said angrily.
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly and said: "The princess is a sensible person, and what she said makes perfect sense. Because of this, I took the liberty to show up to see the princess. It is precisely to help the princess solve this dilemma, to rescue the princess and the princess. Everyone in Prince Qing's Mansion. Of course, it is also for self-rescue and counter-rebellion. I wonder if the princess has the interest and courage to help me. By helping me, you are helping yourself and Prince Qing's Mansion."