Chapter 396 Zhang Yanyi’s assist (5k)
Creak... crunch...
The sound of wheels rolling over the snow is particularly sweet in the wind.
“Drive!” Hou Ren swung the whip in his hand and drove the carriage around and around. Under the cover of Shen Juan and Qian Kerou, he made several large circles and appeared on a relatively quiet road. on the street.
"My lord, the tail is thrown away."
Shen Juan and Qian Kerou got out of the carriage when it passed an alley, rolled into the carriage, brushed off the snow foam on their bodies, and said to Zhao Duan, who was in the carriage with his eyes closed to relax.
"Yes." Zhao Duan slowly opened his eyes, looked at the two disguised subordinates, and said with a smile:
"Thank you for your hard work."
Huang The attack in Tingxiang finally attracted the attention of some people.
Zhao Duan is not sure who the perpetrators are. Fortunately, because the incident happened suddenly, he has not been targeted by any powerful person yet.
After the group left the chess stall, with their rich experience in "anti-tracking", they easily got rid of the people who were trying to follow them.
It was only then that the three subordinates finally took time out. The little secretary Qian Kerou was full of admiration:
"Sir, you have such abilities, you are really amazing!"
True feelings from a female subordinate.
Shen Juan was also amazed:
"I thought that little monk was so confident that he dared to challenge the national players. I didn't expect that the adults would be superior and resolve a trouble easily.
Hey, when the news spreads, the people in the Western Regions might think that it is Wenzhu. The princess deliberately brought you there to defeat the young monk... Does this count as creating a gap between the two parties? Hiss, sir, is this chess game already in your plan? "
From the male subordinate? The east is imitated.
Zhao Duan rolled his eyes, shook his head and smiled:
"How can I be so good? It's just a coincidence."
Although this coincidence is indeed too much in the eyes of some people...
And, as Shen Juan said, after the Red Sect master learned the details, he might indeed suspect that Princess Wenzhu did it deliberately. ...Zhao Duan could only say sorry for this, he really didn't mean it.
Who made Danche bump into his gun?
Although it must be admitted that if we compare the real chess skills, the strength of young monk Danche is definitely higher than his.
But...
We can't just watch Dan Che sweep across the chess world and let this group of bald thieves from the Western Region who are suspected of being part of the "Great Purification Master" succeed, right?
"Don't underestimate this princess. I believe she can resolve the misunderstanding. But I didn't expect that a tentative contact would turn out like this."
Zhao Duan He spread his hands and looked innocent.
嘁——
The three subordinates did not say anything, but they were a little unconvinced. As for their master’s unpredictable chess skills, it can only be said that they have become accustomed to it and are almost numb.
"Anyway, go back first. Keep your mouth shut about this matter."
Zhao Duan gave serious instructions.
The matter was so big that he suspected that his vest would be exposed sooner or later... he could only try his best to cover it up, and it would be best to expose it later.
Otherwise, it is not a good thing for people to know that "King Zhao Yama" and Princess Manzhu are mixed together.
Shen Juan and Qian Kerou responded, but Hou Renmeng, who was driving outside the curtain, remained silent.
On the contrary, the carriage suddenly stopped!
Beyond the carriage curtain, there was the sound of horses neighing, and Hou Ren's unusually alert voice:
"Sir, it seems that you haven't shaken your tail cleanly."
Zhao Duxin shook his head. With a sigh, he raised his hand and quickly opened the corner of the car curtain. As the cold air poured in, three pairs of eyes in the car clearly saw a "weird man" standing in the middle of the street ahead.
He was wearing a large dark cloak, covering his body from head to toe. His feet were as wide as his shoulders, his hands were folded in front of him, and he was holding an extraordinarily wide scarlet giant sword!
One end of the giant sword was nailed to the snow-covered ground, and the hilt was pressed hard by the man's big hand. The body of the sword was engraved with golden ancient seal characters.
"...You can leave on your own and don't worry about me,"
Zhao Duan looked at the strange man blocking the road for a moment, and suddenly said with a strange expression, "Don't worry about me."
Then he stepped out of the carriage.
The three of Qian Kerou exchanged glances, curious, but still obeyed the order and left in silence.
"Zazaza——"
The carriage left quickly, leaving only two people on the quiet street.
The cold wind of Zhao Duan's sword lifted up a corner of the man's cloak, revealing the black priest's robe underneath. He cupped his fists and raised his hands:
"But the Tianshi Mansion, the little Tianshi? Senior Brother Zhongpan? "
Zhong Pan smiled in surprise: "You are Zhao Duan."
......
......
The person who is better than Dan Che is related to my aunt?
At the door of the royal study, Xu Zhenguan’s face as white as snow showed a little surprise and said:
“Please go to the side hall.”
Russian qing.
In a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Princess Manzhu, wrapped in a long dress soaked in dirty snow and mud, crossed the threshold and saw the smiling face of the empress next to the brazier in the house:
"Auntie, is it cold outside? Sit down quickly and have a cup of hot milk."
The noble lady from the Western Regions, who had a little time to show for her time, also had a gentle smile on her face. She took off her coat under the service of the palace maid.
There is also a warm soup woman in the frozen catkins.
First there were a few useless pleasantries, and then the topic turned to the chess game in Huangting Alley.
"Auntie is saying that the chess player who defeated the young monk Danche was a hero from the capital who unexpectedly met in Dongcheng?" Xu Zhenguan sat on a chair next to the brazier.
Looked at the woman sitting opposite him in surprise.
Princess Manzhu nodded, with a look of wonder and complexity on her face:
"The handsome man called himself Link. At first, he only thought that he had a chivalrous spirit and harbored He has a kind heart, but he never thought that he would have such means.”
You seem to be teasing me... When did there be such a handsome man named Lin in Beijing? I know nothing? The empress was a little suspicious.
But no matter how you look at it, you can't see any trace of the aunt in front of you deceiving yourself. What's more, this matter is inherently weird.
From a standpoint, even though Wen Zhu’s mother’s family is in the Yu State, there is no reason to deliberately sabotage the Western Region Mission—and use such crude means.
When things cannot be predicted by logic, you can only rely on luck.
Next, Princess Wenzhu expanded on this topic and began to frequently praise Mr. Lin. The more Xu Zhenguan listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She frowned cautiously:
"What does aunt want to say?"
Princess Wenzhu showed her aunt's smile: "I don't mean anything else. I just feel that such a talent should not be buried."
Xu Zhenjian nodded and said:< br>
"I will look for this person. It is the time for the imperial court to employ people. If it is true as my aunt said, he should be reused."
Princess Manzhu smiled ambiguously:
"Auntie means that since you can use Zhao Duan and Link..."
Xu Zhenguan's jade face was covered with frost, and she almost suddenly became cold. She said lightly:
"Auntie, there's no need to say any more."
With her intelligence, how could she not hear the hidden meaning?
She was fully aware of her aunt's intention to tactfully match her and give her a new face, and she felt dissatisfied.
He even felt an inexplicable disgust towards the so-called "Mr. Lin".
"Zhao Qing's talent cannot be compared to that of a cat or a dog." Realizing that her attitude was too cold, the empress made some amends.
Princess Wenzhu's smile froze, and she smiled sarcastically, but sighed in her heart, wondering what kind of ecstasy soup the traitor surnamed Zhao gave her niece?
My niece is too deeply poisoned and there is no cure.
Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming awkward, Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips and took the initiative to change the topic:
"My aunt just happened to be here. How about staying in the palace tonight? I have ordered people to clean up my aunt's old residence in the palace. The decorations are the same as before."
said Thinking of this, the imperial aura in her body became much softer. She even took the initiative to hold her aunt's hands, which were much rougher than her own, and smiled:
"Tonight, you and I will put aside everything else and just treat my aunt as my niece." "
Princess Wenzhu was stunned for a moment, looking at Xu Zhenguan's bright eyes with a little sincerity, a warm current surged in her heart.
Yes, the niece in front of me has only been the empress for less than three years.
And in this huge and deep palace, looking around, apart from myself, where else is there half of the Xu family?
Thinking about it this way, Zhenguan is probably as lonely in this capital as he was when he was in the Golden Tent in the Western Regions.
The flames danced in the red hot charcoal basin at the feet of the two women.
Outside the side hall door, dark clouds blocked the sun, and a few snowflakes fell faintly.
The thin ice crystals fell on the dark red palace wall, like a sigh.
The aunt and nephew talked softly, talking about their respective childhoods and the warm moments buried in the past that were rare for the royal family.
Although they are separated by generations, the experiences of the two women have too many similarities.
Both of them were neglected by their parents, both like to read, and both have shown women's skills and wisdom in crisis situations and achieved extraordinary achievements.
Although the two women had not had many emotional interactions in the past, when they talked now, there was a sense of royal family affection permeating the air.
“Zhenguan, there are some things I shouldn’t say,”
Princess Manzhu saw that the time was ripe and tentatively spoke:
"I have heard about the unhappiness between you and those uncles in the Western Regions. I know you are suffering, and it is not easy to maintain this situation, but the royal bloodlines are at war with each other. After all, I am ashamed of my ancestors..."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to smile, and the affection in his eyes slowly faded:
"Auntie is here to persuade me?"
"I just don't want to cause too much trouble." Princess Manzhu smiled bitterly:
"If you agree, I think that as the year is approaching, I will come forward and talk to your uncles. After all, we are all one family. If we can make peace, why bother..." Xu Zhenguan smiled and shook his head. , she slowly withdrew her hand and said with complicated eyes:
"Auntie, actually I once admired you very much."
Princess Manzhu was stunned.
Xu Zhenguan sat slightly sideways, looking towards the deep palace outside the door, and said softly:
"The things you did after you got married to the Western Regions. You were able to stand firm as a woman alone, surrounded by wolves, and you have such a reputation today. I admire you very much."
After a pause, she suddenly smiled with an unclear meaning and said:
"So, after the Xuanmen coup, when I was pushed by the situation and sat on the throne in a daze, I went to find someone to ask, I wanted to find out how you did it in the Western Regions. I wanted to learn from it, but after reading it, I realized that we are not different, even very different."
Gong Wenzhu opened his mouth: "You... ..."
Xu Zhenguan waved her hand to interrupt her and said softly:
"Although outsiders often compare me with you, I know that you and I are different. Aunt, do you know how I view you?
A vassal. Yes, a vassal. In fact, you have always been in power.
You followed your father when you were unmarried, so the emperor ignored you in every possible way, but you still followed his will to marry you and went to the Western Regions. But I was different. When my father asked me to marry, , I won’t obey.”
“After you went to the Western Regions, you vassalized your married husband at that time. Although he was seriously injured, he was still there. As long as he was there, he could gather his banners. The flag of power.
You cleverly used this flag to forcibly extend his life for a few years. During this period, you became the border army of the Yu Kingdom in the Western Region and the Buddhist Dharma King. Vassal.”
"Auntie, from the beginning to the end, you have always placed yourself in a position that is useful and valuable to stronger people with power.
So you seem to be moving between various forces. , but you are still trying to please people, and it is the same this time. You returned to Dayu and put yourself in the position of a relative, trying to please me. "
Princess Wenzhu's throat is dry.
I wanted to say something, but was interrupted again by Xu Zhenguan with a smile.
"It's okay, no need to explain. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this. If I hadn't been talented in cultivation, and had been recognized by Tai'a Sword, and had a fairly strong cultivation base, I would have Even worse than you, aunt, you have played the princess card very well..."
"Back when you were in the Western Regions, you used your identity as a princess to become the link between the Yu Kingdom and the Buddhist ancestral court, as well as the major tribes in the Western Regions Kingdom, thereby maintaining your status.
Now, you Doing the same thing as before, wanting to be the link between me, the empress, and the eight princes...
This is called... ha, according to that guy Zhao Duan, it is a 'path' Dependence', he always comes up with some weird but appropriate words."
Xu Zhenguan smiled a little deeper and said:
"But Yu Kingdom and the Western Regions, after all. It's different. Auntie, you have been outside for too long, and you may have forgotten the cruelty here. Why would I want to go to war with my uncle?
It's just that the current situation pushes people to do this, just like the moment Chen Jiuyan sat down on the chess stall in Huangting Alley, it was almost impossible to get down. "
Princess Wenzhu was silent.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered what Mr. Lin said to her at the entrance of the Dongcheng alley not long ago.
< br>The Yu Kingdom is different from the Western Regions
So, it would be wrong for her to follow the same method as in the Western Regions to be close to the people.
Therefore, it was also wrong for her to try to act as a "middleman" to ease the conflict between the Empress and the Eight Kings according to the method of combining vertical and horizontal lines.
She made the same mistake twice in one day.
It was pointed out by Mr. Lin and his niece respectively that from this point of view, the two people really match each other.
And I... it seems that I really thought too naively about the bloodshed in the royal family.
"Okay, aunt," Xu Zhenguan suddenly laughed again and pulled her to stand up:
"As I said, let's not talk about that tonight. I'll take you to the prepared palace."
Princess Wenzhu also smiled bitterly: "Actually..."
Xu Zhenguanla Following her out, the empress in white clothes flew into the snow like a fairy:
"By the way, the date for the Buddhist debate has been set. It will be outside the Shenlong Temple in two days. At that time, do you want to Come with me to see the fun?
Oh, if it weren’t for the sake of giving face to the Dharma King of the Western Regions, I wouldn’t allow it, but they don’t expect how many people will come to watch this debate.”< br>
Princess Wenzhu sighed and said with a smile:
"I want to change into a dress first. I went out and got a lot of mud."
Xu Zhenguan let go with a smile and greeted a female official. Come over:
"Take Princess Manzhu to change clothes, please wear mine first."
When the others left, Xu Zhenguan's smile slowly faded, and he looked at the man waiting at the door. The familiar eunuch asked:
"Mo Chou isn't here?"
The eunuch said respectfully: "Mo Zhaorong went to look for the chess piece to wait for the imperial edict."
Xu Zhendian nodded and ordered:
"Send an order to the Yamen to check on that Link. Be quiet and don't make too much of a fuss. By the way, spread the news about the chess victory over the people from the Western Regions. Hmm, if those bald donkeys want fame, give them fame."
“Yes.”
"Wait," Xu Zhenguan suddenly spoke again, hesitated slightly, and said:
"Did Zhao Duan do anything in the past few days?"
"This slave has never heard of it. Mr. Zhao has been recuperating at home these days and has not shown up."
"How is his chess ability?"
"How does this slave know?"
"Well..." Xu Zhenguan thought for a while and said:
"When you go to Zhaoyamen, find out if Zhao Qing is at home today. If not, where did he go? Is there anyone in Lihuatang who is out today? ...There is no need to make a big show of it, let Ma Yan investigate quietly."
The eunuch was surprised: "Your Majesty, you must be suspicious, the chess player who defeated the people from the Western Regions is..."
Xu Zhenguan said angrily: "I asked you to do it, don't be nagging."
"I know I was wrong, so I will do it now." The eunuch shrank his neck and ran away.
The empress in white stood in the corridor, her expression full of uncertainty, and she whispered softly:
"You can't even play chess so amazingly, can't you..."
Tell her rationally. It was unlikely, but considering the many operations that guy had done in the past, she was a little unsure.
……
……
The backyard of Zhao Mansion.
A figure jumped in behind the wall with a "whoosh", and then looked around cautiously, with all senses open.
Avoiding the gazes of the servants and the several large wolf dogs guarding the house and courtyard, he quietly passed over the ridge of the roof, opened the door, and rolled into the room.
“Huh, I’m home now.”
Zhao Duan closed the door, looked at the extinguished brazier in the room, and the low temperature in the room, and muttered:
"It seems that no one has come in."
This morning he ordered his servants in the house to practice in seclusion and not to be disturbed during this period.
Now that I have climbed back over the wall, I want to cover up my whereabouts today as much as possible.
"Unfortunately, the matter has become a bit big. Zhenbao must have heard about it. Next, many people in the city will look for the non-existent Link... They can hide it for a day or two at most, two or three days. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my vest..."
Zhao Duan took off his coat, sat at the table, and muttered helplessly:
"It's not my fault. If I didn't mess around, no one would investigate me in a big way..."
Shaking his head and putting this episode aside, Zhao Duan took out the storage scroll from his arms and wrist Give it a little shake.
"Crash——"
Suddenly, dozens of thick scriptures fell on the round table and piled up into a small mountain.
He picked up a book casually. The book was cold to the touch, and the cover had the large characters of "Jialan Golden Sutra" written on it.
Zhao Duan twitched the corner of his mouth, almost gritting his teeth: "Lao Zhang is so 'caring'."
Zhong Pian's interception was not an accident.
After meeting the Little Heavenly Master before, the two went to sit in a nearby shop. Zhao Duan was not surprised that Jin Jian's "elder brother" could see through his disguise at a glance.
As for his ability to recognize the other party, it was due to the portrait of Zhongpan obtained from the gold slips when he visited the Tianshi Mansion that day.
That day, he failed to see Lao Wang... Bah, Lao Zhang... Bah, Zhang Yanyi, the old heavenly master.
I couldn't see Judge Zhong either, but I didn't want to meet him by chance today.
Considering the intelligence, this vicious senior brother helped him in the battle at Yansuo Lake, Zhao Duan was eager to thank him.
I wanted to "arrange" for the other party to have a meal and then go to Rouge Alley to listen to music or something, but Judge Zhong just smiled and said that he was here on Zhang Yanyi's order.
Send him a batch of scriptures and tell him the exact time of the Buddhist scripture debate in two days.
"Although I don't know why Master asked me to send these scriptures to you, Master said that you might need them." Zhong Pan's smiling words still ring in his ears.
...
In the room.
Zhao Duan looked at the mountains of scriptures and sighed softly:
"As long as you can pinch it, it counts."
Obviously, he is good at divination. Zhang Yanyi had predicted that Zhao Duan might be restless during this debate.
Therefore, as the leader of the Tianshi Mansion who is very happy to see Buddhism having fun, Zhang Yanyi actively provides assists.
Zhao Duan opened another "Book of Classics" called "Information on the Debate of Classics" and his mouth twitched.
Well, this book is simply handwritten, and it even details the theme of the upcoming debate, as well as possible extensions of ideas by both parties, and even a guide to the past works of the "Holy Monk" Red Sect Master. Wait for reference materials.
"Old Zhang, you really think highly of me..."
Zhao Duan muttered softly, but the corners of his mouth slowly raised.
Do you want to do something in this debate? Zhao Yanwang, who must retaliate, said that he had this intention for a long time.
"Nagarjuna Bodhisattva wants to pick a fight with me, right? Master Ghastly Purity, do you dare to assassinate me? Master Red Sect, your ancestral home in the Western Regions accepts the petition of Ghajing, right? And that old Prajna The nun... wants to sleep with me, right? "
"A gentleman wants to take revenge. From morning to night, you really thought that the assassination attempt on me was successful, so let's just forget about it? I, don’t blame me for being cruel.”
Thank you for your support in 2023...1392, Yu Qianyeer’s ACE, and Xing’s Sorrow Hundreds of Rewards!
(End of this chapter)