Chapter 225: Audacious and helpless
Chapter 225: Being daring and having no choice
Seeing the dozens of people riding away in the blink of an eye, but none of their backs were as grand as when they came, Qu Chongyu shook his head and leisurely led several captains to follow him up the stairs. After entering the city gate and just after passing the Wengcheng, I heard loud and cheerful singing coming from afar, and the entire Xizhou City seemed to be enveloped in a festive carnival. He stopped and listened for a while, a slightly mocking smile slowly appeared on his face. When he turned into the main road in the city of Xizhou and saw the figure coming towards him, the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth immediately became deeper.
Su Nanjin didn't pay attention to all this, but as soon as he saw Qu Chongyu, he quickened his pace and walked over, his tone almost angrily, "Yulang, what happened? How did I hear that the Xizhou people hugged Pei Shouyue and returned to him? It’s really unreasonable to have people singing and dancing all the way through their house! Why didn’t you ask, didn’t Mr. Wang order Pei Shouyue to be jailed and severely interrogated as soon as he arrived in Xizhou?”
Qu Chongyu lowered his eyes and shook his head in disinterest, "You think I don't want to interfere, but you think I am willing to let him go? There is nothing you can do, this matter can no longer be done!"
Su Nanjin's eyes almost bulged out, "Why did Yulang say this? What does it mean not to be allowed?" He looked at Qu Chongyu several times suspiciously, "Could it be that the Kudi family said something when they asked to see the Protector today? , have you changed your mind?"
Qu Chongyu glanced at him lightly, "This matter is difficult to explain in one sentence. In short, Pei Shouyue cannot be moved or interrogated now. Not only can I not be moved, but my father can't be moved either, otherwise he will be burned. If Ziyu really wants to understand, You might as well come with me!”
Su Nanjin was full of suspicion and anger, but she could only follow Qu Chongyu all the way into the Duhu Mansion, but she went directly to the main hall. As soon as the officer's announcement ended, Qu Zhizhan's voice rang out from behind the door curtain, "Please invite Su Canjun in quickly!"
Su Nanjin hurriedly lifted the curtain and walked in. She saw that Qu Zhizhan had stood up. His round face, which was always smiling, turned out to be filled with sadness. On the table in front of him, there was an eye-catching carpet with a long One end of the two-foot-long white cloth has been dragged to the ground, and it is covered with dark red patterns.
Su Nanjin was even more suspicious. She took a step forward and bowed. Before she could speak, Qu Zhizhan said in a loud voice, "Master Su, hurry up and forgive me. You came just in time. Although I have already written a letter to Manager Wang, You'd better come and see this thing with your own eyes, and report it to the general manager in detail when you get to the military camp."
This object? Su Nanjin's eyes immediately followed Qu Zhizhan's fingers to the long white cloth in front of him. When he took a closer look, he couldn't help but gasped - this was not an ordinary white cloth with dark red patterns, it was clearly a piece of white cloth. A love letter written in blood! On the far right are a few lines of slightly messy Juanxiu regular script:
"The sages have said that if you want a tree to grow long, you must strengthen its roots; if you want a tree to flow far, you must dredge its source; if you want to think about the safety of the country, you must accumulate its virtues. Is it okay to think about the safety of the country if you don't have strong virtues? Therefore, because of the high merits of Hou Junji, the late emperor still tied him up with a torture net. Now, Cheng Zhijie and Wang Wendu, the general managers of Congshan Road, have been promoted and appointed as generals. They cannot uprightly serve the law and repay His Majesty's kindness. They are greedy, cruel and licentious. , because of his own selfish desires, he massacred himself in the city of Tang Dynasty, killed thousands of people, and plundered goods without any plan, which made the people outside the territory bear eternal hatred; made the honest people suffer unjust injustice; and in order to deceive the saints, they My heart is particularly aroused, and I implore Your Majesty to use the power of thunder and lightning to bring the murderer to death, so that all the people in the Western Frontier can appreciate the mighty grace of the Holy One!"
Behind it are countless signatures and dark red fingerprints of different sizes and handwritings. The two-foot-long piece of cloth is densely packed, and there may be thousands of them.
The more Su Nanjin read, the more frightened she became. She suddenly raised her head and looked at Qu Zhizhan, "This is..."
Qu Zhizhan almost sighed with his whole chest, "Su Canjun also saw it, this is the Book of All Peoples, the Book of All Peoples written with the blood of thousands of people! Kudi sent it here this morning , claiming that if we send Pei Shouyue to prison, she will take the monk Hu Shang from Xizhou to Chang'an with a blood letter! "
It’s this extremely hateful woman again! Su Nanjin clenched her fist, gritted her teeth and snorted, "Quduhu, how dare she act so boldly, blatantly slandering imperial officials and inciting ignorant people, why didn't the Duhu put her in jail first? Is it possible that we still have to suffer this? Her coercion?"
Qu Zhizhan's expression was even more sad, "Su Canjun, you might as well go to the military camp and report this matter to General Manager Wang. If General Manager Wang wants to take the Kudi family, just send someone to take it. I, the Protectorate, will not do it." Stop it! But if Qu is allowed to take her, please forgive me for not daring to obey. Now that the Wanmin Book has been published, the whole city will know about it. If we take her, we can't hide it no matter what..." He stretched out his finger. Pointing upward, he made the sign "five" again, shook his head and sighed one after another.
Su Nanjin thought about it for a moment and couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. Exactly, how could he forget that there was another person behind the Cudi family? If that person knew about this...
Qu Chongyu's voice sounded coldly beside him, "Ziyu, you have been away from Chang'an for a long time, and you still don't know how powerful this Kudi family is. What is the identity of the eldest princess Linhai? Because she offended her, she is now alive." It's better to die! This woman is very scheming. Since she dared to write this **** letter, she has been fully prepared. Unless Xizhou becomes stubborn overnight, if she touches a hair, this will happen. The matter cannot be concealed from Chang'an. Generally speaking, the Tang Dynasty never executed a general for greed for money, but if he harmed his colleagues and deceived the emperor, he would only end up confiscating his family and destroying his family. It is prosperous, a princess has fallen, and the general manager Wang has great military achievements, is loyal, and is favored by the saints. They may dare to take a gamble. I, the Qu family, are just a minister of Huawai, so how can I dare to take such a risk? I can only invite the general manager and the general? We have some understanding.”
Su Nanjin was speechless for a moment. How could he not know how powerful Kudis was? The Qu family father and son in front of him had nothing to do with the massacre of the city, and they would not take the risk of offending the queen. It would be easy for them to beat up a drowned dog. If they were to face such a tigress... After thinking for a long time, he could only sneer. , "So, Lord Qu has made up his mind to stand by and let the couple live freely?"
Qu Zhizhan looked at Su Nanjin sincerely, "Don't blame Su for joining the army. Qu was originally timid, but now he has nothing to ask for. He just hopes that the Book of Ten Thousand People can stay in the Protectorate's Mansion for one day, or not." It’s better to submit it to the imperial study room in Chang’an! Otherwise, who among us in this room can get a good reputation?”
Seeing that the muscles behind Su Nanjin's cheeks were bulging out, he pointed to a few signatures on the back of the long scroll and said with a wry smile, "Due to the order to join the army, the Protectorate has not issued the An family's passport to Chang'an these days. So, if you want to join the army now, please look at the signatures on the Ten Thousand People's Book. Which Hu merchants have not left their names? Even the monks have their names. In the past half month, no matter how strict the access control is in Xizhou, merchants going east have not left their names. There are always quite a few monks. Who knows if they also carry such a blood letter? If someone left the city half a month ago and rode fast day and night, he might not be far from Chang'an now..." He He sighed again and suddenly stopped talking.
Su Nanjin was stunned. He really didn't expect Kudis to have such connections and courage. If that was the case, wouldn't the matter be irreversible?
Qu Chongyu took a step closer, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a cold voice, "Ziyu, I advise you not to act rashly, otherwise you will get angry. Why not go back to the camp and ask General Manager Wang for instructions before making any plans? Besides, it's Wang. You should think more about what the manager has to say and discuss it with your father."
Su Nanjin glanced at Qu Chongyu blankly at first, and then came to his senses. If the Qu family and his son were not willing to be the sword in the hands of Manager Wang, how could his own father and son be willing to do it? Thinking of this, he felt that he couldn't stand for a moment, and he hurriedly bowed, "Thank you, Protector, and Yulang. Su will go back to the camp to report to the general manager now!" Without waiting for Qu Chongyu to see him off, he turned around directly. It rolled out like the wind.
In the hall, Mr. Qu and his son looked at each other and smiled. Qu Zhizhan tapped the white cloth spread on the table with his index finger, with a rather playful look on his face, "This Cudi is a bit too courageous, but it saves me the trouble of waiting. Otherwise, if Su Nanjin really wants to take Wang Wendu's arrow to avenge him, you and I will have a headache. But, just now, I suddenly had an idea, Yulang, do you think this Kudi family will really send someone to lead it? Got another blood letter?"
The smile on Qu Chongyu's face slowly faded, "My son doesn't know if she sent another blood letter. I only know that the coachman of Pei Shouyue's family has not shown up in Xizhou for half a month. This Woman, this woman..." He thought for a long time and suddenly realized that he couldn't find the right words to finish the sentence. …
The sound of singing and dancing outside Pei's house in Qushuifang lingered for more than half an hour. From various houses in the square, grape wine, fragrant butter cakes and various dried fruits are flowing out, making the atmosphere of singing even more lively. Seeing the sun setting in the west, everyone slowly dispersed with smiles.
Liuli let out a long breath, rubbed her face that was a little sore from laughing, gave a few instructions to Ayan and Xiaotan, comforted Yunyi who was jumping a little too excited, and then turned and walked towards the backyard.
As soon as Pei Xingjian returned home, everyone begged her to "wash away the bad luck and have a good rest." But as a housewife, she couldn't be lazy - speaking of it, she was indeed very grateful to these fiery Xizhou people. Yesterday she I thought it would be difficult to ask them to sign such a document to impeach a Tang general by name. Unexpectedly, these Xizhou people were even more excited than themselves. Many of them cut their fingers and wrote their own signatures on the spot. name…
Passing through the courtyard gate and walking towards the upper room, Liuli's steps slowed down unknowingly. Just now, Pei Xingjian came back all the way. Although Pei Xingjian smiled and held her hand tightly, there was something clearly in his eyes... She looked at the plum branches on the door curtain. , stopped in a daze. With his temperament, he probably wouldn't be happy to see himself using this method, right?
The pink and white plum branches were suddenly rolled up, and Pei Xingjian's figure appeared at the door. He had put on a half-worn jade-colored jacket, and his slightly damp black hair was spread around his shoulders. His face was obviously much fairer and moister than before, and his eyebrows were a little fresher, but his expression was still serious. Liuli stared at the waist of the jacket that was obviously too loose and blurted out, "What do you want for dinner?"
Pei Xingjian was startled for a moment, then sighed, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside." He held Liuli's hand and gently led her into the room. Before the door curtain even fell, he held her tightly in his arms.
His embrace was so warm and familiar that Liuli's body trembled involuntarily, and she reached out to hug Pei Xingjian, but she immediately felt clearly that he was even thinner than he looked. Something seemed to burst out of her heart instantly, and her tears rolled down silently.
Pei Xingjian lowered his head and kissed her eyes gently, with unconcealed pain in his voice, "Liu Li, silly Liuli."
Liuli tilted her head back, stretched out her arms to wrap around his neck, and kissed his lips almost forcefully. Pei Xingjian was startled for a moment, then tightened his arms suddenly, clasped Liuli's head with one hand, and kissed her back deeply. More than a hundred longings day and night turned into a prairie fire at this moment, burning away all reason and questions...
…………
On this day, after it got completely dark, Liuli had dinner in bed. Pei Xingjian didn't allow her to get out of bed, so he went out and brought in two portions of soup cakes in a food box. He ate them three times, five times five times two, and watched Liuli eat most of the bowl. He half-sighed, half-smiled and said, "You will eat it every day from now on." I need to eat more, my hands are a bit numb just now when I hold you.”
Liuli raised her eyes and looked at him, "Who wants to change his clothes?"
Pei Xingjian laughed softly and brought a cup of hot water to Liuli's mouth. "After eating the soup cakes at home, I realized how amazing the cooks in the military warehouse are. It's really a good way to save military rations."
Liuli smiled and pushed him, "You can talk nonsense!"
The two chatted for a few more words. Pei Xingjian sat next to Liuli, wrapped her hand in his palm, stared down at the cut on her index finger, and after a long silence said, "Liuli, I know you are worried about me. , But don’t do such stupid things again!”
Liuli's eyelids suddenly became a little numb. There were so many talking voices along the way, such as blood letters and city massacres. What else could be hidden from him? But, if it's true... She smiled softly, "I'm not that stupid. What I'm doing is just for show. In fact... I killed a chicken."
Pei Xingjian was a little dumbfounded, but then he shook his head gently, "Even so, you are putting yourself in danger by doing this. When I return to Xizhou, I will be detained in the Duhu Mansion for a few days at most. Neither the Protector nor Prince Qu will make things difficult for me, so why would you take such a risk? Furthermore, if this matter is publicized, it will ultimately harm the reputation of the Tang Army. It will be even worse if the Holy Emperor's decree is not handled properly. The hearts of the people of Xizhou. How can it be worth it for me alone? Liuli, can you please promise me not to act so rashly in the future?"
Sure enough, it’s here! Liuli sighed inwardly, raised her eyes and looked directly at him, "I have never acted rashly, and I can't respond to you!"
Seeing that Pei Xingjian was completely stunned, she lowered her eyes and lowered her voice, "Shou, I am not you, and I have no ambitions. For me, my reputation as a saint, my family, my country, etc. are not as important as your safety. No matter what, I can't watch you suffer. If there is another time, I will definitely do it again!"
Pei Xingjian still looked at her blankly. After a while, he sighed and stretched out his arms to hold her in his arms. "Liu Li, Liu Li..." The murmured voice was full of helplessness.
Hoho. Well, what, during the Chinese New Year, I cannot guarantee normal updates. From the first to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, I will try my best to find time to type, but I really can’t guarantee that it will be available every day. If it is not available in the morning, everyone will have to wait. There should be another chapter tomorrow. I wish you all a happy Spring Festival and good luck in the Year of the Dragon.
(End of this chapter)