The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1172 - 633: Secret Chamber Beneath the Grand Temple (2)
She immediately became happy and dragged her daughter out to order someone to prepare the carriage, intending to boast about this good news in the social circle of noblewomen in the Capital.
The Zhao Mansion was naturally filled with joy. As the carriage traveled through the streets and alleys, passing by the vicinity of Cai Market, they saw a procession of eunuchs from the palace, making a grand show as they paraded.
"What’s going on?" You Jinhua ordered someone to stop the carriage and curiously lifted the curtain to inquire.
A servant quickly went to ask and returned shortly with a report, "Madam, it’s the Heavenly Official from the palace displaying the head of the rebel Prince Jing by imperial decree."
At this moment, the crowd watching from all sides grew larger, with people constantly exclaiming in surprise, and palace attendants loudly proclaiming the news.
Soon, as more citizens learned of Zhao Douan’s beheading of Prince Jing, a buzz of astonishment erupted around.
"Didn’t they say that Commander Zhao set a military order for three months after the start of spring? How could he have finished so soon after the new year began?"
"I’m afraid this Prince Jing was too weak."
"Not so, if he were weak, how could the ’Military God’ not take him down? In my view, he made a grave mistake angering Zhao Yan... Commander Zhao, haha, Mr. Zhao wanted him dead by midnight, who would dare let him live to five in the morning?"
For a time, the discussions were widespread, and Zhao Douan’s nickname "King Yan" became even more cemented.
...
...
Yunfu.
At the edge of the vast mountain forest, tens of thousands of miles away from the Capital.
The mountain wind blew, stirring the green "waves" of the endless forest.
Xu Jianwen stood on a small hill, dressed as an elegant young noble, but his face was unusually pale, exuding an aura of weakness.
Behind him, Qi Yuchun, carrying a large spear, silently followed.
Since the battle at Hu Ting, Qi Yuchun abandoned Ren Kun and fled, searching painstakingly nearby for three days before finally finding the severely injured Xu Jianwen, nearly starved to death, in a rock cave.
Afterward, the master and servant quickly left Hu Ting, heading south straight for Jiancheng Road, but instead of seeking out Xu Jinglong, they turned toward the southwest, finally arriving at the "Southwest Territory," home to the Liao Clan.
"Do you see? Beyond this line is outside of Yu Country," Xu Jianwen pointed to a boundary marker below, hidden by plants.
Qi Yuchun asked, "Your Highness, why did you come here instead of reuniting with Xu Jinglong and waiting for Xu Wen to return?"
Xu Jianwen calmly replied, "Why would I really want to conquer the world for him, Xu Wen? The reason I brought you there before was merely to deal with Zhao Douan. It’s a pity, a misstep, I couldn’t kill him and ended up fleeing in panic... However, hehe, he only took a piece of the board for now; the whole game is still large. As long as I still breathe, there is hope for a comeback."
Qi Yuchun was puzzled; could the hope for a comeback lie in the Liao Clan? How could an alien race become a help?
Xu Jianwen didn’t explain but took out a purple flute and began to play it softly.
The melody was melodious.
After a long while.
Qi Yuchun’s pupils shrank as he saw a few giant strange birds flapping their wings in the forest, with Liao Clan sentinels on their backs.
"Caw!"
The strange birds flew closer, and the flowers and grass on the ground swayed in the wind their wings generated.
On the back of the leading strange bird, a female sentinel leaped down.
She was tall, wearing a dress sewn from animal skins, her exposed skin dark and glossy like ink, around twenty years old, her exotic face, with green eyes full of curiosity and awe.
On the belt of her skirt was a collection of bone ornaments, including a white flute.
"Chatter chatter..." As soon as the white flute landed, she first looked at Qi Yuchun with extreme vigilance, then spoke to Xu Jianwen in the language of the Liao Clan.
Afterward, Xu Jianwen surprisingly also communicated with her in the same language.
Qi Yuchun was astonished; this scene was beyond his expectations.
Suddenly, Xu Jianwen turned his head, looked at him with a smile, and asked, "Do you think why my wife and daughter were sent to Yunfu beforehand? Do you think why, after the coup failed, I still organized the Kuangfu Society to resist the court? What gave me the confidence?"
A flash of inspiration suddenly streaked through Qi Yuchun’s mind, and he blurted out, "Your Highness, you’ve long been in league with the Liao Clan..."
The words "in league" stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
As a former commander of the Forbidden Army, Qi Yuchun found it hard to accept the notion of allying with the alien race.
Xu Jianwen offered no explanation and just said, "You’ll understand shortly."
By this time, the female sentinel had already commanded two of her tribesmen to have the strange birds crouch down, inviting the two to mount.
Smiling, Xu Jianwen climbed onto a strange bird, and after a brief hesitation, Qi Yuchun had no choice but to follow.
Not long after, the group took flight, slicing through the air into the Liao Clan "territory," leaving Yu Country far behind.
Leading the way, the female sentinel known as White Flute, navigated through numerous defenses with the group before finally arriving at a huge, "stockade-like" structure hidden in the forest.
And stopped at the center of the stockade, outside the "temple."
When Xu Jianwen and Qi Yuchun dismounted, many people in the stockade paused their activities, watching curiously and cautiously.
Yet... there was no evident hostility.
This greatly surprised Qi Yuchun, for historically, the Liao Clan and Yu Country had been in constant conflict.
And soon, as he followed Xu Jianwen, led by White Flute, knocking on the "temple’s" door, he saw the building’s interior rich with Yu Country style—a bookcase, a rocking chair, writing materials, potted plants, calligraphic scrolls on the walls... and the middle-aged man welcomed them, with disheveled hair, wearing a loose purple long robe, barefoot, Qi Yuchun felt as if a hammer had struck his head—a brief blankness, he stared at the middle-aged man coming out and exclaimed, "Song Zhi?! Is that you? Why are you here?!"
Song Zhi!
Once the Crown Prince’s Horse Washer, later became a close friend of the Second Prince Jianwen.
To avoid risk, resigned from his post as the Crown Prince’s Horse Washer, left the Capital, traveled the martial world, and disappeared, Song Zhi!
The once renowned scholar, with a chance to rise to a Great Scholar and who had contact with Heavenly Master Zhang, Song Zhi!
"Song Zhi greets Your Highness." Song Zhi first respectfully saluted Xu Jianwen, then smiled at Qi Yuchun, saying, "Commander Qi, please come inside for a chat."
Qi Yuchun dumbfoundedly entered the room, the door closing behind, leaving only the three inside.
Song Zhi first spoke to Xu Jianwen, "Your Highness arrives at the right moment, I have an important matter to inform you."
Xu Jianwen naturally took a seat, curiously asking, "What happened?"
Song Zhi, with a heavy expression, said, "Just earlier, the clan’s priest, through divine state, learned from the Divine that a battle of Heavenly Human levels broke out in the Marine Road, and the result shows, Qingshan Martial Immortal Wu Xiankui seems to be seriously injured and hidden, as for Prince Jing, Xu Wen... is likely... dead."
Xu Wen is dead!
At this moment, despite Xu Jianwen’s usual composure, he was left stunned, staring at Song Zhi, breathing slightly tense, "Is this true?"
Song Zhi earnestly replied, "Divine revelation cannot be faked."
Xu Jianwen’s face darkened, suddenly furious, exclaiming, "Useless!"
This term "useless" undoubtedly referred to Prince Jing.
As for the combat details on the Marine Road, although he didn’t know, he could vaguely guess. The Empress and Wu Xiankui both intervened, and combined with the news of Zhao Douan leading his troops into the Coastal area...
Most likely, Prince Jing’s death had something to do with that Zhao Douan.
Xu Jianwen’s expression became extremely grim. Prince Jing’s death so soon was bad news for him.
"Mr. Song." After a long while, Xu Jianwen suddenly spoke.
The scholar, who contentedly lived among this Barbaric Alien Clan for a decade, looked at the Second Prince. "Your Highness?"
Xu Jianwen looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Now only the Buddhist Sect remains in the Northwest; if the court stabilizes Xiping, I will have no chance."
"So..."
"Prepare, it’s time for the Liao Clan to go to war."
