by Zhi Bai
An Zheng thought, sooner or later, he would have to see Mu Changyan. Now that he knew that Mu Changyan was under his control, it would be good to meet him and see what his intentions were. So he agreed, went back to change his official uniform, and returned to the Tiantong Palace with that young eunuch. Halfway there, An Zheng asked the young eunuch, "When did you enter the palace? Why haven't I seen you once before?"
The young eunuch replied humbly, "This servant entered the palace yesterday. Since Eunuch An was not around, this servant has done many more things." Your servant is called Xiang Chun, if Your Lordship has any other orders in the future, just say them. "
An Zheng nodded. Although he had never seen this little eunuch before, he still felt that there was something familiar about this little eunuch. Later, An Zheng found out that it was the smell. An Zheng had smelled this smell from someone before, but he couldn't remember what it was. This smell was very faint. If it wasn't for the fact that An Zheng had been in the Great Western Ming Fa Si for so many years and was already accustomed to maintaining his sensitivity to details, no one else would be able to smell it.
If it had been anyone else, they would have thought that the young eunuch was repressing the smell of the fat powder.
An Zheng followed him into the Tiantong Palace, and the moment he entered the door, he saw Chen Zaiyan walking quickly towards the outside. An Zheng's heart stirred, and he said to Chun Chun: "Go back and report first. Tell the King that I'll be right there.
Xiang Chun was a newcomer to the palace, so he didn't dare to say anything. He nodded and left. An Zheng went over to stop Chen Zaiyan and told him in a low voice that was most likely already under the control of the empress dowager's people. It was already difficult for Chen Zaiyan to maintain his calm, he did not say much and quickly left.
An Zheng was worried that Chen Zaiyan would be honest in front of Mu Changyan, but the things he said would be known by the empress dowager. Right now, the only people who were truly doing things in the State of Yan's imperial court were Chen Zaiyan and the others. If Chen Zaiyan and the others really fell, the distance between State of Yan and the destruction of a country would not be that far. Until now, the State of Yan still had not shown the limit of collapsing due to the huge consumption of financial resources and resources to fight the Youguo. The first reason was because of Fang Zhiji's ability, and the second was because of the operation of the people from the Army Department.
After An Zheng entered the Sky Protection Hall, he saw Mu Changyan sitting on a chair in a daze.
"We pay our respects to the King."
An Zheng said as he attached himself to his body.
Mu Changyan turned his head to the side, and the expression in his eyes when he looked at An Zheng indeed made him feel exceptionally unfamiliar. It was precisely because An Zheng already knew about it that he paid special attention to it. His heart trembled because the look in Mu Changyan's eyes right now was completely different from the look he had seen a few days ago. Could it be that in the time of one night, Mu Changyan had changed again?
"Where's An Chengli? Where's Nie Qing? "
Mu Changyan asked in a strange tone. An Zheng knew that the one sitting opposite him was no longer Mu Changyan, but he pretended to not see anything.
"This official does not know."
"An Chengli said that he would go see you, but he didn't come back. Nie Qing went to look for him, but Nie Qing did not come back … You really don't know? "
"This subject does not know that Eunuch An had looked for me, but when this subject was at the Martial Arts Academy, my family said that Nie Qing had come here, but when this subject rushed home, Nie Qing had already left. As for where Nie Qing went later on, this subject really doesn't know. "
Mu Changyan's expression changed, and he grunted before turning to look out the window. "An Zheng … The number of people that could be used by Gu Ruoyun became fewer and fewer. An Chengli must have thought that staying with Gu You didn't have any good prospects, so he ran. As for Nie Qing, he might come back, or he might not. So right now, you're the only one left alone who can trust. There are some things that I can only rely on you to do. "
"Your Majesty commands."
"Bring me Xiao Qi Dao."
"Hmm?"
An Zheng looked at Mu Changyan: "Didn't the King say that it is safer for Xiao Qi Dao to stay in this subject's side?"
Mu Changyan said: "The current environment has changed, I have decided to let Xiao Qi Dao be by my side, only then will I feel more at ease. I must personally teach him so that he can become a qualified Swallow King in the future. "
An Zheng was silent for a moment, then said: "This subject understands, I will personally bring Xiao Qi Dao to the Tiantong Palace after I return."
Mu Changyan's expression became noticeably friendlier, "Mn, I know your loyalty. Duan Ren, come in. "
Duan Ren, who was standing outside, walked in quickly and bowed while bowing, "Great King, please give your instructions."
Duan Ren was the commander of the original Black Tortoise Camp, and then Mu Changyan replaced him with An Zheng. Last time when the Gao Family attacked the Tiantong Palace, Duan Ren left at the last moment. Because Mu Changyan was controlled, all of the power under his command was discovered by the empress dowager, thus Duan Ren was called back. Only, Duan Ren and the others did not know that the current Mu Changyan was no longer the Swallow King they viewed as a leader in spirit.
"Go back with An Zheng, protect the Xiao Qi Dao and bring him back."
Duan Ren took over: "This subject obeys."
He stood up and looked at An Zheng, purposely standing perfectly straight, so that An Zheng could clearly see the official's uniform on his body. From the uniforms of the third rank imperial bodyguards, it looked exceptionally sleek. An Zheng didn't think that this person was detestable in the first place, but he felt a little disgusted at this moment. Even if Duan Ren were to escape in the Tiantong Palace, An Zheng did not think that it was an immoral act. Everyone was afraid of death, and it was only natural for them to cower in the face of death.
Furthermore, Duan Ren had done very well that day. Not many people could last longer than him in that situation.
"Now?"
An Zheng asked.
Mu Changyan nodded: "Now."
Duan Ren said with a fake smile: "Vice Commander An, let's go."
An Zheng acknowledged, then turned and left.
Duan Ren followed behind him, and said loudly while walking: "In the future, we will all be officials of the same court, and we will also need the assistance of Vice Commander An. We have a lot of things that we need you to do. We hope you can cooperate. "
Just as An Zheng was about to speak, he heard Duan Ren say in a low voice: "Don't turn back, continue walking forward … An Zheng, something must be wrong with the King. I don't know if you can tell, but the king sitting inside right now … It did not seem to be the original King. I didn't know what to do or who to talk to. "That's right, I'm jealous of you, and even hate you. But now, the only one I can trust is you …"
After he finished speaking, he continued to speak loudly, "Why, it seems like Vice Commander An isn't happy?"
An Zheng said: "Commander's instructions are enough."
Then he lowered his voice and replied, "You... The King is not the King anymore. "
Chapter 264 - Life and Death for Brothers
Duan Ren and An Zheng got on a carriage, it belonged to the Heavenly Awakening Sect.
Duan Ren was silent for a while, and then asked An Zheng: "Are there any countermeasures? Don't tell me you really want to hand Xiao Qi Dao over to the King? I just found out about the Xiao Qi Dao, and it hasn't spread out yet, but I'm guessing... If the King is not the King, or if something happened to the King, Embroidery Palace must have done something to him, so the matter regarding Xiao Qi Dao is no longer a secret. "
An Zheng shook his head: "Of course not."
Duan Ren said: "There is one thing you n
eed to be careful of, right now the King has yet to use his subordinate's power, which is probably a part of the Black Tortoise Camp and the Azure Dragon Battalion that has been hiding even deeper. As long as you do not hand over the Xiao Qi Dao, the King will not let this matter rest. The first thing I will do is declare you as a traitor, and the entire Heavenly Awakening Sect will be implicated. Furthermore, if the one controlling the King is really the Embroidery Palace, then she will make use of this opportunity to let the King use his current strength to fight your Heavenly Awakening Sect to the death. "
An Zheng acknowledged: "Thank you."
Duan Ren glanced at An Zheng: "I know you are wary of me, if it was me, it would be the same. I also know myself well enough that I followed the King not only for the sake of the high officials, but also to prove myself. I have always thought, if the State of Yan's current erosion situation was changed by me personally in the future, how proud would she be? But last time, when the Gao Family attacked the Tiantong Palace, I realized that I wasn't that kind of a great person, I didn't have that kind of firm conviction and fearlessness. Therefore … I still have to go. "
He sighed. "I can't change this country. I have to change myself."
An Zheng: "Where to?"
Duan Ren shook his head: "I don't know, when we arrive at Heavenly Awakening Sect, you should think of a way to send away the Xiao Qi Dao, then arrange for your people to disperse as soon as possible."
An Zheng: "I remember the first time I saw you, it should have been when I got rid of that female disciple of Zhuge Chouyun's … I have a question. Do you know that little eunuch who went to Heavenly Awakening Sect just now to ask me to enter the palace? So I'm guessing, you're also responsible for monitoring Zhuge Chouyun? "
Duan Ren said: "I have also never seen this person before, but I feel that there is something familiar about his hand."
He thought about it for a while and said, "It's the smell …"
An Zheng replied, "I can feel it too, if this person is Zhuge Chouyun's person?"
Duan Ren's expression changed, "Your Majesty never had any secrets from the beginning!"
An Zheng sighed, "That's right, the King never had any secrets from the beginning. The empress dowager had always played with the King like he was a doll, but all his struggles and resistances were meaningless. On the surface, the people from the military division were all the King's, while Chen Zaiyan was also loyal to the King. However, the truth was, the military did not have much strength. The number of people in the capital city was only eleven thousand, less than half of those that dared to go all out when called upon by Wang Kaitai and Fang Daozhi. Five or six thousand soldiers will have no effect on the situation. "
"What's more …"
An Zheng thought about the news he had gotten before killing Li Changlu.
Li Changlu said that the reason the empress dowager did not stop repairing and expanding the Embroidery Palace was not only because she had great reputation and style, but also because there was an army hidden underneath the Embroidery Palace. It had been almost six years since the old Swallow King passed away. Six years was enough for the empress dowager to secretly recruit an army. The empress dowager kept releasing smoke bullets, making everyone feel that she had been defeated everywhere, but in fact, it was precisely because of this that her opponents all relaxed their vigilance.
Think about it, what did she lose on the surface when she was defeated?
An Zheng's heart began to feel waves of coldness... He had underestimated the Empress Dowager Su from the beginning. Losing Li Changlu? Was this a loss to the Empress Dowager? Losing the Gao Family? Her Majesty would have been glad to get rid of the Gao family. He had used the Gao Family to destroy a large portion of the forces that were hidden in the Swallow King. Now, with the help of the Xiao Qi Dao, he would use the remaining power of the Swallow King to defeat him.
From beginning to end, Empress Dowager Su didn't lose anything. She had not wanted to kill Mu Changyan in the first place, but to control him.
The empress dowager must already know about the matters of the Xiao Qi Dao.
An Zheng quickly calculated in his mind... If the Swallow King today and the last time he saw it, had changed again, and the new eunuch who just entered the palace was Zhuge Chouyun's person, then it meant that the person who controlled the Swallow King had changed. Previously, he had assumed it to be Zhen Dao, but now, it seemed that Zhen Dao was already dead. The empress dowager would never allow the Xiao Qi Dao to live, as the power of the Swallow King was merely a test.
He turned around to look at Duan Ren. "There's a very small alley at the intersection ahead, and there's a courtyard that's been abandoned for a long time. Get off from there."
Duan Ren remained silent for a while, before asking, "Do you need my help?"
An Zheng shook his head: "I don't have anything that I need your help with. Try your best to let the brothers of the Black Turtle Regiment escape as far as they can. They are all cannon fodder. "
Duan Ren nodded and did not say anything else. The moment the carriage passed by the alley, he jumped off the carriage and rolled over, entering the abandoned house through a hole in the wall. Lying at the entrance of the cave, Duan Ren watched as An Zheng's carriage gradually disappeared.
"Maybe you're the one who changed the world."
Duan Ren muttered to himself as he turned his head to enter the house to wait for the sky to turn dark.
After returning to the Heavenly Awakening Sect, An Zheng walked in quickly: "Now that something important has happened, I invite Mr. Gu Chaotong to come over to discuss it. Lang Jing, personally lead a team to the Military Department, and ask the Minister of the Military Department, Master Chen Zaiyan, and the various Masters to come. If they don't agree, then we can ask General Wang Kaitai and General Fang Daozhi to lead the troops and send them off. Just say that I have just returned from Tiantong Palace and have something incomparably urgent. "
"Fatty, make a trip to Zaocang. Please bring all the experts and the most precious items from Zaocang with you. The Zaocang may not be able to protect it, if the Empress Dowager Su were to make a move, they would first eliminate our allies. "
Du Shoushou and Lang Jing knew that their master was too anxious and led them out immediately.
"Everyone put on your armors and bring out all the weapons that you can use. When I first came here, I had been strengthening and reforming this yard. Now, it's time for me to use it."
The hundreds of men from Heavenly Awakening Sect were immediately busy, although they did not know what was going to happen, but they could feel the urgency from An Zheng's body.
An Zheng hesitated a bit before entering the room: "Please come to my room, Great Mother Ye and Xiao Qi Dao will come right now."
After entering the door, An Zheng hesitated a little: "Send someone to the Ministry of Justice and ask Titian Cavalry Commander, Tan Taiche, to come. You must come at all costs."
After giving out a few orders, an imposing manner started to emerge from An Zheng's body. Back in the Great Western Ming Fa Si, he was also so elegant. It was just that the current An Zheng was no longer as tough as he was back then. It did not mean that he no longer had the fighting spirit he had in the Ming Fa Si.
"Oldman Huo, you should be able to use something that you have prepared for a long time."
An Zheng looked at the Old Huo who followed him in.
Old Huo stared blankly for a moment, then laughed: "You came a little suddenly, but you've prepared for so long, so you can use it at any time. It's my first time making so many weird things, and I'd like to see if it works. "
An Zheng said: "It was indeed sudden, there isn't much time left for us. Before I went to Tiantong Palace, I had already instructed the people below to prepare everything. Before I leave, I will ask the Great Mother Ye to tell him about her background, and ask for her opinion. If Xiao Qi Dao wants to stay in the Fanggu, then we will fight alongside him. If he wants to leave, I'll make other a
rrangements. "
Old Huo said: "Do you really think of Xiao Qi Dao as your own little brother?"
An Zheng said: It's my younger brother anyway!
Just as he was speaking, Gu Chaotong ran over quickly: "Owner, what's the matter?"
An Zheng explained everything that happened, upon hearing that Xiao Qi Dao was actually the son of the previous crown prince, Gu Chaotong's face also changed, "This matter does not only depend on the attitude of our Heavenly Awakening Sect, but also the attitude of the court officials. So insistence is part of it. Let those courtiers realize that helping us is part of it. But it was too difficult. Those people would only be able to watch from the start. What I need to do now is to make the first move … Let everyone spread out on the streets and spread the news within the capital, revealing the identity of the Xiao Qi Dao. "
An Zheng nodded: "Continue."
Gu Chaotong organized his thoughts: "Send someone to inform all the great clans to reveal the identity of the Xiao Qi Dao. If something were to happen to the Swallow King, the Xiao Qi Dao would be the only choice for the masters of the army. All the forces that can be mobilized by the military will be of the greatest help to us. "
He looked outside and said, "In the past few days, Owner has been submissive to those rascals, but it's impossible to count on them to go all out. All they have to do is to spread the news as quickly as possible, and they're good at it. "
An Zheng said: "I will arrange some people to go over."
Gu Chaotong: "If Owner trusts me, let me lead this battle."
An Zheng said: "It was because I was counting on you that I called you over. Also, I need you to predict what will happen at Embroidery Palace. Fight, you're not as good as me. Smart, I'm not as good as you. "
Gu Chaotong's eyes reddened: "Thank you for your trust, Owner, I will arrange it right now."
The moment the imperial government left, Great Mother Ye and Xiao Qi Dao came.
