On a snowy night when everything was withered, there were no guests in the inn in the mountains. The innkeeper was about to close up for a rest, when a woman came in.
The woman was wrapped in an obviously ill-fitting cloak and her whole body was covered tightly. She threw two silver coins on the counter.
"Shopkeeper, help me prepare a guest room, clean clothes and medicine for wounds."
The shopkeeper took the money, looked at Nan Yi more, and asked curiously: "Did the girl meet Qi Ren?"
Nan Yi looked up in surprise: "How did you know?"
"Have you not heard, girl? Lidu Mansion surrendered without a fight. The magistrate opened the city gates to let the Qi soldiers enter the city. Many Qi soldiers also came to Huguishan. I don't know what they were doing, which made everyone feel uneasy. Terrified. You must be careful these days and try not to go out as much as possible."
Nan Yi nodded with lingering fear, turned around and went upstairs.
The shopkeeper sighed: "This world is getting more and more chaotic."
No matter how messy it is outside, Nan Yi can finally take a hot bath tonight and treat the wounds on his body.
After washing away her embarrassment, she lay down on the soft bed, with her western limbs spread like a "big" character, greedily occupying every inch of space on the bed.
This is the first time she has stayed in a hotel in months, and the wonderful feeling is self-evident. The last trace of anxiety and fear in her heart about stealing someone else's wallet was overwhelmed by the overwhelming comfort at this moment.
She was lucky enough to think that if it was just a purse, then the young man would look like he had money, and he would not care if he lost it.
Thanks to the young master, she had a place to stay for a moment. This guest room was simply the place she had dreamed of. Since the beginning, she has wanted to live under a roof that can protect her from wind and rain, so that she does not have to wander. Under the candlelight, Nan Yi looked at the bracelet on her wrist. She firmly believed that as long as she saw Zhang Yuehui, she would be able to have such a life.
In a troubled world with nowhere to go and no family to rely on, this is the only thing she can believe in.
Nan Yi covered herself with a quilt and fell asleep. She should have a good dream tonight.
……
In the early morning, when the sky was dim and bright, there was a rapid knock on the door outside the inn.
The shopkeeper sleepily put on his clothes and went out to open the door. Standing outside the door was an aristocratic young man with snow falling on his shoulders and his brows as cold as frost.
"Have you ever seen a girl? She is not tall. She is wearing an ill-fitting cloak and has injuries on her body."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment. He obviously remembered that there was such a girl, she looked a little weird, and he was hesitant to tell this young man.
The shopkeeper raised the oil lamp in his hand to see more clearly, and then he saw a Qi soldier standing behind the young master, who was obviously his subordinate.
For the first time, he felt that he couldn't afford to offend such a strange combination of Zhongyuan as the leader and Qi as his subordinates.
"Officer...please follow me."
The shopkeeper didn't want to make the matter a big deal and cause trouble if it led to a search, so he turned around and took Xie Queshan upstairs and opened the door of Nan Yi's room.
But the room was empty.
Xie Queshan opened the quilt and explored it. The quilt was still hot and he had just left not long ago. He ordered He Ping behind him.
"Go to the camp immediately and mobilize troops to search. We must find this person."
He Ping paused. He didn't expect that a thief was worth so many troops to search for. However, the young master always planned strategies. There must be something important in that purse and he couldn't waste a moment.
"yes!"
He Ping immediately ran out of the inn.
——
Nan Yi was so frightened that she jumped out of the window and fled to the backyard to find a hiding place, crying in her heart - isn't it just a purse? Did he come here before dawn?
Fortunately, she was used to sleeping in the open and was always alert. She woke up immediately when she heard some movement outside. She saw the young man from the same boat through the crack in the door and immediately understood what he was doing. So she jumped out of the window and ran away, narrowly escaping a disaster. .
But why is there a Qi man behind that young master? He is obviously from the Central Plains... What is his identity? Why do we have to find the wallet...could it be that there is something important in the wallet?
This thought flashed through her mind, and Nan Yi saw a well in the courtyard with the manhole cover half-covered. She followed the rope and drilled into the well to hide for a while.
Unexpectedly, this well turned out to be a dry well, and the bottom of the well was not deep. Nan Yishou then loosened the rope and jumped in. Just as she was about to explore the deep well, Nan Yi suddenly felt a cold and sharp blade pressed against her neck.
Nan Yi stiffened and stopped moving her hands.
"Don't make a sound." A man's voice came.
There is an underground river at the bottom of the well, but the water has dried up, revealing an extremely smooth river bed that has been washed away. There was a weak candle lamp placed on the rock wall beside the river.
Nan Yi slowly turned her face against the blade, and with the dim light of the fire, she could clearly see the man who suddenly appeared at the bottom of the well.
There was a huge wound on his chest. Although it had been bandaged, it was still oozing blood. It seemed that the injury was serious. His face also looked very pale, and the hand holding the dagger was shaking slightly.
"Someone is chasing me outside. I just want to hide for a while... Please take me in for a while."
Pang Yu looked Nan Yi up and down. It was hard to make people suspicious of such a young girl. He slowly put the dagger back.
"Who's chasing you?"
Nan Yi hesitated for a moment, feeling that there was no need to tell the whole story to a stranger. Thinking that there was a Qi Bing who followed the young master upstairs, he dropped the point: "Qi Ren."
Unexpectedly, after hearing these two words, Pang Yu immediately became nervous, and with some strength, he climbed to the mouth of the well and took a look.
The courtyard of the inn was already brightly lit, and Qi soldiers quickly arrived to surround the place. The man standing in the middle of the Qi people is none other than Xie Queshan.
Pang Yu stepped back, looked at Nan Yi with a very serious look, and said urgently: "You provoked Xie Queshan? Who are you?"
Nan Yi was confused: "Who is Xie Queshan?"
"That Central Plains person among the Qi people!"
Nan Yi thought that when she was at the ferry, she poked her head out of the water and the Qi soldiers fled. At that time, she just thought that the young master had some martial arts skills and drove them away, but now she has a vague idea in her heart. And ridiculous speculation.
"Why can he send Qi soldiers?"
"You really don't know who Xie Queshan is?"
Nan Yi shook his head honestly.
"Then do you know about the Spring-Shocking Change?"
"I've heard of this. On the spring equinox of the 22nd year of Yongkang, because a rebel general surrendered, the Qi people easily captured Youdu Mansion -" Nan Yi responded, "No way..."
There was a hint of hatred on Pang Yu's face, but the cultivation in his bones allowed him to control his tone very well: "Yes, Xie Queshan was originally a court official of Yu, but he surrendered to the enemy and betrayed his country and surrendered the Qi people, which led to the collapse of Youdu Mansion and Zhaoxu After the fall of Guan, the imperial court humiliated and ceded territory to seek peace, and exchanged a large amount of annual tribute for several years of peace. Now he is a confidant of Daqi Prime Minister Han Xianwang, and he serves the Qi people at all times. He appears here specifically to hunt down King Ling'an. of."
Nan Yi was a little dazed - how many people from the Yu Dynasty had to sell their lives to stand out among the Qi people and climb to a high position? He has a lot of vicious tricks to deal with people of his own clan, and there will definitely be no good end in his hands.
When he thought of this, Nan Yi's face suddenly turned pale.
"How did you get into trouble with him?!" Pang Yu asked Nan Yi seriously again, "If you don't tell me, we will all die here, and there will be no intact body."
Nan Yi didn't dare to lie anymore and answered honestly: "I stole his wallet."
Pang Yu was stunned: "It's just a purse, but Xie Queshan doesn't mean... where's the purse? Show me."
Nan Yi handed over the purse. Pang Yu quickly opened his purse, and there was indeed more than a few ingots of silver inside, as well as a roll of tied silk letter. The silk letter looked inconspicuous, only as long as a knuckle, but when unfolded, it was a month wide.
Pang Yu took one look at the words on the silk letter, and his expression changed drastically. Nan Yi saw this and leaned over to read. The words on it were neat, but she couldn't understand a single word. Before she could take a few more glances, Pang Yu immediately rolled the silk letter into his palm with a very strange look on his face.
Nan Yi realized for the first time that the contents of this purse were of great significance, and began to be wary: "Who are you? Why are you hiding here when you are injured? Is it possible that you are also hiding from Qi Bing? I will return this purse to that Just thank Queshan, you may not lose your life, but don’t drag me into this."
"Xie Queshan is a ruthless person who will retaliate against others. How do you think he will show mercy to a little thief?"
Nan Yi couldn't refute. She remembered that she begged Xie Queshan to save her at the ferry, but there was no trace of sympathy on his face that ordinary people should have. She knew what the man said was right.
"You come with me."
Pang Yu put on his outer robe and walked deeper along the river without any explanation.
"Where to go?"
"Follow me and you can save your life."
As he spoke, Pang Yu stopped. He bent over and covered his chest. It seemed that the wound had opened again. The distorted features on his face showed that he was enduring great pain.
Nan Yi also lost his temper at this time and refused to move.
"You can't even save your own life, why should I trust you?"
Pang Yu turned around and took a deep look at Nan Yi: "Your accent sounds like you're from Lujiang, right? Why did you come to Lidu Mansion?"
"I'm going to the front line of Fufeng County to find a friend of mine. I haven't seen him in three years."
"My name is Pang Yu, and I work in the Palace Front Division. We passed through Fufeng County not long ago. We might have met your friend at that time."
"Really?" Nan Yi suddenly became excited, and the light came to his eyes, "He is very tall. He must have gotten tanned in the past few years. Oh, by the way, there is a scar on his tiger's mouth..."
With that said, Nan Yi realized something and shut up obediently.
"Ah... there are so many people in the army, I guess you won't remember them. I'm sorry."
Pang Yu also smiled apologetically at Nan Yi.
Nan Yi suddenly realized something and was surprised: "Are you from the Dianqian Division? Then you..."
Pang Yu did not deny it and walked forward. Now Nan Yi followed his footsteps, but his face was full of worries.
Nan Yi wandered all the way, and she had heard the news about the new emperor countless times on the streets.
A few months ago, Bianjing fell, and the emperor and clan were all captured. The courtiers fled to Jinling south of the Yangtze River to escape the disaster, hoping to establish a new dynasty. However, the country had no king and all the leaders were leaderless.
Among the princes, there was only one left, King Xu Zhou of Ling'an, who escaped the disaster because he lived in a fiefdom, and became the last surviving member of the Yu Dynasty.
Zhongshu ordered Shen Zhizhong to arrange for soldiers and secret guards to secretly escort Xu Zhou south, but how could the Qi people let go of this opportunity to drive away the orthodox royal family of the Yu Dynasty? Along the way, the Qi people pursued him relentlessly and set up a dragnet to capture King Ling'an.
But these things have always been in rumors. Nan Yi never expected that they would be so close to him.
Pang Yu turned back and glanced at Nan Yi: "You guessed it right, King Ling'an is hiding in Tiger Kneeling Mountain, so the Qi soldiers searched the mountain for days. The aristocratic families in Lidu Mansion received the secret letter of Zhongshu Ling to assist King Ling'an , I was responsible for passing on the joint plan, and I was injured because I was shot by an arrow in order to lure the Qi people in the mountains."
"What exactly was written on the silk paper? Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?"
Nan Yi asked curiously, but Pang Yu just walked forward without answering.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, the water seeping from the cracks in the rocks leaked down slowly, and the echo was wrapped in the narrow corridor, making the surroundings seem even quieter.
——
The Qi soldiers had already surrounded this small mountain inn, and Xie Queshan stood in the backyard of the inn, looking around at everything in the courtyard with sharp eyes.
He Ping came to report: "Sir, I have searched inside and outside several times, but I really haven't found the little thief."
A tall and thick Qi soldiers general walked in from outside, with a look of violence in his eyes. He brushed the snow off his shoulders and looked at Xie Queshan: "Master Queshan, what did you throw away, so you mobilized an army like this?"
Xie Queshan glanced at Hú Sha indifferently and replied: "The spy report just sent from Lidu Mansion, which contains the plan to coordinate with King Ling'an, was stolen by a thief."
Usha suddenly became nervous, his voice became louder, and he scolded the Qi soldiers around him: "With so many people, even a little thief can't be found? Can people escape and run away?"
Xie Queshan didn't say anything, but he seemed to be inspired by this "escape" and looked at the inconspicuous well in the courtyard.
……
Pang Yu's hand holding the silk paper tightened. What is written above is their joint plan.
I am afraid that there is a spy in Lidu Mansion, their plan has been leaked, and Xie Queshan will surely use his plan to arrest King Ling'an.
Fortunately, he found out about it by accident. He had to send the news out, otherwise King Ling'an would become the thorn in the Qi people's urn.
But it involves a lot, and the less people know about it, the better. He revealed his identity to gain the girl's trust, but he didn't plan to tell her anything more.
"Knowing too much can lead to death. It's better for you to know less."
"Then why are you taking me with you?"
"My body may not be able to last until that time. If I die on the way, please go to Podao Temple under Yingzui Cliff. There is an ancient tree in the courtyard. You can bury the silk letter in the soil under the tree."
Pang Yu's tone was very calm, but Nan Yi was frightened. How could anyone make death seem so ordinary?
"Why do you think I can do it? If Qi Ren catches me, let alone torture me, I will confess everything after a few whips."
"The life and death of a dynasty seems to be sustained by one person, but in fact it is the joint efforts of thousands of people. What do you think connects the minds of these thousands of people?"
"Relying on the blessing of Bodhisattva?"
A smile finally appeared on Pang Yu's face, and he shook his head: "It's the love of family and country. You and I are compatriots, born and raised in this land, so I believe you."
During the conversation, the two of them were almost at the end of their conversation. The exit was a hidden cave. Nan Yi could vaguely see the light, and her steps quickened.
She walked out of the cave before Pang Yu, and froze when she saw the situation in front of her.
Qi soldiers had already surrounded the entrance of the cave. Xie Queshan was sitting on a dead tree, looking at Nan Yi without surprise, and then his eyes moved to Pang Yu behind her.
He just watched so quietly, but it brought a great sense of oppression. His pupils were dark, hiding a quiet murderous aura, which gave people the illusion that everything in the world was invisible in these eyes and would be seen through by him.
