Lu Jinxiu hugged her chest full of soft bundles and squeezed out of the crowd in disgrace, cursing the bad luck in her heart.
If it hadn't been for the shipwreck, she would have been on the ship leaving Lidu Mansion by now. She suggested to Xie Jun several times to leave Lidu Mansion as soon as possible before the situation was so bad. Unexpectedly, the Xie family not only refused to leave, but also expressed their determination to defend Lidu Mansion and share the fate of the city.
Since the death of her daughter, Lu Jinxiu has been like a frightened bird. One moment she cursed Qi Ren for killing her daughter, and the next moment she heard something, she shivered with fear, feeling that the sky was about to fall.
She ran away privately without letting anyone in the mansion know. She wanted to wait for the people to disperse before finding a way to get on the boat, but unexpectedly she ran into a servant of the Xie family.
The servant politely but forcefully made a gesture of invitation: "Aunt Lu, sir, please go home."
It was impossible to leave today, and Lu Jinxiu's heart sank.
In Xuanying Hall, most of the family members were sitting around, including Xie Queshan. The city is full of wind and rain outside, but here there are people talking and laughing, and the atmosphere has a subtle deliberateness. It seems that everyone is worried, but they are trying hard to whitewash the peace, pretending that everything is as usual, even more harmonious than usual.
Xie Jun didn't quite get involved in the chatter of the juniors, but he still sat there patiently, frowning in silence for a long time, and suddenly said in a nonchalant manner: "If you don't want to fight, don't fight. Go home." Come, the family can afford to support idle people."
Xie Queshan was stunned and looked up at his father.
When the hall was silent, Lu Jinxiu was brought back. She looked a little embarrassed, and when she heard these words when she came back, the originally helpless person suddenly looked a bit ferocious, and rushed forward to grab Xie Jun's sleeves.
"You actually want to protect this traitor? Hasn't he done enough harm to this family and this city?!"
Xie Jun brushed Lu Jinxiu away and showed a bit of dissatisfaction: "Stop talking nonsense! - Someone, please take Aunt Lu back to the backyard. I will settle the accounts with you tomorrow for escaping privately!"
"Run away?" Lu Jinxiu was aroused by these words. She suddenly shook off the hand of the female envoy who was holding her up. She stood up with scarlet eyes and her whole body was full of hostility. "You are a fool who stayed in the city to die! Do you think you are grateful?" Is the family the backbone of Lidu Mansion? If the city is gone, you people are just fish on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered!"
The rumors outside will be beautified again after passing through the courtyard wall. Even during the war, everyone still has to maintain the half face, but the virtuous woman who usually dare not even speak loudly actually broke her words at this moment. With such an ugly confession, everyone was shocked and speechless for a moment.
Xie Jun sat with an expression on his face, looking much older for a moment. He glanced at the people in the hall and said slowly: "Back then, I abandoned Lanzhou and fled to the west. I made a big mistake, which I regret in my life. Now Today, I will never abandon Lidu Mansion and run away. Even if the city is destroyed, I hope that Xuewu can still defend it and protect one more common people for a moment. I will not regret it. But I didn’t expect that it would be difficult for someone to leave... Those who want to leave , regardless of status, master or slave, you can leave now, and I will never stop you again."
But no one in the hall got up, they just sat calmly. Even the servants stood with their hands down and did not move.
Lu Jinxiu turned around crazily and found that no one responded to her at all. It seemed that she was the only one who was greedy for life and afraid of death: "What are you doing? You have to pretend to be righteous when death is about to show you? You all want to die. ah?"
She thought everyone wanted to live and was just pretending to be proud, so she tore off the fig leaf, but still didn't get any response from anyone. She was like a clown, with nowhere to spread her resentment, and her eyes finally fell on Xie Queshan - yes, he was the "initiator"!
She pointed at his nose and cursed: "It's not enough for you to kill Xiao Liu, you have to kill the entire Xie family!"
Mrs. Gantang hurriedly shouted: "Xiao Liu was killed by Qi people. What does it have to do with Xie San?"
"It was the letter he wrote to Xiao Liu, asking Xiao Liu and the officials and soldiers to lure Qi Ren away in two directions! If not, how could Xiao Liu die!" Lu Jin was already hysterical, and no one could hold her back.
letter……
Xie Queshan remembered that Xiao Liu's relics had been sent back to Wangxuewu. The letter he wrote to Xiao Liu might have been caught in the relics and was seen by Lu Jinxiu.
She was right, Xiao Liu was indirectly killed by him.
Xie Queshan was stagnant, his mind went blank, he could only feel Nan Yi holding his hand, and slowly it turned into him holding that hand tightly.
"He was the one who killed Xiao Liu! He also killed Pang Yu! He committed a heinous crime!"
Suddenly, the hand suddenly broke away from him, her figure swayed, and she stood in front of him, covering his ears tightly with her hands.
Xie Queshan was so stiff that he even forgot to raise his head to look at her face. He only saw the necklace swaying around her neck.
The sharp, hysterical curse suddenly became dull and distant, but it still sounded like thunder.
"My sons, these two miserable couple, have no choice but to go underground to meet each other! He is a debt collector and will send our whole family to hell! You are still protecting this beast! He deserves to die! You all listen, Listen to what is said outside! Only if he dies can Lidu Mansion be saved!"
"Take her away!" Xie Jun shouted angrily with a livid face.
Lu Jinxiu was dragged back, but she still refused to give up and picked up whatever was handy and threw it towards Xie Queshan. Nan Yi's back was blocking Xie Queshan. Seeing that the cup was about to hit her, Xie Queshan quickly pulled her aside with his eyes and hands. The cup fell to the ground and was smashed to pieces.
Nan Yi was shocked and angry. She turned around and glared at Lu Jinxiu, who was looking calm and confident. All of a sudden, all the blood in his body surged to the top of his head, and the last bit of his sanity was washed away. Why, why could she throw the cup at Xie Queshan?
OK, isn’t that just crazy? Who wouldn’t!
She rushed forward angrily and pointed at Lu Jinxiu's nose and cursed: "You still have the nerve to take out Xiao Liu as a shield! You don't know who killed them. If you want to escape, just escape by yourself. You still have to find an excuse." Blame others! With an ignorant mother like you, Xiaoliu should be ashamed of you if he knew anything about it——!"
Bang, a slap fell on Nan Yi's face. Lu Jinxiu was embarrassed and annoyed by the scolding. She broke away from the female servant, rushed forward and slapped her with 100%25 of her strength. There were blood marks all over Nan Yi's face. , she paused, then stepped forward to scratch it back like crazy.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the female envoys came to their senses and restrained Lu Jinxiu.
Nan Yi still refused to give up, so Xie Queshan hurriedly hugged her around the waist, but he couldn't hold her back because she was so angry that she struggled wildly with her western limbs and cursed Lu Jinxiu.
"Come on, aren't you very energetic? Since you want revenge so much, why don't you kill a few Qi people? Let alone killing, if you just go and scold Qi people, I will respect you. Do you dare?!"
"You country shrew! You - you adulterers and adulterers! You have no regard for human ethics!"
Nan Yi's energy was so frightening at the moment that Xie Queshan almost picked her up and carried her away. She grabbed the pillar with one hand and continued to scold Lu Jinxiu: "Don't dare to do anything, you will be in trouble." Li Heng! You clearly know that Xie Queshan loves his sister and cherishes his friends. These words can really hurt him, so you dare to say so! You know that he has won several battles with his life hanging on the tip of a knife. Zhan, do you know how much time he bought to defend Lidu Mansion? Apart from escaping according to the wind, what achievements have you made——"
"That's enough Nan Yi."
Xie Queshan finally interrupted, and Nan Yi stopped and looked back at him angrily and puzzled.
How could he let Lu Jinxiu scold him like this?
She didn't feel any pain when she was slapped by Lu Jinxiu, but when she saw his calm expression, she felt her heart tightening. Suddenly, a soreness rushed to her nose, and her eyes were moist with big tears. On the eyelashes.
Xie Queshan caressed her bloody cheek, his face full of helpless pain.
"That's enough."
"They don't know anything, but they are smearing you! Why!? How is this enough? How can it be!"
But there was no answer to her question, and the room was silent.
Nan Yi felt extremely aggrieved. She wished she could go to the streets and have a big fight with everyone who said something bad to her. She wanted a yes or no answer, instead of confusing right and wrong like now. She didn't know who to blame, and she was even angry with Xie Queshan. How could he swallow all these grievances in vain without calling out for his injustice?
Nan Yi brushed Xie Queshan's hand away and turned away angrily.
At this moment, she passed by Tang Rong who was walking through the door.
Tang Rong hurried into the hall before he could take off his armor. He has now returned to the team and does not stay in Wangxuewu on weekdays. If he comes back suddenly, there must be something urgent.
"Sir, an envoy from the imperial court has arrived. Master Song invites you to return to the military camp to discuss matters."
After taking a quick glance, Tang Rong hurriedly explained: "There should be good news." Seeing that everyone looked a little nervous.
……
The envoy is Zhang Zhicun.
He was once the consort of the eldest princess Xu Keyue. At that time, he was kidnapped to Daqi along with the clan. In order to humiliate him, Wanyan Jun made him his horse slave.
Probably because he was afraid of being beaten, Zhang Zhicun behaved like a dog in front of Wanyan Jun. He would even kneel on the ground and let Wanyan Jun step on his horse. He became the laughing stock of the whole city, but he simply lost all dignity. When everyone laughed at him, he laughed too, as if he had lost the high-spirited and outstanding figure he once was.
However, in fact, he lived in such a humiliating posture to prepare for a dormant state. He secretly joined Bingzhusi and became another important intelligence line for Shen Zhizhong within the Qi people. The existence of Daman is the information he sent back. After Wanyan Jun died, he found an opportunity to escape and returned to Jinling.
Xu Zhou waited until Song Muchuan arrived in Beijing and realized that Xie Zhu might not have sent his handwriting to Lidu Mansion. No matter what Xie Zhu's considerations were, he had made it clear that he did not want to save the Lidu Mansion, but with the civil and military forces of the dynasty, Xu Zhou didn't know who else he could trust.
At this time, Xu Keyue recommended Zhang Zhicun to Xu Zhou, who had just returned south. After receiving the official secret order, he immediately set off overnight to Lidu Mansion.
In the camp, Zhang Zhicun passed on the official instructions to Song Muchuan and Xie Queshan, hoping that they would go to Beijing together to prove themselves. In order to prevent the Qi people from attacking Lidu Prefecture and crossing the river, the DPRK has assembled heavy troops in the adjacent Huaishuo City. As long as the imperial court agrees to send troops, the troops in Huaishuo City can immediately move towards Lidu Prefecture, and then they will be able to join forces with the Qi Army. The power of war.
But after all, this matter was already a few days late, and the best opportunity was fleeting. Even if Song and Xie entered the capital now, the officials already had preconceived notions, and they needed to spend more time proving their innocence. , we still have to face the possibility of failure. How much time will it take? The two armies are confronting each other at a critical moment, not to mention whether they can afford to wait for this time. If two members of the army are about to leave, Lidu Mansion may be in danger.
It was another dilemma, and the camp fell into deep thought.
The enemy is also racing against time to break through their defenses. It seems that every time, they are fighting against time. Or maybe this is just a trick of fate.
"It's just a gamble," Ying Huai broke the silence, "If the reinforcements don't come, we will fight alone and we won't be able to defend Lidu Mansion!"
"Do you dare to bet on the wealth and lives of so many people in the city?" Xie Queshan asked.
Ying Huai was speechless.
Three days was the limit of what he could do to defend the city. Now that the morale of the military is unstable, I am afraid that the next three days will be optimistic.
Zhang Zhicun seemed to be hesitant to speak, and there was a bit of hesitation on his face. He probably wanted to calm down, but also seemed to delay a little time for no reason. He picked up the boiling water stove and poured water into the cup, and ordered tea for everyone.
Song Muchuan noticed Zhang Zhicun's strangeness and said, "Sir Zhang, if you have any ideas, you might as well speak first."
But Zhang Zhicun didn't say anything, he just whisked the tea soup quickly.
Xie Queshan looked at his movements and was unexpectedly lost in thought. Everyone's process of ordering tea is pretty much the same, but their techniques are different. Zhang Zhicun probably had an injury on his hand. His technique was very fast but he only used three cents of force. The foam on the tea rose more slowly. He remembered the last time he watched someone order tea in the military camp - the time when he confronted Wanyan Puruo. He inevitably thought of Wanyan Pu Ruo's skillful techniques, and suddenly, an astonishing idea struck his mind like lightning.
so similar.
Wanyan Puruo's movements almost overlapped with his third uncle's tea-ordering movements in his memory, and his own method of ordering tea was also made by his third uncle, and he was too familiar with it. It's just that at that time, his attention was all elsewhere and he didn't notice these details at all.
The thought of this made Xie Queshan shudder.
"Did my third uncle say anything about the Lidu Mansion?" Xie Queshan asked abruptly.
"In order to avoid suspicion, Mr. Xie was silent for the whole sentence..." Zhang Zhicun replied following his words, but he quickly realized that Xie Queshan's question at this time seemed to have some subtext, "The officials actually found it strange. I have tested Mr. Xie indirectly, but I haven't found anything strange - do you think there is something wrong with him?"
Xie Queshan didn't answer, as his thoughts quickly went through everything. He kept thinking about who Damanhui was and whether he was dead or not, but he ignored the person closest to him. But when he figured it out now, he wasn't surprised at all.
Everything makes so much sense. "Daman" - in this code name, he finally caught a glimpse of his third uncle's unwillingness and ambition. He was once an idealist who raised his arms and shouted, contributing his strength to the dynasty without seeking fame or fortune. But since when did he stop shouting? The rebellion of such people is terrible. They deprive themselves of their ideals and create an extreme new ideal. This is also the most difficult thing to guard against. When night comes, only the former watchers are most familiar with the weaknesses of the dynasty.
Xie Queshan finally knew who his opponent was. But he missed the best opportunity.
If his third uncle, who is like his teacher and father, wants him to lose, what chance does he have of winning?
Seeing Xie Queshan's long silence, Song Muchuan also reacted and his expression quickly turned miserable.
"Thank you, sir, is it Daman?"
"If he is, then our way to Beijing to prove ourselves may have been blocked."
Zhang Zhicun lowered his head and looked at the tea cup in his hand. This was a cup of tea that was ordered extremely poorly, just like his state of mind. He sighed, the thoughts in his chest almost blurting out. He had thought about this idea over and over again on the way here, and it was the last resort.
He also worked undercover in Daqi, and was probably one of the few people who could truly empathize with Xie Queshan. It's just that Xu Keyue cleared his name, and now he can have a good ending to avenge his previous shame.
He also hopes that Xie Queshan can see the light of day.
It's just that his method is too dangerous.
