Before the man could react, he took two steps forward due to inertia before landing heavily.
There was a sudden change, and before everyone could react, several more arrows were shot, and people kept falling, instantly reversing the disadvantage.
Lian Yan ran out of strength, his hands were numb from the shock of the sword, and his steps were a little shaky.
Xie Li hurriedly supported him, his eyes full of worry, "Is everything okay?"
Lian Yan shook his head, looked at the corpse on the ground, and whispered, "I understand why the emperor insisted on the two of us coming together."
"You use your brains and your efforts, you just want me to be your guard." Lian Yan took a deep breath, with a smile in his eyes, "If I had known that your kid could shoot arrows, why would I have rushed up to you?"
Xie Li paused and said, "You didn't arrange the person who shot the arrow?"
Lian Yan was also stunned and murmured, "I have not arranged for other people."
"Then..." Xie Li's expression froze and he whispered, "Who is helping us?"
At this moment, a sound came from the street. The two of them instantly became alert and looked along the sound.
In the night, a slender and tall figure came from a distance, and his appearance was unclear.
It wasn't until the person came closer that Xie Li and Lian Yan took a deep breath.
"Hui... Huixin?" Xie Li subconsciously stood up straight, "Why are you here?"
"I would like to ask you." Song Huixin held a long bow in his hand and looked worried. "You are not resting at home in the middle of the night. What are you doing here?"
"I think you have someone outside, here to catch someone..." Lian Yan swallowed, glanced at the long bow behind her carefully, and whispered, "Thanks for fighting these people, otherwise, I'm afraid this arrow is going to hit you!"
Hearing this, Xie Li was shaken and hurriedly explained, "I got the order from the higher-ups to send us to track down a person at night. I was afraid that you would be worried, so I didn't explain it to you..."
Song Huixin hummed, and his eyes slowly moved to Lian Yan. The latter shrank his shoulders, lowered his head angrily, and acted like a quail.
Song Huixin put away her long bow, her expression remained unchanged, and she said softly, "Let's go to the Duke's Mansion."
Lian Yan was startled, "How do you know that our target is Duke Qi?"
Song Huixin glanced at him and whispered, "I met Mr. Shen when I was delivering materials to my mother in the afternoon. He talked to me a few more words and mentioned this matter."
"If you ask me, neither of you is smart, why are you staring at people so hard?" Song Huixin sneered slightly, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, "There are spies planted by my mother in the Duke's Mansion, so I asked them to find out whether That’s it?”
"I don't believe that the Duke of Qi lives in the mansion day and night. There is no way to find out anything about him!"
"Now that you have been discovered, if you follow us, you will be dead." Song Huixin glared at the two of them and lowered his voice, "Mother has notified the Xuan brothers. Let's sneak into the mansion under the cover of night."
Xie Li understood and followed Song Huixin very obediently.
Lian Yan understood the key point, grabbed Xie Li's sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "Why did Lord Shen go to your mother's yard?"
Xie Li opened his mouth, remained silent for a long time, and only said, "Mind yourself."
-
Chengyuan
Xie Wanzhou stepped into the courtyard under the cover of night and immediately saw Fang Xu sitting in the courtyard looking up at the sky.
Xie Wanzhou pursed her pink lips, walked over quickly, and whispered, "Mother, are you calling me?"
When Fang Xu heard the noise, he lowered his eyes and looked at her, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Wan Zhou is here, sit down."
"Su Zi came to Yunyuan and said that mother was looking for me." Xie Wanzhou sat beside her, his eyes full of worry, "The night is deep, why doesn't mother take a rest?"
"You haven't slept either." Fang Xu chuckled, with a gentle tone, "I heard from Zhutao that you often stay up late at night and study hard, working very hard."
Xie Wanzhou lowered his head and whispered, "Mom, don't listen to that girl's nonsense."
Fang Xu looked at the bruises under her eyes and couldn't help but feel pity, "Mother knows that you work hard. Now that the opportunity comes, she wants to call you as soon as possible."
"Opportunity..." Xie Wanzhou was stunned and murmured, "What opportunity?"
Fang Xu played with the string of beads in his hand and said quietly, "Master Shen came to see your second brother today and brought good news. The emperor allows women to take part in the imperial examinations and become officials and generals in the court. They will be treated the same as men."
Xie Wanzhou's heart trembled, and his shoulders were obviously tense. He felt that everything in front of him was unreal, "Seriously?"
Fang Xu found it funny and joked, "Why would mother lie to you?"
"Shen Ji told me that the emperor has been having a headache recently because of something. If you can come up with a good solution, he can use this to recommend you to someone higher and save you from having to go through a lot of scientific examinations."
Xie Wanzhou curled her knuckles slightly and bit her lower lip lightly, "My daughter is willing to give it a try."
Fang Xu sat quietly, with his head half bowed, and said softly, "Did you know that there is a small country in the south called Jinxiang?"
Xie Wanzhou looked nervous and nodded in response, "I have heard about it, but I know that this country is not very rich and the place is not big."
"That's right." Fang Xu nodded and said in a calm tone, "Jinxiang is located very close to each other. The Turks are on top and Dayan is on the bottom. The two big countries use him as a boundary and do not invade each other. It acts as a check and balance."
"But now that the new emperor of Yan has ascended the throne, the situation is turbulent. I don't know where the king of Jinxiang borrowed the courage to send troops to invade the border of Yan many times. He even made a declaration of war with us."
Xie Wanzhou's expression froze and his brows furrowed, "Perhaps the Turks secretly helped."
"It is indeed possible." Fang Xu nodded and said patiently, "Jinxiang dares to be so provocative. If he says that there is no one behind him, no one can believe it."
"The Turks have caught us and have no evidence, so they dare to be so arrogant. Jinxiang's position is special, and the emperor is undecided. He can neither attack nor defend."
Fang Xu raised his eyes to look at her, his eyes a little more probing, "If I leave this matter to you, is there any way?"
Xie Wanzhou lowered his eyes and thought carefully.
Fang Xu didn't bother her, he looked up at the sky and counted the stars out of boredom.
After a long while, Xie Wanzhou finally spoke quietly, "Mother, my daughter has a plan."
Fang Xu raised his eyebrows, becoming interested, and motioned for her to continue.
Xie Wanzhou took a deep breath and slowly said what was on his mind, "Jinxiang is not like the Turks and Northwest. Although it is closer to the barbarians, its living habits are the same as those of Dayan."
"The people of Jinxiang are not good at riding and shooting, and they do not trade with neighboring countries. They have always produced and sold their own goods. This is the main reason why Jinxiang is not rich."
"If we set up a caravan, pretend to have good relations with Jinxiang, and purchase one of their crops at a high price, how many people will grow food honestly under the drive of money?"
"When the right opportunity comes, raise troops and attack. Without food, how many days can their troops last?"
Xie Wanzhou talked eloquently, completely unaware of Fang Xu's smiling eyes. (End of chapter)
