"You are really self-aware." Lian Ji smiled and said sarcastically: "Although it is difficult to confirm the news that you have surrendered to the Turks, at this time, the court would rather believe it than not. The ghost desert in Western Xinjiang has already been destroyed. Lost it, and the Turkic Khan personally issued an edict to confirm it. Is there any reason not to label you as a traitor? However, everyone feels that even if the arrest warrant is issued, your hair will be gray, and you are safe and sound hiding in Western Xinjiang. You are colluding with Xu Youchang who killed Commander He Jingming, and no one can cross the Turkic camp to catch you."
Li Jiangyao nodded helplessly: "Hey, that's true. I originally thought that when I came back, I could put in a good word for Lao Xu and explain to the court, but I didn't expect that my reputation was worse than his. Oh, by the way, Lian Ji , you have never met me, how can you be sure that I am the real Li Jiangyao?"
Lian Ji smiled and said: "You can impersonate anything these days, but no one is stupid enough to impersonate you. Didn't the officer of the Long Sword Army also say today that he will kill him directly regardless of whether it is true or false. But what? , but I can be sure that you are the real Li Jiangyao."
"Oh, so sure? Why?" Li Jiangyao was slightly curious.
Lian Ji pursed her lips at his side and said with a smile: "Of course it's about the weapons. The famous Zhenjiang Protector 'Xing Luo Dao' is quite impressive just for its appearance."
Li Jiangyao was stunned for a moment, then gave a thumbs up: "Awesome. Not only have I heard of Shen Lie, but I also recognize Xingluo Dao. I dare you to be an old Jianghu, so disrespectful."
"I can't even stop your mouth." Lian Ji said as she stuffed another large piece of rabbit meat into Li Jiangyao's mouth: "I'm well-informed and can't hurt you, so why do I care so much? "
Li Jiangyao savored the deliciousness of the roasted rabbit and asked, "Well, speaking of which, where are you going? I guess it won't be long before you are about the same as me, with wanted notices posted all over the world."
Lian Ji was lost in thought for a while, and suddenly said: "I don't know why, but there are some things that I shouldn't say to an outsider like you, but I have a vague feeling that it doesn't matter even if I talk to you. My assassination of Cheng Kaiyang was actually In order to repay a person's kindness. Now that the task is completed, I don't owe him anything. From now on, I decided to go to Dongdu Luoyi to find my sister."
"Oh, your sister is in Luoyi. Did she marry there?" Li Jiangyao asked casually.
"Absolutely," Lian Ji replied: "We two sisters have been together less and apart since we were young. I want to put everything down and spend some time with her."
Li Jiangyao seemed a little worried about her: "Anyway, Luoyi is also one of the top big cities. If you are really wanted, wouldn't going there cause trouble to your sister?"
Lian Ji smiled: "Don't be afraid! Now the prince of Dongdu is in charge of the country, fighting against the imperial court. The wanted documents issued by the government may not be easy to use in Luoyi. Furthermore, I heard that my brother-in-law is a close official of the prince and has great power. It’s very big. Do you understand what ‘bright under the high light’ means?”
Li Jiangyao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I don't understand. You talked about the prince supervising the country, fighting against each other, etc., but I am totally confused. I have been away for too long, and I don't know anything anymore."
Lian Ji understood that there was chaos in Western Xinjiang a few years ago, and Li Jiangyao and his men had been trapped there, so the news was blocked and they had no idea what happened in Shengtang. Anyway, now that I was full and had nothing to do, I happily set up the Dragon Gate Formation for Li Jiangyao and told several major events in recent years.
Unexpectedly, it didn't matter what he said, and Li Jiangyao was stunned.
Who could have expected that in just three years, earth-shaking changes would occur within the Shengtang Dynasty. No wonder the Ghost Desert of Xijiang fell for so long, and the imperial court did not even send a single soldier, as if it had simply given up on the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. .
Although most of the stories told by Lian Ji were just folk speculation and rumors and did not touch the real inside story at the core of the political arena, even this kind of rumored news was enough for Li Jiangyao to understand the general situation.
From this point of view, the confessions that Shen Lie extracted from the mouth of the horse thief leader Zait were by no means random fabrications, but were facts that were confirmed one by one.
Unfortunately, both Shen Lie and him were a step too late.
Shen Lie was a step too late and failed to save the commander-in-chief He Jingming and prevent the incident in the imperial capital.
Li Jiangyao was a step too late and failed to notify Deputy Protector Zhang Sanpi in time and discovered the Turks' conspiracy in the Crescent Bay War.
People who are threatened by history can only rush forward in a turbulent and ignorant way. It is not until they stop and look back that they suddenly realize what they have missed and truly appreciate the powerlessness at that time. A sense of destiny.
Li Jiangyao pondered for a moment and sighed quietly: "Well, according to what you said, the court is indeed constantly compromising, tolerating the prince and Xie Guang step by step, allowing them to do whatever they want. It is precisely because they are restraining them from behind, Only then did 150,000 soldiers of the Holy Tang Dynasty die in vain in Crescent Bay! Now, these two people have launched the Jinhe Project. They are clearly wasting national power and creating opportunities for the Turks. Shameless scum!"
As he spoke, he punched the ground hard, feeling endless pain and resentment.
Lian Ji looked at him thoughtfully, hesitated to speak, and waited for a while before saying: "Don't be angry. National affairs, national affairs, since there is the word 'big', it means that we little people are nothing." Method. I often hear others say that no matter the country or the people, they all have their own destiny. Sometimes disaster is inevitable, and it won't help if you get angry. "
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly: "You are right, it is useless to think too much. I sneaked back to the Central Plains, originally intending to report the movements of the Turks to the court. But judging from the current situation, with my status, I am afraid it is useless to say so. , they will still doubt whether I am spreading false information. Instead of this, it is better..."
He thought to himself: Why not go to Luoyi and find an opportunity to kill Li Bing and Xie Guang! These two beasts killed He Jingming and hundreds of thousands of Shengtang soldiers. Killing them will not only avenge the teacher, but also remove the constraints of the court and clear the way for the upcoming war.
At the same time, Li Jiangyao also considered another issue: the identity of the woman named Lian Ji in front of him was also very suspicious. Taking the target of her assassination as an example, Cheng Kaiyang was a member of the royal family, and although his official style was loose, he was a loyal man after all. He was also open-minded and kind-hearted, and rarely made enemies that were not serious enough to take his life.
Therefore, the reason why Lord Zhen Guo was assassinated was probably the same as He Jingming, because of his current status - the commander-in-chief of the Long Sword Army!
As the commander-in-chief stationed on the front lines of the two passes, Cheng Kaiyang died, and the biggest beneficiaries were the Turks and the traitors in the DPRK. It can be seen that the so-called benefactor behind Lian Ji, the mastermind behind the murder of Cheng Kaiyang, must be inextricably linked to Tujue or Xie Guang.
Whether Lianji is an enemy or a friend is a matter of choice, but her benefactor must be Shengtang's great enemy!
So, Li Jiangyao secretly made up his mind to go with Lian Ji all the way, first go to Luoyi to see the situation, and also find out the person behind Lian Ji. Thinking of this, he pretended to smile casually and said: "Why don't I follow you and take the opportunity to visit Dongdu. If it's fun, stay longer. If it's not fun, I will either continue to Jiangnan or go back to the west. Become a lord of Jiang."
Lian Ji did not guess what he was thinking, but she felt that walking with Li Jiangyao was very new and exciting, so she couldn't help but shyly said: "Okay, okay, but we are alone and have to avoid the city and go around the county." , Selecting those inaccessible places, what kind of relationship does it have?"
Li Jiangyao couldn't help but laugh. If this Lian Ji is not born like this, then she must have been deliberately trained to be like this. Her words are teasing at every turn, whetting a man's appetite all the time, so much so that it makes people feel itchy.
"Just think of me as the bodyguard you invited." Li Jiangyao said with a smile: "I will reward you with three melons and two dates for delivering you safely."
Lian Ji burst into laughter: "How can a bodyguard with your skills be paid for with ordinary silver? I don't have that much money, so don't let me compensate you in other ways."
Seeing that she was still teasing him, Li Jiangyao responded nonchalantly: "We'll tell you in what way when we get to Dongdu. I might have to compensate you."
As he said that, he shook the cloak on his body and threw it to Lian Ji: "It's late at night here and it's cold. You can rest under it and be careful not to catch a cold. I'm going to sleep first."
Touching the still warm cloak, Lian Ji glanced at Li Jiangyao who turned over and fell asleep, and said with a happy smile: "I can't tell, but I know how to cherish the fragrance and cherish the jade."
-
The next day, Li Jiangyao and Lian Ji set off early in the morning for Luoyang.
Although they deliberately avoided densely populated towns and highways, they could not avoid staying on the road, and naturally they heard many villagers talking and bragging.
The further you go towards the Central Plains, the more news is flying all over the place.
The most popular rumor is that the court and the prince are directly at odds. The armies of both sides are currently facing off at the front line of Mianchi, and a war may break out at any time.
Compared with this incident, Cheng Kaiyang, the Duke of Zhenguo who was killed by his concubine, was nothing.
Concerned about her sister's safety, Lian Ji was afraid that the war would spread to Luoyi, so she discussed with Li Jiangyao whether they could find a market town, buy two good horses, and hurry along the galloping road.
Li Jiangyao was also concerned about the situation of the civil war and readily agreed. So, the two of them managed to find their footing and worked hard all the way. In order to bypass the Mianchi battlefield in the east of Luoyi, they changed their route to Yichuan and turned from the south to Dongdu.
At this time, Luoyi, the eastern capital, was not as panic-stricken as the previous folk rumors said.
On the contrary, it is still a prosperous scene here.
The row upon row of shops are busy with business, and the criss-crossing streets are bustling with people. The officers and soldiers guarding the city gate are not deliberately on guard as if they are facing a powerful enemy. As long as the city entry tax is paid in full, they can enter and exit at will even if they carry swords.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, this situation is not difficult to understand.
After all, all the troops participating in the war gathered in Mianchi, hundreds of miles away, and the war seemed far away from everyone. What's more, both sides are from Shengtang. No matter who wins, the emperor's surname will still be Li.
Therefore, for the people of Luoyi, there is no sense of tension about the impending war. The only change may be that the price of rice has increased a few points recently.
That's all.
