Murong Xue was dumbfounded by Lian Ji's words. He was a little confused for a moment whether this sister-in-law was joking or serious.
Murong Xue coughed twice in embarrassment and asked, "Has Jiang Yao returned to Western Xinjiang?"
Lian Ji nodded: "Most likely. With the wars and chaos these days, no one can be sure. But there is indeed news that he has returned to the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang and continues to be his baron."
Murong Xue hesitated for a moment, then asked: "These days, my mind has been in and out of consciousness. I have been living in a haze, and many things in the outside world are unclear. Xiaolian, I vaguely heard that the Crown Prince went to Hebei?"
Lian Ji saw that he was finally no longer just holding on to Rui Ji, so she gave him another chicken leg, nodded and said, "Yes. After Ni Linsi rescued Li Bing, he He had been in hiding, and no one knew where he was going. Then suddenly one day, the prince appeared in Hebei Province, and spread the word to the world, recruiting troops, and now he has hundreds of thousands of troops. Haven't you heard from anyone these days? The prince's troops are preparing to go south, and they are about to start a war with Xie Guang."
Murong Xue was shocked when she heard this: "This is great. Your Highness can finally watch the clouds clear and see the moonlight!"
"Let's have something to eat first," Lian Ji said with a faint smile: "Brother-in-law, you are a close confidant of the prince. At such a critical time, you were not by his side to make suggestions and charge into battle, and yet you were left alone in the small town of Mengjindu. Is this ridiculous for me to be fooling around?"
Murong Xue's old face turned red, and she quickly picked up the wine glass and took a sip to cover up her embarrassment: "Hey, didn't I just say that the news of your sister's death hit me hard, and I almost thought of going with her? Thoughts, what else can you say about making plans and charging into battle?"
Lian Ji laughed with a hint of sarcasm: "Now that you know Rui Ji is still alive, you should be able to rekindle your fighting spirit, right?"
When Murong Xue heard this, she was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was saying, stood up and bowed to Lian Ji: "Thank you, sister Xiao Lian. Thanks to meeting you, I know that my beloved wife is still alive, and I have hope of living again. Now you have Murong Xue is grateful for your kindness in reminding me to put national affairs first."
Lian Ji waved her hands disdainfully: "I'm not as kind-hearted as you said. Besides, I don't care about national affairs or not. It's just that I can't bear to see you become so decadent for my sister. That’s it. Hey, sit down quickly, you’re giving me some kind of salute for no reason, it looks weird.”
Murong Xue sat down again as instructed. He originally wanted to ask Lian Ji why the two sisters quarreled so much that she left her sister alone in Luoyi. However, Murong Xue now somewhat understood this sister-in-law's temper and character. Since the other party didn't take the initiative to tell her, then even if he asked, it would be in vain.
Fortunately, Rui Ji was safe for the time being, which was enough for him.
The two of them had a full meal in a secluded tavern, settled their scores, and left, then went straight to the Yunlai Inn to stay. After a night's rest, Murong Xue washed and changed clothes and regained his former look. Lian Ji had already had breakfast and came to ask Murong Xue what her plans were next. Murong Xue told the truth and decided to go north immediately to find Prince Li Bing, and then try to rescue Rui Ji when the army attacked Xie Guang. Lian Ji was also anxious to go to Xijiang to find Li Jiangyao, so the two of them left the inn, went to the pier to find a boat, crossed the Jin River and landed together, and then walked four or five miles together before meeting each other. The truth is cherished and we part ways.
After leaving Lian Ji, Murong Xue determined the direction and strode towards the northeast. Three days later, he arrived in Huaizhou and went into the city to find his family's business here. When the shopkeeper saw that the young master was coming, he quickly entertained him attentively. Murong Xue did feel a little tired from walking at this time, so she rested for two days in Huaizhou, then ordered the store to prepare a high-quality horse and a package of dry food for him, and continued northward.
There was no words along the way, and after more than twenty days of walking smoothly, Murong Xue finally arrived at Yecheng, an important town in Hebei Province.
At this time, Li Bing's army had already begun to advance into the Central Plains. The vanguard troops had just occupied Xiangzhou not long ago, and the morale of the entire army was greatly boosted. As the crusade progressed smoothly, the headquarters also followed up and moved from Youzhou to Yecheng.
As soon as she heard that the prince's chariot was here, Murong Xue was overjoyed. She quickly found out the route and rushed to the army camp.
When he arrived at the gate of the military camp, the guard on guard thought that he was here to sign up for the army like other young men, so he asked Murong Xue to gather at the city guard's mansion.
Murong Xue smiled when she heard this and explained: "Brother, I am not joining the army, but I am here to see His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Meet Your Highness?" The guard saw that although he was dressed in casual clothes and spoke softly, he had a dignified air in his words and deeds, so he did not dare to neglect and asked respectfully: "Master, please tell me your name so that I can come in." Communication."
"Oh, my name is Murong Xue."
"Murong...Master?!" The guard jumped in surprise as if he had been burned.
His exaggerated reaction startled Murong Xue. Facing the guards gathered around her, Murong Xue couldn't help but wonder: "You... what are you doing?"
"Hey, who did he just say he was? Lord Murong?"
"Yes, that's right, this young master said he is Murong Xue!"
"Then why are you still standing there? Hurry and report to the general!"
The soldiers were all shouting, making Murong Xue even more confused.
An officer squeezed into the crowd, smiled at him and asked, "Are you really Murong Xue?"
"Well, I just, what's wrong?"
"Mr. Murong Xue, Commander-in-Chief of the Forbidden Army's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Zhan Shifu of the East Palace, and Zhonglang Yulin?" The officer verified very patiently.
Murong Xue smiled and nodded: "That's right, it's guaranteed to be true!"
The officer finally relaxed and smiled happily along with the soldiers around him. He gave Murong Xue a standard military salute, and then said loudly: "Oh, my God, you are back, great!"
Murong Xue was about to speak when she heard a flurry of footsteps in the camp gate. A large number of civil servants and military generals rushed out, led by Shi Chenlie, the director of Nilin, Beiya.
When Shen Lie saw Murong Xue from a distance, he took a long breath and then cursed: "You bastard, where have you been hiding these days? Your Highness blames us every day!"
-
In the spacious handsome tent, Li Bing, the prince of the Holy Tang Dynasty, dressed in armor and military uniform, sat in the middle.
Facing Murong Xue who finally returned to the team, Li Bing felt overjoyed and felt happy from the bottom of his heart. He kept asking about the various situations Murong Xue encountered in Luoyi. Whenever he heard something important, Li Bing couldn't help but exclaim and admired Murong Xue's loyalty and bravery.
After Murong Xue finished explaining how she escaped from Dongdu with the help of Luo Shui, Shen Lie, who was standing opposite, asked: "General Murong, after you successfully escaped from danger, why didn't you come to His Highness as soon as possible?"
Murong Xue was well prepared and replied: "Lord Shen didn't know something. When I broke out of the siege, I suffered a lot of injuries on my body. In addition, I was so anxious that I fainted on the roadside not long after leaving the city. Fortunately, I met a kind-hearted villager. Min, rescue me and take me back to his home to recuperate. It wasn’t until my injury recovered some time ago that I set off to come here.”
Li Bing asked with concern: "Murong, you are so thin that you must have suffered a lot, right? How do you feel now? Have you fully recovered?"
"Your Highness Hongfu," Murong Xue responded quickly: "Weichen has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and his physical condition is pretty good. Although he hasn't fought any hard battles, he recovered quickly. After such a long time, he basically recovered. No problem."
"That's good, just take more care." Li Bing nodded happily.
Shen Lie looked at Murong Xue and continued: "I see. Brother Murong Jiren has his own destiny and can escape smoothly. However, this life-saving grace is not only owed by you alone, but also by the person who acted bravely in the face of justice. The common people are also protecting the pillars of the imperial court, so they should be rewarded. Lord Murong, can you tell me the name of the villager who saved you and where he is from? I will immediately send someone to send him gold and silver property. Reward."
Murong Xue's heart skipped a beat.
He originally didn't want Li Bing to know the truth about his exile in Luoyi, lest he be ridiculed by the government and the public for being burdened by love and forgetting his righteousness, so he made up an excuse out of thin air, saying that he had been recuperating at a common people's home.
However, he never expected that Shen Lie, as the head of intelligence, had already been suspicious of Murong Xue's disappearance for so long, so he took hold of the details he told and asked him to find out.
The other party is the famous Nilin Director Shi. If you tell lies in front of him, how can you be lucky? Murong Xue knew in her heart that Shen Lie's grandiose talk of gratitude and reward was actually to send someone to investigate and verify the whole thing.
Where can he find the villagers who made up nonsense out of thin air?
In desperation, Murong Xue had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "The person who rescued me was a hermit who looked down on fame and fortune. I also wanted to ask him his name so that I could pay him a special visit one day to thank him. However, the other party politely refused and said If you do that, it will be tantamount to looking down on his character and integrity. So... Mr. Shen’s kindness is still, let’s forget it.”
Without waiting for Shen Lie to answer, Li Bing also said: "Well, I understand this. That gentleman must be an expert in the world. The more utilitarian we are, the more people will hate us. The so-called "no thanks" for a great favor, Murong, please leave it to us. Being useful and protecting the country and the people is tantamount to repaying others for their life-saving grace."
Murong Xue secretly screamed in her heart, and quickly raised her hands and said: "What Your Highness said is absolutely true. The benefactor also said that the best way to repay him is for the humble minister to assist the prince, drive away the barbarians, and save the people of our Shengtang. .”
Li Bing ignored Shen Lie's helpless look and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, with subjects who understand such righteousness, why can't we wipe out the enemy bandits and avenge the emperor's uncle and thousands of soldiers and civilians! Come, dear friends, let's With tea instead of wine, let’s drink to Murong Xue’s safe return, and also to the people of Shengtang!”
