The news of Su Qi'an's assassination spread throughout the six counties of Jiaozhou in less than a day.
The county guards and the local high priests all contacted each other and asked if this matter was arranged by the other party.
But the answer they got was that they were also confused. If they had this ability, the most important thing is to have such a capable assassin in their hands. They would have taken action long ago, why would they wait until now.
Although the specific details of Su Qian's assassination are unclear, the general process was quickly learned.
They all lamented the high level of this person's ability. Not only did he succeed, but he actually escaped in front of everyone's eyes. This person's strength was definitely top-notch.
Their eyes flashed and they made a prompt decision. They all did one thing and immediately sent people privately to find this powerful female assassin.
If this person could be recruited, this skill alone would not be more than enough to protect them.
As for whether Su Qi'an lives or dies, this matter can only be left to the Qingcheng County Sheriff and the high priest.
In this round of bandit suppression in Jiaozhou, the governors of the other counties were just cooperating. The leader behind the scenes was the governor of Qingcheng.
If they went to visit at this time, it would be too suspicious at this time.
If you were targeted, you might be in trouble.
It was most appropriate to leave the visit to the two of them. Su Qi'an himself went out to the county to suppress the bandits because of their suggestion.
Moreover, there is already a conflict between them and Su Qi'an. Visiting them at this time does not just mean that the two of them are not guilty of committing crimes.
An open and honest visit can just clear the suspicion. As the leader behind the scenes, I can get first-hand clues by going to visit this time.
If Su Qi'an really fell into coma, it would be like divine help, and they could return to Tucheng County with peace of mind.
If Su Qi'an cannot die for a while, they can arrange backup plans and let Su Qi'an die in Yangliu County no matter what.
So they made arrangements for this visit.
After making the decision, the two made a prompt decision, prepared the carriage, summoned the security forces, and immediately headed to Yangliu County City.
Along the way, the two talked and summed up. Although they had divine help this time, it did not mean that they could be careless.
After all, Su Qi'an was in Yangliu County. If it was Qingcheng County, Su Qi'an was destined to die.
He was fully prepared for this trip. In addition to bringing two thousand local soldiers, he also brought several famous doctors from the county.
These miracle doctors are his real trump card. Only when he sees Su Qi'an seriously injured and dying can he take the next step with peace of mind.
Once he finds something wrong, he will run away immediately.
Qingcheng County Sheriff is still quite afraid of this Su Houye. Having fought with him so many times, there is no room for carelessness.
With the Qingcheng County Sheriff working hard all the way, it took them less than half an hour to arrive at Yangliu County.
At this time, Yangliu County City had long been under martial law, and the city gates were tightly closed. Without Huo Cheng's order, people in the city were prohibited from entering or exiting.
Those outside the city who wanted to enter the city were also sent back one by one. This was done to prevent more incidents.
Before we arrived, from a distance, we could see several teams of soldiers patrolling the towering city walls.
The army led by Qingcheng County Sheriff was so vast that it was discovered before it even got close.
On the city wall, all the patrolling soldiers immediately looked alert, and when they were about half a mile away from the crowd, they shouted loudly.
"If anyone comes, stop and tell me your name. If you dare to take a step forward, you will be killed without mercy."
All arrows were aimed at the carriage below. If there was any abnormal movement, they would not be lenient.
The Qingcheng County Sheriff did not care about the soldiers' rudeness, which just showed that Su Qi'an's assassination was true.
Under the arrangement of Qingcheng County Sheriff, a soldier stood up and explained loudly.
In fact, seeing the mighty army approaching, the soldiers guarding the city probably made a judgment in their minds.
But this time Su Qi'an was assassinated, and he didn't know whether he was alive or dead. Their Sheriff Huo was so furious that he specifically ordered before leaving that Su Qi'an must be protected in the Sheriff's Mansion.
safety.
If something happens again, Huo Cheng will be the first to come back and chop off their heads.
Therefore, even if you have made a conclusion, to be cautious, you still have to go through the inquiry process.
After confirming that the person in the carriage was the Qingcheng County Sheriff, the soldiers ordered the city gate to be opened.
But before it is opened, all the two thousand soldiers of Qingcheng County Guard must be stationed outside the city and are not allowed to step inside the city.
Otherwise, don't even think about entering the city.
This is a death order from Huo City. No matter who comes to visit, even the state pastor Li Kang cannot lead troops into the city.
It was already a troubled time, and Huo Cheng couldn't afford any accidents, which would offend other county governors, even Li Kang.
But compared with the unfavorable crime of protecting the royal family's children, he could still tell which one was less serious.
The key is that in his small city of Yangliu County, not only Su Qian came, but also the Ninth Princess whom His Majesty loves most.
If something goes wrong with these two people in his hands, he has hundreds of heads, and they are not enough to chop them off.
The high priest was quite dissatisfied with the death order issued by Huo Cheng. He wanted to force his way into the city, but was stopped by the Qingcheng County Sheriff.
Huo Cheng dared to issue this order, which was enough to show that Su Qi'an's condition was very serious, even to the point of critical illness.
After all, he is also a member of the royal family. On the surface, he was abandoned by His Majesty. It is said that life and death are destined.
But this kind of life and death is definitely not the way to die by being assassinated. What does this mean for the majesty of the Great Liang royal family? It's totally a slap in the face.
Regardless of whether Su Qian died or not, the more critical this moment was, the more they had to abide by the rules.
If he really broke in, he would probably be held accountable afterwards. More importantly, as far as he knew, after Huo Cheng had beaten away the siege bandits, he had already ordered the transfer back of the two thousand soldiers scattered in the counties of Yangliu County. .
At the same time, troops in Tucheng County, Su Qi'an's base camp, were also mobilized. Judging from the direction they were traveling, they were heading towards Yangliu County.
There are at least 3,000 people in the current Yangliu County city, not to mention other things. If the defenders from Tucheng County gather together, the number will be at least 5,000 or 6,000.
If they forced their way into the city, they would probably be wiped out. It would be uneconomical to fight them with swordsmanship before seeing with their own eyes whether Su Qi'an was alive or dead.
Before the city gate opened, Qingcheng County Sheriff ordered the two thousand soldiers to retreat five miles.
After seeing the other party's sincerity, the defenders opened the city gate.
However, the city gate is not fully opened, leaving only the width for carriages to pass. If anything goes wrong, it will be closed immediately.
The Qingcheng County Sheriff did not play any tricks and entered the city with several miracle doctors.
As soon as they entered the city, there were two groups of soldiers waiting in front of them. They didn't say anything, but just made a word of invitation.
Standing on both sides of the carriage, escorting Qingcheng County Sheriff to the County Sheriff's Mansion. Only when you enter the city can you feel the real situation in the city.
Along the streets, all shops and houses have their doors closed.
On a street that was only a hundred meters long, the Qingcheng County Sheriff saw more than four teams of soldiers patrolling. The level of rigor was staggering.
Moreover, the atmosphere in the city gives people a very serious and tense feeling, which is quite depressing.
But the more this happened, the more the Qingcheng County Sheriff felt secretly happy. He and the high priest looked at each other, and both could see the joy in each other's eyes.
Under the leadership of two teams of soldiers, everyone finally entered the county governor's house.
The people who went out to greet him were not the local magistrate and county captain, but Wu Yong, the magistrate of Tucheng County.
Wu Yong's appearance made the two of them startled. They did not expect that Tucheng County would act so quickly and be ahead of them.
Even a confidant like Wu Yong came forward, and Qingcheng County Sheriff suddenly had some thoughts.
He just glanced at Wu Yong and said softly, "Wu Yong, lead the way and let this county see what's going on with Mr. Su Hou."
After saying that, Qingcheng County Sheriff walked directly towards the inner hall room, but Wu Yong stopped him.
"The Marquis appreciates the kindness of the two adults. However, the Marquis is injured and needs to rest. It is inconvenient for outsiders to visit. I hope you will bear with me."
Wu Yong's words made Qingcheng County Sheriff quite dissatisfied. Whoever he was, and Wu Yong was, it would be good if he could speak politely to him.
If you dare to block the road in front of them, you are really seeking death.
The Qingcheng County Sheriff didn't need to say anything. The high priest behind him stepped forward to Wu Yong and said coldly.
"Huh, Wu Yong, don't be so shameless. You, a small county magistrate, dare to stop two superior officials like me, and you are eating the heart of a bear but the courage of a leopard."
"Do you really think you are arrogant just because you have been appreciated by Lord Su? You are lying on your face. According to the existing official system of Great Liang, you are still under the jurisdiction of the county governor."
"I didn't bother with you because of Lord Su's face before. What do you really think of yourself now? You are just a dog. You dare to talk to two superiors like this. You are looking for death."
As the high priest said, he grabbed Wu Yong by the collar and tried to beat him away, but the next moment, his fist was grabbed by someone.
No matter how hard he tried, his arm could not fall down. He looked up and saw that the person who stopped him was a young man.
He didn't know this man, and he didn't hold any official position. He said coldly, "Who are you? How dare you control this priest!"
"I'm just an insignificant civilian, but I can't stand your aggressive look. In Jiaozhou, you dare to be so arrogant. In Kyoto, you don't know how to die."
The high priest's face was livid. He had been blocked by a small county magistrate before, and now he was blocked by a Liang people. Where could he put his face?
Just when the high priest was about to make a scene, the Qingcheng County Sheriff behind him stepped forward and stopped him.
He looked at the young man in front of him. Although he was wearing poor clothes, his demeanor and conversation were definitely not ordinary people, let alone a native of Jiaozhou.
He was probably from a powerful family in Kyoto. Qingcheng County Sheriff's eyes flashed and he said softly, "May I ask your name?"
"Chen arrived." The young man uttered two words.
Hearing this name, Qingcheng County Sheriff obviously thought for a while, and he had some impressions of this name.
He was really from Kyoto. He offended the bigger figures in Kyoto, had his house confiscated, and was eventually exiled to Jiaozhou. It is said that he looked like a first-class official from his family.
There are only a handful of people who have been exiled from Kyoto, especially such high-ranking figures, so Qingcheng County Sheriff is still somewhat concerned about them.
But this kind of attention is limited to the surface. After all, being exiled from Kyoto to Jiaozhou has no possibility of rising at all. It would be good to live a good life.
As for turning over, it is just a dream.
