Central Plains, east of Xingyang City, dense forest.
An inconspicuous carriage was parked in the forest. The driver was a thin black man in his thirties. He frowned and said to the carriage: "Guest, this place is three miles away from the official road. It is infested by bandits." It’s not a safe place. I don’t see much scenery here. You haven’t come out of the car the whole time. Are you waiting for someone?”
A calm voice came out slowly: "It's okay. I'll pay you three times the fare. The person I'm waiting for should be here soon."
The coachman muttered something and said to himself: "If I hadn't seen you as a weak scholar, I wouldn't have come even if I paid ten times the money."
He changed his smile and said, "Okay, guest, I'll wait. I'll definitely wait. However, for three times the fare, you have to marry me when you get to Xingyang. We have agreed on this trip. To Xingyang."
The car door creaked open, and a commoner scholar, dark and slender, walked down slowly. His eyes were bright and his long beard made him look like a celebrity. Isn't it Tao Yuanming?
The driver quickly jumped out of the carriage and said: "Hey, guest, why did you get out of the car? It's windy here, you still..."
Tao Yuanming said calmly: "It doesn't matter, the person I'm waiting for is already here."
The driver opened his eyes wide and looked around, but everything in the forest was quiet, not even the sounds of birds and animals. He wondered: "But I didn't see anyone coming..."
Before he finished speaking, Tao Yuanming interrupted him: "Chefu Zhang, if I remember correctly, you are from Liji Cars and Horses Shop in Gaoping County. I only need to give you the money for the car." That’s ok, they’ll pass it on to your family, right?”
The coachman grinned: "Yes, the guest got on the bus from Gaoping. You are very lucky. The war is in chaos. If you come two days late, I am afraid the city will be closed and the store will be closed. The Jin Kingdom is fighting against Dayan. It is very painful." It’s us people, luckily I’m still a Han, if we were Xianbei barbarians, I’m afraid they’d all have to move to Guanggu City, and we don’t know whether they would live or die.”
At this point, he rolled his eyes, put a smile on his face, and took a step forward: "Can you just give me three times the fare today? If you give it to the store, they will take another 20%. I have a mother in her seventies and three children. The world is not peaceful. I still run long distances all day long just to earn more. If you can just give me the extra money, my whole family will be able to... …”
A gust of fishy wind suddenly flashed by, and the bright sunlight just now suddenly turned dark. The driver was about to exclaim, because he saw a shadow passing through the sky. It was a monster he had never seen before, flying in the sky. , and there seemed to be a person grasped under the monster. This was something he had never thought of in his dreams. Just as he was about to scream, he only felt a pain in his heart, and several thorn-like things stabbed him impartially. On his chest, he fell to the ground and died without even a cry. When he landed, purple-black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and it had an unusual stench.
Tao Yuanming put his hands behind his back and watched the demonic shadow hovering in the air. The person hanging below it let go and fell to the ground. This person was only wearing single clothes and was covered in blood. You could even see a lot of whip marks on his clothes. , isn’t it Sima Guofan?
Tao Yuanming smiled slightly: "General Sima, are you okay?!"
Sima Guofan looked at Tao Yuanming and opened his mouth in surprise: "How could it be you, Mr. Tao? The contact messenger Madam mentioned is actually..."
Tao Yuanming smiled and said: "It's me, a famous person in the world. Are you surprised or surprised?!"
Sima Guofan laughed: "Surprise, but not unexpected! Liu Nu's desire to usurp power is well known to everyone, and all knowledgeable people in the world are saddened by those who want to protect our Sima family's great success. Mr. Wang flatly refused back then. The shogunate who joined Liu Nu has long expressed his intention not to collude with them. We, the kings of the Sima clan, all know this very well and have long wanted to..."
Tao Yuanming waved his hand, interrupted Sima Guofan's words, looked at the bloody clothes on his body, and said: "The general seems to have suffered a lot this time. Have you told them anything?"
Sima Guofan said bitterly: "It's because the king loves this bitch that he actually captured me, the prince, and tortured me with those tortures, hoping to beat him into submission and force me to reveal who was behind the scenes. Huh, I'm not stupid either. If my relationship with Mrs. Liu really gets involved, I will only die faster. Fortunately..."
Having said this, he glanced at the Mingyue Flying Gu, which fell to the side with a gleaming light in his eyes. He was staring at Tao Yuanming, and his body twitched unconsciously. Obviously, for this kind of monster with a human face flying into the sky, even if it was to save his life. , but it still frightened him. Sima Guofan swallowed a sip of saliva and said: "Fortunately, Miss Mingyue saved me. Those dog thieves will never think that it was actually an attack from the air!"
Tao Yuanming said coldly: "That is to say, you didn't confess Mrs. Liu, right?"
Sima Guofan nodded quickly and said: "Of course not. If the confession is revealed, not only will Mrs. Liu be implicated, but also my life and that of a large number of Sima clan princes will be in danger. Liu Nu is ruthless, and that bitch is He is his accomplice, and he will come to kill our Sima clan when he finds an opportunity. As long as I bite the bullet and refuse to admit it, someone will naturally save me. Mrs. Liu’s husband, Liu Yi, who can stand up to Liu Nu, has He upholds justice, and as long as I live, there will definitely be a turn for the better, so how could I do something detrimental to the couple?"
Mingyue suddenly sneered: "Really? Before I rushed into the tent, I seemed to hear you shouting, I'll do it, I'll do it all!"
Sima Guofan's expression changed, and he smiled awkwardly: "Well, that's just because I couldn't bear the punishment for a while, and I just wanted to slow down and confuse the thieves who were using torture. I've called him this many times before, It’s just that soldiers never tire of deceit!”
Mingyue said coldly: "You may have forgotten that I used to be a spy, and I am very familiar with these torture matters. Don't I still know whether I really want to recruit someone, or whether it is a deception? I'm afraid I'm going to be a little late, so you can tell me everything you know."
Sima Guofan gritted his teeth: "Anyway, the girl arrived in time, and I still didn't betray Mrs. Liu. This is a blessing in misfortune. Now let's discuss the next plan. Liu Nu is in Guanggu, that bitch People are also with him. Why don’t we fly back to Jiankang now and accuse Liu Nu of having an affair with the bitch and trying to seek power and usurp the throne. I discovered it, so he attacked me and asked the emperor to issue an edict to declare Liu Nu and the bitch. He is a traitor and the whole world will punish him, how about that?"
