The two of them came to the main hall, where the guests and hosts were seated, and a servant served them tea.
"To be honest, my surname is not Cai." Qi Zhen said straight to the point.
"Of course I know your surname is not Cai. I have a close relationship with Brother Cai, but I have never heard him say that he has a nephew of your age, so you might as well tell me who you are." Yan Xiang chuckled, not surprised. said.
Qi Zhen was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yan Xiang carefully and nodded secretly.
Sure enough, the counselors in the Three Kingdoms competed with each other, and they were even better than monkeys in their hair. No matter how inconspicuous they were, they should not be underestimated.
Qi Zhen did not answer Yan Xiang's words, but said with a smile: "You are Yuan Shu's chief secretary, are you not afraid that I come here with evil intentions? What if I..."
"Hahaha." The old man laughed three times, interrupting Qi Zhen's next words.
"You're an interesting kid. If you really wanted to imitate Zhuan Zhuan's assassination of the king, how could you come to knock on the door so openly and wait for half an hour outside the door?" Yan Xiang smiled. said.
"The boy's name is insignificant, but it does have some connection with the Cai family." Qi Zhen nodded and said softly.
Yan Xiang suppressed his smile and asked seriously: "Is this related to the affairs of Nanyang counties?"
Qi Zhen nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke slowly.
"...Now that Yuan Shao is about to attack Dong, he absolutely does not want any big problems to happen in Nanyang, and I believe these are not what you want to see. However, Yuan Shu is short-sighted and willful. He is not a great talent. Given this matter, Master Wan Wangyan will make his own decision."
Qi Zhen briefly introduced the kinship between Huang Yueying and Cai Xi to Yan Xiang, and directly admitted that what happened in Nanyang counties was his own doing, and his purpose was to control the power of Nanyang County from beginning to end, and use it to This seeks greater greatness.
In fact, before entering the house, Qi Zhen was still thinking about how to be conceited, or how to make up a story that seemed very reasonable and plausible, so that the other party could best believe in her sincerity, and then find out what Yan Xiang was thinking, and then See others.
As a result, this incident was indeed beyond Qi Zhen's expectations.
The logic is this.
Qi Zhen didn't know that Yan Xiang and Cai Xi had a long history and were close friends. I'm afraid even Huang Yueying didn't know about this.
When Yan Xiang heard that his old friend came to visit with news of the rebellion in Nanyang counties, Yan Xiang personally greeted him. After seeing Qi Zhen, he knew that Qi Zhen's identity was disguised. However, he did not reveal Qi Zhen's identity immediately. Instead, he brought him into his mansion in order to find out what the news Qi Zhen brought him was about.
Qi Zhen not only told Yan Xiang the truth about the imminent rebellion in the lower county, but also took this opportunity to connect this matter with the Cai family. The purpose was to make Yan Xiang not help even if he would not help because of his old friendship with Cai Xi. , but also stand by and watch.
So what happens next depends on how Yan Xiang reacts.
Sure enough, after listening to Qi Zhen say these things, Yan Xiang fell into deep thought.
Qi Zhen didn't push her, took a sip of tea and began to observe the furnishings in Yan Xiang's room.
After a long time, Yan Xiang slowly said, "What do you need me to do?"
Qi Zhen snapped her fingers and said: "It's very simple. I need you to tell me about the current civil and military forces in Nanyang City, who are Yuan Shu's loyal ministers, and which ones can lobby us, and these things cannot be separated from you. shouting with arms raised."
Yan Xiang smiled bitterly: "I am already old."
"But your ambition has not diminished in years." Qi Zhen continued.
"When do you want it?" Yan Xiang asked next.
"Now," Qi Zhen said, "to be honest, a large army will attack in three days. By that time, everything will be too late."
Yan Xiang thought for a while, nodded and said: "Indeed, if this matter cannot be resolved as soon as possible, I am afraid that everything may change when the alliance comes."
As expected of one of the best counselors under Yuan Shu, he understood the crux of why Qi Zhen was so anxious in an instant.
After about two sticks of incense, Yan Xiang handed a piece of silk cloth to Qi Zhen, with names densely written on it.
"Thank you, Mr. Yan." Qi Zhen glanced up and down, and the silk cloth disappeared in his hand instantly.
"After all, you have a deep foundation in Nanyang, so we still need to leave the communication to you." Qi Zhen said.
"I can only try my best." Yan Xiang said.
"Thank you. I can't stay for long, so I'll take my leave." Qi Zhen didn't waste any time, turned around and left Yan Xiang's mansion.
"Reply to the master, he is gone."
After a while, a young servant reported back to Yan Xiang.
"Are you following him?" Yan Xiang asked.
"The good guys in the mansion have followed." The servant responded.
Yan Xiang closed his eyes slightly, nodded, pondered for a while, and then said softly: "Prepare the car."
"Where are you going, Master?" the servant asked.
"The Sheriff's Mansion."
…
After Qi Zhen came out of Yan Xiang's house, she disappeared into the streets and alleys.
With his mental strength, it is not very difficult to know that someone is following him, and with his physical fitness, the person in this world who can follow him is probably not born yet.
After confirming that the tail behind her had been shaken off, Qi Zhen asked a butcher selling meat for directions, and then headed towards her next destination.
This mansion is much more grand compared to Yan Xiang's mansion, but it is too shabby for a low-ranking official.
Changshi Mansion.
Naturally, it is Yang Hong's house.
There is a saying that Yan Xiang is right. He is getting older, and there are several disadvantages of being old, such as being conservative, being stubborn, being extremely wealthy, being old and not dying, being a thief...
Qi Zhen couldn't completely believe Yan Xiang, even if he said how close he and Cai Xi were.
The biggest gain from Qi Zhen's meeting with Yan Xiang was not that she found a strong supporter in Nanyang City, but the piece of silk she got from him.
In front of Yan Xiang, Qi Zhen seemed to be very concerned about the names written above. In fact, all of Qi Zhen's mental energy was placed on Yan Xiang.
After just a few glances, Qi Zhen had completely memorized the names in his mind, but in fact, he didn't care much about whether what Yan Xiang wrote was true.
Yan Xiang appeared to be in good condition on the surface, but the nervousness in his heart could not be hidden from Qi Zhen's mental probing.
But now, he had to do the next thing secretly.
It sounds like a long time, but actually Qi Zhen’s stay in Yan Xiang’s Mansion was not that long. When she arrived at Chang Shi’s Mansion, the sun had just reached a forty-five-degree angle in the sky. According to Qi Zhen’s own estimation, It's now nine or ten o'clock in the morning.
…
Yang Hong was sitting in the study, reading a book on war, but his thoughts were not on the bamboo slips.
In the end, the lord listened to his own advice and sent a messenger to inquire about the situation in the lower counties.
This is good. On the one hand, you can find out whether the other party really wants to rebel. Even if you don't know, you won't use weapons again and cause the people to be in trouble.
Yang Hong holds the position of long history, so he naturally knows how the internal affairs of Nanyang County have become riddled with holes after the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
This place cannot bear the ravages of another war.
It is a good opportunity to recuperate. Moreover, within ten days, Nanyang will eventually send troops to Luoyang. The more stable Nanyang County is at this time, the greater the support it will provide to the front line. This is an undoubted matter. .
As for the issue of those military towns, if there is still no news from the messenger sent this time, if General Ji Ling is not allowed to go out in person, the sergeants will not dare to make trouble. It is just a matter of time. If there is any request, they can Well, although my lord is a little petty, he can still see clearly in the face of right and wrong, and he is not so headstrong. I think the lord must have a clear mind about what is more important and what is less important.
We are determined not to start a fight, and we are determined not to ask for help from the outside. The former will make Nanyang County in a state of chaos. As for the latter, it is better to lead the wolf into the house than to be in a state of chaos.
While Yang Hong was thinking this, the study door suddenly opened wide and made a soft creaking sound.
"Presumptuous! Who is it?"
There was no sound of wind in my ears, so of course it was not caused by the wind, that is, someone pushed the door open deliberately. I don't know which child was naughty, or which servant was not paying attention.
Yang Hong was very strict with his subordinates, and there were many rules in the house. Whether it was servants or women and children, although they could not be said to be cautious, they were still careful every day. If he did something that Yang Hong couldn't stand, he was really good at scolding people. of.
No one answered his words, and the door to the room remained open.
Yang Hong was a little annoyed. He stood up and walked to the door and shouted: "Here comes someone!"
No one answered him, as if all the servants had disappeared in an instant.
"Where have people gone?!"
Just when Yang Hong himself was full of anger and on the verge of breaking out, a dazzling golden light suddenly lit up outside the door.
Yang Hong couldn't help but cover his eyes and asked with a trembling voice: "What?!"
A voice sounded in the golden light: "Yan Xiang colluded with outsiders and attempted to seize Nanyang City. Did you know?"
"Who are you?" No matter how hard Yang Hong tried, he couldn't clearly see the figure in the golden light.
Immediately afterwards, the golden light became even brighter, causing Yang Hong to close his eyes tightly in an instant.
Yang Hong shuddered and opened his eyes.
He was sitting upright behind the desk, holding the military book he had just read in his hand.
Yang Hong was a little confused, was that just a dream?
He lowered his head and looked at the military book in his hand, and then saw the piece of silk with names written on it that had appeared on the desk at some point.
He glanced twice, then his expression changed drastically, and he shouted: "Come quickly! Prepare the car!"
