Lu Si was ordered by Zhiling to return to Jinyang. He traveled quickly in the rain, not daring to stop along the way, and almost lost his horse.
At sunset, the rain stopped and red clouds hung in the sky.
Torches were erected at the top of the city, and the heavy city gate was about to close. A man and a horse galloped over, rushing to cross the ditch before the suspension bridge was raised.
The horse's hooves hit the ground hard, foam was spraying from the mouth and nose of the war horse, and its four legs were shaking faintly, obviously exhausted.
Lu Si let go of the reins and rolled off the horse. Fortunately, the city soldier on the side helped him to prevent him from falling to the ground.
"Lang Jun's message, take me to see the general immediately!"
After days of driving, the inner sides of Lu Si's legs were completely worn out. The skin and flesh were stuck to the fabric, causing severe pain and making it difficult to walk.
The city soldiers did not hesitate, and two people were assigned to hold him up. The other person flew on his horse and delivered the message to the city first.
Zhize inspected the city gate tonight and met the city soldier who was delivering the message. After asking about the situation, he turned around and galloped towards the city gate where Lu Si was, and ordered the guards to take him with him to the mansion.
At that time, the black gold was falling in the west, but the red clouds had not dispersed. Clouds spread across the sky, grabbing the afterglow of the setting sun and filling it with a large area of dark red.
The team flew through the city, making a lot of noise and attracting a lot of attention along the way.
Jinyang was the old capital of the Jin Kingdom and a fortress guarding the border. Conflicts and wars often broke out with desert tribes.
Zhize's team moved in a hurry, which inevitably made people suspicious, and various speculations came out one after another.
"Could there be an attack from the Quanrong tribe?"
“The border is unstable?”
"Go home quickly, gather your sons, and prepare leather weapons!"
It is not yet known whether a war will begin, but there is already a tremor in Jinyang. Both men, women and children are gearing up and ready to fight at any time.
Zhize and his party passed through the city and dismounted in front of Zhifu gate.
"Hurry and report to your eldest father and father, eldest brother has a letter to send back."
Zhize threw the riding whip to the servant and personally took Lu Si into the house, bypassing the screen wall and heading to the front hall.
The servant hurriedly found Zhiyuan and Zhihong first and reported the news in the city to them.
The father and son looked at each other, immediately put down what they were doing, ordered the maid to move two more lamps, and waited in the room for Zhize to bring him.
"Zhiling has always acted prudently. He sent someone to deliver the message in a hurry. This must be something serious."
As the father and son were talking, footsteps sounded outside the door.
The maidservants guarded both sides of the door. Zhize entered first, followed by two healthy servants, who worked together to support the staggering Lu Si.
"Father, father."
Zhize saluted Zhiyuan and Zhihong and then sat aside.
Lu Si crouched on the ground, saying that he had important information and asked Zhiyuan to retreat.
"This matter is confidential."
Zhiyuan agreed to his request, dismissed the servants and ordered the door to be closed, leaving Zhize to guard the door himself.
After everything was in order and he was sure that the sound would not reach other people's ears, Lu Si recounted the team's experiences, including being followed by bandits along the way and being attacked by dog soldiers by the Luanhe River, without leaving out any details.
"Mr. Lang suspects that there are spies in the city, and there may be some in the house."
As Lu Si finished speaking, the room fell into a dead silence.
Zhiyuan and Zhihong will not ignore the things that Zhiling can think of, and will even think about them more profoundly.
"Zhiling left the city a few days ago, and the bandits followed him all the way. Later, there were dogs and soldiers building boats and breaking bridges in the Luanhe River. They were one step ahead of schedule. I'm afraid the news would have been leaked."
"The room is in the house."
The father and son came to the same conclusion and couldn't help but sneer.
"There is no light under the lamp, so it is difficult to find traces. After many years of hunting geese, the geese pecked my eyes."
Zhiyuan took two bronze medals and handed them to Zhihong and Zhize respectively.
The bronze medal is embossed with the totem of the Zhi family and has the seal of the family leader, which can seal the city and mobilize private soldiers. Its authority is second only to the Tiger Talisman of the Three Armies.
"The city will be closed immediately and no one will be allowed in or out."
"Close the mansion and strictly inspect all the courtyards in the mansion."
"Patrol the city all night and arrest those who suspect anything."
Zhiyuan paused for a moment and then made a decision.
"There is no need to hide anyone's eyes and ears anymore. All the ears and eyes that were left before are captured."
"The monarch's ears and eyes are also at stake?" Zhihong clenched a fist with one hand and placed it on his lap, leaning forward unconsciously.
Seeing his son's empty sleeves, Zhiyuan's eyes showed a ruthless look, and without any hesitation: "Catch him!"
There is no way to retreat, we must make an immediate decision.
The Marquis of Jin repeatedly forced him to make further progress in the past ten years. The Zhi family had no choice but to retreat to Jinyang, together with Suzhou Xu and Weishe. Now that Young Master Heng has returned, the Zhi family no longer needs to hide their talents and bide their time, but should also tear off their disguise and let everyone in the Jin Kingdom know that tigers are not old yet and can still roar in the mountains and tear down bears and leopards!
"Father, I will go there myself." Zhihong stood up abruptly, his cheeks trembling slightly with excitement.
"No one will be arrested tonight." Zhiyuan said solemnly.
"promise!"
Zhihong turned and left, his back raised, and the depression of many years was swept away.
Zhize took a step behind, and after careful consideration, he finally spoke: "Father, is this going to alert the enemy?"
"There is shock only when there is fright."
Zhiyuan stroked his long beard with his hands, the traces of time were imprinted on his face, and his eyes were no longer cloudy, filled with experience and wisdom.
"Rat people are not afraid of benevolence, only intimidation can make them frightened. A hundred good words are not as deadly as a single sword. The Jin Dynasty originated from a hundred vehicles, prospered under three generations of Jin Hou, and is now a country of ten thousand vehicles. Its rise depends on a strong blade. It was a bloody fight, and it was even more forceful and domineering."
Zhiyuan's voice was low, his eyes locked on Zhize, and he instilled what he believed to be the foundation of the country into the other person's mind, further implanting it in his heart.
"The monarch is certainly fatuous and has many military exploits in his early years. If Prince Heng wants to take his place, he must control the army. Only the domineering can control the clans in the army, and the tyrannical can make the three armies subdue."
"Gongzi Heng's opponent is not the prince, let alone the Hu clan. The one who blocks his way is the king."
The eldest son, Mrs. Li, has a surname of Hu.
It seems to be a lofty and prosperous place, but it is a castle in the air. Once the supporting pillars are shaken, it will collapse at any time.
This pillar is the Marquis of Jin.
"Zhi Ze, remember firmly that the entire Zhi family is tied to Gongzi Heng. According to the king's measure, if you cannot win, the whole family will be overthrown. Think about the fate of the Lu family, and stop looking forward and backward. As a son of the Zhi family, do what you should do Everything must be cut off.”
The last sentence was so profound that it shocked Zhize's whole body.
He lowered his head silently, fighting between heaven and man in his heart, and finally made a choice.
"Father, I will not let you down."
Zhize folded his hands and saluted respectfully towards Zhiyuan. Then he exited the room and named several healthy servants. Instead of going to the front yard, he walked through three corridors and came to the back house where the female family members lived.
Seeing him appear, the maids and slaves in the corridor knelt down one after another.
Zhize kept walking, Jianpu followed closely behind him. Arriving at a wing facing west and east, Zhize raised his hand and pushed open the door.
There are several female relatives in the room, most of them in their prime, with pretty or delicate looks, and lively or graceful temperaments. They are playing a chess game around a clay board with vertical and horizontal lines.
The door opened, and the sound alarmed several people.
The girls looked up and were startled when they saw Zhize with his back to the firelight.
"Brother, what's going on?" A girl stood up and couldn't help but be confused when she saw the situation outside the door.
"There is a room in the house." Zhize stepped into the room, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Take the Lou daughter."
"Mr. Lang, I was wronged!" Lou Ji was shocked and started to argue in a hurry.
Zhi Ze remained unmoved, and Jian Pu obeyed his orders. He stepped forward and grabbed Lou Ji's arms, holding down her shoulders so that she could not move.
The girls stood up one after another and stood aside silently. Faced with the situation at hand, no one would speak rashly, let alone ask for mercy casually.
"Lou Ji, your ancestors followed the marquis of Yue and rose to the rank of middle-level official. There was civil strife in Yue and the branch of the Lou family. Your branch entered the Jin Dynasty and made a fortune through military exploits. It has been five generations so far."
The beauty prostrates herself at her feet, crying till she is wet with tears. Zhize was unmoved and continued: "After entering the Jin Dynasty, when the men of your clan joined the army, the Zhi family never treated them favorably. However, your father and brother were greedy and saw the decline of the Zhi family, so they secretly took refuge with the Youhu family. You make good friends with my sister, go around the house to spy on information, and deliver news secretly."
Lou Ji knew that the situation was over and no longer pretended to struggle. There were still tears on her face, she slowly raised her head, looked at Zhize through the tears, and suddenly smiled.
"Lang Jun, I lost."
The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.
She did everything she could for her family.
Since you are following the orders of the master of the family, you should do your best. Now that things have been revealed and he is destined to die, there is nothing to complain about.
She repaid her family's kindness and was free with her life.
When Lou Ji was escorted away, the female relatives were in shock and most of them looked pale.
Zhize didn't say much, left a few guards behind, and turned to leave.
"Brother." Zhitao called out to him, "If you want to arrest Jian, my sister and I can help."
"My father's wish is that you don't need to get involved for the time being. Stay here with peace of mind. If anything happens, I will send someone to report you." Zhize gave a few brief instructions and then walked out of the room quickly.
Watching his back, Zhi Tao slowly calmed down her emotions.
"close the door."
She asked the maid to close the door, turned to look at the girls present, smiled and said: "It's just a hunting room, there is no need to be worried. Let's continue the game, who won just now?"
The door is closed, and the guard stands guard in front of the door, blocking out the gentle sounds in the room.
That night, the city of Jinyang was brightly lit with fire.
The Zhi family went all out to hunt down the spies, and the Lou family, which had taken refuge with the Youhu family, was uprooted. One wrong move and years of hard work can come to naught.
Seeing Lou's end, everyone who was swaying was frightened. After a brief daze, they once again felt the iron fist of the Zhi family. They were all trembling with fear and no longer dared to be half-hearted.
At dawn, the execution ground in the city flowed into rivers of blood. The betrayer's head rolled to the ground, and the blood spurted from the broken neck stained the red stone bricks.
Rows of ropes hung from the top of the city, and spies from the monarch and clans hung below. Their faces were full of fear, their limbs were twisted, and they were dead in despair and pain.
After ten years of silence, Zhishi once again showed his blade.
After a night of killing, Zhiyuan personally wrote a letter to the Marquis of Jin, saying that dog soldiers were found in Biancheng and that there were people in Jinyang City who were colluding with foreign enemies and that they would all be executed according to law.
"Your Majesty will definitely be furious when I submit this." Zhihong changed out of his outer robe, still smelling of blood.
"So what?" Zhiyuan smiled coldly, "The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable. You cannot deny it."
While the two were talking, a servant came to report and another letter from Zhiling arrived.
This time it was not a oral message, but a piece of silk written all over it.
The sender did not know the contents of the message and was almost exhausted from traveling day and night.
Zhiyuan unfolded the silk cloth and saw clearly what was on it. The hand that was stroking his beard suddenly tightened and pulled off several strands.
"Father?"
"look by youself."
Zhihong took the silk cloth with doubts and browsed it from beginning to end. His eyes opened wider and wider, with a shocked expression on his face, just like Zhiyuan.
arms.
copper mine.
There is also fire oil which is inextinguishable when exposed to water after being ignited.
Gudong.
Zhihong swallowed hard.
He had previously worried that Gongzi Heng's strength was slightly weak. Looking back now, the young master not only has wisdom and means, but also has superhuman luck, which is rare in the world.
