The Zhi family raised the butcher's knife high and killed all the Lou family members in one night, eradicating all forces and completely clearing Jinyang City.
During the lockdown, soldiers patrolled the city walls, private soldiers searched the streets and alleys, and chases and screams continued throughout the night.
The people of the city thought they were going to fight, but they found out at dawn that they were hunting for spies.
The blood on the execution ground soaked into the cracks in the rocks, and the headless corpse was transported out of the city. A large number of stones and clods flew along the way, mixed with the curses and denunciations of the city residents, forming a torrent that shook the ancient city.
"He secretly communicated with Quan Rong. He is shameless and deserves to be killed!"
The spies hanging at the top of the city were already stiff, and their corpses were put down one after another, and transported to the wilderness together with the headless corpses, where they were left to be eaten by wild crows and bitten by wild beasts.
Near noon, several horses galloped out of the city. The knights on the horses were carrying wooden boxes on their backs. The boxes contained autographed letters from Zhiyuan and Zhihong, and they rushed to the border town at full speed.
At that time, Lin Heng was about to leave for Suzhou.
After staying in the border town for two days and collecting the first incriminating evidence, he should leave. We didn’t want our plans to change, but the trip was postponed due to the copper mine, so we had to linger for a few days.
Now that things were arranged, he could not continue to delay and needed to leave as soon as possible to prevent another accident.
"The charges are in hand, and both the witnesses and the material evidence are there. There is no room for excuses by the Xian family. If the copper mine in the border city is lost, some Hu family members may become so angry that they will jump over the wall. I have written to the eldest father and secretly contacted the allied families. The young master is going to Suzhou this time. Father will definitely make arrangements."
After Zhiling took over the copper mine, he registered the copper ingots and ores separately and began to arrange the convoy to Jinyang.
Due to shortage of manpower, he temporarily transferred from Jinyang and will arrive soon. In order to prevent the news from leaking, he did everything himself, forgetting to eat and sleep for many days in a row, and his expression showed obvious fatigue.
In contrast, Lin Heng got a short rest, no longer had frequent attacks, and his complexion gradually improved.
"Excuse me, brother."
"No need to bother with what you have to do."
Zhiling put down the half-written bamboo slip, looked at Lin Heng across from him, and frowned subconsciously: "Sir, the Fei family has a good doctor, and the Zhi family has the same history. After arriving in Suzhou, we can send someone to visit, maybe we can get some good medicine. .”
Lin Heng put down the bamboo slips, pondered for a moment and said: "It is said that the ancestors were taught by heaven and man, which family can live the dead with human flesh and white bones?"
"Indeed." Speaking of this clan, Zhiling was very talkative, "The theory of heaven and man is just a rumor, and no one can see the flesh and white bones of the living dead with their own eyes, but the Fei family does have good medicine. Three pills can save the seriously injured people." Mr. Fei's good medicine will be hard to find if this news comes out."
Lin Heng did not comment on Fei's rumors.
Zhiling had good intentions and accepted the other party's kindness.
"After returning to the capital, if the time is right, I will visit the head of the Fei family." Lin Heng's tone was calm, without any urgency.
"Sir, it's better to do things sooner rather than later." Zhiling advised.
"I know." Lin Heng raised his hand to signal Zhiling to calm down. "If word gets out about asking for medicine, someone will stop it. In order to avoid complications, it is never too much to be cautious."
"Master, are you worried about the Youhu family?" Thinking of Youhu's domineering behavior, Zhiling's face darkened.
"There is no need to be afraid of the Fox family. There are people who need to be more careful." Lin Heng turned his head and looked out the window, his words were sarcastic and unpredictable.
Daylight pours into the interior through the half-open windows, spreading fan-shaped light and shadow on the ground.
Light and shadow cover the train, and the water ripples.
The black hair hangs down behind the shoulders, contrasting with the pale skin, and the bluish blood vessels can be seen, making the boy look thin and sickly.
"Are you worried about the monarch?" Zhiling said bluntly, without any scruples because of his status as the Marquis of Jin.
"Yes." Lin Heng smiled slightly, the smile did not reach his eyes, and his black eyes were covered with frost.
There were not many people in Suzhou City who wished him well, and there were countless people who wanted him to die. Ironically enough, it was his father who bore the brunt of this.
"I don't know yet whether Fei's good medicine can cure me. Once the news comes out, my father will not ignore it. If we want things to go smoothly, we need to consider the long term."
Seeing that Zhiling wanted to persuade him again, Lin Heng took off the brocade bag from his waist, pulled open the gold-woven string, and poured out the wax pills hidden inside.
"There's no rush in asking for medicine. Brother, look at this first."
The wax pills are milky white in color and about the size of longan.
Lin Heng took off the hairpin, opened the wax seal with the tip, took out the gauze as thin as a cicada's wings, unfolded it little by little, and spread it in front of Zhiling.
"What's this?"
There were lines painted on the gauze and text labels. It looked like some kind of utensil, which Zhiling had never seen before.
"Saddle, and stirrups."
Lin Heng explained briefly and quickly opened the second wax pill.
There was also a piece of gauze inside, and the pattern on the gauze was clearly a weapon. Zhiling could recognize it at a glance.
"crossbow."
Lin Heng waved away the bamboo slips, flattened the two pieces of yarn, and placed them side by side on the table.
"Saddles and stirrups can help knights control their horses and help cavalry fight on horseback." Lin Heng said while tracing on the drawing and naming the uses of horse equipment.
"The crossbow is a weapon that can be fired in succession and is as powerful as a strong bow."
The Zhi family commanded the Jin army. Zhiling was proficient in military affairs since he was a child, and he could go into battle to kill the enemy at the age of his hair.
Lin Heng said a few words, and he already understood the purpose of the things on the picture. The power of a large number of weapons in the army is absolutely extraordinary.
"Does the master have any real objects in his hands?"
"Nothing."
Lin Heng has been in Beijing as a hostage for nine years. He is surrounded by prying eyes. He is always cautious and has to think twice before doing anything.
The horse harness and crossbow were what he saw in his dream. He knew they were precious, so he painted them on the gauze to hide them from people's eyes and carry them with him anytime and anywhere.
"After I go to Suzhou, the border town and the copper mine will be handed over to my brother, who will have full control over the affairs here."
Zhiling stared at the drawings closely and nodded in a heartbeat. He suddenly stopped midway, forced himself to calm down, and seriously considered whether he could bear the heavy responsibility.
"Sir, this matter is of great importance. I need to report it to the eldest father." Zhiling took a deep breath, his mind was racing, and he quickly came up with the best plan, "The only way to protect this thing is by gathering the strength of the Zhi family. I can only protect it by myself." There’s no guarantee.”
"That's fine."
Lin Heng gave two drawings, which was both a trust and a test. Fortunately, Zhiling was thoughtful and prudent in his actions and did not let him down.
After the two men reached a consensus, Zhiling wrote another letter to Zhiyuan and sent it to his confidants to send to Jinyang.
Lin Heng will leave tomorrow and prepare to rest early. Unexpectedly, his legs were numb when he stood up. Fortunately, Zhiling held his shoulders so he didn't hit the edge of the table.
"Master, be careful."
"It doesn't matter."
Lin Heng stood up straight and took half a step back naturally.
There was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and the maid Zi Su appeared in front of the door, holding a wooden plate in her hand with a cup of steaming tea soup. From a distance, you can faintly smell the bitter smell.
"Sir, it's time to drink tea."
Perilla and Poria keep the good doctor's advice in mind and make tea soup on time every day. It contains not only ginger, tea and spices, but also several kinds of medicinal materials, which can help to nourish the body, but the taste in the mouth is hard to compliment.
Lin Heng frowned, really not wanting to take it.
"Sir, it tastes more bitter when it's cold." Zhiling also didn't like tea soup. Thinking of the experience of his mother holding his chin and pouring it into his mouth when he was a child, he shuddered subconsciously.
No one dared to criticize Lin Heng, but he would not be in trouble with his body. I picked up the tea soup and tested the temperature to make sure it wouldn't burn my mouth. I just drank it in one gulp. The long-term pain was not as good as the short-term pain.
The tea soup enters the abdomen, and warmth slowly arises in the body.
The medicinal materials in the soup can help sleep. Lin Heng said goodbye to Zhiling, returned to the room to have a meal, turned on the lamp and fell asleep soon after.
The dream comes again.
Still going to the capital.
The magnificent palace is the center of the struggle for power.
In the dead of winter, snowflakes are falling all over the sky.
The new wind is biting and biting, like a knife scraping bones, penetrating the fabric of clothes and chilling the bone marrow.
His arms were twisted and pinned to the ground, unable to move easily. Immediately afterwards, his body soared into the air, his vision turned, and his whole body was surrounded by the lake water.
In his trance, he saw Tian Qi's horrified face.
His body continued to sink, and with the last ray of light, he saw the laughing prince on the shore, the flattering waiter, and a flash of red floating not far away.
Strong and dazzling.
Like the setting sun in the west, as bright as blood.
This dream was short and ended abruptly.
Lin Heng opened his eyes. The sky was still dark, but he was no longer sleepy.
After lying on the couch for a while, he put on his clothes and got up, walked around the screen to the window, pushed open the wooden window with both hands, and let the wind blow across his face, and his long-ago memories were completely revived.
He and Tian fell into the water, and the three princes were the culprits.
Did the princess who saved them really happen to be passing by?
The location of the lake is not remote, but it is not a place that the princess must pass through when traveling. Either it was a coincidence, or the prince had been watched by someone for a long time, or there was another possibility that someone secretly helped and led the princesses to the lake.
In the capital city, there are only a handful of people who can be chased by the princesses. What's even better is that it won't arouse anyone's suspicion afterwards and can only be chalked up to coincidence.
Lin Heng put his hands in front of his sleeves and looked up at the silver plate hanging high in the night sky, with a cold look in his eyes.
If his memory was correct, he owed the favor several years ago.
If it had been anyone else, the favor would have been easily repaid. But Chu Yu, the world-famous young master of the Yue Kingdom, needs to think carefully about this matter.
Lin Heng knew very well that their personalities were completely different, but they were essentially the same kind of people.
Indifferent, cruel, cunning, and unscrupulous to achieve the goal.
Saving people out of kindness, without expecting anything in return?
It's really a fool's dream.
Lin Heng shook his head and chuckled unconsciously.
"Sir, are you awake?"
The voice came from behind. Lin Heng turned around and saw Zi Su and Poria entering the room. One turned on the copper lamp, and the other unfolded his cloak and stepped forward to put it on his shoulders.
"It's a cold night and the wind is chilly. Sir, would you like some hot soup?"
"No need."
Lin Heng did not leave the window, but tightened his cloak tightly and said softly: "I ordered people to prepare the car and set off immediately at dawn."
The two of them had followed Lin Heng for many years and could tell that he had something on his mind, but they kept silent and did not ask any more questions. They lowered their eyes and took orders.
"promise."
After the two of them walked out of the room, Lin Heng was still standing in front of the window, bathing in the starlight, his impetuous emotions slowly settling.
Put aside the old matters for now.
If Chu Yu wants to repay his favor, he will come to him one day.
Tomorrow he will set out to return to Suzhou, and he will soon meet his father and the Manchu clan. Because of the circumstances that forced him to leave the country, he should prepare carefully and personally deliver a great gift.
