Zhu Cong's matter is actually a very small matter.
For Su Chengwang, even if the Yang family were to find out about him, the Yang family would definitely not and would not dare to do anything to him.
However, Su Chengwang originally came to Liangzhou City for the sake of purity. It would be very troublesome if people knew that he was here, and Su Chengwang took the trouble.
Xiang Qian and Prince Xiang Qi also considered Su Chengwang and transferred Zhu Cong to the Prince's Mansion. When the Yang family received this signal, they naturally did not dare to continue to inquire.
Then no one will bother Su Chengwang anymore.
For Zhu Cong, being directly transferred from a local county magistrate to the prince's command was a step to the top.
No matter which force Zhu Cong sided with before, from now on, he can only be the prince's loyal supporter.
A hundred years after Xiang Qian, Prince Xiang Qi ascended the throne and became emperor. Zhu Cong could at least reach the fourth rank. If he was lucky, he might be able to sneak into the sixth rank and become a minister.
Although Zhu Cong's future is not important to Su Chengwang, these are all for Su Chengwang's sake, and Su Chengwang has already retired and returned to his hometown. Of course, Su Chengwang is extremely moved.
At Su Chengwang's position, although it was not easy for people to leave the court, he had left the court after all. It was quite rare for the emperor and the prince to still cherish their old friendship to save face.
Of course, Xiang Qi's move was not entirely because of Su Chengwang. If Zhu Cong was useless, Xiang Qi would never give him such a precious opportunity.
"I am so ashamed of myself for working so hard for just one person."
While being moved, Su Chengwang also felt guilty.
Xiang Qian and Xiang Qi's reaction was too big. It was a small matter in the first place, but it made Su Chengwang a little embarrassed and made his face feel a little hot.
"Old Xiangguo has worked hard for the empire all his life. There is really no need to do this. What's more, Zhu Cong is considered outstanding in the official assessment and should have been promoted long ago. This can be regarded as taking advantage of the situation."
Zhu Cong has been the magistrate of Liangzhou County for six years. Not to mention his outstanding political achievements, he is definitely considered to be the best and has some abilities.
According to reports from the Seven Ministries of Liangzhou, Zhu Cong has been considered incorruptible since he became an official and has never accepted bribes. Perhaps because of this, he has not been promoted for six years.
Or perhaps because of this, Zhu Cong was eager to make progress, so he accepted Yang Shu's conditions.
The promotion of Zhu Cong was not without purpose, or it was just for Su Chengwang's face. Since he was transferred to the Prince's Mansion, Xiang Qi naturally had his own considerations.
Whether Zhu Cong has any deal with Yang Shu, as long as it has not been implemented, it is no longer important.
Zhu Cong's Qingyun Road is already at his feet.
Shen Qingyun and Shen Xiong returned to the uncle's house, and it was no longer awkward to meet Song Ying. Now everyone's interests were united, not to mention that Shen Qingyun would soon give up the position of the heir apparent, and the future of the Shen family was now on the On Shen Qingyun's shoulders, Song Ying was naturally much gentler to Shen Qingyun.
With Shen Xiong as the backbone, the harmony of the family is no problem.
Of the four personal guards left by Yue Lianshuang, two went back with Shen Qingyun, and the other two stayed in Zhuangzi to protect Zhuge Yan.
Although Zhuangzi was a little deserted without Shen Qingyun, it was the New Year after all, and with Siniang and others presiding over it, Xiayang Village was also very lively.
Not far outside Xiayang Village, Sheng Lingyun and others have been lurking.
"Sir, people from the Seventh Department are still tracking our whereabouts. Isn't it a little bit to show up at this time..."
Sheng Lingyun waved his hand to interrupt him and said: "Shen Xiong is back, and Shen Qingyun has followed him into the city. This is our perfect opportunity."
"My lord, you mean... you still want to kill Zhuge?"
"If we don't kill him, won't all these months of hard work be in vain?"
It must be said that Sheng Lingyun and others have suffered a lot during this period.
Not to mention hiding in Tibet and avoiding the pursuit of the seven tribes, the weather was not good, the wind and snow were heavy, and it was not an exaggeration to say that we were hungry and cold.
If a few people weren't highly skilled in martial arts, they might have been frozen to death without the need for Qibu to take action.
After finally getting through it, the Seven Divisions relaxed, the pursuit and arrest efforts were not so strong, and Zhuangzi's guards were reduced. Sheng Lingyun naturally did not want to miss this opportunity.
Sheng Lingyun was well aware of Zhuge Yan's martial arts. If he waited for Zhuge Yan to recover, it would be even harder to kill him.
Sheng Lingyun didn't know how far Zhuge Yan's injury had recovered, so he was a little anxious and unwilling to wait any longer.
Sheng Lingyun didn't know yet that Zhuge Yan was defeated by Yue Lishuang's move. He probably wouldn't be able to make a move without him.
If he knew about this, Sheng Lingyun might lurk patiently for a while longer.
"If we take action now, the chances of success are not high. They are always on guard."
Sheng Lingyun said humbly: "There are no masters around Shen Qingyun, only the four elites of Yulinshan left by Princess Pingyang. Although the news is that Shen Qingyun is going to be engaged to Princess Pingyang, Zhuge may have already engaged Princess Pingyang. The master has come into contact. These four Yulin Mountains were left behind just to protect Zhuge. Although the veterans in Xiayang Village are troublesome, they are not insurmountable. Now that there are two less masters to protect them, this is a God-given opportunity. It is worth our while. Take the plunge.”
When his subordinates heard this, they no longer refuted, and just said: "Let me make the decision."
Sheng Lingyun nodded slightly and asked, "Has there been any news from Suzhou?"
"Since Shen Xiong left Lu'an, Zhennan Hou Tongyong has been in charge personally. The governor hopes that we will end the Zhuge incident as soon as possible and find out the Chu army's troop deployment in the south."
Sheng Lingyun frowned, "Does the Governor's move have His Majesty's will?"
"I never knew." His subordinate shook his head.
"Then, does the commander have any orders?"
"No, His Majesty personally issued the kill order. The Commander-in-Chief should not have any other intentions."
"I understand." Sheng Lingyun nodded, and then ordered: "Send a brother to go ahead and gather the Liangzhou Jinyiwei spies. When the matter here is over, we will meet up immediately. Also, send a message to the governor and say... "
Sheng Lingyun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "That's all."
Suzhou, Jiayuguan, Yan State.
Sheng Yuanbai, the governor of Suzhou, did not sit in Suzhou City, but brought a team of personal guards to inspect the pass.
Standing on the city tower, Sheng Yuanbai looked out, and what he saw was the white sky. On the snow-white plain, the traces left by the sparse carriages and horses barely formed a feasible road.
This road is a hundred miles away, and the other end is also connected to a city called Zhuxi City.
Zhuxi City was originally a border city of the Chu State. It was captured by the Western Qin Dynasty and finally fell into the hands of the Yan State.
After Yan and Chu formed an alliance to destroy Qin, the two countries divided the territory of Western Qin, and even Zhuxi City was brought back to the negotiation table.
At that time, the two countries had a close alliance, and they easily made an alliance. They decided to use Zhuxi City as a transit point for trade between the two countries. They each sent officials to control it, and divided and ruled it within half the city.
The structure of Zhuxi City has thus continued for decades. However, over the years, the relationship between the two countries has slowly transformed from allies to competitive rivals.
Although the superficial peace is still maintained and no one has torn up the peace covenant, the two sides are secretly at constant friction. As a land shared by the two countries, Zhuxi City has naturally become the focus of the battle between the two countries.
However, since Zhuxi City is closer to Chu State, Chu State's hand will naturally be stretched out longer, and its power in Zhuxi City will be stronger.
This made the two generations of monarchs of Yan State very unhappy. They had negotiated with Chu State many times, secretly or openly, to take back control of Zhuxi City. Chu State was naturally unwilling to do so.
For the Yan State, Zhuxi City was captured from the Qin State, not the territory of the Chu State. As a witness to the diplomatic relations between the two countries after the war, allowing the Chu State to enter was already a huge concession, but the dominant Quan should belong to the state of Yan.
For the Chu State, Zhuxi City was originally their own land. For the sake of harmony between the two countries, they did not forcibly drive away the Yan people. Naturally, the leadership should be firmly in their own hands.
It is also strange that Emperor Wu of the Chu State and Emperor Xuanzong of the Yan State did not negotiate very clearly on the issue of Zhuxi City. The hidden dangers left behind seem to have become the fuse of hatred between the two countries to this day.
However, even if the emperors of the two countries had determined the ownership of Zhuxi City back then, the situation would not be much better than it is now.
After all, the Yan State actually occupied Zhuxi City, and every inch of the territory must be fought for. Not to mention the land of one city, the descendants of the Yan State will not give up easily.
It is impossible for Yan State to give up a bridgehead like Zhuxi City.
When Sheng Yuanbai took office as the governor of Suzhou, he received orders from Emperor Yan Li Chong to find the right opportunity to capture Zhuxi City in one fell swoop.
But now, Sheng Yuanbai felt that it was a very suitable opportunity.
Simply capturing Zhuxi City by force would be tantamount to declaring war on the Chu State. Of course Sheng Yuanbai would not be so stupid.
"Is there any news from Jinyiwei?"
"Back to the Governor, the young master sent a message saying that they have identified the traitor's whereabouts and are waiting for an opportunity to take action. The seven tribes of Chu State are moving frequently, so it will take some time."
Sheng Yuanbai's eyes moved slightly, "Have I conveyed my meaning to him?"
"Don't worry, Governor. The young master is very skilled in martial arts. If something happens, he will issue a warning. Now the situation is calm, everything must be going well for now."
"Yes." Sheng Yuanbai nodded, "Zhuxi City is close to Lu'an, but it is a hundred miles away from Jiayuguan Pass. If the Chu army cannot be held within the pass, the Yan army will take control of Zhuxi City. The name is not justified and the words are not correct... Is General Zuo Wuwei ready?"
"Everything is ready. General Zuo Wuwei personally led more than a thousand soldiers pretending to be bandits. They have been roaming around Zhuxi City for more than several months. There have been many robberies on the caravans coming and going."
"Is there anything unusual about the Marquis of Zhennan of Chu State?"
The subordinate shook his head and said, "According to the news from Jin Yiwei, Tong Yong is greedy for wealth. The governor ordered me to spend more money to bribe his subordinates. Tong Yong got the benefit, so he naturally turned a blind eye. But Si Nanbo, who is in charge of Lu'an, Shen Xiong repeatedly asked for orders to lead troops to eliminate the bandits, but Tong Yong rejected them. Everything is ready, and we can take action at any time as long as the governor gives the order."
Sheng Yuanbai sighed softly when he heard the words, "A wise man will always make mistakes. If we can't be foolproof, we really don't dare to take risks. We must ensure that we are ahead of the Chu army. Tong Yong may be greedy for profit, but he is also You must not be regarded as a mediocre person, the top priority is to understand the deployment of Chu's troops and look for suitable opportunities."
"Yes, I will personally contact Jin Yiwei and I will not disappoint the governor."
"Yes." Sheng Yuanbai raised his hand, and the guards bowed and retreated. Sheng Yuanbai ordered loudly again: "Pass my military order, and quickly gather five thousand Qingqi to wait for orders."
