son-in-law

Chapter 1278: I Still Suspect Until Now (5)

Chapter 1278: I Still Suspect You Until Now (V)

Night falls.

Looking out from the sentry tower on the side of the Princess's Mansion, there were lights and fires flowing in the city shrouded in darkness, a bustling market, and dotted with spots were the towns where people lived.

The princess put down the telescope in her hand and pointed forward.

"Starting from here, counting forward, you can see five watchtowers in the city... There are a total of 46 such watchtowers in the city. They use flag language to transmit information, and can quickly report changes in the city to the Ministry of Justice or the Imperial Palace. The information in the flag language is relatively general, but if you understand it, you can roughly know the major events happening in the city at the moment. Those who are more capable can even infer the news happening outside the city..."

"In fact, they are all information. If you read and think about the memorials submitted by the lower level several times, you will have a clear idea of ​​many things... As for the recognition of flag language, there was a set of methods in the army in the past. But you may not believe it. Back in Jiangning, Mr. Ning... Mr. Ning, in his spare time, had developed a so-called phonetic method based on Western letters, similar to the Fanqie method. I was still young at that time and had no interest in it. He only mentioned it briefly... After the regicide rebellion, I learned that this method had been incorporated into the Black Flag Army by him, and later included in the literacy enlightenment in the southwest... You came from the southwest, so you must know about this. I learned this method after returning from the Zuo family. It was a bit difficult and it took me seven days to learn it..."

"At present, the flag language here is based on two sets of fixed terms, and one set uses the pinyin method of the southwest. In order to avoid being deciphered by bandits, the letters are numbered one after every four... But in fact, it is not very useful. The city of Fuzhou is as transparent as a sieve. This deciphering method will be spread out in a few days, so it can only transmit some unimportant information... Look, the one transmitted now is sixteen. This is the number of the market. According to the planning of the city, sixteen is Yucheng Market in the east. Next, there was a fight, knives were used, and more than twenty people on both sides..."

"There are several big families in Yuchengfang. Si Zhaonan expressed his loyalty to the court some time ago, but he has a grudge against Li Dawei of the Hunhe Gang. The two sides have been competing for the tea trade route to the north. Si Zhaonan gave money to the court in the hope of using the court to get rid of Li Dawei... This matter is irrelevant to the overall situation. The best way for the Ministry of Justice is to mediate and let the two sides join forces to share the benefits. But no matter what, the Li family has been forced to take action. The court will then clean up the Hunhe Gang... Do you understand these things?"

From beginning to end, Zhou Pei spoke calmly and briskly. When she saw the flag signal, she pinched her fingers and read the message clearly in a moment. Qu Longjun stood aside, pinching his fingers gently and frowning to remember. Only when Zhou Pei looked over at him for the last time did he take a step back.

"I, a common girl, may understand a little..."

"It's good that you understand." In the night breeze, Zhou Pei, who was wearing a long skirt, smiled slightly. She looked ahead in the night. "The so-called power, in the eyes of outsiders, is based on force and money. I also thought so when I was young. At that time, the Wu Dynasty was still strong. The emperor would kill thousands of people in anger. If the country had any ideas, it would cut off any city or land with a single sword. No one could disobey... But after accepting these messes, I found that the most important thing about the so-called power is information..."

She put her hands on the edge of the watchtower: "Even if you are the emperor, you still don't know whether the people around you are telling the truth or not. In fact, the more powerful you are, the more likely people around you will tell lies out of fear. People's hearts are hidden, and you don't know who is loyal... Or maybe, loyalty or not is not important. Everyone has selfish desires and ideas. Many times, he will spread the news in the direction he wants, and after ten or a hundred times, the matter becomes a completely different lie..."

"Zhou Zhe was a perverse person back then, but in the past few years since he came to power, I have gradually come to understand who he can trust. The reason why he has to weigh the pros and cons and play tricks is because the people under him are divided. They may tell the truth to check and balance each other. In order to prevent the people under him from sticking together, weighing the pros and cons has gradually become his habit..."

When she said this, she looked at Qu Longjun and said, "Do you know why I am telling you this?"

"I, a commoner..." Qu Longjun frowned, "I don't quite understand..."

"I really don't understand, but that's a good thing." Zhou Pei said, "Sooner or later, you will return to the southwest... Speaking of the southwest, there are some interesting things, such as the women officials in the southwest... There are some things that are not usually seen in troubled times, such as the female prime minister in Jin. If she takes one more step forward, she can become the king, but the southwest does not seem to be a temporary measure in troubled times. Mr. Ning... Mr. Ning's ideas are always very different from others. He seems to really want to let women officials enter the government, although putting Li Shishi in the front is a bit childish..."

"Your Highness, what do you mean..."

"Li Shishi is his mistress, how can she be promoted to the front? Although she was born as a courtesan in Fanlou, she can be associated with diplomacy and entertainment, but if she takes the next step, she will be promoted to the position of Shangshu, so she can't lower her status and cause criticism."

"..." Qu Longjun didn't dare to speak.

In the dark night, Zhou Pei took a deep breath and then slowed down her speech.

"...As the second son of the Ning family, he is destined to be inseparable from politics throughout his life. You being by his side is both good and bad. The good thing is that even though you are a woman, you will see a very big world... Heh, Mr. Ning is a man of great talent and vision, with a heart for the world... No, he has a heart for the ages, he wants to educate the people, popularize enlightenment, and even make everyone equal. If I were not a member of the Wu Dynasty royal family, I would be excited after hearing this, and perhaps I would even charge into battle for him..."

She was silent for a long time when she said this.

"...But the bad side of this is, Xiao Qu, you have too much to look at. Women, once they get involved in politics, will...lose themselves."

The night wind blew in all directions, blowing through the woman's hair on the watchtower, blowing the hair on her face. Qu Longjun was born into a poor family, and although he had not yet been involved in the complicated so-called politics, he was best at understanding the elegant meaning of music. At this moment, he felt a little scared. The person on the watchtower at this moment might be the once relatively simple little princess, and her impression of the "eldest princess" who is now in the vortex of power - "no human appearance".

If others heard this, they might be killed.

She looked up after a slight hesitation, and saw that the eldest princess opposite her was staring at her. After a moment, she smiled gently.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaoqu." She comforted him, "Although I always wonder who is good and who is bad in Fuzhou, I don't have to do the same to you... But I often wonder, how is Mr. Ning in the southwest now? Has he also gradually become inhuman in such power? Was the Ning Yi I met back then real or fake? And I back then..."

"Forgive me for speaking frankly..." Qu Longjun hesitated for a long time and said, "Your Highness seems to be... afraid of himself."

"..." Zhou Pei was silent for a while, then nodded, "...Yeah."

She then looked forward and raised her head again.

"In my half life, more than thirty years, I have had a failed marriage and no children. I can't say that I have any experience to share with you. I only have a deep understanding of power. I know there are some things I shouldn't do, but I have to do them. I know there are some roads I shouldn't take, but I have to take them... You are very similar to me, so I also want to tell you that if you can avoid these things, women will be more lovable... I don't know who will meet the Ning Yi in the southwest first, you or me..."

She said this with a long sigh. The best way to get closer to each other is to be open and honest. The two stood on the watchtower, each imagining the "inhuman" Mr. Xin Nanning in their hearts. After a while, they saw the flags crossing and there was news. Zhou Pei looked for a while and frowned.

"Still chasing..."

She turned around and called down: "Silver bottle...Is the silver bottle still there?"

After a while, Yue Yinping came up from downstairs. Zhou Pei said, "In the direction of Yueqiao, the masters are chasing... It's been almost an hour, and the boy surnamed Sun is still chasing that Tunyun?"

Yin Ping frowned and said, "It looks like... yes."

"I've almost run the entire city, and I can still run?"

"According to previous information, Monk Tunyun already has deep internal strength and is famous for his Qinggong skills, and that kid surnamed Sun..." Yin Ping subconsciously glanced at Qu Longjun, "After all, he was a scout in the southwest, although... this is indeed a bit exaggerated."

"Are the two evenly matched?"

"It seems that Mr. Cheng and Miss Qu's plan has worked." Yin Ping said, "This monk is probably trying to subdue the monkey surnamed Sun... uh, monkey."

"Where is the support from the Ministry of Justice?"

"The head of the Criminal Department couldn't catch up with the two of them. In the absence of Chief Constable Tie, they just stretched the net far away. However, Yue Yun had already passed by."

"Well, it's also strange that you're not going at all." Zhou Pei nodded.

At this time, Qu Longjun asked, "Miss Yue, how is Miss Xiaodie?"

Yin Ping hesitated for a moment, then laughed: "The doctor has already treated him. Although the injury is serious, his life is not in danger. It seems that the intention of the Swallowing Cloud Monk was consistent with what he shouted later."

Zhou Pei smiled and said, "...You are quite open-minded."

Qu Longjun also smiled strangely: "When he was in Yinqiaofang, he quarreled with the fat lady next door every day. There was a fishmonger in the stall inside. He had a bad temper and he also quarreled with him all day long... He came from the southwest, and some of his ideas were different from ordinary people. He firmly believed that everyone was equal. If someone wanted to fight with him, he would fight. If someone wanted to quarrel with him, he would lose but not the battle. Swallowing the clouds... That dirty monk thought that he quarreled with Xiaodie because he liked her. He was really wrong. Miss Xiaodie is also pitiful."

Yue Yinping seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, she said, "Then I think you should not say anything like "I'd rather lose the battle than the fight" in front of him."

Qu Longjun nodded and smiled: "Yes, I dare not say it in front of him."

Zhou Pei watched the two of them talking and laughing. As an elder, she thought for a moment and said, "He really gave birth to a good son..." After a moment, she said to Qu Longjun, "But you are not afraid that Xiaodie can quarrel with him. Does she like him?"

"Yeah." Qu Longjun nodded, "Xiaodie likes him."

"what?"

"Who can not like him?"

Qu Longjun smiled and said as a matter of course.

The tower was quiet for a while, Yin Ping bowed and said, "I'll take my leave first." Then he patted his forehead with an expression of disdain and turned away. The night wind started to blow again, Zhou Pei stood there for a moment, and heard Qu Longjun speak.

"Your Highness, I have something to say..."

"……Um?"

"During the time I was in the southwest, the people and things I saw were all different from before. Later, I met Xiaolong and traveled with him for such a long time... Then, Your Highness, if the Ning family in the southwest can have such a different child, would it be possible that... the Mr. Ning you met before is also different from the others in the world?"

"..."

"I think... maybe... there is still such a possibility..."

……

The night wind gradually took away the scorching heat of the day. However, in the southeast of the city, two figures were moving quickly among the roofs and trees, and they seemed to be carrying a heat even more scorching than during the day.

The surging breath has been circulating in the body for countless times. Tunyun dragged the cassock across the narrow river ahead, passing through the narrow road ahead like a phantom. Looking back, there seemed to be a figure like a maggot on the tarsal bone biting desperately at the end of the field of vision.

Good seedling!

——He had already sighed like this countless times that night.

After mastering Qinggong, he hadn't run for such a long time in many years. At first, he wanted to see the opponent's limit, but gradually, he found that the young man was holding his breath and almost became a sticky candy that was impossible to get rid of. There were even a few times when he thought he had shaken off the opponent, but after circling around for a few times, he found that the opponent had bitten him again.

There were several fights, but the boy was still young, and his internal strength was getting weaker and weaker. Only a tenacity was still supporting the opponent's endless pursuit. For such performance, Tunyun could only sigh that "the young are afraid of the strong". But when he was young, he was far from such performance.

When he ran to the end, he knew that it would not be difficult to turn around and kill the opponent. That was why he wanted to use this round of chase to further see the opponent's potential - anyway, there was no way he could go back to rescue Miss Xiaodie.

The impression he left on the other party this afternoon was extremely good - at least that's how Tunyun understood it.

His original plan was to capture the Fish King or Pu Xingui and kill them in front of the young man, making him feel his own power and helplessness, so as to convince him. However, the Fish King was not at home, and Pu Xingui could not be found for a while. He was not good at finding people. Fortunately, Xiao San and other followers caught the clues of the young man quarreling with the girl in Yinqiaofang, which led to his later performance.

The moment he went away and came back and fell from the sky, the boy realized his helplessness enough.

After the palm strike, Tun Yun's original intention was to let the boy take the girl to heal her wounds. After a few exchanges, the girl was taken care of. In this way, he could both establish his authority and show favor. Such a domineering method and such a clever plan, after thinking about it over and over again, he applauded in his heart.

Unfortunately, the other party didn’t understand his second half of the painstaking effort at all, and chased him all the way, forcing him to make his words clear on the way: “Hahahaha, I’ll teach you a lesson. If you go save that woman now, there’s still a chance…”

But the young man cursed: "I'm being hunted by the imperial court, where can I take her to heal my wounds in peace..." This made Tunyun silent for a long time.

After a while, I could only say: "You young people are afraid of difficulties..."

"Fuck you——"

The boy went crazy and kept chasing him endlessly.

After running and chasing in the city for an entire hour, and having a brief fight with a passing captain, Tunyun enjoyed the pleasure of training his disciples. He was indeed very skilled in martial arts, and he was also thinking that such a fight in the green forest would surely impress the opponent. He kept chasing until there was a small forest ahead, and then his figure slowly slowed down.

In the shadow of the forest, "Golden Eyes and Thousand Feathers" Fan Zhong was waiting there.

Tunyun turned around and saw a young man standing on the roof not far away.

Fan Zhong hid here, originally planning to carry out an ambush, but Tun Yun's behavior aroused the young man's vigilance. Seeing that the ambush attempt failed, Fan Zhong was not angry, and said to Tun Yun: "The city has been in turmoil for so long, and Miss Chen is worried that something has happened, so she asked me to come here."

Tunyun raised a hand and then sent a voice to the back: "After today's chase, it's remarkable that you can get here. That's enough. As the saying goes, green mountains never change, green rivers flow forever, we will see each other again someday, and it won't be too late for you to take action then. I will be waiting for you at any time."

At the end of his words, he put his hands behind his back and walked forward like a phantom, revealing his identity as a great master.

The boy jumped up on the roof: "Fuck your uncle——"

"Why are young people nowadays so rude!" Tunyun frowned.

"Master, you really have the leisure time." Fan Zhong laughed out loud, and then said, "If you don't leave now, the soldiers will close the net."

"I know."

With the two masters present, the young man behind finally understood and stopped chasing. As the two figures disappeared, Ning Ji jumped off the roof and found a hidden passage to escape far away.

The blood in his chest seemed to be burning, and his lungs seemed to have become an over-operating bellows. He could smell the burning smell with every breath, but he still tried his best to carry out several counter-trackings, and then slowly slowed down at the bank of a river.

He did not stop, but continued walking, then said to the side: "Come out quickly."

Yue Yun, wearing a black headscarf and dressed as a suspicious masked man, jumped out from the roadside.

"Well done, you are really brave. You actually chased Tunyun for an hour. You are really brave for the love of your beloved. You are amazing."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm here to tell you that the girl is not dead - although she is seriously injured, she is not dead." Yue Yun patted his shoulder, "I understand you, let me tell you, when I saw Miss Xiaodie here, I had just come from another girl, the one who framed me and was hit by a horse... It's even a question whether she can wake up. Everyone only talks about fighting and killing, but I am the only one who understands you, these bastards -"

Yue Yun's eyes were bloodshot, and they shared a common hatred for the enemy.

"You know shit!" Ning Ji jumped up and slapped Yue Yun's arm away. "You don't understand that so many people died in the battlefield every day! You don't care about the Beiwei army who were framed and killed unjustly! You don't understand Zuo Xingzhou who died! You know nothing about a seriously injured little girl! I see hundreds of brothers who have been through life and death every day on the battlefield in the southwest, and the feelings of each of them are more important than those of a little girl! Compassion is a virtue, but we are fucking soldiers--"

"……what?"

Ning Ji was still walking, looking at him with bloodshot eyes: "The enemy will kill our brothers, our sisters, our cats and dogs, it's all the same, there's no point in crying! I want him to die, I just want him to die——"

"..."

Yue Yun scratched his head and looked at Ning Ji who was still walking forward, his throat sounding like a broken bellows.

"...The stinky monk is old and wants to accept a disciple, but he is so slow and indecisive that I have been pestering him for an hour, and I have only learned 50% of his Kung Fu... His Qinggong is indeed very high. If he takes off his cassock, he can run even faster. It is not easy to kill such a person. I have never killed one before, but there is always a first time for everything... It's not that there is no way, humph, it's not that there is no way..."

Yue Yun watched him walk forward. He was originally unhappy, but now his eyes brightened. He walked over and lifted the boy's shoulder, who was almost exhausted and his steps became weak. "That makes sense. Count me in and I'll help you."

"Of course you're one of them. Besides, if there's a new weapon, it's a sure thing."

"Explosives? Or muskets?"

"Long spears won't work. We need Cheng Zhouhai's spear to catch the enemy by surprise... Let me tell you, there has been such a deduction in our southwest..."

"Great! Did it!"

In the dim light, Ning Ji's figure crossed the road along the river bank and walked slowly forward. He had previously used up all his strength in chasing after a great master like Tun Yun, but now he rested for a while and regained his strength. The two figures crossed the summer night, and then, they became faster and faster in the wind...

Only in the backyard of the Princess's Mansion, the Emperor was playing a game of knocking wooden fish with the little princess - he was holding a storybook in boredom and reading fables from the book to Zhou Fuyang. Every time he read a chapter, he would knock on the wooden fish in front of him.

Boom, boom, boom.

Zhou Fuyang fell asleep while listening to the story.

Jun Wu frowned and looked out the door in frustration. He had originally told the eunuch in charge to report to him once Sun Wukong returned to the palace. Now Zhou Fuyang was asleep, so why hadn't the kid come back yet? He had originally wanted to teach him some life lessons, but now Zhou Fuyang, the tool man, was asleep. If he didn't return to the palace, tomorrow's work would pile up...

Sincerely, my mother is depressed...