Wu Chengsi asked in a deep voice: "Do you know where your lady is now?"
Lu Wei said with a bitter face: "I was locked up with the young lady at first, but then... after I confessed, they took the young lady away."
Wu Chengsi frowned and fell into deep thought.
Wang Fangyi said: "So you were imprisoned in Heicang Wharf by them later?"
Lu Wei lowered his head, pointed his finger and said, "I don't know where I am being held."
"Then you should know who is saving you, right?" Hei Te Changzhi glared.
Luwei shrank his neck and said in surprise: "Didn't you rescue me?"
Hei Te Changzhi was even more surprised than her, and said, "You don't know who rescued you?"
Lu Wei shook his head and said: "I haven't eaten for several days. I fainted from hunger. When I woke up, I appeared here."
Zhugenan crossed his arms and said, "The person who rescued her should be someone from the Jianghu." Then he told Gongsun Xiaoniang.
Wu Chengsi, who was thinking about it, asked curiously: "You said that little girl is called Gongsun Xiaoniang?"
Zhuge Nan said: "That's what she said, maybe it was a pseudonym."
"Is her master's name Gongsun Auntie?"
Zhuge Nan said: "She didn't say, but it is possible."
Wu Chengsi shook his head, not thinking about the relationship between Miss Gongsun and Aunt Gongsun at the moment.
What he is most concerned about right now is Xu Wenqing's safety.
The other party ended up like this because of him, and he must save the other party.
After telling Lu Wei to "have a good rest", Wu Chengsi led the people out of the camp and returned to the commander's tent.
"Your Highness, why not let the general lead a search in Yangzhou City." Hei Te Changzhi suggested.
Wang Fangyi said: "No, if it causes a commotion, not only will we not be able to save Miss Xu, but we may even kill her."
Hei Te Changzhi glared and said, "Then what do you think we should do?"
Wang Fangyi muttered: "Now we can only search secretly."
At this time, Zhuge Sanyuan, who had been silent all the time, suddenly said: "Your Highness, there is something that I find very strange."
"Mr. Zhuge, please speak."
"That Duke Huang traveled all the way to Taizhou and deliberately approached Miss Xu Wenqing. He must have had some purpose."
Zhugenan blurted out: "The purpose must be to win over her father Xu Yuanju."
Zhuge Sanyuan narrowed his eyes and said: "Yes, everything they did to Xu Wenqing should be for Xu Yuanju."
Wu Chengsi's eyes lit up and he said, "Are you saying that we can find Xu Wenqing through Xu Yuanju?"
Zhuge Sanyuan smiled and said: "They were trying to win over Xu Yuanju before, but now they poisoned his daughter to blind him. They may have changed their strategy and wanted to use his daughter to threaten him."
Zhuge Nan shouted: "Yes, then they will definitely let Xu Yuanju see Xu Wenqing!"
Wu Chengsi frowned and hesitated.
Zhuge Nan said: "Your Highness, let's quickly bring someone to bring Xu Yuanju over."
Wu Chengsi said in a deep voice: "The King of Yue must have a purpose in wooing Xu Yuanju, and Xu Yuanju probably knows that purpose. If you were the King of Yue, would you let me see Xu Yuanju easily?"
Zhuge Nan was surprised: "You mean he will stop us?"
Hei Te Changzhi immediately said: "Your Highness, please let the general lead the people. I don't believe anyone dares to stop our Zuo Wuwei!"
Wang Fangyi glanced at him sideways and snorted coldly: "You don't understand what His Highness means at all."
Hei Te Changzhi glared and said, "You know?"
Wang Fangyi originally did not want to get deeply involved in the fight between Wu Chengsi and the King of Yue, but he especially wanted to hit Hei Te Changzhi, so he said: "If the King of Yue can't stop it explicitly, won't he use other methods to stop it?"
"What other ways?" Hei Te Changzhi frowned.
"With the ability of the King of Yue, there are many ways. As long as we send someone to the Governor's Yamen to ask, we should know."
"No matter what method he has, can he still block His Highness's Zuo Wuwei?" Black Teeth Changzhi said loudly.
Wang Fangyi shook his head and said: "If we act too violently, we may very well force the King of Yue to take drastic measures."
"What drastic measures?"
"Kill and silence!"
Hei Te Changzhi said angrily: "If you are so timid, then we don't have to do anything!"
Wu Chengsi raised his hand and said: "You don't have to argue. What General Wang said makes sense. Let General Wang and Zhuge Si Cheng go to the city first to understand the situation.
Wang Fangyi and Zhuge Nan responded in unison.
Although Black Teeth Changzhi was unruly, he would never have any objection to Wu Chengsi's military orders.
After leaving the commander's tent, Wang Fangyi cupped his hands and said: "Brother Zhuge, you are better at inquiring about information. How many people do you think it is appropriate for us to take with us?"
Seeing that Wang Fangyi respected him so much, Zhuge Nan became very fond of him and said with a smile: "You don't need to take anyone with you, just the two of us."
Wang Fangyi didn't ask any more questions and nodded in agreement.
The two of them each picked a horse and left the camp, running north for about half an hour. The thick walls of Yangzhou City appeared in front of them.
The two led their horses into the city. Zhugenan glanced around and said to show off his knowledge: "Tsk, tsk, this place can't compare to Hangzhou."
His words immediately aroused the glares of a group of locals around him.
Wang Fangyi said knowingly: "Brother Zhuge has been to Hangzhou?"
Zhuge Nan ignored the gazes of others, raised his chin and said, "Yes, I stayed in Hangzhou for a month in order to help His Highness handle some errands."
Wang Fangyi nodded and asked humbly: "Shall we go directly to the Governor's Mansion?"
Zhuge Nan smiled and said: "At this time, it's natural to find a tea shed to drink tea!"
He said he was looking for a tea shed, but Zhuge Nan walked all the way north and did not stop when he encountered several tea sheds.
Wang Fangyi followed him silently, glancing at him from time to time, but not asking any questions.
To be a general, you must be able to keep your breath.
At this point, there were few generals in the entire Tang Dynasty who could compare with Wang Fangyi.
After a long time, the two of them walked from the south to the north of the city. Near the city gate, Zhuge Nan finally found a tea shed.
Wang Fangyi still didn't ask and followed him to sit down in the tea shed.
Not long after the two sat down, the tea waiter came over with a tea tray, refilled water for the two of them, said with a smile on his face, "Please take your time," and left.
Zhuge Nan naturally would not let him leave, and said with a smile: "Man, I want to ask you something."
The tea waiter smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, I'm a little busy. It's really..."
Zhugenan took out a small sling of copper coins and bumped them in his hand.
"What do you want to ask?" The tea waiter immediately changed the subject.
"I want to sue one of your officials in Hangzhou, but I don't know which yamen to contact?" Zhugenan asked with a stern face.
The tea waiter was surprised and said, "Who do you want to sue?"
"Xu Yuanju, the governor of Hangzhou!" Zhuge Nan gritted his teeth and said.
The tea waiter breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's him."
"Why are you laughing?" Zhuge Nan said angrily.
The tea waiter smiled and said, "Don't be angry, sir. Xu Yuanju has been imprisoned for colluding with businessmen and embezzling public funds, and he was escorted to Chang'an two days ago."
Wang Fangyi's expression changed slightly and he said, "He's not in Yangzhou City?"
The tea waiter nodded and said, "Yes, I personally saw the dog officer being sent out of the city. A lot of people came that day. Everyone threw rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves at the dog officer. I don't know how happy it was!"
Zhuge Nan and Wang Fangyi looked at each other, put the tea money on the table, stood up, pulled their horses and left.
The tea waiter was about to ask for the reward when he suddenly saw Zhuge Nan throw his hand at him without looking back, and the copper coin hit him on the forehead.
The tea waiter picked up the copper coins, touched his sore forehead, and complained: "Why did you throw away such a heavy coin?"
On the way back to the military camp, Wang Fangyi said to Zhuge Nan, who was riding side by side: "Zhuge Sicheng, how did you guess that Xu Yuanju had been sent away?"
He had already figured out at this moment that Zhugenan had guessed this and went to the teahouse next to the north gate to inquire about the news.
Because if Xu Yuanju was sent to Chang'an, he would definitely pass through this gate.
The usual smile on Zhuge Nan's face disappeared and he said in a deep voice:
"I just prepared for the worst in advance. No matter where the King of Yue imprisons Xu Yuanju, we can always find a way to see him. Only by sending Xu Yuanju away will we be unable to do anything."
Wang Fangyi mused: "They have only been gone for two days. It may not be too late for us to catch up now."
Zhugenan suddenly turned to stare at him and said, "Do you think they will really send Xu Yuanju to Chang'an?"
Wang Fangyi said blankly: "You mean..."
Zhuge Nan hummed: "They only need to send people to pretend to be bandits, and they can capture Xu Yuanju in a place where we will never find him."
Wang Fangyi looked at Zhugenan again and realized that he still underestimated the young man.
Suddenly, Wang Fangyi saw that Zhuge Nan's eyes were wet, and couldn't help but said: "Zhuge Sicheng, what are you..."
Zhugenan wiped the corners of his eyes, turned his head to the side, and said, "I heard His Highness say that Xu Yuanju is a good official, and in order to punish evil people, even his own wife was killed by evil people."
Wang Fangyi remained silent.
"For such a good official, not only was he wronged, his daughter was poisoned and blinded, and now his reputation has been ruined. I feel uncomfortable just thinking about his current mood..."
Wang Fangyi looked up to his commander and sighed. When he lowered his head, his eyes had become extremely firm and he said in a deep voice: "Brother Zhuge, sorrow cannot solve any problems. We must clear Xu Changshi's grievances."
Zhugenan glanced at him and nodded vigorously.
Wang Fangyi suddenly reined in his horse and said slowly: "Let's go to the Governor's Mansion."
"What else are you doing there?" Zhugenan asked in surprise.
Wang Fangyi said: "Although Xu Yuanju is no longer here, the jailers who imprisoned him are still there. We may be able to get some information from them."
Zhuge Nan said happily: "Yes, how could I forget this, General Wang, thank you for reminding me."
Wang Fangyi smiled and said, "Let's go."
…
In the Guanyin Mountain military camp, after hearing the reports from Zhuge Nan and Wang Fangyi, Wu Chengsi stood up suddenly and said, "Has Xu Yuanju been escorted to Chang'an City?"
Wang Fangyi said in a deep voice: "Yes, they seem to have been on guard and don't want us to come into contact with Xu Yuanju."
Wu Chengsi remained silent.
Zhuge Nan smiled and said: "Your Highness, don't be disappointed yet, we have found out where Xu Wenqing is being held!"
"where?"
"Prince Yue's Mansion!" Zhugenan said every word.
After a pause, he added: "The jailer who imprisoned Xu Yuanju was someone sent by the Ministry of Punishment. We caught one person and tortured him, and found out that a few days ago, people from the Yue Palace took Xu Yuanju away."
Zhuge Sanyuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you going to torture the officials of the Ministry of Punishment?"
"Yes." Zhugenan turned to look at him and asked curiously: "Father, what are you doing wearing night clothes?"
Zhuge Sanyuan glared and said, "Don't change the subject. Do you know that it is against the law to lynch court officials without permission?"
Wang Fangyi said hurriedly: "Master Zhuge Temple, please obey your authority in urgent matters. It was I who proposed to torture the jailer."
Zhuge Sanyuan just took the opportunity to hit Zhuge Nan to prevent him from going too far in the future.
Seeing Wang Fangyi speaking for Zhuge Nan, he was not angry but happy, and deliberately said with a straight face: "Even so, there is no guarantee that Miss Xu will be in Prince Yue's Mansion."
Hei Qichang said: "Shouldn't we find out if we search it?"
Wang Fangyi shook his head and said: "The King of Yue is a first-class prince. His Majesty's brother is currently the brother of the emperor. He still has a gold medal in his hand. If there is no sufficient reason, even His Highness will not be able to enter his house to search."
Wu Chengsi spoke slowly but firmly: "As long as we can be sure that Miss Xu is in Prince Yue's palace, we will definitely rescue her even if we take some risks."
Wang Fangyi secretly lamented that Wu Chengsi was willing to take such risks for his subordinates, no wonder so many people were willing to follow him.
Zhuge Sanyuan smiled and said: "Your Highness, let me visit the palace at night."
Zhuge Nan was surprised and said: "Father, if you put on your night clothes in advance, wouldn't you have already guessed that Miss Xu is in Prince Yue's Mansion?"
Wu Chengsi said: "I asked Mr. Zhuge to explore the Heicang Pier at night. But the Yue Prince's Mansion is more important, so I have to help Mr. Zhuge go there."
"General Wang, please select a few people from the Qianniu Guards to investigate the Heicang Wharf."
Wang Fangyi’s loud voice should be.
Late at night, Yangzhou City.
If we talk about the wealthy houses in Yangzhou City, if the house of King Li Yuanjia of Han is ranked second, no one would dare to be ranked first.
Not only in Yangzhou, but even in Chang'an City, there are few houses bigger than his.
The Yue King Li Zhen was a bit more low-key, and his residence was only half the size of the Han Palace. However, despite this, it was by no means comparable to that of ordinary people.
It is said that some thieves were even caught because they got lost in Yuewang Mansion.
The starlight was thin, and the moonlight was blocked by clouds. Only a hazy outline could be seen.
Autumn nights are always very short, and dark nights like today are rare.
However, for night travelers, such a night could not be better.
It was past midnight, but the lights were still on in the main room of Prince Yue's Mansion.
In the study room of the main room to the north, Yue Wang Li Zhen, wearing an earthy yellow coat, was listening to Chen Shuozhen's report.
"How could this happen? I remember that I asked you to closely guard the Black Cang Pier."
The King of Yue tapped the table with his right index finger.
Anyone who knows him well knows that he is in a very bad mood at the moment.
Chen Shuozhen was silent for a while and said: "I have left two hall masters at Heicang Pier."
"Don't you often say that the hall masters and guardians under you are the top masters in the world?"
"They certainly are."
"Then why would Jianghu people break into the Black Cang Pier and rescue the maid? And the other party is still alone!" The King of Yue frowned.
Being accused like this by the King of Yue, even his sons must have been frightened.
However, Chen Shuozhen did not change his expression and said calmly: "The man who broke into the dock is too skilled in martial arts. There are not more than twenty people with his skill in the world."
"Who is that person?"
"Hebei Rangers, Gao Junhui."
The King of Yue suddenly stood up and said: "Gao Junhui? Isn't that Wu Chengsi's person?"
Chen Shuozhen nodded and said, "Yes."
The King of Yue looked up and sighed, saying: "Wu Chengsi, Wu Chengsi, it seems that you have forced me to fight to the death with you."
He turned around and ordered: "Daozhang Chen, please send someone to ask King Han and Governor Yang to come over and ask King Han to bring Deputy Commander Yang with him."
Chen Shuozhen's pupils shrank when he heard the words "Deputy Commander Yang".
Soon, after Chen Shuozhen passed on the order, he returned to the study and asked: "Your Highness, are you planning to take action against Wu Chengsi?"
The King of Yue's mood has returned to normal, and he said calmly: "When things have reached this point, I can't even think about taking action."
Chen Shuozhen said: "But that thing is no longer at Heicang Pier. Even if Wu Chengsi finds Heicang Pier, it will be useless. What are you worried about?"
The King of Yue said in a deep voice: "Do you know how Wu Chengsi found Heicang Wharf?"
"have no idea."
The King of Yue sighed: "I don't know either. This is the most terrifying place. Who can guarantee that Wu Chengsi will not find the location of that thing?"
Chen Shuozhen hesitated and said: "But Wu Chengsi has ten thousand Zuowu guards around him, and they live in the military camp. It would be very difficult to assassinate him."
"No matter how difficult it is, we have only this option. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the plan, I have no choice but to burn the boat."
Chen Shuozhen thought for a while and then asked: "If we kill Wu Chengsi, will it have any impact on the conferment of Zen on Mount Tai?"
King Yue said: "No, do you know why Wu Mei wants to push Mount Tai to become a Zen monk?"
Chen Shuozhen shook his head.
The King of Yue snorted and said: "Everything that woman did was for power. According to the old practice, when the emperor conferred the title of Zen, it should have been the emperor's first offering, Gongqing Yaxian. But Wu persuaded His Majesty to agree and let her come to Yaxian."
Chen Shuozhen nodded and said: "She wants to improve her reputation through Feng Chan."
The King of Yue sneered and said: "So, even if her nephew dies, Wu will never give up the opportunity to be granted Zen status. As long as she does not object, there will be no setbacks in this matter."
Chen Shuozhen stopped speaking, and the King of Yue also fell silent. The study fell into silence for a while.
In the middle of the ugly season, the silence was suddenly broken.
Navy Commander Yang Sijian entered the study under the leadership of the housekeeper, followed by three people. Chen Shuozhen swept his eyes and quickly passed over Tu Hong and He Lan Minzhi.
When her eyes rested on the last white-haired old man, she frowned slightly and said, "When did Master Situ come to Hangzhou?"
The white-haired old man wore a blue and white brocade robe, a high crown on his head, a jade belt around his waist, and a red face. He looked more like a prince than Li Zhen, the king of Yue.
Compared with him, Navy Commander Yang Sijian was like one of his guards.
Island Master Situ smiled and said: "Although I hope to live on the island for the rest of my life, I have no choice but to follow Governor Yang's orders."
There was quite a bit of complaint in his words.
Yang Sijian was a fair-skinned middle-aged scholar. After entering the room, he silently sat down on a chair and said calmly: "Didn't His Highness the King of Yue reject the proposal of the capital? Why did you call Yang here today?"
King Yue said: "I won't hide it from you. The situation has changed. I have just changed my mind and want to cooperate with Governor Yang. But I don't know if Governor Yang still has plans to assassinate Wu Chengsi."
Yang Sijian stared at the King of Yue for a while and said in a deep voice: "If Yang changes his mind, how can he spend a lot of money to ask Master Situ to take action?"
The King of Yue clapped his hands and said, "Okay, then let's wait for the King of Han."