A banquet ended unhappily without a bite of food or a mouthful of wine.
However, no one below cared about this, because they all felt that they already understood what Wu Chengsi meant.
He wanted to use this banquet to tell everyone in Yangzhou City that no matter what happened before, he would ignore the past and let the past go.
Everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and Yan Mingde was the happiest among them.
Although none of them would defect to Wu Chengsi's side because of this, Wu Chengsi's statement at least proved that he was a reasonable person.
This leaves them with a lot of room for maneuver. If something unexpected happens in the future, they can change their formation at any time without much worry.
Although the King of Yue was aware of the thoughts of these idiots, Wu Chengsi's random move disrupted his pace and he didn't know how to deal with it for a while.
Although people of his age are cautious and able to keep their composure, their shortcomings are also obvious and their adaptability is somewhat poor.
When the carriage from Prince Yue's Mansion returned to Yangzhou City, it had just passed a little while ago.
At this moment, a horse flew from a distance. The man on the horse was extremely tall and slender.
When she got closer, the entourage beside the carriage recognized the person as Li Yuhui, the county head of Prince Yue's Mansion.
"Father, what's wrong, Wu Chengsi's men just rushed into the palace and took that woman away!"
Li Yuhui said hurriedly as soon as she approached the carriage window.
The sound of a teacup falling to the ground came from inside the carriage, and then a skinny hand pulled open the curtain, revealing the wrinkled face of the King of Yue.
His face turned blue and white, and it took him a long time to control his emotions and spit out three words with difficulty.
"Let's talk in the car."
Li Yuhui quickly got on the carriage and found her father looking at her with red eyes. She couldn't help lowering her head and whispered: "A side courtyard of the mansion suddenly caught fire, and then a group of Zuo Wuwei suddenly broke into the mansion and said that
Put out fires.”
The King of Yue's anger kept rising, and he seemed to be losing control at any moment.
"That's the First Grade Prince's Mansion, and you're just going to let them in like this?" he said in a hoarse voice.
Li Yuhui lowered her head again and said: "They are too fierce, and there are too many people. Our guards in the mansion can't stop them at all. You also know how courageous the mother-in-law is, so I can only accompany her in the backyard."
At this moment, a voice sounded outside the window.
"Your Highness, news came from the governor's office that Zuo Wuwei's army suddenly entered the city in large numbers, and the city gate guards did not dare to stop them."
"knew."
The King of Yue replied coldly that the news was lagging behind and had no value.
He stared at his little daughter and said slowly: "I remember to explain before I left that if anything happens, Xu Wenqing will be transferred immediately. Why didn't you transfer him?"
Li Yuhui lowered her eyes and said: "As soon as they entered the house, they went straight to the small courtyard where the woman was. Butler Li and the others had no time to move."
The King of Yue was startled, then slapped his forehead and said: "I understand, Wu Chengsi sent people to my palace a few days ago, just for Xu Wenqing."
In fact, it was not that he had not thought about it, he just felt that if Wu Chengsi really knew the plan, there would be no need to save Xu Wenqing.
Ever since Wu Chengsi learned about the plan from Ouyang Chong, he had been uneasy.
But he didn't know how much Ouyang Chong knew and how much he told Wu Chengsi. Especially since there was no trouble in Yanzhou, he was naturally unwilling to give up this long-planned plan.
Now that Wu Chengsi had rescued Xu Wenqing, while the King of Yue was angry, he actually felt a little relieved.
This shows that Ouyang Chong did not know much, and Wu Chengsi also hoped to get clues from Xu Wenqing.
Seeing that the King of Yue had not spoken for a long time, Li Yuhui asked worriedly: "Father, are you okay?"
The King of Yue said calmly: "Your father has never seen anything in his life, so what else can happen?"
Li Yuhui hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, let's forget it."
"never mind?"
The King of Yue snorted coldly: "I and the Wu family have reached the current situation, and it can no longer be restored. You must remember that until the Wu family falls, your brother will not be able to get out of the prison!"
Li Yuhui felt a chill in her heart and said no more.
…
Outside Yangzhou City, Zuo Wujun escorted a carriage back to the Guanyin Mountain Military Camp.
In the carriage, Lu Wei held Xu Wenqing tightly in her arms and gently patted her back.
Xu Wenqing's sobs could be heard from time to time in the car.
After such a long period of fear, grievance and resentment, she finally released them all at the moment of being rescued.
After a long time, Xu Wenqing raised his head and said in a hoarse voice: "Where is Your Highness? Why hasn't he come over?"
"Your Highness' uncle is responsible for transferring the King of Yue away from the palace. He sent me and the master to rescue you!" The answer was Gongsun Xiaoniang sitting opposite.
"Who are you?" Xu Wenqing realized that there was another person in the car.
Lu Wei hurriedly explained: "Miss, this child is Gao Daxia's disciple, they are the ones who rescued me."
Xu Wenqing nodded and said towards the direction where the voice came from just now: "Thank you."
Gongsun Xiaoniang scratched her head in embarrassment, and said with a blushing face: "Actually, I was just helping the master, and this time the master was just helping Uncle Black Bear. It was he and his men who snatched you out."
"Uncle Black Bear?"
Lu Wei was about to explain when a thunderous voice suddenly came from the window: "Little thing, there is a black letter in my name, but you are not allowed to call me Black Bear again!"
Luwei stuck out his tongue and said, "He is the general with black teeth."
Gongsun Xiaoniang covered her ears and whispered: "Uncle Black Bear doesn't like others calling him that."
Lu Wei was speechless for a moment and thought to herself, "Who else would call him that except you?"
The carriage went all the way and arrived at the Guanyin Mountain camp after noon.
After not waiting long, Wu Chengsi finally returned with his people. When he saw Xu Wenqing waiting outside the handsome tent, his heart was filled with self-blame again.
Compared to a month ago, this young girl had changed a lot. While others had their faces facing forward, she tilted her head so that her ears were facing forward, which made people feel sad.
"Your Highness, are you back?" Xu Wenqing called tentatively.
Wu Chengsi stepped forward, grabbed her hand forcefully, and said softly: "Miss Xu, I'm sorry, it was me who made you become like this."
Xu Wenqing shook his head and forced a smile: "Your Highness, don't say that, it's because I failed to complete the task. Did you... did you rescue my father?"
At this moment, what she cared about most was still her father.
Wu Chengsi took a deep breath and told her that Xu Yuanju was sent to Chang'an by the Yue King, and then said: "Don't worry, I will definitely rescue him."
Xu Wenqing was helped by Lu Wei to rest, and Wu Chengsi led the others into the tent.
In addition to Zhuge Sanyuan and his son, Han Cheng and Hei Qichang, the masters and disciples of Gao Junhui also entered the tent.
Wu Chengsi looked around and said, "Everyone deserves a lot of credit for rescuing Miss Xu this time, especially Gao Zhuangshi and Miss Gongsun."
Gao Junhui just nodded, and Gongsun Xiaoniang said with a blushing face: "I...I just helped make some fire starter bags, and the master went in to set the fire."
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "If you do what you can do, that's already great."
Then his face darkened, and he said: "Next, we need to find a way to rescue General Li Lang, and He Lan Minzhi. As long as we find him, I can kill Yang Sijian and bring the Navy Commander's Mansion under control."
Zhuge Nan said excitedly: "Your Highness, we can use Yuan Shutong again!"
"How to use it? General Li Lang's situation is different from Miss Xu. We don't know his whereabouts." Han Cheng said, crossing his arms.
Zhuge Sanyuan touched his short beard and said, "I'm just afraid that they have escaped to the sea."
"Your Highness, why don't we just find a spot near the river outside the city to view the navy."
"What's the use of this?" Zhuge Nan looked at Hei Te Changzhi and asked.
"Then Yang Sijian is a fool at first glance. The navy under him has definitely been ruined. His Highness will use this reason to terminate his position as the commander of the navy!"
Wu Chengsi shook his head and said: "It's not that easy. Yang Sijian is not only a third-grade navy commander, but also a member of the crown prince. If he is removed from his official position without sufficient reasons, I am afraid there will be trouble in the future."
"Yes, such forceful action will not only arouse dissatisfaction from others, but also if the prince interferes and asks His Majesty to order Yang Sijian to be reinstated, His Highness's prestige will be greatly damaged." Zhuge Sanyuan followed.
Gao Junhui suddenly said: "If you want to save General Li Lang, you must kill him first!"
Hei Te Changzhi glared and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
When Gongsun Xiaoniang saw him being rude to her master, she immediately stared at him with her round eyes.
Zhuge Nan hurriedly asked: "Brother Gao, please explain."
Gao Junhui said coldly: "Your Highness can pass down the order and send out men to search for General Li Lang. If he sees him, he will kill him on the spot."
"You're crazy!" Hei Te Changzhi said in surprise.
Wu Chengsi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly showed a smile and said: "He is not crazy, this is indeed a good idea, and we also need to think of a good reason so that Yuan Shutong can know."
Hei Te Changzhi blinked, with an expression as if he was listening to a foreign language.
Zhuge Nan already understood and said with a smile: "General Black Teeth, don't you understand yet? Think about it, what would the other side think if they found out that we were chasing General Li Lang?"
Black Teeth Changzhi slapped his thigh and said: "I understand, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They will definitely be very strange, and they will probably treat General Li Lang preferentially because of this."
Wu Chengsi stood up and said: "Let's adopt Gao Zhuangshi's suggestion. Next, everyone will brainstorm and come up with a good reason to tell Yuan Shutong."
Zhuge Sanyuan twisted his beard and said with a smile: "Your Highness, I have come up with a reason, but I don't know if it is feasible."
…
The news that Wu Chengsi's troops forcibly broke into the Yue Prince's Mansion and took away a woman soon spread in Yangzhou City.
The people of Yangzhou can almost be said to be extremely angry.
The King of Yue was a virtuous king in the hearts of the people of Yangzhou. He gave charity every year, built bridges and paved roads. It is said that he once jumped into the water risklessly in the middle of winter to save a child who fell into the water.
The people couldn't bear it when such a good prince was bullied, and they secretly criticized Wu Chengsi's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Some people even suggested going to the military camp to protest.
It was a pity that there were only a few people who responded. After all, Wu Chengsi was a general who fought on the battlefield and even massacred the Khitan people.
If you go to his military camp to protest, isn't that asking for death?
Compared with the common people, those prominent figures who have been to Mingde Temple naturally see things more deeply.
People with a flexible mind have come back to their senses and realized that Wu Chengsi's performance at Mingde was just to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and the real purpose was to bring that woman out of the Palace of the Prince of Yue.
These people were naturally extremely concerned about Wu Chengsi's purpose, and sent their men to the city to find out the news.
It happened that when Zuowuwei's men brought Xu Wenqing out that day, they were witnessed by many people. One of the witnesses happened to recognize that person as Xu Changshi's daughter, Xu Wenqing.
The witness happened to go to a restaurant with a friend that night and drank two kilograms of Huadiao.
As a result, the news spread from that restaurant, and soon the upper echelons of Yangzhou knew that the woman Wu Chengsi rescued was Xu Yuanju's daughter.
Everyone thought this result was normal. After all, Xu Yuanju was from the Wu family, so it was not surprising that Wu Chengsi saved her.
Instead, they felt vaguely that the King of Yue could just deal with Xu Yuanju. As the saying goes, no harm comes to the wife and children. He, a prince, had gone too far by locking up his daughter.
Moreover, Wu Chengsi was able to rescue Xu Yuanju's daughter from the Prince of Yue's palace, which also made them feel that Wu Chengsi completely overwhelmed the Prince of Yue in this confrontation.
…
The lobby of Prince Yue's Mansion.
There was a "clang" sound.
A precious white jade wine cup was thrown on the luxurious carpet. I don't know whether it was due to the cushioning effect of the carpet or the workmanship, but the jade cup did not break.
"He's already riding on us, and you still want to endure it? Do you know what other people are thinking now?"
King Li Yuanjia of Han's face turned red with anger.
King Li Zhen of Yue said calmly: "Those people's ideas are always changing, there is no need to care about what they think."
"How can you achieve great things if you are so cowardly? I don't think I can live in Yangzhou anymore, so I might as well follow King Lu's example and ask for your Majesty's permission to move to Chang'an."
The King of Yue said coldly: "Then you go."
The King of Han stared at the King of Yue.
After a long while, his eyes softened, he returned to the chair and sat down, sighing and saying: "I know you have your considerations, but we can't always show weakness like this."
"Do you think I want to do this? Even if this matter is brought to His Majesty, it will not do any good. After all, Xu Yuanju's daughter is detained in my house. Even if I make up a good excuse, His Majesty's temperament will not help us.
.”
King Han was silent for a while and snorted coldly: "That's true, our Majesty always likes to favor outsiders. If he hadn't favored the Wu family, the current situation would not have resulted."
The King of Yue waved his hand and said: "Okay, you have said these words eight hundred times, is it useful?"
"Then we should fight back. You are cautious, but sometimes you are too cautious. Our plan to deal with Wu Chengsi doesn't need to be too complicated. We don't have much time!"
The King of Yue remained silent. He, the King of Han, and Yang Sijian had already agreed on a plan to deal with Wu Chengsi, but a few details were still being worked out.
Unexpectedly, before their plan was completed, Wu Chengsi had already taken action frequently, making him feel a little overwhelmed.
King Han continued to persuade: "Xu Yuanju has already presented the blueprints. Wu Chengsi doesn't seem to be very clear about our plan. If we get rid of him now, the probability of the success of the plan is still very high."
"I understand everything you said, but some details haven't been agreed upon yet, and I always feel a little uneasy."
"Are you still worried that Wu Chengsi will not go to sea to attack pirates?" King Han raised his eyebrows.
The King of Yue nodded and said: "He should know very well that Yang Sijian has defected to us, and he must be worried about the Yangzhou Navy. Even if the pirates harass us, he may not attack."
The King of Yue controlled Yangzhou for many years, relying on three magic weapons.
Bandits, pirates and civil commotions.
All officials sent by Empress Wu must face these three things. As long as they are not handled well, they will not be able to gain a foothold in Yangzhou.
Wu Chengsi had 10,000 Zuowu troops under his command, so bandits were definitely useless. He lived in a military camp, and no ordinary people dared to go to the military camp to cause trouble.
In other words, using pirates became the only way to deal with Wu Chengsi.
No matter how brave and skillful Zuo Wu's army is, it is still on land.
As long as Wu Chengsi dares to lead the Zuo Wu Army to pursue the pirates at sea, Yang Sijian can unite with the pirates to secretly make Wu Chengsi go without return.
At that time, it is only necessary to say that Wu Chengsi died heroically while exterminating the pirates, and Empress Wu can only accept the reality except a few words of blame.
Moreover, as long as Wu Chengsi is eliminated, the Taishan Plan can proceed smoothly. When the plan succeeds, Empress Wu will not be able to keep her position, let alone take revenge on them.
However, although the plan was good, the problem was to first ensure that Wu Chengsi would go to sea to fight against pirates.
It was because of this lack of thought that the King of Yue did not take action.
Chen Shuozhen suddenly said: "Can we use bait to lure Wu Chengsi out to sea?"
"What bait?" asked the King of Yue.
"He Lan Minzhi."
King Han shouted: "What a great idea. Wu Chengsi and He Lanmin have a grudge, and they must really want to catch him. I think this bait will work."
The King of Yue frowned and said, "I'm afraid Yang Sijian won't agree. His daughter has a deep affection for He Lanminzhi, and he has always doted on that daughter."
King Han said angrily: "I just asked him to be a bait, but I didn't ask him to die. Now the situation has reached this point, and if we hadn't reminded him, he would have been dealt with by Wu Chengsi. I don't think he dares to agree?"
"
The King of Yue thought the same thing, nodded, and asked someone to invite Yang Sijian to come over immediately.
At this time, King Han suddenly asked: "By the way, I heard from my subordinates that Wu Chengsi sent people everywhere to search for Li Duozuo and issued a kill order. What's going on?"
"I've also heard about this. It's indeed a bit strange." Yue Wang Youyou said.
"Do you think we made a mistake and it wasn't Li Duozuo who leaked He Lan Minzhi's location?"
The King of Yue shook his head: "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I have already sent people to Yuan Shutong. I believe he should know something."
King Han nodded and said: "How is the discussion between Yuan Shutong and Wang Fangyi going? Yesterday, Wu Chengsi went to Mingde Temple without bringing Wang Fangyi with him. It can be seen that Wang Fangyi has been left out."
The King of Yue pondered and said: "Yuan Shutong wrote that although Wang Fangyi is somewhat dissatisfied with Wu Chengsi, he has the mentality of a loyal minister who does not serve the two masters. I am afraid that he cannot be persuaded yet."
"This is our Li Tang world, how can there be two masters!"
"The current situation is like this, what's the use of being angry?" King Yue glanced at him.
King Han snorted and said, "I just don't understand. Has he forgotten how the Wang family was killed by the Wu family?"
"He probably won't forget it, he just dares to be angry and dare not say anything."
"Then why is he still loyal to Wu Chengsi?"
The King of Yue smiled and said: "I am actually relieved that he is like this. He is a soldier. If he changes his position so easily, I will feel something is wrong."
"You are just too suspicious!" King Han couldn't help but shake his head.
At this moment, Yang Xuan, who was standing behind King Han like a statue, suddenly spoke.
"has a problem."
King Han tilted his head and said, "What's the problem?"
"Wang Fangyi has a problem."
The King of Yue knew that either he would say nothing or his words would be correct, so he immediately asked: "How do you say it?"
Yang Xuan said: "When Wu Chengsi first came to Yangzhou, he only brought Wang Fangyi's Qianniu Guards with him. He obviously trusted this person very much."
The King of Yue was stunned and said: "Yes, it is impossible for him to put his own safety on someone he doesn't trust."
King Han glared and said, "Then why did he suddenly ignore Wang Fangyi?"
Yang Xuan said: "There are two possibilities."
"Which two?"
"The first one is that he deliberately snubbed Wang Fangyi to test him and see if he would be won over by us."
The King of Yue's heart sank and he said: "If this is the case, Yuan Shutong might have been exposed if he went to win over Wang Fangyi."
"What is the second one?" King Han asked again.
"This is a trap they set up. They let Wang Fangyi pretend to surrender to us in order to deal with us in the future."