The night wind is bleak and dark clouds cover the moon.
"Dad, what if the emperor made the second prince the prince just to confuse us, take the opportunity to take away the military power in our hands, and then make Duanmu Chen the prince?" Wan Cong's voice was deep.
Wan Shan snorted coldly, "At that time, it will be the emperor who forces us! If something happens to the eldest prince and the second prince, Qian Guo doesn't need to be named Duanmu!"
"What dad means is..." Wan Cong's voice became excited.
"We have no retreat. If we endure it, we will die!" Wan Shan said coldly.
"Since dad said so, my son knows what he's doing," Wan Cong said.
"Let's look at the situation in the capital. While the second prince is in the crown prince position, let him clean up those troublemakers Duanmu Chen and Su Liang as soon as possible!" Wan Shan snorted coldly, "It's true that if you fail to succeed, you will fail. If Their brothers are more stable, and with our support, how could Duanmu Chen have a chance to get ahead?"
"Father, calm down. Who asked me to be born in the Heavenly Family? My son is going to send a message to the capital right now." After Wan Cong finished speaking, he stood up to leave, but suddenly came back and sat down at the door, "Dad, what if the emperor has sent someone Come here, let us hand over power and return to Beijing..."
Wan Shan's expression changed, "It's not impossible! If someone really comes, they might arrive in the near future!"
"We'd better not do anything that would be criticized in public, otherwise I'm afraid we won't be able to convince the public." Wan Cong pointed out. The father and son deliberately acted and created merit without merit, in order to win over the hearts and minds of the military and the people.
Duanmu Yi deposing the crown prince was an internal matter within the royal family, and they could not have any opinions on it. If an imperial envoy was sent to Xuanbei City openly and something happened in the city, Wan Shan would be held responsible.
Thinking of this, Wan Shan's expression condensed, "Immediately arrange for spies to go south to investigate, and found that someone from the capital Su Su reported!"
"You have to stop it!" Wan Cong said in a deep voice.
"Yes, we must not let them swagger into the city to see me reading out the imperial edict. If that happens, we will be in a dilemma! Choose a place to ambush, and no matter who comes, we must intercept and kill them before they enter Xuanbei City. ! Even if the emperor knows that we did it and can’t find any evidence, there’s nothing he can do.” Wan Shan ordered in a cold voice, “Get the second son out and get down to business!”
"I'm going to find my second brother right now. He has great martial arts skills and asks him to lead people to intercept and kill the imperial envoy!" Wan Cong left in a hurry after saying this.
The room became quiet.
Su Liang and Ning Jing, who were hiding under the back window with bated breath, heard the conversation between the Wan family and his son, which contained a lot of information.
The latest news that Wan Shan has received is that Duanmu Ao has become the crown prince, so there are no big moves yet.
If nothing else happens, the news of Duanmu Ao's murder will be sent to Xuanbei City in another day.
By then Wan's father and son would never be as calm as they were tonight.
As for getting rid of Duanmu Chen and Su Liang, intercepting and killing the imperial envoys, Su Liang had anticipated this before he came, and it was not too surprising.
She also thought that if Wan Shan and his son were truly loyal ministers, only related by blood to Duanmu Sheng and Duanmu Ao, and had no intention of rebellion, they would naturally have to be more polite.
But now the facts are before us.
The father and son are not good people. They may have real abilities, but their intentions are not right. If the Liang Kingdom wants to negotiate such a major matter, no matter whether the other party is sincere or fake, they should report the decision to the royal family as soon as possible, but they have repeatedly caused the Liang Kingdom to come into trouble. Make a name for yourself by pretending to be brave and repelling the enemy.
Even in his words, his intention to seek power and usurp the throne was revealed.
In this case, Su Liang felt that it was time to take action without further delay.
Originally, she planned to see the situation first before deciding what to do, but just now she had an idea.
Su Liang pulled Ning Jing's sleeve, and he understood, and the two left quietly together.
But he only went to the deserted back garden of the General's Mansion and did not go out.
It's easier to talk here.
Su Liang briefly told Ning Jing what she thought. Ning Jing said nothing and nodded in agreement.
"Did you bring it?" Su Liang asked softly.
Ning Jing nodded again, "Wait here." The words disappeared.
Su Liang climbed up a tall tree and could see the lights in the front yard from a distance, but no one could be seen.
…
Wan Cong dragged Wan Lin to Wan Shan, Wan Shan scolded him a few times, and then the two brothers left to do their business.
The hour is approaching.
Wan Shan's concubine brought him a bowl of chicken soup, and he drove her away impatiently.
After another hour, Wan Shan blew out the lamp and went to bed to rest.
A faint fragrance filled the room, and Wan Shan's snoring was like thunder, but soon became silent.
Ningjing approached the bed, opened the bed curtain, and pulled Wanshan up from the bed, but he didn't respond.
A silver needle shone coldly in the dark room and pierced an acupuncture point in Wanshan.
After a while, Ningjing let go of Wanshan, and he lay back on the bed. Then Ningjing grabbed his inner arm and pulled him out. As soon as his hand was released, Wanshan rolled off the bed and hit his head on the ground.
!
Ning Jing opened half of the window, the slightly cold night breeze blew in, and the room became calm again.
…
Su Liang leaned against the trunk of the tree and fell asleep. She didn't know how long it had passed before she felt the tree shake. She glanced down, jumped down, raised her hand and touched the black scarf on her face to make sure she had put it on.
"Is everything going on?" Su Liang asked.
"Well, let's go." Ning Jing finished her words and left along the original road with Su Liang.
To be cautious, the two of them waited for more than half an hour before the guards changed shifts again before leaving the general's mansion and went straight back to the inn.
By the time I sat down to drink a glass of water, it was already getting dark.
She caught up on her sleep the night before and yesterday. She didn't sleep all night last night, but Su Liang didn't feel tired. She sat in the tranquil room to discuss the next thing.
"Wan Shan asked Wan Lin to lead people to intercept and kill the imperial envoy. It seems that the pervert has some skills. Should we go back and help?" Su Liang asked, "If nothing happens to Uncle Xing and Brother Lin on the way, it shouldn't take long.
We’ll be there soon.”
Wan Shan and his son planned to let the people sent by Duanmu Yi go to see the King of Hell before entering Xuanbei City. They would pretend that nothing happened and that there was never an imperial decree.
Su Liang's idea last night was to strike first.
She asked Ningjing to give Wanshan a needle, which would cause Wanshan to have symptoms of a stroke. The person would be awake, but unable to speak or move.
The imperial envoy has not yet come, and the royal family has done nothing on the surface, so "Wan Shan fell down at night and became paralyzed." When Xing Ji came, all he had to do was express regret and concern.
They were all planning to play dirty tricks anyway, so Su Liang worked hard to get the upper hand.
Wan Shan fell. Because his two sons had never been promoted to a high position by Duan Mu Yi, and their prestige in the Xuanbei City Army was far inferior to that of Wan Shan, they could not cause much trouble.
Therefore, Su Liang now has to ensure that Xing Ji and Lin Bojun arrive safely in Xuanbei City.
Ning Jing nodded, "I'll go, you stay."
Su Liang smiled and said, "That's what I mean. You have the best martial arts and are more reliable. I have to keep an eye on this place to prevent any trouble. It's best not to let Uncle Xing and Uncle Qi see you. You can solve the trouble secretly and then come back."
"I'm hungry." Ning Jing said.
Su Liang coughed slightly, "There is no condition to cook here, let's go out to eat. After dinner, you go do some errands while I walk around the city."
After the two of them washed up and changed their clothes, they left the inn and chose a roadside breakfast stall to eat.
On the surface, Xuanbei City remained the same as usual, but Su Liang saw two guards from the City Lord's Mansion dragging an old man with a gray beard and carrying a medicine box away in a hurry.
Wan Shan suddenly collapsed, Wan Cong should block the news.
This is normal. Even if they have no different intentions, as Wan Shan, the news of the accident cannot be known to Liang State, otherwise a war may begin.
This was something Su Liang had considered beforehand.
Xing Ji may arrive in a couple of days, and with his ability, it shouldn't be a big problem to stabilize the situation.
After breakfast, after the two returned to the inn, Ning Jing secretly left alone, left the city and turned back to meet Xing Ji and Lin Bojun.
Su Liang went to the tavern again after a while.
There were not many people around at this time, so Su Liang asked the waiter in the tavern about doing business in Liang Country.
Without saying a few words, a man who was drinking at the table next to me came over carrying a wine bottle.
"Little brother, are you going to Liang Kingdom to do business alone? I advise you to go home as soon as possible!" The man had a beard, but his facial features showed that he was only in his twenties, and his demeanor was bold and bold.
Su Liang had a straight face, shook his head and said, "Not me, but also my brother. I heard that furs from Liang Country are very cheap. If you bring them back and sell them, you can make a lot of money."
The bearded man laughed loudly when he heard this, "Who doesn't know that the fur business can make money? But if big money were so easy to make, all the businessmen in the land would be rich! Not to mention that the climate in Liang Country is not good, you are so small in stature.
You might not even be able to bear it. The people there are tough and there is no way to do business. They were robbed as soon as you got there! You won’t have anywhere to cry by then!"
"Is it so dangerous?" Su Liang frowned, "But we have already arrived at Xuanbei City, we can't go home empty-handed..."
"Afraid of embarrassment? That's better than losing your life! Listen to my brother's advice and go home to your mother as soon as possible!" The bearded man said, holding up the wine bottle and clinking it with Su Liang's cup, and drank.
Had several sips of wine.
Su Liang sighed deeply, "I'll go back and discuss it with my brother. If it doesn't work, I'll go home. Where is my eldest brother from?"
"Me? I'm a local from Xuanbei City!" The bearded man grinned, showing his neat white teeth, "Little brother, where are you from?"
"Pingbeicheng." Su Liang said casually.
The bearded man shook his head, "It's so comfortable over there, why are you here?"
"I want to come out and try my luck." Su Liang said.
The bearded man laughed again, "You are brave, little brother, but don't come here next time! This is not a good place. Even if it is peaceful now, there may be another fight one day!"
"Is that so?" Su Liang was surprised, "I came here yesterday. I heard that the two young masters of the Wan family are very brave. Every time the Liang soldiers didn't get close, they beat them back to their lair."
The bearded man sneered lightly and lowered his voice and said, "Liang Guobing didn't come at all. They haven't come for three months! The two young masters of the Wan family have defeated them more than ten times in the past three months. What a ghost!"
Su Liang looked shocked, "This..."
There was a soldier outside, shouting to the bearded man, "Boss, the eldest young master wants to see you!"
The bearded man raised his head, drank every drop of the wine in the flask, and placed a piece of broken silver on the table. "I'm also inviting you, little brother! Let's have a few drinks together next time!"
After saying that, he picked up the sword on the table next to him and walked out with striding steps like the wind.
When he reached the door, the bearded man turned around and asked Su Liang, "What's your little brother's name?"
Su Liang answered casually, "Wen Liang." Her name was too cold, so her pseudonym was warmer.
The bearded man went out with a smile, "You look quite gentle!"
When Su Liang saw the waiter coming to collect money, he asked him, "Is that eldest brother from the military camp?"
The waiter nodded, obviously recognizing him, "That's General Chen under the command of the eldest son of the Wan family. Come and have a drink when you have time!"
Su Liang was really surprised now. It turned out that he was not only a member of the army, but also a subordinate of Wan Cong. Obviously he knew all about the shameful behavior of Wan Cong and Wan Lin brothers, but how could he tell Su Liang this first meeting?
What about the strangers? Or did he dislike those things and deliberately spread them, just because he happened to run into Su Liang today?
No matter what the reason was, Su Liang felt that he could ask General Chen to testify later and accuse Wan Shan and his son of lying about the enemy's situation and committing fraud.
It can also be seen that the bearded man is not loyal to Wan Cong.
This is a good thing for Su Liang.
Su Liang ate a plate of peanuts one by one until it was almost noon and there were more and more customers in the tavern.
Then I heard someone saying that all the doctors in the city were taken to the city lord's mansion today, and no one came out for a long time.
However, no one knows the truth yet, and everyone thinks that Wanshan's old injury is a recurrence.
It wasn't until afternoon that Su Liang left the tavern and wandered around the city, secretly observing the city on the northern border of the Qian Kingdom.
From her point of view, she felt that some of the fortifications were not done well. If Xing Ji takes charge of Xuanbei City in the future, Su Liang can give him some suggestions for improvement.
Until evening, Su Liang bought some food and went back to the inn.
That night, Su Liang didn't break into the city lord's mansion again. She read the miscellaneous books she bought at the street stall during the day and then went to bed.
…
Wan Lin set out with people at midnight yesterday.
Ningjing started chasing them in the morning and found them in the evening, setting up an ambush in a valley on the way to Xuanbei City.
It's not the valley where Ning Jing and Su Liang lived temporarily, but one farther away from Xuanbei City.
The sky is getting dark.
Ning Jing was hiding at a safe distance and could hear Wan Lin scolding his subordinates. His words were full of complaints and he didn't like this kind of task.
The people sent to investigate came back with news that they had discovered a group of people from the capital, led by the former King of Beijing and now the loyal and trustworthy Marquis Xingji.
"A man named Xing was actually sent as an imperial envoy? He's looking for death!" Wan Lin led all the confidants of the Wan family, and there was no taboo in speaking.
The spies said that Xing Ji and his party were expected to pass by here before dawn.
"Cheer up, everyone! If something goes wrong, no one will survive!" Wan Lin shouted coldly, then scolded his subordinates, "Where's the water?"
A subordinate went to fetch water from a nearby mountain spring, rushed over and handed a delicate water bag to Wan Lin.
Ning Jing watched quietly as Wan Lin drank a few sips of water, and not long after, he fell to the ground.
Others who drank water from nearby mountain springs also fell into coma.
Only three of them were awake, looking panicked, ready to take Wan Lin and hide quickly.
But not long after, all three of them felt a black shadow flash before their eyes, and without seeing anyone clearly, they were knocked unconscious.
Ning Jing hung Wan Lin and his group on a tree in the valley, and carved a line of words on the stone next to the tree where Wan Lin was hung, "Uncle Xing, this is the one sent by Wan Shan to intercept and kill you."
Ningjing did not stop in the valley. After doing this, he left and returned to Xuanbei City. No one was seen on the way to pick up Wanlin.
There was still an hour before dawn, and Xing Ji and Lin Bojun, who were tired of travel, entered the valley.
Qi Jiang, who was the first to explore the road, had already reported the strange phenomena in the valley.
Therefore, Xing Ji quickly saw Wan Lin who was hanging up unconscious and the words carved on the stone next to him.
Lin Bojun frowned, "It was written by Xiao Liang! It seems that everything is under her control, and she still has the power to help us solve the problem!"
Xing Ji nodded, "We were worried about her originally, but we worried too much."
Qi Jiang said with a smile, "General Su is so capable. It's really useless for my brat to follow her!"