I heard from Xiang Hongyu that the main force of Jin Dingguo is currently stationed in Heyang County in the south, with as many as 200,000 people. The Chu army is mainly led by Qinling, with 300,000 troops and horses. Since Luojing, the capital of Donglin State,
After being defeated, the two countries were originally divided into north and south, with the south belonging to Liang and the north belonging to Chu. However, due to the delay in capturing the leader of the Donglin Kingdom, and the chaos in the Donglin Kingdom, rebels continued, so the matter continued like this.
dragging
Badaling is located at the southwest end of Donglin Kingdom, more than 300 miles away from Heyang County. Shaoyan and his party of three walked through the mountain road, waterway, waterway, and then climbed five mountains in a row, crossing two
A large forest, out of the prairie... After seven consecutive days of driving, I finally arrived at a small village near Heyang County.
It was already dusk, and the three of them did not carry much dry food. Seeing that it was already getting late, and the area was surrounded by remote countryside for dozens of miles, it was almost impossible to find an inn, so Shao Yan decided
Find someone to stay with for one night first
The daytime in winter always gets dark quickly, and the afterglow of the setting sun is fleeting. I randomly found a house on the roadside as white as snow. To be precise, it was a dilapidated mud house with yellow paving on the outside.
Covered with a thick layer of weeds, in the words of villagers, this can keep out the cold
The owners of this house are an old couple who are over 60 years old. Although their clothes are full of patches, their faces always show a kind face. After learning that Shao Yan and others wanted to stay here, the couple
The two of them couldn't argue with each other and quickly invited them in, fearing that they would be freezing outside.
During the conversation, I learned that the old man’s surname was Dong, and his wife’s maiden name was Chen, so they were called Dong-Chen. The couple had three sons. They all joined the army two years ago and died on the battlefield one after another..., they often say
Whenever she feels sad, Ms. Dong and Chen can’t help but secretly cry beside her.
Shao Yan leaned in front of a broken table, and through the faint oil lamp, he could see his surroundings clearly. Although the room was not small, it did not have any decent furniture. Even the dining tables and chairs were repaired and repaired.
Second-rate
Uncle Dong poured three bowls of hot boiling water and delivered them to the three of them one by one. He said with shame: "Several guests have come from afar. We, the old couple, should be able to entertain them well, but because our family background is too shabby, it is really difficult for us."
I can’t find any tea leaves. I hope you and your two ladies will forgive me.”
Liu Meng was extremely thirsty. She choked on the water as soon as she drank it. She shook her head and said, "Uncle Dong, you have misunderstood. We are not..."
"What's wrong? Haha..." Mrs. Dong Chen came over with a brazier with a smile, and said with a slight smile: "Anyone with a discerning eye will know at a glance that you are this young master's little wife, and this girl in white must be
Madam, although we mountain villagers don’t have much experience, we can still see this." He put the brazier under the table and walked away with a smile.
Liu Meng was about to continue explaining, but Bai Ruxue quietly winked at her, and she subconsciously closed her mouth.
Shao Yan saw her face turn red and couldn't help but secretly said, you girl, people say you are who you are, why do you have to be so serious? After thinking about it, he cupped his hands towards the old man and said with a smile: "I'm too polite, old man.
The three of us, my husband and I, were in a hurry to get to Heyang County, but unfortunately it was too late, so we came to disturb you two. I feel really sorry for you."
When Uncle Dong heard this, he couldn't help but said calmly: "What? Are you three going to Heyang County?" Seeing them looking at him in surprise, he hurriedly asked: "I dare to ask this young man, you are from Donglin.
?”
Seeing his sincere expression, Shao Yan nodded without hesitation, "Exactly."
"Then, old man, I have to advise you that you cannot go to that place," said Mr. Dong.
"Why?" Bai Ruxue and Liu Meng were very curious and asked in unison.
At this time, Mrs. Dong Chen came over and said: "Three nobles do not know. Heyang County is now dominated by Liang Jun. Alas, these soldiers have never been soldiers. If anything happens, they will take advantage of the local people."
Vent your anger, no, there has been a rebellion in the north recently, and all the entrances and exits to Heyang County have been sealed. Once strangers enter, they may be arrested and tortured for no reason. Alas, these days are
There’s no way to survive”
Mr. Dong sighed and said: "Yes, these foreign soldiers don't regard our Donglin people as human beings at all. The people are all looking forward to the court's troops coming in quickly to drive away these foreign bandits."
Shao Yan nodded solemnly: "Yes, we will definitely do it. Donglin Country has always been our own place, and we will not tolerate outsiders like them running wild here."
Uncle Dong smiled knowingly and did not say any more. In order to entertain Shao Yan and the others, Dong Chen killed the only chicken that lays eggs in the family. This moved Shao Yan very much. It must be said that the poor have the kindest hearts in the world.
, the most selfless
That night, Shao Yan and Mr. Dong made a bed on the floor in the living room, while Bai Ruxue, Liu Meng, and Dong Chen slept on the bed in the room.
The wind outside was blowing loudly, blowing in through the cracks in the door from time to time and hitting Shao Yan on the face. He couldn't help but shiver all over, and then he curled up into a ball and fell asleep again. Until the next morning,
When he woke up, he realized that Uncle Dong had left the entire quilt to him, and he was only covered with some shabby clothes and straw mats. No wonder Shao Yan felt a little cold on his face throughout the night.
, I didn’t even feel how cold I was.
Oh, what a nice pair of old people, Shao Yan said sincerely. After the three of them simply packed up, they were ready to go on the road. Before leaving, Shao Yan took out fifty taels of silver and left it to the old couple.
But he refused to accept it, so Shao Yan and others had to put away the money and pretended to be on their way. When the couple entered the door, Bai Ruxue immediately ran back and put the money by the door, then used Qing Kung Fu to leave. The old couple chased after them again.
When they came out, the three of them had already disappeared.
…………
After resting for a night, the three of them were full of energy and the pace of their steps quickened. Before they knew it, most of the day had passed and the three of them finally arrived at the gate of Heyang County. As Mr. Dong said, usually
Every gate leading into the city is either sealed or sent out with sentries, and everyone passing through will be forcibly searched, including men, women, old and young.
"Second Uncle, look at the situation, it's hard for the three of us to enter the city. Why don't we just do nothing and let me fight my way out first and let's rush in?" Liu Meng stopped and said
Bai Ruxue frowned and said: "No, with the martial arts of the three of us, it is not difficult to rush in, but this will expose our identity. The main force of Liang Jun is stationed here. Even if we can get in, we will not be able to get in."
It’s hard to get out”
Liu Meng asked anxiously: "What should we do? Are we just going to sit there like this?"
Shao Yan thought for a while, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he said calmly: "I have a way, you come with me."
The two girls were so surprised that they couldn't say anything and followed him all the way to a nearby City God's Temple. This temple was very big. I heard from the local people that the City God here would appear. As long as you sincerely burn incense and kowtow, he will bless you.
Safe entry and exit
Regarding various superstitions spread among the people, Shao Yan has always regarded them as after-dinner jokes, but this time it was different. He had to pretend to be very pious and kneel down in front of the mourning hall and kowtow in worship, because he had to wait for someone here.
Liu Meng's curiosity became more and more intense, but Shao Yan refused to tell her, and just asked her and Ruxue to hide behind the statue of the City God.
Not long after, a woman's fragrance suddenly blew in from behind. The smell was so strong that it was nauseating. According to Shao Yan's past experience, he concluded that the person who came must be an extremely coquettish young woman. As expected, after the fragrance passed, he
Hearing a delicate yet familiar voice, "Begonia, you go down first."
"Yes, ma'am"
Shao Yan knelt on the ground, closed his eyes and said nothing. The young woman knelt down on the cushion next to him with gentle steps. Shao Yan half-opened his eyes and glanced at her with his peripheral vision. He couldn't help but feel startled.
, the emperor has paid off, she is really this evil woman
The person who came was none other than Xiao Yingying, the concubine of the former Donglin Kingdom. After the Empress Dowager Guo jumped from the building, she and her two sisters followed Jin Dingguo. The three sisters transformed into the three wives of Jin Dingguo.
When Shao Yan was lying on the floor last night, Uncle Dong was worried, so he tried to persuade him more than once, hoping that he would not take the risk. However, Shao Yan still persisted, and Uncle Dong tried to persuade him to no avail, so he talked to him.
He talked about the current situation in Heyang County, including the three ladies around Jin Dingguo, especially Xiao Yingying. Mr. Dong said that he had been to Heyang County not long ago and had heard that Jin Dingguo’s eldest wife would go there every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year.
Burning incense and worshiping Buddha in Chenghuang Temple
Today is the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is what the people call the Little New Year. Shao Yan was not sure that Xiao Yingying would appear at that time. He also had the mentality of giving it a try, but he did not expect that she would actually appear.
"Bless the City God, bless Lord Jin for a life without disaster, and bless the slave family to have a son as soon as possible. The slave family is grateful for this," Xiao Yingying clasped her hands together and chanted devoutly.
Day, I couldn't tell, but this evil woman was deeply in love with Jin Dingguo. Shao Yan was about to stand up and talk to her, but unexpectedly, there were light footsteps again behind him, followed by two delicate voices.
"My sister is devoted to Buddha, but it's a pity that Lord Jin's heart is all about that bitch." The speaker is Xiao Rongrong
Xiao Yingying said without looking back: "Don't say that, she is also the princess of Liang Kingdom, so it's natural for Lord Jin to be nice to her."
Xiao Susu said disdainfully: "Tch, in my opinion, Zheng Yuegui is just a bitch. He is almost dead, but he is still pretending to be strong. I don't know what Lord Jin thinks, leaving such a sick man here."
Next to me, huh, isn't this bitch in love with Shao Yan? If you ask me, just send someone to throw her on the Badaling mountain and let her fend for herself. If Shao Yan finds out, she will be treated as if she does not deserve to die.
, we have done a great good deed, if we are eaten by jackals, tigers and leopards, it is none of our business, eldest sister, second sister, what do you think?"
Xiao Rongrong pursed her lips and smiled: "Although Third Sister's suggestion is a bit harsh, you can still consider it. Sister, among the three sisters, you are the most favored. Why don't you talk to Lord Jin? Maybe Lord Jin will listen.
In your words, he and Zheng Yuegui are only in the name of husband and wife, but not in reality. Even if the Emperor of Liang comes to investigate in the future, we can just blame everything on Shao Yan. Isn't that the best of both worlds?
…”
Xiao Yingying coughed twice and interrupted them: "You two girls, how can you say such things in front of the City God? Why don't you come over and apologize to the City God?"
The two of them knelt down reluctantly and kowtowed together: "City God, it's not that we sisters are too bad, but that Zheng Yuegui is so shameless. He usually makes excuses in front of us just because he is a princess.
May you be a blessing, if you can manifest a spirit, please bless her to enter the Paradise of Paradise as soon as possible, which will also reduce her pain."
Shao Yan couldn't stand listening any more, so he stood up from the ground and said angrily: "I think it's you three who want to go to Elysium early."
When the three sisters saw him, they were shocked. Their first reaction was to get up and run for their lives. They heard a "squeak" sound and the door was tightly closed. Bai Ruxue held the green dragon sword, and Liu Meng picked up the whip and started running for their lives.
come forward
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare my life..." The three women were frightened and hurriedly knelt in front of Shao Yan and begged for mercy.
Shao Yan said coldly: "I can spare your lives, but the three of you have to do something for us. If you do it well, we will let you go back. If you don't do it well, you three heads will be moved together." As he said that, he took out the
The sword on his body was pointed directly in front of the three people.
Looking at the cold sword blade, the three sisters didn't dare to say 'no', so they had no choice but to nod in agreement...
After a period of time, the three sisters left the Chenghuang Temple in their sedans, while Shao Yan, Liu Meng, and Bai Ruxue were hiding in three sedans respectively. Shao Yan was sitting in Xiao Yingying's sedan, and Xiao Yingying was so frightened that she gasped.
Don't even dare to breathe
When they arrived at the city gate, the soldiers guarding the city couldn't help but stepped forward and stopped the three sedans. When they learned that the three ladies of Jin Dingguo were sitting inside, all the soldiers quickly stepped aside to let them pass.
In this way, Shao Yan and his party entered the city smoothly. Xiao Yingying followed Shao Yan's wishes and asked the bearers to carry the sedan to a nearby grove to hide it from others.
Everyone got off the sedan together, and Xiao Yingying said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, it's safe here. Can you let us three sisters go?"
"Let you go?" Liu Meng snorted coldly: "With your vicious hearts, if you stay in this world, you will only harm others. Uncle, why don't you kill them with one knife?"
Bai Ruxue also agreed. In the past, she might have had compassion. However, when she heard the conversation at the Chenghuang Temple, she felt that the three sisters were hopeless. If she didn't kill them, she would be afraid of the future.
It will also harm many people
The three sisters became pale after hearing this, and knelt on the ground and kept begging for mercy. Shao Yan waved his hand without thinking and said: "Mengmeng, Ruxue, let them go first."
"emperor--"
"Second Uncle——"
Although the two of them were reluctant, they still did as they were told and let Xiao Rongrong and Xiao Susu go. Unexpectedly, the two sisters turned around and ran away, shouting as they ran: "Come here, Emperor Donglin is here, come and arrest him quickly."
"
Damn it, I'm leaving you alive, but you are seeking your own death. Shao Yan made a gesture indifferently, Bai Ruxue, Liu Meng used Qinggong, jumped forward, and quickly cut off the path of the two sisters. The two sisters had no time to shout,
Bai Ruxue and Liu Meng showed their weapons at the same time. With a 'click' sound, Xiao Rongrong's throat was sealed with a sword on the spot, while Xiao Susu was slapped on the head by Liu Meng's whip. The blood flow stopped immediately and both of them died.
When Xiao Yingying saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. She wanted to cry but didn't dare to cry out. The servants behind her were even more frightened and trembling all over.
Shao Yan said with a cold face: "Xiao Yingying, after all, you have been the concubine of the Donglin Kingdom, and you can be regarded as my wife. And you, in order to avenge your adoptive father Guo Wei, you harbored evil intentions, hidden murderous intentions, and killed the little girl.
Shunzi, you used extremely vicious methods to persecute those servants in the palace who refused to follow you, and later forced the Queen Mother Guo and many innocent ministers to death. Such crimes were so heinous that I would not be exaggerated even if I had to banish you. But today,
I can let you live for the time being. If you can redeem yourself and make meritorious deeds, you will be given a lighter punishment. Of course, if you play tricks with us, your two sisters will be role models."
Xiao Yingying said solemnly: "I don't dare. I just want the emperor to spare me from death. I will listen to you in everything."
"Take us to see Princess Laurel now," Bai Ruxue said solemnly.
"This -" Xiao Yingying lowered her head hesitantly
"What is this? Do you want to live or lose your head? It's your choice." Liu Meng angrily picked up the whip